Fit For a King?

As I strolled by the incomprehensibly busy Nazareth, I noticed that another Ethiopian restaurant has opened a few doors down at the corner of Bloor and Dovercourt. I've seen this place before; African Palace used to be closer to Bloor and Shaw. The sign advertised Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Middle-Eastern. Sure enough, the simple two page menu comprised of Ethiopian dishes on one side and Middle-Eastern (shawarma, samosas, eggplant, etc.) on the other. I ordered the 4 veg, 2 meat combination plate ($11.99) and looked around at the decor.

The walls are painted with columns covered with Egyptian hieroglyphs; but this might have been left over from the shawarma place that used to be here. The African musical instruments and carvings were Ethiopian though, as well as the traditional Ethiopian rattan seats and round tables. It was too bad that there were only 2 such seatings, the rest were undistinguished formica dining sets.

The affable hostess/owner explained that the restaurant started out 8 years ago as African Village, an Ethiopian breakfast diner near Queen and Parliament. They were at  Bloor/Shaw for the past 4 years but rising rent drove them further west.

The combination platter came out less full than Lalibela, but the injera was thicker and more spongy. It had a nicer tanginess and mouth-chew. According to the owner, the wiring on all these old buildings on Bloor, along with the cost of hiring additional staff, prevented the numerous Ethiopian restaurants in this area from making their injera in-house. But she encouraged a friend to start making them at home as a business and that was her source for injera.

The vegetables were tasty though as a personal preference, I liked my collard greens more bitter. Unfortunately, the lamb and beef were decided inferior: gamey and tough. I'll come back and try the chicken or some other meat because I really want an alternative to Nazareth and I like the owner. But at this time, Lalibela offers the better choice: tastier meat dishes and enough food for lunch the next day if you do take-out.

There is also another new food place at this corner. Right next to the Delaware exit of the Ossington subway stop, Bakerbots Baking has opened up. The owner was originally trained in the arts. You can see that background in her gallery photos, but blecch all that fondant! For the spring season, the store is opened to the public Friday through Sunday if you want to get your fix of cookies, muffins, macarons, and ice cream. On Sunday, after being unable to get a ticket to see the documentary El Bulli in Yorkville, I came back and sat on the bench, enjoying a scoop of rasberry white chocolate with cocoa.