Ethiopian food is something new to me…

I need to recommend a certain restaurant I REALLY enjoyed the other day!

Highly recommended by various Internet sources, I found myself at “The Abyssinian” in Kensington one Friday night who serve up Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine “From the Horn of Africa”. It was suggested to order the chef’s meat platter selection, to which we were greeted with an absolutely MASSIVE plate of food…

Spicy lamb, beans, white lentils, goat, dark lentils, chicken casserole, roasted spicy pumpkin, and fish all served upon delicious Injera bread that has the consistency of a bubbly thick crepe with a tart but not too strong vinegary but also sweet taste. I’ll have to eat there again to remember all the names…

Some of the spices are were not for the faint hearted in fact the lamb was pretty darn hot on the spice-o-meter, but all the meat just fell apart in the mouth, even the goat which I have previously found gamey and tough, was not chewy in the slightest.

The entire meal reflected flavours that have been honed to perfection for donkeys years, which i would describe as comforting food that feeds the senses. The colours, the smells, and the tastes all blend together, and it was impossible to find a dish on the plate that didn’t go beautifully with all the others…

Except the salad, not sure it belonged there with what tasted similar to an Italian style dressing poured over it… That said you could have rolled me down the street afterwards from the amount of food consumed so there’s not much point getting hung up over a few lettuce leaves!

There is also something incredibly satisfying about not having to use cutlery to eat… The bread that covers up the plate is your cutlery and does a better job than a spoon would in mopping up all the sauces… my top also did a great job, bibs would be a great idea when eating with your hands, especially if you’re as clumsy as I am!

Got a hot tip from the restaurant boss too… Each restaurant has its own signature dishes so it’s a good idea to try as many of them as you can as they all have something different to try…

Challenge accepted!

Check out The Abyssinian on Urbanspoon: