A lovely way to celebrate my Dad’s birthday! Photo: Kazuri Photography.
We are sitting al fresco at Flavours of Ethiopia, our table under a spreading tree on Allara St, enjoying two sharing platters of Ethiopian deliciousness to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. Despite the 31-degree summer day, a refreshing breeze makes sitting outside preferable to being indoors.
The familiar lilt of Ethiopian music in the air transports us to Africa.
Flavours of Ethiopia is a great option for a quick work lunch as the food is all ready to go, cooked fresh and kept warm in bain maries. Many people seem to be doing just that, coming in from the various offices and businesses in the area.
We order two samosas each and then a sharing platter for five.
A plate of crisp and fragrant beef samosas. Photo: Kazuri Photography
We opt for the beef samosas because they remind us of the Horn of Africa. A golden fried crunch to the pastry exterior full of delicately spiced mince. Delicious.
Our sharing platters come out with all the curries set out on a bed of injera. The curries are the three meat options and the four vegetarian options. Pan-fried chicken and lamb, along with a beef stew that is the mildest Ethiopian curry I have ever eaten. The vegetarian offerings include the classic red lentil curry and a mild cabbage, potato and carrot stew. A spiced pumpkin and a red kidney bean dish also fill the tray.
We would normally eat this feast straight from the trays with our hands, but with ‘COVID-safe’ ringing in our ears, we spread the injera down on individual plates and spoon the wat onto it.
The injera is pure bliss. Soft, spongy and pliable, with that signature sourness. This injera is perfection.
We have two sharing platters. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Flavours of Ethiopia is an excellent place to introduce friends, family and children to Ethiopian cuisine. While the dishes bring Ethiopian stews’ traditional notes, none carry the spicy heat. I have never been a fan of the pumpkin stew that I have only ever eaten here in Australia, yet this is a tasty version. Aromatic and spiced with cardamom, it is a pleasant surprise.
Each dish is tasty, and the stewed juices perfume the injera underneath with their fragrance, so we get extra injera to pick up every morsel we can manage and then take the rest home in a doggy bag.
We finish with strong Ethiopian coffee. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Flavours of Ethiopia is located at 33 Allara St in the city centre. It is open weekdays from 11 am to 8:45 pm. Follow Flavours of Ethiopia on Facebook and Instagram.
Original Article published by Michelle Taylor on Riotact.
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