Asmara

I've been wanting to try Eritrean food for a while. I've never been to Africa, nor sampled the food from the continent so I was quite excited when a friend suggested we meet up and try Asmara, named after the capital city in Eritrea, in Brixton. It had an unassuming front. When we approached, we thought it rather resembled a kebab shop with its neon frontage. Thankfully, it wasn't.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were quite relieved that we hadn't booked. Aside from one couple, the restaurant was empty and deathly quiet. We sat down, and decided to order the special meat feast. We weren't sure what would be best from the menu, and this seemed the best way to try out a range of dishes. Unfortunately our waiter wasn't exactly chatty; I'd have liked to ask more questions about the food, but the language barrier prevented this.

When the food came, the injera was brought out first on a large metal platter for all of us to share. This was to be the vehicle in which you shovel the food into your mouth. There's no cutlery here. The injera was quite sour due to the flour being left to ferment, much like a sourdough, and was more of a pancake with a crumpet-like look to it. Next, our dishes were spooned on top of the injera, and we attacked it like hungry wolves.

There were two minced dishes, a chicken (on the bone) dish, an egg and mince dish and some lamb. The 'mixed vegetable' dish was potato wedges, topped with some cabbage, and finally some spinach. These were well spiced, some spicy and some mild. Textures aside, these were quite difficult to differentiate between. I'd have preferred some proper vegetables, as a meal without any makes me feel uneasy and the potato and injera combination was quite stodgy.

My favourite dish of the night was the lamb chunks. Originally, the menu offered lambs liver and tripe, which we swapped for this as the description of it cooked in a claypot sounded better.

The chunks were tender, juicy and spicy. The injera soaked up all the juices from the meat and became spongy and was very tasty. It's filling stuff though, and after demolishing the plate, we were fit to pop.

Included in this set meal was traditional coffee. It was a bit of a bizarre moment, as the waiter brought out a small saucepan with coffee beans roasting in it, and showed it to a nearby table who had finished their meal a little earlier. The smell of roasting beans filled the (now half full) restaurant.

We were presented with the coffee accompanied by this giant bowl of warm, salted popcorn. Once again, I was unable to ask the waiter of why this is served with the coffee, but we ploughed through it. Popcorn is so moreish. The coffee, said to be like rocket fuel, was rather medicinal tasting and thankfully didn't keep me awake all night.

I enjoyed the meal a lot, although after a while I became a bit bored with the injera; it was a touch too sour for my tastes and it was very filling. The meat was well cooked and decently spiced and the meal was a bargain; £18 a head including service for the meat feast, a beer and a shared bottle of wine between 4.

I'd like to return, and perhaps sample some vegetable dishes for a bit of variation. Dining a little later, say at 8:30pm instead of an hour earlier might be better too, as the atmosphere definitely picked up as the restaurant filled up.

Hollow's profile     Other reviews by Hollow     Hollow likes    

Asmara is very good. Food tastes real; made on the spot with authentic fresh ingredients. Service is sweet, family style. Food is excellent. However, stay away from some of the stews if you don't like food which is all mixed together into an indistinguishable mush.the smell and taste of the coffee alone is worth the visit

This restaurant is simply amazing. Simple in its design and outlook but really wonderful in its people, service and the food....aaahhh the food!

dan's profile     Other reviews by dan     dan likes    

This is an excellent choice for a lovely authentic night out and anyone can opt for the italian option!Eat with your hands, enjoy with your friends, traditional coffee service and family business.Eat wellBrixton Diner

brixton's profile     Other reviews by brixton     brixton likes    

A work colleague had recommended this establishment to me, so myself and 3 friends decided to go along for my birthday. What a complete disappointment! Although the service delivered from the older lady who took our order was relatively friendly, the young gentleman who served our meals was extremely curt, rude and seemed unhappy that we were putting him out of his way when we asked for our bill. The food was certainly memorable: partly because the pancakes were unbelievably 'sour' (either through using a massive amount of salt or vinegar used in the mixture) and because the 'meat mixture' (which was brown - but I had ordered chicken??) was a composed of a lot of bones, and an boiled eggI am a well travelled man who loves trying new food, unfortunately this meal was just a step too far. Nothing (even after tasting my friends dishes) was in the least bit edible (in my opinion).

simon's profile     Other reviews by simon     simon likes