FLAVOURS OF BRENT

Flavours of Brent One of the many benefits of living in Britain’s most diverse borough – the Borough of Cultures – is the different foods you can try on your doorstep. Jessica Alves spoke to some of the local businesses bringing their culture to our high streets

FLAVOURZ AFRICANA, HARLESDEN Yetunde Owolabi is the co-owner of family run Nigerian restaurant, Flavourz Africana on Harlesden High Road. Yetunde says: “We wanted to create a relaxed eat-in atmosphere, where people can feel at home, have a few meals and some laughs, while eating an authentic African meal, with spices and herbs from Nigeria. So far, customers have been blown away.” Explaining the impact that Covid-19 had on the business, Yetunde shares: “When we first went into lockdown, we had to stick to deliveries only. We’ve always believed an online presence is important, so we were able to survive and grow a lot during lockdown.”

HANSON GRILL, PRESTON ROAD Bayode Akinsola owns Hanson Grill, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant on Preston Road which has been open for 10 months. Bayode says: “I live around Wembley and always wanted to have my own restaurant. We also do events and catering. Our menu is mostly Caribbean food, with patties, proper Jamaican steamed fish, and grilled suya and jerk meats, to name a few.” “Afro-Caribbean food is my favourite. I grew up excited to eat the delicacies on the menu, so I’d recommend everything. I want to serve the most authentic and original AfroCaribbean food in Brent.”

POISÉ CAFE AND RESTAURANT, WILLESDEN Poisé, a Brazilian restaurant in the heart of Willesden is owned by best friends, Andreia Souza and Gleide Carrijo. “We both live in the area, so we wanted to open our own Brazilian restaurant here, because that’s where we’re from originally,” Andreia says. “We get a lot of customers from the Brazilian community, which is quite big in Brent, and contributes towards the great atmosphere here.” “We enjoy making dishes that people wouldn’t usually spend time making at home every day, like pastries and feijoada. Feijoada is a black bean stew that takes about 4-5 hours to cook.”