Wednesday 14 July 2021

Meals on (Two) Wheels

Andu Cafe: the flavour of Ethiopia in Dalston


Some of us have kept the high street food economy going with occasional takeaway orders during these lockdown times.

It was my girlfriend who told me about Andu Café in Dalston, east London. This is an area well known to both of us. We’ve been to The Arcola Theatre, just down the road and to gigs at the Dalston Eastern Curve, on Dalston Lane.

However, I knew nothing about Andu, an Ethiopian vegan restaurant on Kingsland Road. Already this is another place to add to Meal on (Two) Wheels’ ever-increasing list of must-visit cafes and eateries in the Big Smoke.

Andu’s success is a combination of low-price, high-quality food, friendly service and cash-only policy. The punters outside (some of whom looked like regulars) were evidence of this.

Beautiful, tasty and well-presented food
(photo by the author)
The menu’s simplicity betrays its tastiness. There’s only the sampler platter to try. This is a six-dish mix of spicy lentil stew, greens, spiced potatoes and onion, two split peas and some vegetables. This is usually served with either rice or injera, the traditional Ethiopian bread. I would strongly recommend choosing the latter.

I’ve written in this section before about Ethiopian food. Andu’s food is as good as Mesi’s Kitchen’s, even though the latter’s menu is far more varied.


The gomen were nice and crunchy. The yesimir wot (lentil stew cooked in a Berbere sauce) was well seasoned. The lightly curried mix of cabbage, potatoes and onions (tikil gomen) was tender and well cooked.

This is street food the way it should taste: gloriously satisfying and cheap. As London prepares to open up the doors of its cafes, restaurants and pubs, Andu’s should be on everyone’s list. Whether to sit in or take away, it won’t matter, the grub will still be good.

18 comments:

  1. Sounds excellent. It's always great to find these places no one knows about.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice find in what looks like a rough neighbourhood.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum.
    At one of our markets (closed by Covid) there was an Ethopian street stall. I miss them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi ACIL - this sounds a great restaurant to visit ... you've given us some delicious ideas ... it'd be great to try some of their tasty offerings. Cheers - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ethiopian food in London, sounds yummy. yes, street food should be tasty and cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks very tasty. As long as it's not too spicy, I love food like this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, I love to have little lazy walks in the evening or nights to explore nice things!
    The food looks very tasty.As for me I like it HOT.Once I ate halv a bottle of Jalapenos !I will not tell you how it went hah hah

    I think it is nice to try out new things at resturants

    Wish you a happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gorgeous food. May you eat it in good health.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like a great place. Another one to add to the list when I return to London. I used to go to an Ethiopian restaurant off Houston Street in Manhattan. How I loved the food! I haven't been back that way in a while and with the COVID outbreak, I fear the worst.

    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  10. Boa tarde. Obrigado pela matéria interessante e cheia de informações.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for sharing.
    Pleased you found this place and enjoyed the food.

    Have a good weekend.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds delicious. When I lived in West Michigan, there were a couple of Ethiopian places, one in Grand Rapids was vegetarian. It was good and cheap!

    https://fromarockyhillside.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. WOW, not only does this dish look amazing, it sounds absolutely delicious too!
    I have never tried Ethiopian food before...now I simply have to seek it out!😊😊
    Thanks so much for sharing...

    Greetings from Hampshire.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Aquí en España, a este tipo de comida le llamamos: guisos o comida casera; y normalmente suelen ser los más visitado por españoles y extranjeros los restaurantes españoles donde se sirven este tipo de comidas, que a mi me encantan.
    Me alegro de que halláis disfrutado de esa comida, servicio, y además a buen precio. Y una pena la distancia, ya que me gustaría haber llevado a dos de mis hijas que son veganas, y porque estoy seguro que nunca probaron comidas de Etiopía.
    Un saludo.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I LOVE Ethiopian food! And I seldom get it here, so it's nice to know about this place. (Although it's kind of a trek from where I live!)

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...