Food and service get five stars all around! We stopped in thinking it was a Somali restaurant that…read morewe had saw on Google maps, but it turns out that this location had been recently bought within the last 6 months and switched hands, and the menu has not changed, according to our server. There were no other people in the dining area when we first entered, which left us feeling a little bit skeptical, but after we placed our orders, we walked around the grocery store a little bit just to look at the goods and chatted with the fellow patron.
We started off with sambusas with lentil, which came out hot and pillowy. The lentils were nicely spiced with a coriander or cumin and turmeric situation, with some chili pepper for spiciness. I would have loved a sauce to go with this, and it was still delicious nonetheless! I also ordered a hot tea, which was a chai with milk. It was so foamy, frothy, and hot. It also wasn't too sweet, which I loved.
The other two dishes we ordered to share included bidena with wat and barice with goat. Interestingly, on the menu, they don't include any descriptions, but our server was helpful in explaining and pointing out each of the dishes, which in some ways told me who their clientele was, who likely often did not need descriptions, hahaha. Today, I learned that bidena and injera are similar, if not synonymous. The bidena with wat was flavorful, spice-forward, packed a punch, and the green sauce that they included was delightfully herbaceous and tart. The barice with goat is apparently a Somali dish, and we loved how colorful the rice was - the goat was remarkably tender, and the other accompanying sauces were just as delicious. We inhaled both of our dishes.
The ambiance leaves a little bit to be desired, but I think with six months in and the fact that this serves primarily as a grocery store factors into that. If you're looking for a mom and pop flavored dining experience, this is the place to go - like that they have a condensed menu, because what they are doing, they are doing well, and service was quick. They are not holding back when it comes to flavors and they are worth taking a stop, even if it's just for a cup of their tea.
