The Best New Restaurant in the Country is in New Orleans

Dakar NOLA is the Senegalese restaurant

in New Orleans, Louisiana.

We are known for our pescatarian menu

that's full of bold flavors and fresh seafood.

So I've been the sous chef of Dakar NOLA

for about a month now.

It's been a hectic month,

but it's been a really big step up for me.

The wait list at Dakar

is about 40 to 50 people every single day.

We serve all of our guests at once,

so it can be a challenge.

It is Wednesday.

Dakar is closed on Monday and Tuesday,

so we have a lot of prep to do.

[upbeat music]

Good morning. My name is Sharena Smith.

I am the sous chef here at Dakar NOLA,

located in New Orleans.

Come on in so I can show you around.

So this is our beautiful dining area.

It seats about 30 people, with one seating a night.

We have a Senegalese tasting menu of seven courses.

I am the first person to arrive every morning

to get prep done before everybody else gets here.

So let's get to it,

'cause I got stuff to do.

[gentle music]

The beginning of my day starts off

with receiving different type of orders.

I am the one that is receiving,

signing, and putting them away.

Fish sauce, flowers, mushrooms.

Okay.

Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much.

All right.

Have a good one. You too.

So I just received a order of mushrooms,

and we are very proud to source locally.

So all of our produce

and our seafood is fresh, delivered, and local.

These oysters are actually gonna be used

for entree service tonight.

They're gonna be sauteed

along with red snapper and some eggplant.

And now I'm gonna go ahead and get started cooking.

[gentle music]

I'm about to start butchering fish,

but before I start that,

I wanna go ahead and get my onions started sweating

so that I can multitask.

This big pot here is for the yassa sauce.

It's a process of a good two hours normally

because I'm waiting for the fish stock.

So while this is sauteing,

I'm going to start breaking down some fish.

Today we got red snapper in,

and look how big it is, like, geez.

So I'm gonna start by making sure

that the scales on it come off.

Most days, fish is my first priority

because I need to go ahead

and make a stock at the beginning of the day.

The stock is the main, main thing

that we utilize in all of our sauces.

Today I'm breaking down six fish, trying to get faster.

Serigne, my chef, taught me how to clean fish

with this technique that I'm about to show you guys.

So I am starting off with the collar,

cutting into that, going down,

flipping it on the other side, doing the same stroke.

I'm gonna save the bones

and the head specifically for the stock.

And then I'm also going to save the collars

for our family meal.

We are a pescatarian menu.

I am utilizing each aspect of this fish.

To be honest, I have not butchered anything

in quite some time.

It's been a fun process relearning how to do it.

It is not the most relaxing, but I'm gonna get it done.

That's all I can do is just get it done.

I do need to just stir these onions real quick.

[gentle music]

So at this point, I just gotta keep multitasking.

So had to stir the onions for a moment,

and I'm right back at the fish.

So I'm only gonna break down the fish right now

because my chef isn't in,

and he said he wanted to go ahead

and do a new way of portioning.

Time management is crucial.

Our first seating is at seven o'clock,

so I have to go ahead and get these bones roasted

so I can get my stock started.

[gentle music]

So it is 10 o'clock now,

I am about to get the jollof base started.

We serve jollof during entree,

so we'll have it in cast iron pots

served communally at the table.

Chef Serigne likes to incorporate both the Senegalese

and New Orleans fusion

because each has its own story and history.

Rice was a big thing during the slave trade.

This is the reason why we make jollof rice here.

That's part of his culture,

but it also resembles something of New Orleans as well.

This is what feels home to him,

so this is one of his favorite dishes.

It's near and dear to Chef Serigne's heart.

I am making a double batch.

A busy week means fully booked every night,

as well as Chef decided to add two more seatings tomorrow,

so I have a lot of prep to do,

and I just wanted to get ready for it,

what we have coming.

This one is giving me problems.

So I'm currently going to saute some onions,

sweat them down, and then once I add the tomato paste,

I'm gonna let it cook for about 30 minutes

until it gets like a nice dark, rich red color.

That's what we're looking for.

It brings out more of the flavor.

So I'm gonna add some Dakar spice to give it a little kick.

Dakar spice adds extra heat to any dish,

it's processed habanero.

We like to say, Bring it back to Africa.

Jollof base, you have to consistently watch over it

'cause you wanna make sure

that it doesn't burn at the bottom.

So you're always stirring it every so often.

[mellow upbeat music]

It is noon.

I gotta get this tea going.

So I am weighing out ginger for the ataya tea.

We start off with the tea at the beginning as a refreshment

because it's part of Senegalese culture.

The ataya tea is really special

because it's a nice ginger and jasmine flavor profile

topped with mint foam.

I'm gonna blend the ginger with the water

[blender whirring]

and then I'm gonna let this steep.

[mellow upbeat music continues]

So my fish bones are ready to come out the oven

for my stock.

These bones have been in for about 45 minutes.

We're looking for a golden brown color.

So we're gonna go ahead and get the stock going.

I'm gonna cut up some onions and some celery.

And this stock is used in everything almost.

It's in the jollof, it's in the yassa,

it's in the onion sauce.

So it's really important that I get it right every day

so that I'm just making sure

that it's incorporated in everything.

So now I'm gonna add the fish sauce and the red vinegar.

As that's finishing off,

I'm gonna go ahead and start putting the bones in.

Normally, we get three in each day.

Today's a heavier day, so we got six in.

Tomorrow, we're gonna make another stock with that fish.

Looking at the teeth, like crazy.

And then we're just gonna let that sit

for about three hours until my coworkers come in,

and then we'll strain it.

[mellow upbeat music continues]

So this jollof base is currently almost done,

and I'm gonna take a small portion of it

and utilize it for the onion sauce.

So I'm gonna saute some more onions.

So my onions are gonna cook up all the flavor

of the jollof base that was just in this pot.

The onion sauce, it's accompanied with the akara,

the black eye pea fried fritter.

And then we also serve the akara with caviar.

So you get a little bit of that salty

but sweet flavor from the tomato

and then the spice from the Dakar.

So now that the onions have sweated down,

I'm going to add the jollof base.

This is fish sauce that I'm adding.

We don't use a lot of salt

because we use a lot of fish sauce instead.

All right, so this onion sauce is done.

All I have to do is blend it up,

and then we're gonna adjust it right before service.

It's gonna be a good sauce.

And then I'll be done with this.

No, I won't be done with this pot.

No, I won't be done with this pot

'cause I forgot I'm making a big pot of the soupou kanja.

Getting all that flavor.

[upbeat music]

So this pot right here is the soupou kanja,

which is our version of gumbo.

When we serve it for service,

we top it with puffed rice that we cook, dehydrate, and fry.

And then it's also topped with crab meat.

It's strictly okra-based.

Traditional gumbo is made with a roux.

This gumbo does not need it.

The okra itself is the thickener,

as it reduces down with the fish stock,

it'll get more thick on its own.

When it's done, it has a semi-sweet umami flavor.

The stock really elevates that flavor.

[gentle music]

So I have my chef, his name is Ron.

He's going to go ahead and strain the stock for me

that I need for the yassa as well as the onion sauce

because I have another task that I have to do,

which is going ahead and portioning this fish.

Hey, Chef Serigne,

Yes? do you mind coming over?

Oui, Chef.

You got a towel? Yes.

You got one of them towels?

This is Executive Chef Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA.

He is the owner and chef of this restaurant.

So he's gonna go ahead

and show me how to portion the fish today

'cause he wants to do it a different way.

All right, so check this out.

This is a good job of fileting it.

So we're gonna get our knife, come around.

We'll put this here.

Put our knife behind the tail of the fish.

Okay. Just gliding.

Boom. Cut the edges.

Trim this side.

So let's remove all the bones.

Kind of feel it with your hands. You can see the bones.

Gently pull.

You wanna make sure when you're pulling it today,

don't over-pull it,

so that way the whole fish will stay intact.

Boom. There's no bones.

You can put all the fish here. Okay.

After you're done with the fish,

we're gonna lightly cure the fish.

So season with salt. Okay.

It's gonna help to remove all the moisture from the fish.

Understood. So just season it high.

Boom, flip the other side.

Kind of the same thing.

Chef Sharena is the one that I lean on

when it comes down to executing the food.

She started when we first opened this restaurant,

and she was helping out with pastry line and savory.

And then the past three weeks?

Yeah, this whole month.

This whole month-

Flew by so fast. Exactly, right?

This whole month, Chef Sharena had transfer

to completely savory.

She always trying to improve on her skills.

Two weeks ago, she didn't know how to break down fish,

and now she's breaking down fish really well,

and I'm very proud of her. Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

Of course.

I definitely feel the pressure sometimes

doing the fish properly,

'cause I wanna make sure that it looks very clean

and presentable for the guest when it's fully finished off

and pan-seared or seared on the flat top.

So I'm very cautious.

I'm always trying to make sure that it's right

'cause I wanna represent Dakar and Serigne really well.

We always save the scraps

'cause we always end up using them for family meal.

So everything about this fish, every time it's broken down,

it always gets you utilized.

[gentle music]

Chef, you said after about five minutes,

use the towel and damp it.

No, don't damp it.

What we wanna do is remove all that moisture,

completely dry, feel it.

See how dry it is?

And then we're gonna put it in the cooler

for another 15 minutes or so

to get it a little bit more dry, and then we'll slice it.

Okay. So are those ones ready to get sliced or no?

These ready to get sliced,

I'll show you how I want it to be sliced.

Aim about two and a half-ounce portion, so slice down,

come up.

Voila. Nice, beautiful size.

In the beginning process,

everything is a demonstration,

so I know exactly how he wants it,

and then from there,

I can go ahead and follow his instruction

'cause this is his vision to accomplish,

so I'm literally helping facilitate it right now.

[mellow gentle music]

it's 3:30, and I'm getting ready to start family meal.

Family meal is important to us.

It gives us a chance to sit down and eat together

and just kind of give us a break for a moment

right before we get right back into it

and go ahead and start a service.

And it's cool

because I don't cook the whole thing by myself.

I do have everybody else hands involved.

So normally I'm doing the protein,

and then I may be doing the vegetables as well.

I have Ray doing a salad right now,

and then I have chef Sade,

that's gonna go ahead and make the family juice.

And we're just gonna go ahead and start getting going.

I normally start family off

because I'm here earlier than everybody else.

Today we're utilizing the fish scraps that I cut earlier,

and I'm gonna go ahead and pan-sear it.

I don't find it difficult to incorporate family meal

only when things get a little chaotic

and I have like multiple things going on at once.

Sometimes it can be a little bit of a distraction,

but I still manage,

and we're going to make sure we all get fed

'cause we gotta eat.

It's four o'clock currently I just finished family meal.

I'm about to bring it out so we can go ahead

and hurry up and eat right before service.

Normally, we start off quiet,

and then we'll go into our meeting.

What we got going on for today,

how many numbers, any dietary restrictions, et cetera.

Hello, bonsoir. Bonsoir.

[Staff Member] Welcome back.

I just wanna say

that throughout the days I was gone to Paris,

thank you all for holding the restaurant down.

So that means a lot.

So we have a very special group

eight people coming from New Orleans & Company.

I don't if you guys know,

but they are the leading tourism organization here

in the city.

They're responsible for bringing conventions, weddings,

the Super Bowl, you know, you name it.

And they would like to come dine here.

So are we still gonna roll

with how we had it set up last week?

Kind of like serving the table one and then moving over.

Are we still good with that?

I'd say we can still start off with the large tables.

So seven and one. Okay.

It actually helped smooth things a lot better.

The incorporation of that,

along with us getting the okra out as we're pouring the soup

and, when we're pouring the soup,

setting up the salad plates

and getting that pre-started as well, so.

[Serigne] Continue doing what you're doing.

[mellow upbeat music]

It's 5:30 currently,

and we just finished up with family meal.

I have a little bit more to do.

So currently right now,

I'm about to make some Dakar spice to give that extra kick.

It's super spicy, it's processed habaneros

cooked down with sugar, vinegar, and oil.

At Dakar, we love to add flavor and build up on that heat.

So this Dakar spice is one of those things

that definitely adds extra heat to any dish

that we put it in. I'm gonna be honest, [blender whirring]

I don't even like to taste it anymore.

I know what it tastes like.

If I have to taste it, I will.

But it's so hot

that it literally touching on my lip, it burns.

It's very spicy, a little goes a long way,

literally, a little goes a long way.

So cooking it down brings out the heat, way more flavor,

and then with the sugar and the vinegar,

it balances it out to where it's not too hot

but it's tolerable.

So I'm gonna let this cook down,

and then we're gonna get started on my next project,

which is going to be rof.

[gentle music]

So rof consists of green pepper, parsley,

and spinach as the main ingredients.

And then you put in Dijon mustard, balsamic vin,

and olive oil to give it that paste consistency.

We're putting the rof on top of the fish.

This is something that we make right before service normally

because it gives it a nice bright green color.

The color does hold up, but we like to keep it fresh,

so normally I'm making this every two days.

[gentle music continues]

So this parchment paper I am setting up

for wrapping the fish.

It holds the rof that I put on top of it together

as we put it on the flat top.

Excuse me, Chef Ron. Thank you.

It can get a little crazy in here.

As we're doing our last-minute things,

everybody's kind of moving around.

Front of the house is coming through,

back of the house is running through.

So we're just trying to finish our last projects

at this point.

I am spreading the rof on the top of the fish

that we portioned out earlier,

and I'm gonna go ahead and wrap it.

After we wrap it, we put it back down below,

and we wait until service to start cooking it.

[gentle music]

It is 6:45 currently,

as you can see, it's getting a little hectic.

The last thing I'm gonna do is get this jollof rice going.

It's one of the things that we make last minute.

So I appreciate y'all for being here, but y'all gotta go.

Bye. [laughs]

[gentle music continues]