TL;DR: Abhiru is another gem both representing Moorooka's solid and underappreciated dining scene, along with how much I will continue to tout Ethiopian cooking and cuisine. Beyond simply being very good with their food - in which having everything cooked in house makes it that much better - credit also has to go to the service, and the general friendliness of the staff whom make sure that all the clients are felt welcomed there. Dining with kids may be difficult, but this provides a niche where the food is exciting enough to expand their horizons, good value enough to go in a big group on a whim, and maintains a good level of quality. The ladies really deserve to do well, and the set up here is a unique and inviting one that just demands to be sought out and found.
Moorooka, also known as Little Africa, just keeps on getting better and opening up another world of eating, and it is a short crow's flight away from the city center. By sheer virtue of having a unique touch on the world of gastronomy in Brisbane, it truly is one of the most under-rated suburbs for gourmands and residents around town. One of the reasons is the chance to come in and try a new, and characteristic dining experience - and that is the "mahberawi"/share platter. So far in trying the Ethiopian places around here, it has yet to fall short of perfection. And that trends still continues as we speak.
On one of her last few nights in the country before heading back home overseas, it was all a case of a belated birthday present by finding somewhere for the lot of us to eat at - and it was my shout. Ideas were pondered and passed around leading up to that, and what was absolutely a requirement was how it would be food for young children; to put it into perspective there were three kids here under five years old. Anyone with any experience there knows the trouble, but nothing is too arduous or challenging for me. What can be counted on is a few aces up the sleeve, and enter this beauty.
Something that is apparent about me is how infatuated I am with many aspects about Africa, with the major one being always trying to find new African restaurants around the place - whether in town or elsewhere. Knowing that aspect, I was asked if there was anything new in that area in town and within two minutes Abhiru was being seriously considered. And in the end, this was the place to be, and following on from that - we have ourselves another winner. It also got me to introduce my nieces to the wonders of Ethiopian cooking.
Now this was partially a trip down memory lane, going to the exact location where I began the journey so many years back. Going into the old arcade, down the spiral staircase it was like it always has been. This is a hidden little gem that requires a keen exploration, and the reward for finding it is a whole lot of atmosphere that is relaxed and inviting.
So Arhibu... it is just as bright here as it is hidden, with a bright yellow wall, and all sorts of decorations to give it that East African vibe. It is packed out quite well, is pretty cosy and the tables are all set up nicely. They have a good attention to detail here, with each table already being decorated with numbers and glasses, and the calm, dark hues of the chairs and tablecloths meld well with the bright happiness of the wall colour. While being notably upgraded, it manages to keep the simplicity and laid-back vibe in check.
Now you can't get much better and more personable than this when it comes to the service. Overall, I will give appreciation for when the service is technically very good and notably professional. However, personality is often what draws people to remember and recognise much more which is what can be said there. Coming here with the kids - one of them being merely months old at the time - was a great idea, since the waitress really took a liking to that little one, as did her mother the cook. It is far from the slowest service around, though in saying that it is recommended to come here if you have some time on your hands.
For what they have on offer, it is a pretty simple menu. The dishes are from around the horn of Africa, mostly Ethiopia, and consist of a range of different stews and curries. Both meat eaters and vegetarians have a decent selection to choose from, with beef, lamb and chicken being the choices of meats, and the vegetarian dishes being based off different vegetables and being vegan friendly. At breakfast, there are several different meals that are based on traditional African cooking. Add on a few nibbles here and there, and it is a pretty tightly controlled and focused menu which still offers quite some interesting variety.
Starting off the meal was getting an order of some starters. The ones chosen were their sambusas - think of a samosa, and it is done in the African style and bingo - and spring rolls. Both of these pretty much need no introduction, and here they were served with a trio of dips - peanut butter (for later, mostly), chilli sauce, and one other I can't quite remember - and were delicious. The sambusas were filled with spicy beef and an onion-chilli mixture, plus were piping hot with a crisp, butter pastry. The spring rolls were like that, except vegetarian, and both of them went down a treat. These were good enough and enjoyed thoroughly that a second lot of each was gotten in the mean time.
Getting onto the main part of the meal, that was left all up to the chef. A long story, but I was out of the room when the ordering was taking place so I have little idea what was selected. From what I was told, it was all up to the choice of the chef where four different kinds of meat stews were selected along with a couple of vegetarian ones. This was all served on a giant bed of the injera - plus several other bits rolled up for dipping - and a garnish mixture of tomatoes, sliced cucumber and some green leaves. For the nieces, an order of rice was gotten - the injera as tasty as it is, can be a bit on the tangy side; we all know little ones aren't a fan of that.
The mixture of stews if memory serves me correctly included doro wet - a chicken meal, the Sudanese dish lamb molokhira that had heaps of spinach, both atklt alicha and tikil gomen from the vegetarian menu, then it was legas tibs and key wot that completed the whole meal. All of these meals were very good, especially with the bright and dynamic aesthetics of the meal, along with each one having a complex flavour and composition of ingredients. These have been a combination of spicy, of bold with garlic and ginger, plus it does not hurt either than the meat is always pretty tender - the chicken was falling off the drumstick's bone - and the vegetables fresh and crunchy. The Sudanese dish was particularly good and memorable, with the lamb's wonderful flavour and juices absorbing well into the spinach possibly making it the highlight of the whole meal. As per usual, the injera was very good and there was plenty of it; this time around, there was more there than there was bits of food to pick up or sauces to wipe. This is where the leftover sauces from the entree platters came to play. These pancakes were soft and spongy, plus the lemon flavour was still there and unmistakeable in how characteristic it was. Best of all with these share platters is the sheer size, which can easily feed a small clan and leave everybody satisfied.
Of course, it would be incomplete if the meal were to simply end there. That is because we are in the motherland for getting coffee, and coffee is unlike anything else when dining at Ethiopian. In fact, they upped the ante a couple of degrees they showing the beans being roasted only a few meters away from the table, and giving everyone at the table a whiff of them - that is one heavenly smell to behold. When the coffee is brought to the table, the presentation is pretty impressive as well. First off, however many people the coffee was ordered for, it will still stand that this might have been the biggest damn bhuna that I have ever seen. A comparatively small one for two has enough that it looks like it will go forever - up that about thrice and it explains what went on here. In addition to the bhuna, and the chosen number of small coffee cups, a bowl of plain popcorn is served along the side.
This is an experience that anyone who likes coffee must go ahead and try one time, not only because this is the motherland where coffee originated from, but just that it is a whole difference experience unto itself. The way that the coffee is presented is the start, but it is also because this is so hot and strong that you are going to be here a while drinking it. And that is the crux of its charm. It might taste a little bitter at first, no milk here and if sugar was there I didn't have it, but after a while the flavour becomes milder and the texture is really smooth. In addition to that, the usual espressos that are had for breakfast each morning will look tame in comparison.
Alongside the coffee some sweets were gotten as well. A double order of the busbusa cake, with the ice cream on the side going to the little girls. This cake was a coconut and semolina-based one, which had a mild flavour and very soft texture. The taste of coconut was the most prominent aspect in the sweet, with a touch of berry coulis in the middle. After such a big and filling meal, something was still needed afterwards but not anything too heavy - and this was the perfect touch to that. It was simple, it tasted lovely and rounded up the night very well.
What the visit to this place ultimately proved was something that was readily apparent for quite some time, and that is how great of an all-rounder option going out for Ethiopian is. Part and parcel of it is the experience and how it is set up, plus the level of service that is given - sometimes better and more attentive than others, but always guaranteed to have a homely and relaxed approach - and how it is reliable at a moments notice with a relatively big group. In fact, that is about the only proper way to get the vibe of a big meal in this vein.
This place may only be young at the time of writing, but it certainly should have the potential to be around here for quite some years yet. It absolutely is worthy of your time and your dollars. So without a lot of further ado, gather up a clan of people - friends, family, colleagues, whomever - and arrange a time to come around here and enjoy what is one of the best, most dynamic, most unique and wholly enjoyable food experiences from around the world.
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