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14 May, 2013

Eritrean State of Mind

Posted in : Food, London, Restaurants on by : Reema Tags: , , , , , , , ,

My mother-in-law is in London for a few weeks and that always means a daily overdose of great food! 😉 We were all in the mood for something different this past weekend: A quick Google search and a couple of reviews later, a table was booked at Asmara, an Eritrean restaurant in Brixton.

My first experience of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine was as a college student in Boston. I remember falling instantly in love with the flavours and the unique, communal dining experience. The memory certainly hasn’t faded and the craving kicks in every now and then.

Asmara is the capital city of Eritrea. Due to a shared history with Ethiopia, the cuisine is very similar with a noticeable difference in the names of dishes on the menu. If you are unfamiliar with food from this part of the world, you can expect an assortment of vegetarian, chicken and meat based curries served over  Injera, a large, sour pancake. There are no individual plates –  you scoop up these fabulous dishes using the Injera  and your hands.

Asmara

We ordered the Asmara vegetarian platter with a variety of vegetables and lentil based curries including the delicious Shiro (pureed spiced chickpeas). We also added on the Chicken Derho (spicy chicken stew also known as Chicken Wat at Ethiopian restaurants) and the Minchet Abish (minced meat stew) to our Injera full of Eritrean yumminess!

The restaurant has ZERO ambience but the gorgeous food more than makes up for it. The service is quick but warm and the dishes are very reasonably priced. Highly recommended the next time you are in the mood for something off the beaten path!

Asmara

386 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LF

Closest tube: Brixton

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