Axum Ethiopian Restaurant With the RVCC
Posted on 04/21/2011
Address: 1279 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
Axum Ethiopian Restaurant Website
This month's restaurant of choice for the Royal Vancouver Curry Club (RVCC) was Axum Ethiopian Restaurant. I have to thank Herb for finding this place and having the wherewithal to lead us in this fragrant and spicy direction. After all, as he says "I don't want to get stuck in a rut... taking a chance on African food is a chance to expand my horizons..." Couldn't agree more with you Herb.
I noticed this African restaurant open for business about 3 years ago, since I drive by Hastings & Clark Drive almost every day to and from work. From time to time I would wonder how good the food is here since it hadn't shut down by now...
The interior of the restaurant is very amenable to a night out for dinner. The decor is all very nice and Ethiopian themed, including these chairs near the entrance-door, presumably for parties to sit and wait for their table to be ready? Nice and authentic bit of Africana here methinks.
As I went part of RVCC, there are shots of fellow curry lovers in this post. This is one of our fine fellows digging into the Ethiopian buffet.
This is a family run restaurant. Seen in this photo of the RVCC long table is the daughter serving drinks...
After dinner, the owner of this fine restaurant came over and answered a few questions relating to her fragrant and spicy cuisine.
My first plate. This idea of having a group come and try a buffet is a wonderful idea because it allows each individual sample all the dishes of the restaurant in one sitting. There is marinated beef, spiced & sauteed lamb, tumeric-coloured lentils, simmered collard greens and other fragrantly wonderful Horn of Africa delights.
The most interesting food I thought was the Injera -- a type of flatbread that is actually of a sponge-like consistency and is excellent for dipping up all the excellent sauces from the plate.
My second plate. The Injera is really great for scooping up the delicious sauce
After finishing two plates of Ethiopian cuisine, I was surprised how good I felt. Maybe because the pieces of meat are cut so small or maybe because I didn't eat too much rice, I felt really light and refreshed.
The owners kindly posed for me after dinner. They are really nice people, answered all my questions with friendliness and gave off a vibe of total hospitality.
Long live Axum Ethiopian Restaurant!