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MELBOURNE | New Somali Kitchen is a Flemington restaurant we’ve wanted to visit for a little while, but never got around to until recently. We’re glad we finally did, because this introduction to Somalian food got us hungry for more.
Owner Abdo Sean arrived in Australia in 1998 and opened his Heidelberg restaurant, Hamar Weyne. He wanted to feed Somali immigrants hungry for the food of their homeland. Hamar Weyne became a hit not just with Somalis, but locals from other nationalities too. New Somali Kitchen opened several years later in 2015, expanding on the original.
The space is small and simple, with tiled floors, white walls, and a handful of wooden tables and seats. Greenery is dotted around the restaurants, and Somali music plays from the speakers. One thing you notice when you walk in is that there are whole unpeeled bananas on every table. We learned that it’s common to eat a banana or two with a Somali meal.
The small menu features an assortment of traditional Somali dishes, foreign to us, but at the same time familiar. Varied influences from the Middle East, India, and even Italy are apparent. We opted for the signature ‘NSK Classic’, tender lamb cooked in Somali herbs and spices, served on fragrant rice with braised vegetables and fresh mixed leaves. It’s all delicious, especially the rice and super tender lamb. We also tried the bit of everything ‘NSK Combo’ – this time choosing goat instead of lamb, served with fragrant rice, salad greens, mixed vegetables, sambusa, bajeya, and a layered yoghurt and mango dessert. Also fantastic.
Sambusa are your choice of ground beef or fish in a golden pastry parcel, very similar to a samosa. There was no fish option when we visited, but the delicious beef version is dense, and fragrantly spiced. The crispy pastry is wonderful and the spicy green chilli sauce it comes with packs a nice bite. The bayeja, a Somali-style falafel made from ground black-eyed peas, ginger, garlic and coriander, is also fantastic. While waiting for your food, a complimentary spicy hot soup is provided.
To drink we decided to go for the Cardamom-spiced tea, which is very similar to Turkish coffee. A big pot provided us with several cups of caffeinated goodness which went well with the mango dessert – layers of natural yoghurt, mango puree and coconut, with honey and toasted almonds.
Service is friendly and efficient, and we definitely want to come back. As we left we saw several enticing looking wraps come out to another table, and we’re totally curious about the Somali-style pasta.
New Somali Kitchen
284 Racecourse Road
Flemington
Victoria 3031
Australia
Telephone: (03) 8589 7631
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Tue – Sun: 12:00pm to 9:00pm