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00:00Hi, I'm Maggie and we're at Calaba restaurant here in Portsmouth.
00:05And it's a Nigerian restaurant, is that right?
00:07It is, yes.
00:09Something a little bit different to what we've got in the city at the moment.
00:12How would you describe Nigerian food?
00:14It's very spicy, very well seasoned, but it's very popular and it's a growing cuisine around the world.
00:23Interesting. What are some of your more popular dishes?
00:27At the moment, Jollof rice has got its own league, nothing compares to it right now.
00:32And then there are some more traditional dishes that are very popular in the Nigerian community like Mpwabi.
00:40And that has really taken off.
00:42Yeah, so what's that?
00:44So Mpwabi is boiled cow's foot and then it's seasoned with some spices.
00:52You have to take your time with it, it takes hours to make, but it's very tasty.
00:56Okay, so was that almost like a stew, is it?
01:02No, it's presented in a dry sauce, like you would a tandoori.
01:09So yeah, it's that level of coated meat.
01:13That's great.
01:14So there's quite a lot of dishes on the menu which are described as peppers, so what does that mean?
01:20So the meats are prepared separately and they are coated in a dry scotch bonnet sauce.
01:27So it's very spicy, but it's very well seasoned and it's mostly used to drink rather than something you would accompany rice.
01:36Okay, the sauce itself, the scotch bonnet you say is quite spicy.
01:40It is quite spicy, but it's very, very popular if you're having it with some wine.
01:46It's just something to accompany a drink, yeah.
01:48Okay, lovely.
01:50And yeah, so what's the response been like from the community, from the public?
01:55It's been quite positive.
01:57There has been a lot of remarks about the Nigerian community needing something sensual where they can go and relax after a long day and have something to eat.
02:09So it's been positive.
02:11It's just that we're not overly publicised because we're not on Google at the moment, but once that takes up I feel like we'll get even more of a positive feedback.
02:23Yeah, that sounds good. Is there quite a big Nigerian community in Portsmouth?
02:28Yes, there is. In the last three or four years or so, there has been quite an influx of Nigerians into Portsmouth and with that has come a need for somewhere they can come and relax, a central hub.
02:44Yeah, perfect. That sounds good. And is this your first restaurant?
02:48It is, yes. It's my first venture into hospitality, so yeah.
02:53Okay, so what were you doing before?
02:55I came from a healthcare background. I was an anaesthetic nurse for 10 years and I worked at a QA until I took ill and then I decided to step into this.
03:08Yeah, so quite a big change. It's quite scary, isn't it?
03:12It is, yes, it is.
03:14That's good. And what would you say to people that are walking past that aren't sure what it is or are a little bit nervous about trying it? What would you say?
03:22There has been quite a few looks through the windows and I always go out there and encourage them to come and try something. There's something on the menu for everyone.
03:30Our menu is not just spicy foods we have. You know, some of the milder stuff like puff puff, that's quite popular at the moment. It's kind of similar to donut but more of a savoury type.
03:43Yeah.
03:44And so yeah, everyone is welcome here.
03:47Thank you very much.
03:51You're welcome.