ethiopia down under, in pearce

I’ve had Ethiopian food in various places in Canberra – at the Multicultural Food Festival, Bus Depot Markets and the Gorman House Markets. So I thought it was about time to actually go to a restaurant and get some food which hasn’t been sitting in a bain-marie for hours.

The menu noted “Ethiopian food is spicy and hot – but not too hot! This may seem like a contradiction but Ethiopian food is a unique cuisine with spices that emphasise flavour and not heat – unlike Indian or Thai food, it does not burn and is not an endurance test.”

I got the Yedoro Tibbs – chicken breast pieces pan-fried fresh with burbere spices, capsicum, onion & tomato. It burst with flavour and was definitely distinguishable from other spicy foods, such as Moroccan, Indian, Malaysian. The spices in this Ethiopian dish were sharper. Without rice or injera (a traditional Ethiopian bread, which is kind of like a sour/savoury pancake), it was a bit spicy – note that I’m a weakling with spices.

The dish was relatively dry apart from some chilli-infused oil floating around at the bottom of the takeaway container. I avoided ordering a dish with sauce as I’m sceptical of the cream/butter/full-cream milk put in sauces. I would definitely order it again but with a side of veges/salad.

My friend and I also ordered their home-made ginger beer. This was nice – the natural ginger was evident and the drink was adequately sweet.

Note that I went here on the eve of Valentines Day - when walking in the restaurant, I felt like I was on a catwalk with couples quickly shifting their eyes towards the centre where I was walking. Maybe I was feeling paranoid and my distaste for Valentines Day was just playing on me.

Ethiopia Down Under

Pearce Shops, Shop

1-70 Hodgson Cres

http://www.ethiopiadownunder.com.au/