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Abyssinia Restaurant

As a food lover and a food writer, I am exposed to a wide variety of fare. I do not have any allergies, nor do I have any dietary restrictions, so living in Vancouver and having access to such a large variety of cuisine means I am able to get around and try it all. Today we were craving something different and thought to go out for African cuisine, as it is something we both have little experience with and have tried in the past and know we do like. Later, on a Sunday, our options were limited, but living in Burnaby, we have driven past it so knew to venture in the area today.

I have been to this exact location may years back and reviewed it for the first generation of my blog. The experience was marred with awkward interactions, so I was long overdue for a revisit with a fresh start. The restaurant has since seen a facelift and is under new management. The space is open with bright orange painted walls, a few artifacts to speak to their African ancestry, and a hosts a bar ideal for perching up at and watching the sporting match that is broadcasted at the time.

The restaurant appeared to be family run, with the son as our server, the dad at the bar supervising, and mom in the kitchen cooking. We joined as the only other table seated outside a group of young males nursing their beers. I made note that I liked the lively music. The lyric-less melody created a good deal of shaking and shimmying, coupled with lively trumpet solos.

When it came time to order, we inquired about a signature drink or spirit from Ethiopia to pair with our meal to come. Something to help accentuate the full experience. We were told there is a special wine they use to carry, but it was too expensive to import, so bottled and beers on tap it was.

When it came to the food, we relied on our server’s suggestions. He recommended the Chacha Tibbs and described it as BBQ meats that is “really yummy”. With a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye, you could tell he was more than familiar with this dish and more than a fan. We ordered it as there was not a more authentic review than this. And if my speculation is correct, this is what he grew up eating with his mom preparing it for him.

The meat was on the tougher side, still sizzling and further cooking on the hot cast iron plate it was served on. It was hard to chew through and overcooked, but well-seasoned and tasty with the charred fatty parts being my favourite. Each piece was best with a dab in the side of spicy and salty sauce that it came with. The sauce was the perfect binder to have in conjunction with the sourdough-like wrap/bread.

Each dish comes with house made Ethiopian injera bread. It is made with bucket wheat and has the texture of a floppier pancake. You use it like you would pita or naan, to dip into and scoop with from shared dish. So, there is no need for the formality of a spoon or fork here, or the necessity to clean it after. I love the efficiency of this, like serving soup in an edible bread bowl.

In order to be able to try more and have some sides with our meat we also ordered the vegetarian platter. This set includes a combination of split peas, lentil, chickpeas, cabbage, collard green and vegetables.

The chickpea was flavourful with tangy tomato, which also made a welcomed appearance alongside the crispy beans. The lentils were grainy in texture, as they often are; but prepared on the sweeter side with a corn-like quality. I am not a fan of collard greens for their wilted texture, but my guest enjoyed them and found they added a refreshing quality to the assembly, with plenty of garlic. And the stewed vegetable mix with cauliflower, lettuce, and carrot was a familiar sight and taste, which added a firmer texture to sort through.

Overall, a great experience and an enjoyable meal of something we normally do not gravitate towards, but a welcomed break from the norm. This is the sort of meal you dine in and eat here and now, and not the kind of stuff you pack home for leftovers. This was a path less ventured, and an experience well gained. We had our stomachs filled and did not leave feeling heavy as the cuisine ate clean.

Abyssinia Restaurant
7546 Edmonds St, Burnaby, BC V3N 1B4, Canada
+1 778-397-1121
abyssiniaburnaby.com

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