Sadelko—a Cameroonian restaurant that opened just a few months ago in a mall—reminded us recently why Aylmer is one of our favourite food destinations in the region.

We headed to Sadelko on Saturday, located in the Galeries Aylmer mall, after receiving a tip from Eat the Strip reader Jahques Agente. It was our first time trying Cameroonian food, a cuisine known for its variety of curries, grilled meats and indigenous vegetables.

We were greeted by owner Suzanne, who told us the restaurant operates on a buffet-basis, pegged at $20 per person. We were joined by Amy, a friend of Eat the Strip who has tagged along for a few excursions, including our recent trip to Turkish Kebab House. All of us were quite famished, so we made a beeline for the buffet as soon as we sat down.

I tucked into the ndolé, a Cameroonian stew of meat, nuts, spices and ndoleh leaves, a bitter leaf found in parts of central Africa that is washed several times to reduce its bitterness prior to cooking. It’s considered the unofficial national dish of Cameroon.

The ndolé was like nothing I’d had before. The nuts made the dish creamy and the bitter leaves left a sharp aftertaste that made me go back for immediate seconds.

Suzanne told us her mother did catering for weddings in her native Cameroon. She runs Sadelko with her family, including her adorable two-year-old who welcomed us with a big smile, as her mom told us about the various dishes on the rotating buffet menu.

For our second round, my eyes immediately gravitated to the koki, a bright orange dish made from a paste made from soaked beans, spices and then steamed in banana leaves.

It instantly became my favourite. It was spicy, filling and the banana leaf gave the dish a satisfying nutty flavour. Suzanne told us the koki sells like hot cakes, with the kitchen staff constantly making fresh batches to replenish the popular dish.

We paid our bill, said our goodbyes to Suzanne and her family and left dreaming about trying the fried lamb and other dishes during our next trip.