Taste of African Cuisine

A review like this one must be explained in context. A hole in the wall place can be rated 4 or 5 stars just like an elegant upscale restaurant so long as they are both rated in terms of what they present themselves to be.
Such is the case here. First thing to understand is that there is NOTHING elegant or fancy about it. Anyone who has ever been to Texas and knows what an authentic roadside «ice house» is like will not be offput by the décor. Of course the décor is where the similarity to an ice house ends. To those who are unfamiliar with that reference, basically what you have here is shack with corrugated tin roofing and concrete floors. When you first walk in, you will notice that the place is full of Somali cab drivers talking/​laughing loudly, playing cards or dominoes or watching soccer on TV. While the regulars seem to be only males, women are welcome and *always* treated respectfully.
The next thing that might seem unusual is that there are no printed menus. You walk in and sit down at an empty table and soon enough someone will walk up to your table and ask what you would like. They will be happy to explain to you what they have to offer but unfortunately no one who works there seems to speak English very well. (More about how to deal with that and what to order below). It’s also worth noting that it’s even more difficult to get precise info on the prices. When you ask they’ll usually say something like «It’s all around $ 8.00».
Now before you get the idea that this is all all negative, again — keep in mind the context. This is really quite a fun place and the food is GREAT! The staff is amazingly friendly (even if it is difficult to tell sometimes who are the staff and who are the customers) and it is a fun place to go with a small group of people on an afternoon (probably not a good idea to go at night — kinda sketchy part of town) for a dining experience that everyone will be talking about for days.
As for the food? Despite being billed as «Somalian» it’s really not too unusual. A typical platter consists of a meat dish on a bed of rice with (maybe) a side of stewed potatoes and a salad. Before your food arrives, the server will also bring you a banana. Do not just peel it and eat it. (Very crude, you see…). You’re supposed to wait for your platter then peel the banana and slice it up and mix it in with the rice.
So what to ask for then? We’ve been about half a dozen times now and have tried several items. Our favorites are the boneless chicken on skewers and the fried sliced beef on skewers. (Prdictably in keeping with the offbeat nature of this place, nothing ever actually comes on skewers — hey, just roll with it OK… LOL). They also have chicken on bone, lamb, goat and fish. All sounds pretty conventional, right? Here’s where it gets interesting — everything we’ve tried (never tried the fish or goat) has been prepared with the most amazing coating of spices before being grilled. It’s delicately spicy but never too hot. The chicken on skewers is simply to die for. In addition, the rice rivals any place in San Diego for being fluffy and perfectly seasoned. Likewise the salad. It may be simple — romaine lettuce, tomatos and onions with a touch of vinegar & lime but *every* time we’ve been we’ve marveled at how perfectly fresh and crisp the lettuce was and how flavorful and ripe the tomatos were, even when they are out of season and the ones in store are awful. The peice de resistance though is the stewed potaoes that (sometimes) come as a side. They are perfectly cooked so in a spicy tomato sauce, the flavor of which is somehow infused all the way through the large chunks. They practically disolve in your mouth! Ahhh — but therein lies the rub.
Apparently in Somali culture, vegetables are mostly an afterthought. It’s all about the meat, so sometimes the potatoes are not even included with the dish unless you ask for them. We have made it kind of a running game to try to explain that we’d like a whole plate of just potatoes (like a vegetarian might enjoy) and while they aim to please, it does seem like they are kind of scratching their heads and not getting the idea. On our last visit we finally were able to get them to understand though and the photo uploaded here shows the delicious results. Also included is a photo of the aforementioned «skewered chicken platter». Oh, and one last thing, DO NOT forget to ask for some of the fiery hot green sauce/​chutney! It is the perfect garnish to everything on your plate.
So in short, don’t miss out on this strange, fun and delicious little hole in the wall. Go with a small group and go with the flow. You’ll all have a great time. One more thing — it is a bit difficult to find. The building itself has only a tiny sign that you’ll never spot as you’re driving by. Better to look for the «Rock City» liquor store next door. It has a huge sign. (see uploaded photo).