Geography Class

It's back-to-school season and with it, the realization that you don't actually remember anything you learned in school.  For instance, at one point, I could identify and label all of the countries of Africa.  ALL. OF. THEM.  That's fifty-four countries, give or take a few (depending on which regime is in power this week).  And while I knew that Ethiopia is to the north (it's not) and that it touches water (it doesn't),

Note: See, Ethiopia does NOT touch water!

I didn't know that it is thought to be the birthplace of coffee (that one's true).  But I did know that London has its own Ethiopian presence in the form of T.G.'s Addis Ababa (among others).  Addis Ababa is located to the north (nope, it's downtown), along the river (it's on Dundas), and you just might miss it if you're not paying attention (true).

The interior of the restaurant is a bit dated--Ethiopian travel posters from the 1990s, knick-knacks, fake plants, etc. (attention restaurant owners humanity: don't buy fake plants--they collect dust, it's gross, don't do it), but the restaurant was generally clean and welcoming.  Glancing over the menu was as  confusing as the decor--words I didn't know without descriptions underneath and some of the menus were misprinted and couldn't be read.  So, the server told us she we would bring us something to share which was fine because the main idea of eating Ethiopian food is to eat injera--a shared tangy, sourdough bread roughly the same size and shape as a pizza...but did I mention that it's moist?! (Don't you just LOVE that word?! Moist!)

For Western eaters, there is no accurate way to describe injera (especially if you don't want to get in trouble)--"spongy pancake" is what most people will say but that is not quite what the texture is.  And I only dwell on this point because for me--and many diners--the texture of food is a huge part of the experience (this is called "mouthfeel"...really, I didn't make that up).  The taste of injera is not off-putting, but it is different and may not be to everyone's taste.  Keep in mind that injera is also heavy and very filling.  So, the injera comes out with a bunch of vibrant different stewed meats, vegetables, and beans.  Each stew is a mixture of several bold spices--I read somewhere that some recipes have twenty different spices in the stew.  When the food arrived, we were told to use pieces of the injera to scoop up the stew with our hands.  Our group enjoyed the flavours and, fortunately, each of us gravitated to our favourite stew. Eating with our hands was fun at first but there are rules: eat with your right hand only and no double-dipping (that's why we left our double-dipping friend at home). And because the injera is so filling all of us were wanting to abandon the injera but were too shy to ask for a fork--so full One Reviewer was full for three days.

Injera served on a platter with various stews.

Ethiopian coffee service

Also, all of us got a bit tired of the stews--a lot of the same textures, a lot of the same flavour profiles.  And although service was great at the beginning, it slowed down once the food arrived so our lunch ended up taking an hour and a half.  The highlight of the lunch was the coffee.  Order the coffee early as it is pan-roasted to-order.  The server will even come out and show you the beans roasting in a small pan with wonderful, aromatic smoke filling the restaurant.  Served in an individual little coffee pot, the coffee is bold and complex--drink it black to get the full Ethiopian experience. 

Overall, it's hard to rate T.G.'s Addis Ababa because I haven't eaten a lot of Ethiopian food to compare.  But, based on the price and the amount of food, I was happy.  The food itself was flavourful and fun, but between the stews and the injera, it was a lot of the same food--like going to an all-you-can-eat stew buffet.  I'm not going to rush out to Addis Ababa again, but if friends wanted to go I would join them.  Besides, they would probably need someone to show them where it is, and I'm an expert in geography now (I'm not).

Location: T.G.'s Addis Ababa (465 Dundas St., London, ON)
Entree Cost: $15
Number of Reviewers: 5
Value: $ $ $
Overall: * * 1/2