Last week, I posted about the uniquely named caterers in the small town of Busua. As it turns out, Busua is full of characters. Today I’ll be introducing my favorite – Frank.
Frank owns a ‘spot’ (another name for a restaurant or bar) in Busua. It featured a variety of items – everything from pancakes and porridge to spaghetti and banana shakes. Everything on the menu (besides the $6 lobster) is available for under three U.S. dollars.
Our group of seven went to Frank's Spot for breakfast and ordered the following items:
- Eggs with Bread x2
- Oats with Bread
- Local Porridge (Koko) with Bread
- Banana Pancakes
- Pineapple Pancakes
- Supper Spaghetti
To drink, we ordered the following items:
- Banana Shakes x3
- Milo (Hot Chocolate)
- Tea
- Orange Juice
Frank’s Spot kitchen (note the two-burner stove)
Seconds after taking our orders, Frank sprinted out of the door without notice.
Several minutes later, he came back with full a bag of groceries. “Okay,” we thought. He was missing a few ingredients to make what we ordered.
He served the banana shakes first – which turned out to be surprisingly delicious. Despite not being served cold (and being made using only a fork to mash the banana), the creaminess of the milk and sweetness of the banana paired wonderfully together. After everyone tasted how delicious the shake was, we called Frank over to the table and requested two more banana shakes in addition to one more glass of Milo.
“Okay,” he said scratching his head. After making sure that was our only change, he sprinted out of the restaurant. We peered out of the window and watched him run down the street and go into a nearby store. He came back carrying two bananas to make shakes and a package of Milo.
As Frank prepared our meals, he alternated between frantically cooking on his two-burner stove and sprinting out of his store to buy last-minute items. For instance, after making the drinks he ran out and bought oats. After preparing the oats, he ran out to buy eggs. After making the omelets, he bought the spaghetti – and so on. It turns out that Frank didn’t own a single ingredient – he bought everything as he realized he needed it.
The reasoning behind this is likely because Frank’s Spot doesn’t get very much business. By purchasing ingredients ‘on-demand’, Frank saves money by avoiding waste. It’s a smart idea, particularly if you don’t have money to spare.
Since Frank’s Spot was a one-man operation, breakfast for seven took more than two hours to eat. This was primarily due to the fact that every items came individually as it was made. But it was worth the wait – Frank prepared the best breakfast I’ve had in Ghana, and some of the best pancakes I’ve had in my life.
The pancakes were thinner than American ones, with crispy edges. Sugar crystals could occasionally be tasted inside the pancakes, giving them enough sweetness to make them exciting and not even need any sauce or syrup (although I used the local honey anyways). The local pineapple served with the pancakes was perfectly ripe and absolutely divine.
Each dish tasted as fabulous as my pineapple pancakes. Balthazar went as far as saying that his ‘supper spaghetti’ should rather be called ‘super spaghetti’.
Frank’s Place not only had outstanding food at great prices, but also provided lots of laughs due to Frank’s frequent trips to buy more ingredients. One thing’s for certain – if I ever come back, I’m going to give him a token of appreciation for his hard work – a notepad to make shopping lists.
It’s a “Just in Time” inventory system… Ghana style!