Jambo Jambo African Restaurant
I have been wanting to try African food for a loooong time. It's such a vibrant and varied category of cuisine (of course, saying 'I love African food' is like saying 'I love Asian food' - however I am not familiar enough with the different cuisines within the broad category to differentiate between different sub-categories...yet!).
For such a rich culinary culture, and for a city with as diverse a population as Sydney, there aren't too many choices when it comes to African food - so imagine my excitement when I find out that the one within easily-reachable distance to me is highly rated. I believe the food served at Jambo Jambo is mostly Ethiopean, but I am not 100% sure.
Jambo Jambo is situated in one of the most depressing shopping / office complexes I have ever seen - but the restaurant itself is packed full of wall decorations and photos, which successfully transports you away from the sterile environment you were in only a minute ago.
We opted for 'a bit of everything', as it is our first time eating any kind of African food.
The starter plate has two parts: sambusa and kitfo. Sambusa is a pastry shell filled with lentils, and looks a bit like a curry-puff. The lentils are cooked whole, which gives them a hard texture, and the spice mix of onions, green chili and garlic gives this harmless looking dish quite a kick when you least expect it. The spicy kick, however, is ameliorated by the dipping sauce - pure honey. The sweet and salty works remarkably well, and the more honey you drizzle onto the sambusa, the better it got.
Full disclosure: kitfo frightened me at first. It is raw beef mince in lettuce - like a confronting san choy bao. I don't even like having my steak cooked anything less than medium rare! In the name of not being a pretend-foodie, I took a little bite with trepidation - and found that it was freaking delicious. The kitfo is marinated in a chili powder-based spice blend called mitmita, and it packs a punch. Despite my low spice-tolerance and the fact that this dish left me panting like a puppy on a hot day, I only have good things to say about it. The taste is rather similar to a good biltong, and the texture is just melt-in-your-mouth. Just like life in general, being adventurous when it comes to food often pays off.
Now to the main event. There were only 2 of us, but the enormous feast laid out before us could easily feed 3 or 4 people. The pillar of the main course is injera, and East-African sourdough-risen flatbread that tastes like a good, strong sourdough. Incidentally, it is also a national dish in Ethiopia. The chef - who explains each dish to us as they get served - boasts that teff flour, form which this bread is made, is the healthiest grain in the world. He assures us proudly that he makes his own injera, and that no yeast or lemon or any flavouring is used to 'cheat'. The bread is quite sour and very, very slightly bitter in the best possible sense, and has the texture of a fluffy sponge.
With injera we were served six types of dishes - six!!! They consisted of three meat dishes - mild beef, hot beef and mild lamb; and three vegetarian dishes. The green dish at the bottom left is 'gomen', which is collard greens; the yellow fish at bottom right is 'kik wot': split peas stewed with onion, garlic and blend of mild Ethiopian herbs, and it is beautifully creamy - like a mashed potato, except better. At the very top is 'misr wot', which consists of split lentils stewed with onion, garlic and blend of hot Ethiopian herbs.
Throughout our meal, as if what we have in front of us isn't enough - we were frequently offered additional injera with which to eat the dishes. The proper way to dine, we were told, is to rip off a bit of injera and use it to pick up a dish of our choice. Some say food taste better when you use your hands. For people who can't stand the smell of food on their fingers like me, hot wet towels are offered with which to wipe your fingers.
Finally, we finish off with a traditionally-brewed Ethiopian coffee. The owner says that he always brews his coffee less strongly in the evenings, so what we got is a beautifully aromatic and light coffee that is more comforting than stimulating.
Score: 4.5 / 5
The dishes were amazing, and the staff so friendly and helpful. We had each dish explained to us by the owner who seemed so passionate about food, and seeing that we were struggling to finish, he offered to pack up the rest of our main dish for us - and that made both lunch AND dinner for one. This was probably one of the most memorable dining experiences I have had. I would suggest that if you haven't tried African food before, you let the staff guide you.
Cost: very reasonable for the quality and the amount of food you get. I would even classify it as 'cheap eats' considering the value for money.
Address: Shop 16, 103 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest
Website: http://www.jambojamborestaurant.com.au/
For such a rich culinary culture, and for a city with as diverse a population as Sydney, there aren't too many choices when it comes to African food - so imagine my excitement when I find out that the one within easily-reachable distance to me is highly rated. I believe the food served at Jambo Jambo is mostly Ethiopean, but I am not 100% sure.
Jambo Jambo is situated in one of the most depressing shopping / office complexes I have ever seen - but the restaurant itself is packed full of wall decorations and photos, which successfully transports you away from the sterile environment you were in only a minute ago.
We opted for 'a bit of everything', as it is our first time eating any kind of African food.
The starter plate has two parts: sambusa and kitfo. Sambusa is a pastry shell filled with lentils, and looks a bit like a curry-puff. The lentils are cooked whole, which gives them a hard texture, and the spice mix of onions, green chili and garlic gives this harmless looking dish quite a kick when you least expect it. The spicy kick, however, is ameliorated by the dipping sauce - pure honey. The sweet and salty works remarkably well, and the more honey you drizzle onto the sambusa, the better it got.
Full disclosure: kitfo frightened me at first. It is raw beef mince in lettuce - like a confronting san choy bao. I don't even like having my steak cooked anything less than medium rare! In the name of not being a pretend-foodie, I took a little bite with trepidation - and found that it was freaking delicious. The kitfo is marinated in a chili powder-based spice blend called mitmita, and it packs a punch. Despite my low spice-tolerance and the fact that this dish left me panting like a puppy on a hot day, I only have good things to say about it. The taste is rather similar to a good biltong, and the texture is just melt-in-your-mouth. Just like life in general, being adventurous when it comes to food often pays off.
 |
With injera we were served six types of dishes - six!!! They consisted of three meat dishes - mild beef, hot beef and mild lamb; and three vegetarian dishes. The green dish at the bottom left is 'gomen', which is collard greens; the yellow fish at bottom right is 'kik wot': split peas stewed with onion, garlic and blend of mild Ethiopian herbs, and it is beautifully creamy - like a mashed potato, except better. At the very top is 'misr wot', which consists of split lentils stewed with onion, garlic and blend of hot Ethiopian herbs.
Throughout our meal, as if what we have in front of us isn't enough - we were frequently offered additional injera with which to eat the dishes. The proper way to dine, we were told, is to rip off a bit of injera and use it to pick up a dish of our choice. Some say food taste better when you use your hands. For people who can't stand the smell of food on their fingers like me, hot wet towels are offered with which to wipe your fingers.
Finally, we finish off with a traditionally-brewed Ethiopian coffee. The owner says that he always brews his coffee less strongly in the evenings, so what we got is a beautifully aromatic and light coffee that is more comforting than stimulating.
Score: 4.5 / 5
The dishes were amazing, and the staff so friendly and helpful. We had each dish explained to us by the owner who seemed so passionate about food, and seeing that we were struggling to finish, he offered to pack up the rest of our main dish for us - and that made both lunch AND dinner for one. This was probably one of the most memorable dining experiences I have had. I would suggest that if you haven't tried African food before, you let the staff guide you.
Cost: very reasonable for the quality and the amount of food you get. I would even classify it as 'cheap eats' considering the value for money.
Address: Shop 16, 103 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest
Website: http://www.jambojamborestaurant.com.au/
Comments
Post a Comment