Chef T’s Jollof Rice: Food Critic Opeyemi Speaks About His Review on Business
- Food critic Opeyemi Franklyn pushed back against negative reviews of Chef T's Burger King jollof rice collaboration
- Opeyemi claimed critics who ate at the Asaba branch had a different experience from his own at Victoria Island, Lagos
- Chef T and her defenders argued the dish is a signature fast-food recipe, not a replica of traditional party jollof
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Food critic Opeyemi Franklyn has come out swinging in defence of popular food creator Chef T, whose signature jollof rice collaboration with Burger King Nigeria has attracted a wave of mixed and often harsh public reaction since its launch.
Chef T, whose real name is Tolani Tayo-Osikoya and who is widely known for her platform Diary of a Kitchen Lover, partnered with Burger King Nigeria to introduce a signature jollof rice menu.
Source: Instagram
The announcement generated considerable excitement, but many customers who tried the dish quickly took to social media to express disappointment, saying it fell far short of the beloved "party jollof" taste Nigerians are accustomed to.
Opeyemi's passionate defence of Chef T
Opeyemi Franklyn, who identifies as a friend of Chef T, refused to let the criticism go unanswered.
He argued that many of the negative reviews were coming from customers who had tried the meal at the Asaba branch, which he suggested may have delivered a different experience from other locations.
His own experience, he maintained, was a positive one. He claimed to have visited the Victoria Island, Lagos branch straight from the airport in the early hours of the morning, where he was reportedly the first customer served.
Speaking directly to his critics, Opeyemi said:
"And what I ate, the review remains the same. You guys went to eat yours in Asaba. It was in VI — Victoria Island I ate my own. I was the first customer, from airport I landed. Are you guys m%d? I said what I said. If me saying what I said will make you guys lose your trust for me, beautiful.
"Go away, go the f**k away. If you have different experiences for me, it's fine. Just the, all of us, we came for him, because of us, he locked his comments, No. I'm just here to clarify that, you are not relevant, powerful, plenty enough to make me scared of you to put off the comment."
Source: Instagram
Party Jollof vs. Signature Recipe
Beyond the location debate, Chef T and those in her corner have pushed back against the very premise of the criticism.
Their position is that the Burger King jollof rice was never intended to replicate the smoky, pot-cooked taste of traditional Nigerian party jollof. Instead, they describe it as a distinct, garlic-forward, fast-food-style recipe designed to stand on its own.
The controversy reportedly led Chef T to turn off comments on her social media posts, a detail Opeyemi directly acknowledged in his defence.
Watch the video of Opeyemi's defence:
Chef T blasts critics over her YouTube show
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chef T responded strongly to a critic who accused her of being "chaotic and condescending" on her cooking competition show, Delicious or Disaster.
The critic particularly targeted Chef T, claiming she constantly belittled contestants and had no business hosting the show.
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Chef T defended her conduct and challenged the critic, Mimi, to present proof of the claims. She revealed that she awards ₦1 million to contestants from her own pocket and questioned why her generosity was overlooked.
Source: Legit.ng
