I have always stated that Winnipeg is blessed with its treasure trove of different cuisines. For a city of its size, I am amazed at the variety and quality of the restaurants here and the Ethiopian scene is no different. The third of a trifecta of restaurants in town, Massawa is certainly one of the most popular and talked about for anyone looking for tasty Ethiopian.
Massawa has an elegant location overlooking Osborne Street. The vantage point certainly gives a beautiful view of the Village but makes the restaurant difficult to spot for foot and vehicle traffic. Thankfully, once we found the staircase up, we were greeted with a wonderful and elegant restaurant. The aroma of sourdough and spices immediately greeted us when we walked into the dimly lit space. Comfy booth style seating, tasteful and colorful artwork and a super approachable husband-wife combination work to create a elegant and pleasant dining experience.
Massawa's menu is a bit misleading as it is divided into small plates or dishes that are meant to be shared. No matter what and how much your party orders, the food is all arranged on a plate of Injera with each dish given an aliquot of space to shine. The food is designed to be shared and mixed and while each dish has its own unique flavour profile, the unique and key aspect to Ethiopian cuisine is the marriage of all these tastes into one on a bed of sour bread. Forks and knives are non-existent as you are expected to eat with your hands. Starches are also not on the menu as the sourdough Injera is meant to be the starch of the evening.
The platters are relatively large and this amounted to TWO orders of: Yaktilt Wat (top left), Yebeg Wat (top middle left), Kik Alicha (top middle right), Spinach (top right), Awaze Tibs (middle left), Doro Tibs (middle row left)
Yaktilt Wat refers to mixed vegetables that are cooked in an Ethiopian chili mix. The spices and rubs used in the sauce are complex and too many to name but all together it infuses a rich nutty flavour into the soft and tender vegetables. The creaminess of the carrots and cauliflower are paramount as they contrast the strong spicy flavours of the sauce.
Yebeg Tibs takes lamb, Jalapenos and peppers and marries them in a mild Ethiopian based curry sauce. The gamey flavour of lamb is completely cut through by the rich and robust licorice flavours from the sauce while the spicy Jalapenos add a nice finale to each bite.
The Spinach is the most easily recognizable of the vegetable dishes but is not lacking in flavour. Braised soft and tender, the spinach have whole pieces of Jalapeno, onion and peppers strewn about inside it. Taken within the context of the meal this spinach was a refreshing contrast as it was a lighter and less dense option on the plate.
We loved these Doro Tibs. Fiery hot morsels of tender chicken are the perfect accompaniment for the soft and sour injera. While the initial flavour is that of heat, we got a nice sweet and salty aroma that resembled that of cardamom coming through. Well cooked and complex in flavour, this was the best of the night.
Awaze Tibs is a beef dish that is also cooked slow and braised in
a deep and luxurious Awaze sauce. The sauce has a nice licorice-like
bitter sweet flavour which contrasts the fatty and greasy beef. Well
cooked, the tendrils of meat are literally fall off the fork tender and
are completely infused into the strong sauce. Tasty!
The vehicle and platform for the meal, Injera is a sourdough bread hailing from Ethiopia that makes the mainstay starch of their meals. The bread is nice and soft on the outside but spongy on the inside, the perfect way to soak up the tasty flavours in each dish.
Massawa is a great representation of Ethiopian food. While this is a relatively foreign cuisine for me, the dishes are well cooked, the flavours are strong and the price attractive enough to warrant a definite recommendation. Just note that the style of eating might not appeal to all.
Comments
Post a Comment