Sunday, February 7, 2010

Queen of Sheba


I find it hard not to get excited about curries and flatbreads. I love that primal satisfaction of finger lickin' goodness that lingers even after a few handwashes.


Ethiopian or Eritrean food is an area where I don't have a lot of knowledge on, such as if the restaurants in London are at all authentic or not, but I have enjoyed every encounter with this genre. What makes such a good introduction for those that enjoy hands-on eating is injera. It's a sour, puffy and spongy pancake used to line the plate, a perfect soak up device of stews and curries that are placed on top. Most dishes automatically come with.

Queen of Sheba in Kentish Town went a little further - there were extra injera rolls on the side in case the large one underneath got too soggy. Our meat dish was Yebeg We't, a spicy lamb curry made with red peppers and garlic. Ethiopoan curries are characteristic in their lovely layering of spices, and the unctuous butterliciousness that laces them. I remember having a very buttery lamb curry at another restaurant, although this one wasn't much further behind.

We also had a Vegetarian Selection from the Chef's Specials which were Misir We't (a spicy lentil dish), Kik Alich'a We't (Yellow Lentils with Ginger, Turmeric and Green Chilli) and Alkelt We't (Cabbage, Potato and Carrot). And what is a we't, you may ask? Apparently it's a type of barbeque sauce.

Injera is literally is a food sponge!

A sweet and unpretentious place, I recommend trying this for when you want something easy-going with a kick. Service was efficient and by a glamourous leggy waitress, and very reasonable at less than £30 for 2, including a glass of wine each. Roll those sleeves up.

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