Ethiopian food is not easily found in Sydney. In other cities I’ve lived in or passed through, there is usually an Ethiopian restaurant or two.
I last ate at one in Paris and was reminded of the magical combination of the injera, a flatbread pancake made of fermented teff flour and the various curries and vegetable dishes.
Jambo Jambo has been open in Glebe for more than a year! It’s taken me that long to get to it. Friends from Adelaide wanted to eat something that they couldn’t find at home and this was the perfect occasion.
Actually, it felt more like a party than a dinner. It has a really festive atmosphere and the restaurant was packed.
Joseph, the formidable owner, stopped by a few times to make sure everything was OK and make sure we knew that kid’s eat and drink for free (which we were happy about).
We had some South African wine, a chenin blanc, to wash down the the combination platter. It’s $95 for two people, and then $30 for additional people, which confused me at first (too much wine already?)…
But it worked out to less than $40 per adult and the wine was inexpensive, so this was very reasonably priced.
We also received a complimentary starter plate which was lovely, a sort of raw beef I think in lettuce leaves, and some samosas (tasty) and fried bread (a bit dense for me).
I find it hard to describe what we ate, except that it was delicious.
The curries and sauces and vegetables and dahl and goat were rich and thick, and then the injera was a perfect vessel, slightly sour and plain to match the richness.
If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food, I’d highly recommend it. And I’d highly recommend Jambo Jambo.
