Vola Foods
Open-air barbecue joint with Afrobeat on rotation.
Cameroonian$
One street back from swarming Sydney Road, follow the hum of African tunes and you’ll find a shipping container on a sparse patch of land. In front of that, a few rows of picnic tables, a large charcoal grill and, more often than not, a decent queue.
Make it to the front to access a range of barbecue specialties made with spices from owner Ashley Vola’s home country of Cameroon. To snack there’s akara, fluffy black-eyed pea fritters, while share platters let you sample an array: tomato-soaked jollof rice, chargrilled whole fish, sweet fried plantains and beef suya, musky and rich with the scent of charcoal.
It’s a year-round affair, with seats shaded from the summer sun and gas-heaters rolled out in winter. Whatever the temperature, don’t skip the house chilli sauce – it’s more bark than bite.
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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/vola-foods-20240418-p5fktc.html