I’m always game to try new cuisines out – I find it educational and for the most part delicious. So when a couple of friends decided to start up a Secret Supper Club, I was more than happy to oblige! The point of it is to try a new cuisine once every month. This month was Ethiopian food at Harambe on Commercial Drive.

We were greeted warmly by (I’m assuming) the owner or manager. We had already decided to share the Chef Combo Platter, but he suggested instead of getting it for four that we get it for three and share the daily fish special. We happily complied.

I also ordered fresh mango juice – it was very filling, refreshing and not too sweet. We also received a free appetizer (you can print or show them the coupon here)

He recommended the Peanut Soup as the appy – chicken cooked in peanut sauce with harambe assorted spices. The soup reminded me of a Filipino dish my dad makes called KareKare except with less vegetables and stewed chicken. It was delicious but quite filling.

Finally our Chef’s Choice Platter came and it was enormous! There was a little bit of everything on the menu, which was nice. The vegetables were corn, Gomen (spinach boiled in onion and sauteed with garlic and harambe spices), Alitcha (sauteed carrot, string beans, potato and onions),Tekil Gomen (stewed and spiced cabbage), Yegbeg wot (lamb stew in berbere sauce and harambe spices), doro wot (chicken leg cooked in berbere sauce), Misir wot (red split lentils), and beef.

Between all the different tastes and textures on the plate, my favourite were the Alitcha, Tekil Gomen and the Misir wot – all the vegetables. The meats were good, tender and full of flavour. But I found the vegetables to be very tasty to my palate!

The platter is served with Injera which is similar to roti in function – dipping/eating the meats and vegetables. However, that’s the only similarity it has to roti. Injera is a lot spongier in texture and slightly sticky. It’s made with teff – a type of grain found in Ethiopia. The injera is stretchy and served rolled up, you unroll it and tear a piece off to pick up your meal. The taste of the injera is slightly sour (similar to sour dough) – supposedly due to the flour being allowed to ferment for a couple days.

The fish was served shortly after, seasoned with Ethiopian herbs and spices. I can’t really put my finger on what specifically, but this was one of the more tastier offerings on the dish.

For the 4 of us (with a couple of beers and my mango juice) – the bill came to $75 (after tax), so it wasn’t too bad in terms of pricing either. The inside of the restaurant is vibrantly decorated and is definitely an experience worth trying!

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