First look: Africola Canteen, Duncan Welgemoed’s new Norwood diner

All the flavour of the CBD’s original Africola with a focus on daytime, takeaway trade with serious salad game. Take a look inside.

You can make friends with kale salad.

Just ask Joel Tisato, head chef of Africola Canteen in Norwood – the brand spanking new sister venue of Duncan Welgemoed’s restaurant Africola.

It’s got all the flavour with a little less fire (it aims to be family friendly) of the original East End restaurant, but is a daytime, takeaway-focused operation with serious salad game. That includes Tisato’s favourite kale number, tossed with a garlicky lemon tahini dressing and kimchi furikake.

“I would never go order a kale salad, but we’ve made this one and it’s the one I’m snacking on all the time,” says Joel, who’s been with the Africola family for around three-and-a-half years.

Africola Canteen, Norwood. Duncan Welgemoed and Joel Tisato. Picture: Jessica Galletly

Africola Canteen, Norwood. Picture: Jessica Galletly

“It’s a more accessible version of Africola – somewhere you can walk in and in 10 minutes you’ll have your food; the same flavours of Africola food you love … in this new format, and in the suburbs.”

Africola Canteen is not a restaurant. It’s not quite a cafe. Think salad bar – with a few “not salad” bits, with a handful of tables if you do want to sit for a quick bite. There’ll be 50-odd salads on rotation, with the idea being you can grab a couple to take home for dinner or along to a barbecue.

Non-salady things include a contemporary spin on the retro classic, meat loaf, and the ‘Canteen cup of soup’.

Africola Canteen, Norwood. Picture: Jessica Galletly

Africola Canteen, Norwood. Picture: Jessica Galletly

One of the dishes at Africola Canteen, Norwood. Picture: Jessica Galletly

Yum. Picture: Jessica Galletly

“It’s a jelly bone broth with edamame noodles for $10, and I think that’s great value and it’s really sticky and unctuous,” Welgemoed says.

“We want to be all things to all people and open seven days a week.”

Welgemoed’s South African inspired restaurant Africola has received wide acclaim since opening a decade ago, and was awarded Restaurant of the Year in the 2017 The Advertiser Food Awards.

“I remember when we first opened Africola, it was a little bit polarising for the first year; it was very dramatic,” Welgemoed says. “For this, it’s the complete opposite. The food will appeal to anyone who is health conscious; everything is low-carb, good fats, organic regenerative ingredients, and it’s food you would never have anywhere else in the world.

“It’s Ottolenghi on steroids.”

Africola Canteen opens daily from Wednesday, September 28, 10.30am-7pm.