Review: Global Ethiopian Cafe, Civic

Global Ethiopian Cafe is not the kind of place I’d usually choose to eat dinner, as the decor makes it look like a dodgy cheap lunch bar. However, I bought a dinner for 2 voucher on Grabone and so we tried it. Firstly, the current menu prices are reasonable even without a voucher: $13.50 gets you a meat dish with rice or injera, which is filling. They also have cheaper lunch specials apparently.

We had some beef samosas and lentil samosas to start, and then the Doro Wat (chicken slowly simmered with tomato, paprika and hard boiled egg) and the Lamb Tibbs (spicy lamb with burbere spices, capsicum, onion & tomato).

The samosas were quite bland but the mince beef used was good quality. They tested fresh and were generously filled. The mains were very tasty- although I’m not sure where the hardboiled egg was in the Doro Wat (it was nowhere to be seen in the dish, which was disappointing). The lamb had a very interesting and delicious flavour- it was well cooked (so lamb was quite tough, perhaps this is typical of the cuisine?). It was a good quality lean cut, and I’d order it again.

The service was friendly; the cafe seems to be run by an Ethiopian couple who make genuine home style fare. I’d be more inclined to get takeaways from here than dine in- the inside is a little dingy, which isn’t helped by the grubby menus you are handed on arrival (big marketing no-no). Good food and cheap though, so I will call in for takeaways or a picnic lunch in the future.

A note about “injera”: This is traditional Ethiopian flatbread, and has a very unusual taste. In making injera, flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, giving it a sour taste. It tastes almost as if it has had lemon juice added to it. It has a very fluffy, spongy texture. I probably wouldn’t have it again, so make sure you order some rice with your meal too incase you don’t like this.