Hessini Roots International Cafe

Although I appreciate all of Mark’s advice on the food, I must disagree… My husband and I went to Hessini Roots last week and were surprised on many levels.
1. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, we became aware of a certain game-​y smell tha pervaded it.
2. The owner seemed quite surprised to have customers come in… he walked over to us and asked us what we wanted to eat. Of course, not being aware of all that the place had to offer, we asked for menus. The owner said he did not have menus at the time (and was unsure of when they would arrive).
3. We were very hungry already, so we decided to stick it out. As my husband always says «There can’t really be a bad type of food, because some group of people somewhere are enjoying it.». He is far more open-​minded than I.
4. The restaurant has actually changed owners since Mark’s post (I can only assume). They no longer serve southwestern food, they don’t have menus (which I hope they did before), they didn’t have a cash register (we didn’t get any kind of breakdown for the pricing of our meal, let alone a paper reciept). Also, I believe what we ate was food from Ghana.
5.The meat was very difficult to eat. Now, I am used to eating plenty of meat with bones, as I’ve grown up eating Bangladeshi cuisine (similar to Indian, but the authentic kind… which is usually NOT boneless like in the restaurants), but these pieces of meat were obtrusively large, and still had skin and fat left on them.
The owner was very nice, always smiling. However, as much as I swoon for excellent customer service (his smile made up for the fact that he did not know what to do when I asked for silverware), I just couldn’t handle the gamey smell of the food. Also, we were told that the dishes would be chicken… I have no idea what types of meat we actually ate, but it DEFINITELY was NOT chicken… My husband and I just laughed about the entire experience (we may have seen a drug deal go down outside the restaurant), but neither of us will return. For those of you who are more adventurous with food (and it’s interesting smells), I would recommend you wait a while to go to this place to ensure they have menus and proper pricing available for you… and I wish you the best of luck.

Well, hello there.
It gives me great pleasure to discuss this next restaurant with you.
Hessini Roots is truly a chameleon in the culinary world. It does soul food! It does burritos (a nod to the owner’s first job in this country, when he worked at Taco Bell)! But at its best, it gives you a peep through the keyhole into that bustling, teeming African nation we call Nigeria. And it does it all from a small storefront on Montview & Clinton (right next to a great Ghanaian grocery called Makola — check it out!)
To my mind, the best items are the various soups and stews, served with big balls of either Fufu (pounded African yam) or Gari (a similar dish made from cassava). Be forewarned — these starches (eaten with the right hand only — you will be provided with a washbasin if you wish to eat Nigerian style) will fill you up.
I have tried four of their soups (available with a choice of protein) so far, and have very much enjoyed each one. Which did I like most? Well, that’s like asking me to choose between my (feline) children (although I must say I’m tempted at times!). The spicy melon-​seed stew called Egusi (with goat this time) had its highlights, but so did the tripe-​studded extravaganza Edikaikong, made with a combination of waterleaves and pumpkin greens. And I of course can’t forget the tangy, gooey (perhaps okra-​esque is a better word) Ogbono, made from the kernel of an African wild mango and served with tendony cow leg, or Afang, the thick bright green offering made from Gnetum leaves and brimming with beef. Taste for yourself!
Other thrills include the prosaically-​named Iffy’s Rice (a smoky, tomatoey rendition of the pan-​West-​African pilaf called Jollof Rice), and Chin-​Chin (small, slightly sweet kernels of crunchy fried wheat dough).
So take time to rediscover your roots — Hessini Roots, that is!