AM Africa has exotic style for adventurous diners
Have you ever considered trying Ethiopian food? If you have a yen for exotic food, you may want to stop in at AM Africa, a new restaurant on King St. in downtown Kitchener.
There are no schnitzels or burgers or steak on the menu to cater to local tastes - just African food.
In fact, the menu is quite short - there are only a dozen different items with no appetizers or soups to whet your appetite. The menu is divided into beef, poultry and vegetarian choices.
Three of us arrived for lunch one day and we ordered from the three menu categories. I chose a beef dish called Zignie. (We passed on the two beef dishes which include beef tartare, lean beef served ground - and raw.) We also ordered Tsebhi (Ethiopian for "stew") Dorho, a chicken stew and Vegetarian Alicha, a medley of seasoned vegetables.
While we waited for our dishes we tried a couple of African beers. 1 ordered a Tusker, a half-litre of Kenyan lager that was a little too sharp-tasting for my palate. I preferred the smoother taste of the Castle lager from South Africa. AM Africa has a well-chosen list of 16 wines, all under $20 and including plenty of South African and Canadian selections.
Our meal was a surprise. Instead of three distinct dishes, Lunch for three was served on one huge platter, the portions spread onto the plate along with islands of Western-style lettuce salad. Three or four injeras, thin, crepe-like pancakes, formed the bed of the platter. Our server left us with no plates, three forks, some paper napkins and few instructions. (Service was extremely casual throughout.) We used our forks to sample the meat and tore strips of the injera to capture the spicy sauces.
I had never had any food quite like this before although it reminded me most of Indian food, in that the meat and vegetables were cooked over a long period in a thick, extremely spicy sauce.
I enjoyed the flavors of Ethiopian food. The tender meat stews were not hot to the palate but I felt their glow in my gut for the rest of the day. The blend of seasonings is known as berbere, a traditional Ethiopian recipe based on red pepper sauce with hints of garlic, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek and nutmeg. Sauces for the chicken and beef stews were very similar. The vegetarian dish was a little milder but still quite lively.
Eating the food with the floppy injera crepes proved to be challenging. Two of us managed to spill some of the red sauce on our clothes, so if you're planning to try AM Africa, dross casually. Even though they may not be used in Ethiopia, individual plates would have been an improvement.
I spoke with chef and owner Zeynab following our meal. She came to Canada to attend school in London, Ont., and eventually moved to Kitchener. Zeynab says her family in Ethiopia operates a traditional restaurant with a similar menu.
Like the service, AM Africa's decor is also very casual. A few African posters dot the walls and Zeynab says she expects delivery soon of some new tables and other furniture to replace the current, somewhat drab fixtures. Located in the former site of Doogie's restaurant, AM Africa seats about 50 inside and another 60 on a second-storey patio, which won't help much until spring.
AM Africa has been open for about six months now, and several readers report they have enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and unique cuisine. Zeynab plans to add some live African music on weekend nights. But even without traditional African music, you'll not find another place like this anywhere near here. If you're an adventurous diner, you may want to check out AM Africa yourself.
The Record
Thursday, November 7, 1996