Ethiopian: A Hands on Experience

It’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. In the final months of 2012 I was working like crazy in preparation for my move to Canada and I just didn’t have enough time to tend to my little patch of the internet.  I’ve now been here in Ottawa for 3 months, and am soon to finish my first semester - time flies, hey? I’ve resume PSEM when I get back in December. BIG LOVE TO MELBOURNE.
 
As part of my African studies class ‘Nation and Nationalism’ we had the option of doing a review of a local African restaurant here in Ottawa. After doing some research, I decided to make a visit downtown and dragged some very willing friends to a restaurant called Horn of Africa, to sample some Ethiopian fare.

The Vegetarian Platter 

Set up in a converted house and walking in to Horn of Africa has the same warmth about it that it is akin to walking into somebody's home. There was an African soap playing loudly on the television, and you got glimpses into the kitchen from the tables. Inside, the decorative style is both kitch and endearing and has a kind of a lost-in-time vibe, each table glass topped and table-clothed, with walls painted a bright yellow and decorated with various African relics and Ethiopian posters. All in all, the space is inviting and cosy, and as other people settled in around us for their own lunch, seemed spacious enough to comfortably accommodate everyone.

Although we all had our own preconceived ideas of Ethiopian food, none of us had really tried Ethiopian cuisine before. After studying the menus for a while, we decided that the best thing to do would be to eliminate any confusion from such a large selection by ordering two large platters - one vegetarian and one meat based plate between the 5 of us. Although the menu did look great with a huge selection of lentil, bean and meat curry style dishes, it was a little overwhelming, especially when we weren't so familiar with the food style.

Making a good start on the Abyssinian Platter

As long term readers of my blog will know, I always notice the presentation of food. So, when the dishes came out, I was excited to see that they looked really beautiful. Sitting on huge, tray-style plates, various thick stews, curries and mixtures had been artfully slopped into the plates, atop traditional Ethopian bread called Injera. The idea is that you use the bread to scoop up the sauces and meat on the trays.

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty excited to eat with my hands, and was surprised to find out that this method was actually quite foolproof and not as messy as one might assume. The bread was a kind of grey colour, and had a texture that was similar to a light, rubbery pancake. Although it sounds strange in description, it  was plain enough to be complementary to the food, and tasty enough to enjoy by soaking up the dishes various sauces. I remember thinking that the texture of the bread is probably really important for the food style, becoming a kind of cutlery and meal component at the same time. A little google-ing after told me that this bread is actually full of iron and is a national dish of Ethipia and Eritrea. 

The Chicken from the Abyssinian Platter 

The food itself was good with a few unexpected surprises. My favourite was probably the Abesynian platter, made up of a combination of lamb, beef, chicken and vegetable dishes. They were sploshed about the platter in a myriad of earthly tones and various levels of spiciness. It also came with boiled eggs, and pieces of chicken drenched in mild sauce, which weren’t my favourites but were good to try.  The vegetarian platter has several vegetable and lentil dishes dished out over the injera, but came piled high with a lettuce and tomato salad. The most popular for our table was the lentils and the lamb stew, which were my favourites too. 

The boiled and marinated eggs from the Abyssinian platter

Before this meal, I'd had only had a brief experience with African food and was expecting a meal not so flavorful and perhaps even a little bland. However, all of the different  was quite rich. The only issues I had was that, I like curry-style food to be really, really hot and there wasn’t any spicier option like chili sauce, but I think that’s probably just me.

We didn’t wipe our plates clean, probably because the bread was so filling but everyone left well and truly stuffed. Ethopian makes for great winter food, it’s warming and easy to eat. I’d recommend it to families looking for a different kind of meal experience and think the mild curries would be perfect for kids or those who don’t like too much of a spicy kick in their meals. 

I was a big fan of sharing the two platters between the group of us. It was such an inclusive and communal style of eating which, in comparison to the cafateria style eating most of us do here, encourages conversation and forces you to interact with the people you’re sharing with. It only seems natural that I’d bring along my Australian family to eat together, which added to the experience of the meal.

The Abyssinian Platter before we destroyed it

In terms of service, it was a little on the sparse side, but the host welcomed us to a table and took our orders quickly. I could only ever see the one same man doing the hosting, waiting tables and cooking which was impressive and the food came out in about 20 minutes which was fine. 

Cost-wise, this meal fit perfectly into the $20 budget, with each of us putting in $14.00 for lunch. I thought this was really reasonable, especially when we had probably spent that amount on coffee over the course of the morning. I’d definitely return, it’s such a neat way to eat and hang out with friends. The casual, yet intimate way of eating was my favorite part of the meal, I’d much prefer eating together off the same plate, it to a more formal style dinner. 

As part of the class, we’ve talked about ethnic groups, defined as ‘a community of people who have the conviction that they have a common identity and common fate based on issues of origin, kinship ties, traditions, cultural uniqueness, a shared history and possibly a shared language.’ If I was living at home, in my own country, my own ethic group would probably be made up of my family and close friends, but being so far away from everyone, it seemed fitting that I bought with me my Australian friends to enjoy the experience with. Before moving here, I probably would never have understood what it is to identify as part of an ‘ethnic group’, but becoming a kind-of minority here really solidified the meaning of the term for me.

HORN OF AFRICA

362 RIDEAU STREET, BYWARD MARKET AREA (Just up from the ByTowne Cinema)

Open Daily, 11am - 11pm.

Good for: A new eating experience (no cutlery!), and perfect for groups looking to eat from share platters. As it's not too spicy or too bland, most people should be able to enjoy the food here
Vegetarians: Are very well catered for and won't have a problem. 

Seats: Although the restaurant isn't huge, customers should have plenty of seating options inside. Apparently they also have a patio that opens in the Summer time.
Vibe: Began as quiet, but the restaurant filled up during our lunch.
Wait time: There was not seating wait.
Food waiting time: Around 20 minutes which was fine.
 Cost: I spent $14.00 in total, which was really good value for so much food.

A BOOTH WITH A VIEW @ BELLE'S DINER

Belle's Diner's Fried Green Tomato Burger ($17)

Yalei and I hit up Belle's Diner a few weeks ago. I'd actually been here a few nights after it opened, but my camera died (trust) just as the food arrived. Belles Diner is the newest place on Gertrude Street, and is a contemporary take on the traditional American diner, without all the '50s crap that is usually associated with such places. Instead, the interior feels like a set from Mad Men, with a stainless steel counter and sleek wooden booths that sit with large windows overing a street level view of Gertrude Street.

On our first visit, we put our names on the door an hour before they let us know we could be seated and the place was heaving with the young crowd you would expect around the area. The next week, we arrived for lunch, and still had to wait for a few minutes for a table, because we weren't keen on eating on the counter.

For lunch, I ordered the fried green tomato burger, as above. It was good, but a vegeburger would have been much more satisfying. Instead of a pattie, a large slice of deep-fried green tomato sat in the burger with crisp lettuce, cheese and pickles. However, the tomato just didn't keep it's shape as I progressed through the burger, and by the end,  developed into tomato mush. The bun though was sweet and the fries were well seasoned and tasty, so it wasn't all bad. While there for dinner, my meat eating friends ordered the Waguy burger and judged it to be 'Good, not as good as Huxtaburger but better then the burgers at the workers' which is a good indicator of a satisfactory burger.

Yalei ordered the clam chowder, which I had also tried when I went last time. She summed it up pretty well, when she said it was 'kind of like pumpkin soup, but with clams'. It was good though because her size was much bigger then the one I had received the week before for dinner. My verdict was that the soup was good (who doesn't like pumpkin soup?) but a little bland and the clams were a nice inclusion, but did more for the texture component of the dish then the flavour part of it. I was a little disapointed as I remembered clam chowder to be creamy and more sea-foody then the chowder at Belles. More like a calorific-cream based soup, then the more healthy vegetable based one served here.

The Clam Chowder ($15)

Cost-wise, the meal kind of just sat at $20, which was fine, but not brilliant. Belles Diner seems a little style-over-substance. On arrival, the cafe is neat and very well presented, but the food wasn't anything that got me too excited. If they are going to run with the American theme, I think it deserves that extra push, because there wasn't really anything that you couldn't get at the majority of restaurants in Melbourne and there is much more interesting dude-food to be found for the same price.

 The Wagyu Beef Burger with Fries

I would return to Belle's diner, but maybe when they have worked on their menu a bit. Since my visit/s, they've added a 'Salted Caramel Milkshake' to the menu, and I'm also keen to try the Sundaes and Key Lime Pie from their desserts, as well as the Chilli Beans and Lobster Roll. For lunch though, not eating meat meant choosing dishes was way too easy when I had maybe three things to choose from, which always kind of sucks a little - although, I do remember having more options over dinner.

Staff at Belle's are friendly, although a little disinterested, but I liked the music and generally the vibe of the Diner is lo-key and relaxed during the day, and lively but laid back in the PM times.

BELLE'S DINER

150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

Tuesday - Sunday 10am - late.

Good for: Casual style dining for small or large groups.
Vegetarians: Have options, but they aren't too expansive, especially for lunch.

Seats: Lots of booths, and tables available.
Wait time: About 5 minutes for the two of us for mid-week lunch. The previous week, a larger group of about 8 of us were wait-listed for an hour until they called us to let us know we had a table - but the restaurant was packed, so this was fine. 
Food waiting time: Around 20 minutes for lunch, around half an hour for dinner.
Cost: Including drinks, both our meals sat just under $20.00.  

LITTLE PAUSE @ LITTLE KING

I march almost daily these days up Flinders Lane, on my way to work, and Little King has become a welcome, regular stop on what has in turn, become a pretty shitty jaunt.

If you haven’t visited, Little King is a pretty little cafe tucked away in a small alcove, sheltered on one side by one of Melbourne's oldest buildings, St Paul's Cathedral. Little King's outside seating area sits privy to to a view of Melbourne that you don't expect to see on the sheltered route that is Flinders Lane, until, on turning the corner towards the cafe, you are hit with a force of light that looks towards Federation Square.

Broadsheet recently featured the owners in a piece about female cafe owners, and it is very clear on entering the cafe, that this is a grrrl-run operation. The ladies who run Little King are refreshingly informal, and I don't know, maybe it's the size of the little cafe, or maybe it's their chatty natures, but you kind of feel like you're sitting in the kitchen of a Carlton sharehouse. The cafe is personable, sweetly decorated and the girls behind the counter are doing a great job at establishing a coffee spot with some heart in the CBD.

Which is great by the way. There are too many places in the city where you're just shoved along and  treated as the little more then the next customer. But here, as corny as it sounds, you feel like a friend. Isn't that just lovely? No, SRSLY, it’s really nice. Before Little King, small yet quality cafes so close to the tourist hubs of Flinders Street and City Square were annoyingly absent. Even somewhere like Sensory Lab lacks a 'cafe vibe' that most Melbournians look for in a coffee spot. So good job, Little King.

The first time I visited was with Antonia, and it was the first ‘hot’ day of the year. Little King was perfect, providing much needed shade, coolness from the concrete of the church aswell as a wonderful view of people enjoying Melbourne on the other side of Flinders Street.

Anyway, this is really only a half-post because I've only ever stopped for a drink. But if you're looking for some place to perch for a half hour or so in the CBD, which can be a pretty lonely place sometimes, Little King should provide enough company to settle the soul for some time.

 

LITTLE KING CAFE

4/209 FLINDERS LANE

Mon - Fri 7.30 - 3.30 

Good for: Good and prompt take-away coffee. A break from the chaos of the CBD.
Vegetarians: I just had coffee.

Seats: The cafe is only small, which suits as it's a coffee and quick lunch sort of place. I like sitting outside in the fresh air, but there are a few small tables inside too.
Wait time: There was not seating wait.
Cost: Standard Coffee Price. $3.50

IN THE SPIRIT OF BEAUTIFUL FOOD // Sonia Rentsch

Photographs by fellow Melbournian, Sonia Rentsch

COOL JAPAN @ Nama Nama

I had walked past Nama Nama on my way to work for so long before Yalei and I decided to hit it up last week. The younger brother of Izakaya Den reaks of Japan chic, and I'd wondered about this neat little eatery, tucked away in the corner of the city, for quite some time. Nama Nama fits in with Melbourne's CBD as much as it stands out, but is made particularly noticeable by the wooden tables and seats outside the restaurant, stamped in loud red, Asahi logos. Cute.

Inside, the cafe is quite beautiful, fitted out in kind of 'scanjapan' style - that is a mix, of woody and simple Japanese design, with more westernised furnishings and affects that I associate with Scandinavia. Staff are also really great, super friendly and very attentive. When Yalei ordered her second Japanese lemonade (they have those strange click, ball openings) they asked her if she wanted to 'crack it' herself, and when she did it, three of them cheered and clapped - Adorbs. Big props to the staff.

I don't know if it was all the natural light, or the relatively quiet nature of this restaurant compared to most of the city, but Nama Nama has really good, calming vibes. It's cool, but not nauseatingly so and there isn't a particular 'crowd'. Although I'm sure it gets busy during the lunchtime rush hour, there was also enough space to feel like you had a little privacy.  

I kind of feel bad for Japanese food, because it has so many cheap imitations here in Melbourne, but there is none of this 'smoked salmon sushi' here and not a single soy sauce fish could be found.  

Enticed by the delights that are displayed on the front counter, I choose a bento box. The deal is you choose your box, and then you select its components from the little selections offered. So, you pick   a salad, a raw choice, rice piece, a house specialty and a main, with the majority of the five componants displayed at the front - hence the name, 'Nama Nama' which translates to 'fresh fresh'.

I had wanted to choose the salmon, but they were out, so choose the eggplant instead. Eggplant isn't my favourite dish texture-wise, I find it kind of sludgy, so I wasn't quite taken with this one, although the sauce was appropriately zany with the rice, and they did pop the last little piece of salmon in too, which was tasty. I also had the Kingfish sushimi, which was leaf-wrapped and tasted fresh and easy. One salad, with fried noodles was light and fitting with the rest of the bento. My favourite part however, was a little mix of cold vegetables, a mix of raw snow peas, capsicum and corn in a kind of fried pastry, wonton style cup.

However, Yalei did enjoy her Udon. Apparently Nama Nama is one of the only places in Melbourne that makes their Udon by hand - or rather, by foot. This sounds kind of nasty, but kind of neat at the same time, because they wear a sock-type covering and roll the Udon into noodles with the bottom of their soles. I'd like to see this. Yalei reported that you can feel the imperfections in the 'grain' of the noodles, but couldn't taste much of a difference, but the tempura prawns were well cooked and the soup flavoursome.

Nama Nama's udon is it's own shining star. From my research, 6 months on from opening, Nama Nama remains the only place in Melbourne 'handcrafting' their own udon, which is pretty amazing. Also, Nama Nama is open for breakfast which also provides a pretty serious point of difference to the usual brunch spots in the CBD. It also has a bar upstairs that broadsheet has called 'moody' which is cool, i guess.

Although, I did like Nama Nama and considered it a positive dining experience, I do think it is over priced. $18 for a bento box is kind of crazy; although the options were certainly more interesting in comparison to your 'sushi sushi' shopping centre kind of bentos, and felt considerably more authentic. $15 for the udon is not too painful, but isn't exactly cheap at the same time. Generally though, for me, the portions just aren't big enough to justify the price, especially with the bentos, when the majority of the fillings had been prepared earlier and were cold, and it's really due to the rice that one feels 'full' after.

 

NAMA NAMA

31 Spring Street

Mon - Fri 7am - 5pm
Sat - Sun 8am - 5pm

Good for: Interesting and quirky Japanese food, and an uplifting lunch. I really enjoyed all-round simplicity of the venue, and the presentation of food. They also serve market lane coffee which is a bonus, and Japanese style breakfast.
Vegetarians: Are well catered for.

Seats: Customers should have plenty of seating options. Inside, outside, on the bench, on tables and even on more traditional Japanese seating arrangements. We sat at the bar, near the front window and that was fine.
Wait time: There was not seating wait.
Food waiting time: Around 10 minutes.
Cost: I spent $21.00 all up, including my Japanese lemonade and bento. Yalei's came to about $18 for her udon and drink. I didn't think the bento was amazing value, although I was glad I tried it. However, I would return to try the udon.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MEAL IN THE WORLD @ Collective Espresso

 

From the look of this blog, you probably don't believe that I've lost 95% of my precious mornings to work, but unfortunately they are now disappointing rare, and thus brunch is a very special treat. However, there was this one time a last week that Anties and I went to Collective Espresso for breakfast, and what a delight that was.

Collective Espresso is located in Camberwell, just up from the station, and was one of the first neat little cafes to pop up in the area. I have to say, as I grew up around here, a year or so ago there was quite a drought for a place that was still affordable, had really good coffee and the clincher, wasn't pram, or walking-frame ridden. But recently, more people have cottoned on to the fact that this was (and still kind of is) yummy mummy central, and now their kids have grown into young adults. So I'm going to start by thanking Collective Espresso for doing their bit to fill this void.

Good coffee. I was so in love with this meal

So we went to Collective Espresso on some nondescript morning to suss it out. We began with coffees, because it was 8am (ergh), and moved on to ordering (ahh!). You know how some places have a menu, and you just don't think about it, you pick and you order and it arrives and you eat? Collective Espresso is not like that. Simple dishes weren't part of the menu, which only added to that nice feeling of suspense after ordering. I didn't know how they would pull off the dishes so extensively described in the menu, but they did.   

The service was prompt without being annoying attentive, and came out about 10 minutes after. Good good. I chose the sake, orange and miso cured salmon, herb and zucchini pancakes and corn relish with poached eggs.

To begin with the obvious, the food was so wonderfully presented, it was like we were served up a section of someones freshly bloomed garden for brunch. Both dishes were wonderfully coloured, and looked fresh and vibrant. Antonia's even had flowers!! The portions were also really well done; enough fresh salmon, enough egg, enough of the amazing fritters. Do you know how rare this is? To get just the right amount of really great food from a good cafe?

Normally, I'm not such a big fan of corn relish, but the one with this salmon dish one was subtle enough (on the corn front) to be complementary to the fritters. I couldn't make out the 'cured sake, orange, and miso' component of the salmon, but all the same, it tasted wonderful, was textually diverse and a really, creative meal. Everything was just so good, and so pretty with tiny details on each plate, like the pieces of fried salmon skin to garnish.

Anties ordered the ricotta and blueberry dumplings with poached fruit, thyme sand, labna and mapel. It was so good, you guys. We were loving it. The blueberry dumplings were also amazing, surrounded by fresh fruit, with a smear of labna and a sprinkling of icing sugar. Apparently, they were like doughnuts but without the heavy, oily feeling.
 
Cost-wise, EC exceeded my budget. But this was brunch, and brunch is my favourite meal, so I will forgive it for the $1.50 that capped off the usual $20. And also, because I don't know if you noticed, but I really liked this place. 

I'm a bit hesitant to say this, but Collective Espresso may be my favourite brunch place in Melbourne. There is always another place to try, but I can tell this will remain in the back of my head when someone brings up early morning eating.

COLLECTIVE ESPRESSO

3 Cookson Street, Camberwell

Mon - Fri 7 - 4
Sat - Sun 8 - 4

Good for: Monday-Friday Breakfasts and super coffee. I haven't been here on Saturday but I would assume it gets crazy, and I don't think you'd even get through the door without a wait on market days.
Vegetarians: Have a good share of decent, creative options. I liked the sound of the 'Spiced vegan ratatouille cannelloni beans'.

Seats: I'm not a big fan of communal tables (is anyone?) especially in a smaller cafe like this one, so for us, sitting outside is fine, providing the people you're seated between aren't too loud.
Wait time: None. We found a table out the front right away. It was about 8am though.
Food waiting time: Around 10 minutes.
Cost: I spent $21.50 all up, so it's a little over budget but totes worth it.

 

FAST FEWD @ Miss Chu

Yalei and I braved the 9 to 5ers when we popped into Miss Chu for lunch a couple of weeks ago. The competition for table space, counter space, seats, lunch bags and attention from wait staff come 1pm is pretty damn fierce. For this reason, if you’re the more on timid the side, maybe hold back a couple of hours and try for dinner. This place is on high rotation, so you have to be quick.

But I’m not saying it’s not worth it. It is. I’ve been to Miss Chu’s a few times now, and it’s always in the back of my head when I want a simple meal in the CBD with minimal fuss. Sure, it’s always chaotic, and you’ve got to be quick on your feet to grab a table, but I am, so I feel like this restaurant and I are a good match.

Always a fan of house-special drinks, Yalei ordered the frozen coconut-mint drink, which is an icy concoction that you can also order with vokda. She got a virgin one, as above ($6). She also ordered the duck pancake ($3) which was a bit smaller then anticipated, but apparently tasted amazing. We shared the prawn and crab net spring rolls ($6) which are incredibly light and so easy to eat quickly. Instead of using thicker Chinese style pastry, Miss Chu’s thing is to use rice paper, so the skin is crispy and light with a fresh filling, without that really greasy feeling you get with most spring rolls. There is none of that miscellaneous green, "vegetable" stuff in there either. I ordered the seared atlantic salmon, which came with rice ($13) and light greens on the side. I always come back to this dish, because they hit you with a decent amount of salmon, and the vegetables are always fresh and cooked well. I also got a raspberry and apple juice ($3.5)

Prawn & Crab Net Spring Rolls 

I really like Miss Chu, and it’s the general vibe and the affordable, satisfying food that keeps me going back. There are a lot of good things about this place. To begin with, it’s all about fair trade and organic ingredients, and no MSG. I think it’s great the the owner tributes her Vietnamese-Laotian heritage by using her Australian visa photo from her childhood as the icon of the restaurant. They also have free WiFi (should you have enough table space to open a laptop) and deliver take-away orders within 1 km of the restaurant, which I should totally jump on now that I spend three quatres of my life in the CBD.

It's interesting to note that this place is pretty white-washed, despite the owner being of the same origin, and each time I’ve visited, is providing non-offensive Vietnamese fair to a large majority of white, young profs in a contemporary setting.

The only downside is that the service is a bit iffy, and the waitstaff have a tenancy to throw your meal across your table at you, Shanghai-Dumpling-style. Rush times are kind of a bun fight where you have to look out for yourself, because the wait staff are too busy to be escorting you anywhere. But you can tell that this is more under staffing and a lack of space and even perhaps a lack of commitment to customer interaction that makes the service a bit dicey.

The Seared Atlantic Salmon with rice and greens

MISS CHU 

297 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

11am- 10pm daily 

Good for: Easy, fast and informal dining with groups of up to about 4 people. Would be perfect to visit before a gig or a show, but probably get in before peak hour to avoid a wait.
Vegetarians: Have lots of options, as do the health conscious.

Seats: Try to get a table, although you may have to share with another group. The counters are a good idea to save space on the restaurant floor, but sitting there isn't ideal, especially if you're there to eat with other people.
Wait time: It was about 5 minutes before we spotted a table and nabbed it.
Food waiting time: Around 7 minutes- very quick.
Cost: Good value, and one of the cheaper lunch or dinner options I've encountered in Melbourne. My share of the spring rolls, the salmon and the drink clocked in just under budget at $19.50.