Go West: African Smallpot
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
If you head west on Woodland Avenue you'll find African Smallpot, a small storefront serving plates typical of Mauritania (located north of Liberia on the West African coast) as well as a selection of more familiar European fare.
- 6505 Woodland Ave., 267-577-2525, africansmallpot.com
- hours: 7 a.m. -11 p.m. daily
- recommended dishes: lamb dibi, peanut sauce, chicken yassa
If you head west on Woodland Avenue you’ll find African Smallpot, a small storefront serving plates typical of Mauritania (located north of Liberia on the West African coast) as well as a selection of more familiar European fare. Owner Abdarahmane Diop boasts a resume that has taken him from hotels in Nouakchott, the coastal country’s capital, to Italian restaurants in Milan and Glenolden, Pa.
At African Smallpot, Diop’s two sons, Adam and Bocar, staff the sunny dining room and guide guests through a menu of Mauritanian classics such as peanut sauce (sauce is synonymous with stew in West African cooking) and shareable platters like lamb dibi. All are meant to be eaten with your hands.
The peanut sauce is a rich, golden bowl of bittersweet ground peanuts cooked with pieces of bone-in chicken and plenty of rice to accompany the earthy gravy. The lamb dibi is served on a massive tray with thin-cut chops grilled and topped with sweet and sour, soft-cooked onions and a mass of African Smallpot’s brown rice. This isn’t the brown rice that you get when you opt for healthy at a Chinese takeout; this one is flavored with Maggi, a take on bouillon that makes its savory presence known in so many African dishes.
Before leaving African Smallpot with what’s likely to be plenty of leftovers, enjoy the little cup of Mauritanian bitter and sweet black tea that the brothers Diop will hand you as a final gift.
Pro tip: Snag a can of Vimto, a red fruit-and-herb-infused soda that’s a purported health tonic.
