Made In Africa Ethiopian Restaurant

Best Ethiopian food I’ve had!! So authentic and very very tasty. The food was colourful and had incredible flavours. Injera bread is a must to try. Vegetarian food would normally be the last option for me but however, the vegetarian dishes was so so delicious! Will definitely come back for more!!

Finally made it to this little Ethiopian restaurant. One of the key dining differences between Sydney and Brisbane is the availability of good African food in Brisbane and Made in Africa with its arrange of platters is the perfect place for it

Had a delicious vegan platter at Made in Africa with the most beautiful, earthy spices. The injera bread was delicately soft and complemented the array of lentils & stews superbly. I will be back & I look forward to trying the ethiopian coffee ceremony.

Not big eaters so we ordered the 3 course platter for two (three of us). It was a great mix of meat, veg and some with a little spice. Very filling and delicious! Owner was very friendly and helpful. Place clean and welcoming.

Ever since I joined up to Urbanspoon/Zomato, back on the day when I turned 23, I have been lauding to people about how good Ethiopian cuisine is. It was what led me to sign up in the first place, and encouraged me to go around and continuously try all sorts of new things - as if that would have been any different otherwise. For any fans of food, Ethiopian is one of the quickest ones that I got to to recommend. It is truly unique, in composition and experience.

With one of my friends living in or around the Moorooka area (the border is somewhat aloof), I had been meeting up with her a lot recently for meals and such. In her time as well, she had been trying out the eateries in that vicinity - Annerley and all that. However, trying out the African restaurants around Little Africa was something she had not gotten around to, and thought she should sometime before she left the suburb. That was something I could definitely arrange.

Using the website Dimmi, I organised a table one weekday night at Made in Africa - wanted a 100% guarantee of a table. Well, that is basically how I got here. It was just a couple of buses away, going into Ranchold Arcade and meeting up here. Right into the heart of the arcade, it feels like a trip into an African town. Around it are all sorts of shop selling African scarves, and mobile phone deals for many countries on the continent. On the top level, right at the back (before the spiral staircase) is our destination.

Made in Africa is an L-shaped restaurant, and it has a real russet tone to the walls - likely to remind people of the landscape of Ethiopia. Posters of Ethiopia and its icons are strown throughout the walls of the restaurant, and there is one centerpiece showing the characteristic baskets and demonstrating how they prepare coffee. Most of the restaurant is fairly spacious, and not a lot going on. It has a calming aesthetic to it, one that invites a lengthy stay and to bring people along for a conversation. Heck, for any tips of date night this would be something a bit on the different side.

There is not that much to the service. That being said, it is good when it occurs. The man there was very pleasant, hard-working and they more or less give you your space outside of serving and ordering the food. He takes his time, not too eager, and not too lax - a good place somewhere in between that only an African or Caribbean place could pull off so well.

The majority of the menu is a selection of tibes, wots and various kinds of stew. They are available with the basic kinds of meat: beef, lamb, chicken, and enough of a vegetarian selection to appease vegetarians. All of them are flavoured uniquely, sometimes with the unique bebere (Google it). If it is too hard to decide what to have, they have that covered at a set price. Count how many people you have taken along, and decide how many courses they can handle. One benefit, it makes the ordering process easier.  

This is what happened with my friend. Being the more seasoned veteran to her green-horn status, the power was in my hands. Go hard, go home - that it how it goes. Thus, it was a platter for two with four courses. Entrees, main, dessert and coffee - could not be better if I say so myself.

Starting off, the entree platter was half a dozen beef sambusas. The best way to describe these, is think of them as more or less samosas. They were small triangles, wrapped in pastry and they were definitely fresh from the fryer. These suckers were really hot, and the filling was slightly spicy - a lot of minced beef. On the side was a small bit of dipping sauce. So far, it was off to a great start.

Next it was the main meal - the real thing you come to Ethiopian for. A big platter, with a bed on injera having all sorts of tibes and stews on top. A grand total of eight, selected entirely by the chef, with some rice as well. There were both meat and vegetarian on there, a good variety and selection. It is a complete surprise what dishes they choose. Bringing it out, the whole meal is a feast for both the eyes (it is really colourful, unique looking and would kill on Instagram) and the taste buds. Ethiopian is unlike anything else, and the flavours are never lacking; it is spicy without too much heat, fresh with plenty of vegetables and good quality meat.

The chosen lot that they have manages to be diverse in colour, composition and taste. Two type of beef go in, a spicy key wot, and a mild alicha. Also for the meats is a simple lamb stew, and a chicken doro. As well as that, they add on the vegetarian combination: Gomen, Shiro, lentiles and Yatakilt. This is a mixiture of spicy, of tangy, plenty of umami, crunchy and sweet, fresh and moreish - it all blends eventually and is one of the heavenly delights of eating out.

Eating with a lot of injera and rice, this is one to do by hands. Injera, a lemon-flavoured pancake being the best way to described it, is used to pinch the meat and pop it into your mouth. Rip a bit off the bottom, go for what looks good to you and enjoy it. If you want, try it to the person next to you.

Then it leads us to dessert. After something so rich in flavour, just that something a wee bit sweet will hit the spot. To offset it a bit, the chosen dessert was a simple one. It was an almond and semolina busbusa. This was really simple, just a mildly flavoured cake, with a good and soft texture. Alongside it was a small lot of cream. Subtle in taste, I could see this as a bit of a palate cleanser.  

And how could it be forgotten? Ending such a good night with the heavenly nectar from the motherland; you know what I am talking about. None other than the traditional coffee ceremony. Tip: do not ever leave an Ethiopian place without sampling their coffee; that is not a suggestion. This is a coffee ceremony unlike any other - unlike the Middle East, unlike Vienna, unlike Italy. We are talking about the motherland here, and mother knows best.

To commemorate the end of a meal, a buna of coffee is bought out along with the set number of cups. These cups would be about the size of a doll's tea party set, making it smaller than a double espresso. The coffee is served black, and a sugar bowl is given. Pour a cup each, and enjoy. Much like a pot of tea in China, it gets stronger and more pronounced as you get further to the bottom. The thing is, it starts out strong as is. Good luck getting to sleep during your bedtime; this is strong coffee. It is smooth, dark as night and really hot. It elevates your mood, making the night end on a higher note than it started - and it started really well.

So, Made in Africa is another one of the hidden gems of not only Moorooka, but Brisbane in itself. The atmosphere is decidedly laid-back, where you could easily hide around the corner and spend many hours conversing in it, the food is nothing sort of delicious, exciting and excellent, and the service is just as relaxed and timely as they want you to feel sitting inside. If you have Ethiopian in your home town, make sure to book it at the next possible availability - as sublime as Made in Africa is, the recommendation of it as a whole is not exclusively about the restaurant (though it is perfection), but just to get into the whole Ethiopian dining experience. It was tantamount to enlightenment for me, and I am just pointing the way for those yet to experience it.

Food was amazing. Great amount of spice and variety. We got the banquet for 2. The coffee was just as amazing. Great little find. 👍🏽💜😃

Went with my wife and shared the platter for 2. It was a nice selection of flavors and tastes, and definitely big enough for both of us. The service was very friendly but a bit slow. The decor is a bit low rent but it adds to the feel.