The Dept. Of Culture serves up authentic Nigerian food—and folksy fare—in Bed-Stuy

By Scott Lynch

By name alone, a restaurant called “Dept. of Culture” seems to threaten would-be customers with lectures, at worst, or a boring meal at best. Fortunately, Ayo Balogun knows how to throw a party. The edification is all gravy. Seven times a week, the chef and owner of Dept. of Culture welcomes 15 guests into his intimate new restaurant on Nostrand Avenue, feeds them a four-course feast around a weighty wooden table, regales them with stories of growing up in the Nigerian state of Kwara and—after two hours of fantastic food, exuberant conversation, loud, lively music, and shared BYOB bottles of wine—sends them all back out into the night.

The place has only been open for about six weeks, but seats at Balogun’s table are getting increasingly hard to come by, so if you’re looking for a unique dining experience, get in on it now.

The communal table (Scott Lynch)

Here’s how it works: $75 gets you Balogun’s four course dinner (three savory, one dessert), plus a glass of complimentary wine. If you want more of the latter, you are welcome to bring your own bottle or a couple of beers. Balogun’s plan is to change the menu frequently, about once every fortnight, though some dishes may stick around longer or pop back up after a break.

On a recent Wednesday we started things off with pepper soup, the murky broth potent with the headliner, plus a mess of cilantro and a hunk of fish giving further sustenance to this classic Nigerian drinking food.

The pepper soup (Scott Lynch)

The drinking comes in handy: With each course, Balogun launches into a story about the dish before you, which then segues into a story or two about his family, or his childhood (his youthful “gangster” years, in his words, inspired by a viewing of “Boyz n the Hood” made for particularly rich fodder), or the many different cuisines of his native Nigeria.

“You should probably eat while I talk,” he tells his audience. “Because I tend to ramble.”

After the soup was the suya octopus, a tender tentacle dry-rubbed, roasted, and laid out on translucent-thin cucumbers, which counteracted (only slightly) the heat from the lively blend of spices. Balogun said that, like most Nigerians, he grew up eating suya, though usually made with beef, and that the recipes and techniques for the dish vary throughout West Africa, much like barbecue in America.

Suya octopus (Scott Lynch)

The heartiest serving of the night was the tuwo ati gbegiri ati eja alaran, a smoky stew of sorts packed with chewy dried fish, soft yam, and a corn puree. A visitor from Lagos may be confused by Balogun’s use of corn instead of rice, but apparently that’s how they roll in Kwara. This was an incredibly vibrant dish.

Tuwo ati gbegiri ati eja alaran (Scott Lynch)

If you’re lucky, Balogun will be sending out dodo ati ice cream for dessert, a simple but satisfying treat that heralds its arrival with the scent of caramelizing plantains that fill the room first.

Dodo ati ice cream (Scott Lynch)

Our two hours were just about over as we spooned up the last pools of melting ice cream, and even though I’m usually not a leisurely eater, the time flew by, with the former strangers to my left and right now affectionate acquaintances and Balogun’s tales echoing in my head as I biked home.

Because as much as I enjoyed the food, in some ways Balogun himself was the real star of the night. Or at least his stories and lessons were the real main course: They put everything he serves into context, both personal and culinary, and feel like the more enduring point to the meal. Balogun chose the tasting menu format for Dept. of Culture because it “gives me a forum for educating people,” he tells Brooklyn Magazine, and in that, as with everything else about Dept. of Culture, he succeeds.

Dept. of Culture is located at 327 Nostrand Avenue, between Lexington Avenue and Quincy Street, and is currently hosting seven seatings a week, at 7:30 on Wednesday, and at 6:00 and 8:30 on Thursday through Saturday. Dinner costs $75. Balogun hopes to launch a more casual, and accessible, counter-service menu for Tuesday nights sometime this spring.