As fans of Top Chef we were so thrilled when Chef Eric Adjepong opened Elmina last year in DC, and sadly it took us way too long to get there. Last Thursday we joined friends at the unassuming restaurant on 14th St, NW only to enter into a magnificent space with three levels from the entry level with bar and open kitchen to the quieter upper levels which have a cozier and quieter feel as well as private spaces and more bars! It's quite an operation and the night we were there it was quite busy but never felt crowded or noisy. The decor should win a prize as well and all the seating options are very comfortable, too!
The menu has a tasting option or a la carte and as our friends were not feeling too hungry, we went for a la carte. The choices were many, but our super server Nyambura was very helpful in suggestions. Some of us had cocktails, but the hit was the white wine, a South African blend from Kumusha "Flame Lilly" Slanghoek in the Western Cape of 62% Rousanne/30% Chenin Blanc/5% Semillon, 3% Colombard that was creamy and tasty and went so well with the spice in the various dishes. Before the wine arrived 4 glasses of Prosecco arrived to celebrate Will's birthday (when we arrived, they asked if it was a special occasion and he said his birthday had just passed--well, a week before!). It was a nice gesture and then we settled in to order. Before we knew it Chef Eric came up from the kitchen to chat and it was as if we had known him for ages. He is a real host and gentleman and said he would return later to chat some more!
We started with Smashed Avocado with serrano and herbs and fried plantain chips to scoop it all up. This was guac on crack and we loved it all as I always make mine so spicy. A second "dip" was Zaalouk made from roasted eggplant, coriander oil, roasted vine tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese and crisp red onion with a yummy spiced buttered flatbread on the side to scoop it all up. We tore at the tasty pita-like bread and loved the flavors. Prawn Chichinga, a Ghanian street food, was strongly suggested by Nyambura and she was spot on with these large, skewered prawns with a spicy peanut sauce, chermoula and a small side bowl of caramelized onions. These were good enough to suck on the heads for sure!
Akara is described as a black-eye pea fritter with pulled suya short rib and while this resembles a slider, that's as far as it goes as the fried bread fritter that makes up the "sandwich" is more akin to fried corn bread made from black-eyed peas! We loved it. Warning, this starter is a single slider, so cannot be shared by more than two folks! (You may not even want to share!). Kelewele had been written up in numerous reviews and was a spicy, fried sweet plantain that gave new meaning to the often-unappreciated plantain. The spices in all the dishes are strong, and unique, but never overpowering.
We ordered a bottle of the Sutherland Pinot Noir from the Elgin Valley of Western Cape, South Africa (I figured African wines made sense!) which it turns out is bottled by the famous Thelema winery in Stellenbosch where we had visited and recently also bought wine from here in the US! It was a nice fruity, but more than medium bodied wine to stand up to the spices.
We chose one main to split as we were all filling up and also wanted to try dessert. The Crab Fried Rice is made with Benin Seed miso, scrambled egg, ginger scallion oil and dehydrated scallop, but at $50 I was wondering about the price. It was delicious full of crab, but still a tad high to justify the price. FYI the tasting menu is $145 and consists of 4 courses; Thurs-Sun there is an 11-course option for $285! We shall return to try these for sure!
Dessert here is a treat and Will's Malva Pudding Cake with sweet, pickled apricot and vanilla gelato came with a candle. We have loved Malva Pudding cake when in South Africa, but this preparation was indeed a novel treat. The Bofrot is really a small donut with nutmeg Chantilly, sticky toffee sauce, Heath bar crunch and Milo gelato and all which reminded me of a malted milk ball treat. There were so many things in this tasty dessert, I just wanted more of the yummy donuts to scoop up all the sauces!
Chef Eric did return and sat down for a while to chat, and we just could not stop oohing about how yummy everything was. There are pics of us all on FB as well!
Elmina is not to be eliminated from your DC dining list ever!!
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