Discerning Vegan: Nile Ethiopian Cuisine

2130 Magazine St, Garden District, New Orleans, LA
Map

Restaurant type:

Ethiopian

The Yetsom Beyaynetu - vegetarian combo

Service:

Acceptable

Ambiance:

A pleasant airy space with modern, if a little sparse, decoration. The large wall mural is somewhat eclectic. The restaurant is set in the beautiful Garden District on Magazine Street with its Antique shops and boutiques.

The inside of the restaurant

Vegan choice:

Limited, but the vegetarian platter offers all the choice one would wish on one plate.

Review:

I adore Ethiopian food. I like it more than most people. I try to eat in every Ethiopian restaurant I come across. I seek them out in every new town. I have eaten in approximately 25 Ethiopian restaurants. This was one of my favourites in terms of the quality of the food.

When I arrived, at lunchtime, the restaurant was very quiet and so there was little atmosphere. Nonetheless, the space was bright and airy, and pleasant for the day time. The only downside was the rather poor mural that dominates one wall. I imagine that in the evening, with a crowd, the place might have a slightly better ambiance.

The vegetarian/vegan options on the menu

The vegan options were precisely three. Not much one might think, however, I have seldom been in an Ethiopian restaurant where I wanted anything but the vegetable combo dish (yetsom beyaynetu). That was on the menu and that is what I had. It was delicious: red lentils in a berbere sauce (miser wot), yellow split pea stew (kik alicha), some greens, a potato and carrot dish, a red potato and beet dish, and a dry brown lentil concoction, served on injera bread. The miser wot was hot contained many levels of spice. The kik alicha, always my favourite, was mild, creamy and subtly tasty. The two potato dishes were fabulous: creamy, melt-in-the-mouth vegetables in a light sauce. Even the greens and salad, always my least favourite, were tasty and beautifully dressed. The injera, a deliciously sour crumpet bread, was light and as moreish as ever. The injera was not in short supply and our reserve dish of it was topped up frequently and without extra charge. The quality of the food was excellent. I rate it the third best Ethiopian restaurant that I have been in, third only to Addis Red Sea in Boston and Fekerte's in Canberra.