Cuisine With a Bite
Recently a reader asked me if there were any good Canadian restaurants out there that I might review.
That's a good question.
Aside from back bacon and creamed corn, I'm not quite sure what an authentic Canadian restaurant would serve.
I suppose venison and caribou might be on the menu, along with prairie grains, fish from the coasts and other sea life from the norther regions. And, of course, the truly Canadian meal wouldn't be complete without a side order of poutine and a flask of rye whisky to wash it all down.
I'll keep looking but, in the meantime, let me take you on a quick safari to A-M Africa in Kitchener, where I recently enjoyed some of the most unusual and exotic flavours I've ever experienced.
Sitting in the casual, second-storey restaurant overlooking downtown Kitchener, we ordered a drink and began our African adventure of earthly delights.
The menu includes dishes with unfamiliar names like Doro Wot, Zil Zil, Tsebhi Tyel, and Alicha, but English descriptions of the ingredients are provided in each case.
In parts of eastern Africa, eating with the fingers and breaking bread with table partners is the custom.
The bread, known as injera, is more like a thin, spongy crepe made with a sourdough of self-rising flour called tef, a staple of the Ethiopian diet that is served with most meals. In Ethiopian tradition, the injera is often placed directly on the table and used to scoop up the spicy portions of meat and vegetable dishes that are placed on top.
A-M Africa provides oversized serving dishes that are lined with several overlapping flatbreads that support tidy mounds of colourful food.
Forks were also available, but my guest and I enjoyed the hands-on approach.
A la carte dishes include a selection of beef, chicken and fish recipes prepared with rich tsebhi (or sauce) using berbere, a favourite African mixture of cayenne, cardamon, fenugreek, ginger, cloves and other fragrant spices.
Most dishes are in the $10 to $13 range, including lamb tenderloin, jerk chicken with brown rice and goat with green pepper sauce.
There are also a half-dozen vegetarian options including vegetable alicha, which combines carrots, beans, potatoes and scallions with garlic and spices.
Eager to sample a variety of flavours, we chose the meat and vegetable combination platter for two people and found it to be very satisfying. We took turns pulling off small pieces of the injera and using it to retrieve bite-sized morsels of the savoury dishes.
There were two servings of each dish, including stewed lamb on small bones, and a spicy shredded beef concoction. Arranged in the centre were two chicken thighs covered with a blanket of thick, red, peppery sauce.
And finishing the plate were two servings of adri (minced spinach with spices) and fresh lettuce salad.
Be advised that African cooking is about as far from standard North American fare as it gets, so it's not for the faint of heart and tummy. Each dish has its own unique appeal, but most are very bold and quite spicy.
I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it for those seeking a truly different and exotic dining experience.
We shared a bottle of Nederburg, a brisk, grassy sauvignon blanc from South Africa that worked well to cut through the spice and cleanse the palate between bites.
The decor is quite casual and the service is even more so. The owner couldn't be reached for a follow-up interview, so I'm not able to give you any insights on the history or vision of A-M Africa. Rather I was left to do my own research.
I would have enjoyed chatting with the cook about the secrets of her unique preparations, but she was too busy and abruptly ended our phone conversation.
Dinner with cocktails and wine came to around $65 plus the tip, which was good value for a highly memorable meal.
As we left through the bar area, across the rooftop patio and down the back stairs, I felt quite full and satisfied with the warm feeling in my stomach.
I also felt very fortunate to live in a land that embraces a diverse blend of fascinating cultures and offers more options for wonderful dining than anywhere else in the world.
For me, that's uniquely Canadian.
The Record Nightlife
Thursday, March 29th, 2001