Now this is the kind of restaurant that we like. Food from a far-off place we knew little about. Interesting dishes and unusual ingredients. Décor from the homeland. And a menu where the owners have made the effort to provide information about their country, cuisine and culture. In short, Adulis was already high in my estimation before the food had even arrived.
Adulis have been going since 1996, and have one premises in Brixton, the other in Oval. We met at the Oval outlet, which I gather is the original.
Now, if you’ve ever eaten Ethiopian (a country whose cuisine is much better represented in London), then Eritrean food will seem familiar. But Alf had never eaten the food of either country, so for him in particular it was very new.
The centrepiece of Eritrean food is njera, a fermented pancake made from a grain called teff served at room temperature. I want to like Njera, but I have to confess I find it a bit unpalatable. It’s spongy, limp, cold and has a weird tangy-ness. All the same, you literally have to eat the stuff since your dinner is served on a bike-tire sized njera in Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurants. And it’s the other stuff which makes Eritrean food so good.
We ordered the ‘mini kirchat for two’ for our main, which is the classic thing to order I think. You get a big tray with an njera, then a load of different curries, salad and other bits on top. It’s then a case of tearing off a bit of njera with your hand, picking up some lentils, or a bit of lamb, or some chicken, or some creamed greens, and putting it in your mouth. Each of the curries is unique and full of flavour. The closest thing it reminds me of (besides Ethiopian, obviously) is Indian food – some of the dahls in particular taste similar to what you’d get in South Asia. But it’s not quite the same – the flavours are just not quite like anything you’ve eaten before. But in a good way.
Besides the kirchat, we started with lamb samosas (pretty much what you’d imagine) and spicy kategna, which seems to be deep fried njera dipped in a sour sauce. Alf wasn’t a huge fan of this, but I liked it. Even thinking about it now, it makes my mouth water in the same way pickled onions and lime pickle do. Alf got an Eritrean lager.
All in all, I’d highly recommend Andulis.
Score: 9/10
Price: £65.75
Address: 44-46 Brixton Rd, London SW9 6BT
The A to Z of World Food in London 