Nunu Ethiopian Fusion

Nunu Ethiopian Fusion

This place was voted Toronto’s Best Date Restaurant 2009 by NOW Magazine. Having been there, I’d be inclined to say no to a proposed date here…

Reasons to go to this restaurant (Note: these only work when they are all applicable)
1. You live in the area and do not like transportation, public or otherwise
2. You’ve never had Ethiopian food before
3. You don’t like spicy food
4. You like ‘accessible’ ethnic food
5. You know nothing about wine
6. You think a good date is one where you sit very, very far apart from each other, separated by a tacky candle centre-piece
7. You think the idea of watching your date stuffing dripping, oil-based stew into his/her own mouth (or your mouth, God forbid) is romantic
8. You like to share…

It should be noted that this is supposedly not a fusion restaurant. For the most part this is accurate. The main dishes are beef tibbs, stewed chicken, and “spicy” lentils. These are served on injera (teff-based sponge bread). This is not gourmet food. So when you make it “fusion” by putting it in a more formal setting, I’m not fooled. The whole concept of Ethiopian food is you share with the people at your table, and I find it sad that when you order a dish just for yourself it comes on a cute, rectangular, long plate, and pieces of injera are wrapped up like cinnamon buns on one side. When you order a platter to share, it comes out more traditionally, on a giant pizza-like plate, where the stews are served directly onto the pieces of injera lining the bottom. The individual dishes are much more attractive, and the traditional dishes look sloppy. This encourages not sharing, sucking all the good qualities of traditions out of th restaurant.

I also just need to take this opportunity to laugh at a comment on another review of this restaurant. Someone who had obviously never had Ethiopian food before said everything was so good and once they’d had this magical dessert made of fresh fruit, custard and whipped cream, they were convinced the kitchen was amazing, and they’d definitely go back again.

This is trifle. Trifle is British. Or Russian, apparently. The French have a version they call “British Soup”. Congratulations on being completely food culturally unaware, commenter.

I will stop being such a jerk now. I will not stop laughing.

I would forgive all this (con)fusion if the food stood up for itself, but it just doesn’t. I respect the restaurant for sourcing local vegetables, using high-quality products where they can, and even using only olive oil (a ton of it, but no peanut, vegetable, or cheap canola) but the dishes were just lacklustre. Maybe a little less oil and a little more flavour would have helped.

The collard greens were bland and so was the cabbage. Kudos for not using iceberg lettuce in the salad, but it was way too sweet. The yellow split peas were mild, and the spicy ones were too salty, and definitely wimpy heat-wise. The black lentils were the only interesting flavour – mustard – but interesting does not mean good. I wouldn’t want more than a few bites of it. The roasted beets were the highlight of the vegetarian platter. They were chewy and dense, and somehow had a meat-like texture. Not too sweet. Oh, and the carrots were also very tasty. Real flavour (hurray local).

Then the meat. The only thing that stood out were the chicken legs with hard-boiled eggs. the berbere spicing was luscious. All the rest of the meat was tough and chewy. I know, I know, it’s not supposed to be tender. It’s a different tradition, steak-heavy, but it was just not tasty enough to forgive. The lamb had layers of fat, and when you only get a few tablespoons of the dish, it’s just not enough meat. The chicken breast was bland. I think the kitchen is scared of adding too much heat. They don’t want Ethiopian food novitiates to be overwhelmed. Especially on a date (now that they’re the top date place). Well here’s some advice: Cut the garlic in the salad and up the chili peppers. Chili peppers will release endorphins, so when you’re disappointed by a mediocre meal you can at least enjoy your company.

Then there’s the wine list. This is not a date restaurant with a list like this. $8 for Fuzion? Is that a joke? No, really, I mean is it a play on the name of the restaurant?

The prices are also confusing. You can get a vegetarian platter for $13, a meat platter for $15, but you get a mixed platter for $17…This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. the vegetables cost less than the meat, so adding them to the meat should make the whole dish cost less. As in $14. It didn’t take an hour to cook the food, so it’s not a labour issue since you’re making more dishes. In fact you can order, say, a two-person meat platter and a one-person vegetable platter and end up with just about the same thing. All the same dishes (in fact, all the dishes on the entire menu…) for less than if you order a three-person mixed platter. Figure that one out…

So, don’t go here if you want the best Ethiopian food in the city. Don’t go here if you like tender meat. Don’t go here if you like your water glass re-filled promptly when you’re thirsty from all the salt. Don’t go here if you are a romantic.

Go here if you appreciate good intentions enough to support a couple of restauranteurs who are simply trying to share the basics (not the best) of Ethiopian cooking with a city that appreciates fake upscale dining. Oh, and word to the wise: On a date, some like it hot…

Best Bet: Doro Wat (Chicken legs), Roasted Beets
Expect to Pay: $11-$16 for individual orders, $16-$21 each for a mixed platter, including tax and tip
Hours: Daily, 11am-12pm
(647) 351-6868
www.nunuethiopian.com