Late on a blustery Saturday afternoon, we wandered into Addis seeking shelter from the cold and impending rain; food at this point was a luxurious extra. As we started to thaw out through a mixture of good heating and the brightly decorated restaurant, the menu became more interesting. After a brief inspection, and recommendation from the waitress, we settled on hummus and Selata Asward (deep fried aubergine salad with tahini dressing) for starters. The hummus was superbly spiced and it wasn’t long before the plate was empty. The aubergine salad on the other hand was sadly disappointing; both in terms of presentation and taste. Our chirpy waitress soon bought us some delicious injera with two steaming bowls: Quanta firfir (dried with cooked in a spicy sauce and mixed with injera) and tibs firfir (cubes of lamb with onion and 7 spices). Both dishes packed a punch on the spice scale, but nothing a mere non-chilli desensitised mortal couldn’t handle. The quanta firfir provided a strange new sensation of stewed dried meat, (new at least to the author), chewy yet strangely moreish. The lamb on the other hand was delightfully soft and tender with a flamboyant mix of spices. Despite both parties claiming to be well fed halfway through the main, somehow both dishes were soon polished off (or very nearly so). The service was attentive and the waitress knew the menu well. The restaurant was never empty and there was a steady stream of people who were clearly regulars throughout the afternoon. The prices offered excellent value for money with the total at £15pp, including coffee and tea
Addis - 40-42 Caledonian Road London N1 9DT
Tel : 020 7278 0679
Nearest tube: King Cross (about 3 mins away)
Text by Claire Loxly and images by John Carl
