It's hard to miss the big, black, industrial-looking barbecue grill in front of Piri Piri, a Surfside destination for grilled chicken, racks of meaty pork ribs and bakkies, a South African meal in a cup.

Not surprisingly, owner David Jacobson is from Johannesburg, where he grew up helping his mother in the kitchen. He was a kosher chef in the South African army, took culinary courses in London and Paris and worked in restaurants in Australia, Colorado, New York and Connecticut, where he met his artist-wife, April Pullo. They visited friends in Miami in 2002 and decided to stay.

At first, Jacobson worked as a manager at restaurants, including China Grill. Three years ago, he opened a business on Harding Avenue called Bianca's Gourmet Shop (named for the older of his two daughters).

Nine months ago, he and business partner Bob Mueller added the grill and renamed the spot Piri Piri, literally ''hot hot,'' the Portuguese term for chile peppers in general and the birds-eye chile in particular. The Portuguese discovered the potent little pod in Brazil and introduced it to their then-colonies Mozambique and Angola.

Bakkie (pronounced bucky) is from the Dutch word for bake. Here, an order brings a tall plastic cup layered with a grain (mixed or wild rice or couscous) vegetable (chopped greens, cucumber, tomato or carrot) and protein (grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon). Top it with bunny chow (cabbage slaw), onion, roast corn kernels, salsa, guacamole, chutney, chimichurri sauce, Asian peanut sauce and/or piri piri barbecue sauce. A piece of grilled flat bread is tucked down one side -- best slipped out and used as a wrap or plate for the contents.

The grilled chicken -- delicious with house-made mango chutney -- is marinated 24 hours in a mixture made with imported ground piri piri peppers. The chicken and ribs come with a choice of two sides (slaw, fries, rice, salad) on carved wooden platters from South Africa.

Brekki, as breakfast is called here, is served all day. Choose egg in the hole (two eggs nestled inside whole wheat bread with sausage or bacon) or a ham, cheese and egg arepa (corn cake).

More conventional menu items include 8-ounce grilled hamburgers, wild Alaskan salmon burgers, veggie burgers and grilled piri piri chicken breast between buns. End with a giant chocolate chip cookie -- big enough to share.

Linda Bladholm's latest book is Latin and Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.

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