Jollof Junction, Parked at a Petrol Station, Serves Some of Sydney’s Best Rice and Wings

Jollof Junction announces itself on scent alone. Spices hang thick in the air as you pass a light-strung awning, above people feasting roadside from golden trays of West African dishes – backed by the pulse of Afrobeats. The couple behind the tuk-tuk-sized food truck specialise in jollof rice, a tomato-infused dish that’s not readily found in Sydney.

“There are three countries who always fight about who makes the best jollof,” chef-owner Frank Koroma says. “So we decided we’re going to mix the spices – take some from Ghana, some from Nigeria and some from Sierra Leone.”

Koroma and his wife Sonia Sobonie Keh Sesay have engineered a West African hybrid – dialling back Ghana’s soft spot for tomatoes, leaning into Nigeria’s preference for the sweetness of red onions. There’s a heavy hit of capsicum too, a nod to their own Sierra Leonean roots. The result is a basmati jollof that’s plump, fluffy and sweet-savoury, with a touch of heat.

The jollof arrives with mixed greens and a choice of marinated grilled chicken wings or suya, a Nigerian dish of grilled skewers (often using offal). The wings are marinated for 24 hours with paprika, all-purpose seasoning, oil and a secret Arabian spice blend Koroma is coy about. The wings hit the oven, hard and hot, before a slow finish – then get slicked with a mix of butter and brown sugar. The result? Some of the most flavour-laden chicken wings you can find in Sydney.

The suya takes a similar route, trading the Arabian spice for suya powder (an aromatic spice mix characterised by its use of peanut powder). Koroma uses lamb backstrap in his suya, which is “expensive, but softer and more tender”. He’s absolutely right. The muscle does so little work, its tenderness is striking, shot through with nutty richness and a fiery heat.

But the popularity of the egusi soup caught the team by surprise. Ground melon seeds are blended with palm oil, spinach and bitter leaves, thickening a stew of diced beef, fish, crayfish and tripe. It’s served with fufu – a pliable and dough-like starch made from pounding grated cassava – which is perfect for scooping. “We love tripe in our food and didn’t know Asians also love tripe, so I’ve got a lot of Asian customers because of my egusi,” Koroma says. You’ll find tripe in the okra soup, too.

Fried plantains round out the menu, arriving with pressure-cooked black-eyed beans swimming in a sweet and smoky gravy.

Koroma’s passion for cooking started early. “My love for cooking came through my grandmother, who was a chef back in Africa.” She couldn’t afford a team back then, so her family helped. At nine years old, Koroma was cooking out of obligation – but learned to love it.

After moving to Australia, cooking professionally wasn’t the plan. But a chance catering job left everyone raving about his food – pushing Koroma and Sesay, in early 2024, to buy a food truck and launch Jollof Junction with a mix of family recipes.

The momentum was immediate. “I wanted to do this because, yes, I want Africans to come,” Koroma says. “But I want everyone to get a taste of Africa.”

With the food Koroma and Sesay are putting on plates, that invitation is impossible to ignore.

Jollof Junction
54C Fairfield Road, Guildford West

Hours:
Wed to Fri 5.30pm–9.30pm
Sat 3pm–9pm
Sun 3.30pm–8pm

@jollof_junction_