House Bound

Sunday night, I headed out for another early dinner. I had walked down Irwin, a side-street just off Yonge, on my way to Ca Phe Rang in the morning. I noticed the well-known name of Ethiopian House next to a Japanese bistro bar and decided to return for an evening meal.

Stepping inside, it was a small and welcoming space decorated with numerous arts and crafts pieces of Ethiopian and Black origin. There was a second, larger room upstairs as well. I asked the owner if he had moved as I recalled it was upstairs in a building on Yonge Street. But since I mostly ate Ethiopian at Bloor and Ossington where there is a mini-Ethiopian enclave, I had never stepped inside that location. I learned then that this is the OG spot at 26-years and counting. The other one was a competitor/interloper that only lasted for a few years. The rent keeps rising every year but his clientele knows this spot. In any case, it wasn't much cheaper anywhere else though some folks have decamped from Bloor to around Danforth and Woodbine.

I ordered the veggie platter ($13.95). I was most excited for the collard greens, a delicious dish that is no longer offered at African Palace. But I was also pleasantly surprised at the potatoes and green beans which was a great combination of flavour. This was a tasty dinner, a tad on the oily side, but not as bad as Nazareth.

The dinner ended on a slightly sour note and only because I'm a pedantic rule-stickler. I was charged extra for the injera flatbread. All Ethiopian restaurants I've ever been to does not charge for the injera piece that is used as the base plating for the "platter" dishes. So it felt like a sneaky surcharge here. I could also tell by its dryer texture that the base was day-old. This usually doesn't matter if there's a fresh side piece as most will only eat a little of the plating. In any case, caveat emptor for this spot depending on your personal tolerance for hidden fees. But Ethiopian House did have the prettiest, nicest vibe of all the Ethiopian restaurants I've been to.