Abesha Footscray
If you're thinking that you've never spotted an Ethiopian restaurant in your travels around Melbourne, you'd be right. Mainly huddled in Footscray, dining in one is like visiting a little slice of Africa without even leaving the country.
Thick with incense, Abesha has decked out its walls with woven mats and authentic Ethiopian treasures that serve as a reminder of the disparate nature of our cultures. A polished granite floor lends a rudimentary, almost shack-like quality to the place and, in a culture that places emphasis on sharing, there's a communal eating bowl in the middle of each table.
Abesha takes pride in offering traditional fare prepared with fresh spices in a centuries-old craft. Try the doro wat (chicken with garlic butter), lamb tibs (marinated lamb with garlic, tomato and chilli) or push the envelope a little by trying one of the raw meat dishes on for size - definitely not for the faint of heart. Doing away with conventional utensils, diners employ the services of injera bread to eat their meal, which is used to scoop up soupy dishes.
Replacing the pizzazz of upmarket eateries with a deep-seated sense of custom, Abesha is certainly going to give you a different sort of food for thought.
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