UberEats – Eat Like a Local
POCC Productions teamed up with Uber Eats and HarrimanSteel on ‘Eat Like a Local’ – a series of short films celebrating the chefs and cuisine behind some of the UK’s favourite Black-owned restaurants available to order on the Uber Eats app.
Directed by Tanya Noushka, and hosted by Clement Ogbannaya – Nigerian entrepreneur and owner of Prince Peckham South London – the films follow the restaurants and owners of Zeret Kitchen, Flygerians, Jerk Junction, Ryan’s Kitchen and Trap Kitchen. As a collection, the films are an appreciation of unsung cultures and foods of the UK. Spotlighting two of the five restaurants, read more of their stories below:
Zeret Kitchen is the London spot for Ethiopian food, and is packed with people from weekday opening time at 5pm. The owner, Tafe, originally ran a greasy-spoon, working early mornings until mid afternoon. It was only after she was continually asked by the locals on Camberwell Road about what she was eating herself at lunch that she realised that people were intrigued by, and interested in trying, Ethiopian cuisine. Tafe has now become a local favourite, winning the hearts of the community serving traditional dishes with plenty of vegan options, too. In this spot, we focused on Tafe’s chosen dish: Awaze Tibs which blends ingredients such as spiced cubes of selected lean lamb sauteed with onions, garlic, green peppers and awaze – a red chilli sauce. This served alongside T’edj, a local version of mead, a drink made from fermented honey to which the leaves and bud of the gesho plant are added.
Flygerians – Peckham
The Edun sisters, Jess and Jo, originally started their restaurant journey in an on-going residency at a nearby pub. Here they were able to introduce a community of people to their cuisine by shaping it as a blend of both Nigerian and British cooking. It was only in 2022 that they decided to expand and develop their style of cooking. Taking over a cafe space at Peckham Palms, a mini mall of Black-owned hair and beauty establishments, they have since created a warm and welcoming restaurant where you can order anything from ‘chin chin biscuits’ to a rich comforting Beef Suya. In this spot, we spotlighed their chosen dish Fish & Chips: Nigerian Style. The Lightly battered Red Bream fish is served with cassava fries and salted peppers Cassava Fries: also known as Yuka fries. Raw cassava is poisonous and the toxins are removed when cooked. The preparation of a Yuka root includes peeling, cleaning, removing the spine and boiling until the white flesh turns yellow (and is toxin free), before they are deep fried to increase the slightly sweet, nutty flavour that they are known for.
