It was served on top of injera which is a spongy slightly sour type bread. Injera is traditionally made with teff flour which is gluten free but sometimes they add in other things and I didn't check. The dishes served included a salad, stewed vegetables, lentil stew, split bean stew, and a stew with pea flour. One of the curries was quite spicy, but the rest were quite mild. My favourite was the tangy split pea curry. If you hadn't had Ethiopian before it's lots of fun to use the injera to scoop up the dishes on top.
It was all delicious and quite filling. We couldn't quite finish it:
Cafe Lalibela provided prompt service, a tasty, cheap filling meal, so I will certainly visit again when I'm in the area. Although if I had to choose Abyssinian might get my pick even though it is more expensive because they have an amazing chickpea style gravy in their banquet.
Where's the beef, Lisa and Foodscrazy have also given it glowing reviews.
Cafe Lalibela
91 Irving St
Footscray
9687 0300
Looks like a nice interesting meal. Wish i was as adventurous as you in trying new foods!
ReplyDeleteRose
I went to The Abyssinian on my recent trip to Melbourne and loved the injera, both for the taste and novelty (had never had injera before). My favourites on the banquet were the veg ones - the pumpkin was amazing, as were the beans and delicious salad. Reminds me I need to check out the Ethiopian places here in Canberra!
ReplyDeleteThat looks great! And teff is pretty easy to find in the USA and I know ppl have bought some home with them ;)
ReplyDeleteteff isn't grown or easily found in australia (because of its easy replacement with wheat the AWB doesnt want that, isn't that shifty!!!) so the injera made at lalibela is a combinaiton of sourghum flour (which is also very hard to find in australia not in combination with wheat) and wheat, i've called them and asked before. hope the food didnt make you feel ill afterwards, maybe theyve stopped doing that but that was what they did when we called them last year, a mixture of wheat and sourghum, i believe. :(
ReplyDeleteRose, you should try it.
ReplyDeleteHannah, glad you got to try some here.
Mandee, I've seen it in g/f shops here too.
Lena, I thought that might be the case. I was eating gluten at the time before my biopsy so everything was making me sick. Such a shame!