The Abyssinian

Food was tasty, but portion size was small. Also they didn’t include the chicken dish on our mixed platter. We needed to ask for it when it wasn’t included. Not sure how it could be missed on their common mixed dish. Also none of the usual African condiments were given.

Here’s a tip — don’t go to The Abyssinian until after your manicure has fully dried…
Yup, this is a traditional Ethiopian restaurant so that means you get to eat with your hands! Although it’s tricky at first, once you get into and deal with the fact your hands will get dirty, it is a really fun, social way to eat.
But now to the actual food — I’ve only had African food once before (a quick take away plate at the night market) so I really don’t have anything to compare it to, but I really liked it. We had a selection of curries, both vegetarian and meat, all served on a big platter with bread. They were each quite delicately spiced and surprisingly not too oily. Nor were they dry like some dhal, either. My personal favorite was the goat — it was super tender and had a really lovely almost smokey taste.
The atmosphere here was fantastic — we went on a Saturday night and it was packed full of diners out for a good time, and the service was friendly and efficient. I will definitely be back.

This was the first time I had consumed an entire meal in public with only my fingers that wasn’t a drunken gutter kebab.
The Abyssinian is one of the coolest restaurants in the Kensington borderline Flemington area serving authentic Ethiopian/​Eritrean dishes. The space is warm, comfortable and furnished with interesting ethnic textures. OK so I cant be certain of the degree of the dishes authenticity having never travelled to that part of the world but it is still delicious comfort food that has an element of fun.
The dishes are like curries… but not. Think chicken, beef, lamb, vegetarian and seafood dishes served in herbed/​seasoned/​spiced sauces for around $ 18 each and each dish is served with the injera bread and small salad. The injera bread is the base of the meal, dishes are scooped/​poured onto the bread and then torn and eaten. Its a very social and intimate method of eating that makes you question your friends hygiene.
A small group expect to pay around $ 20 each and there is BYO but not worth it at $ 8 per bottle.