Review of 'Flamingo Restaurant Bar and Cafe'

Every day on the way to work we pass by Flamingo - a small Ethiopian restaurant in Shepherd's Bush. I have had good experiences with Ethiopian restaurants so have wanted to try it for years. Being at Westfield to see a movie it was a good opportunity to drop in and give it a try.

It is a small interior with a ground floor and basement. The walls are covered with African art. We were shown to a table on the main floor near a small stall meant to mimic a street meat vendor from Africa (complete with real meat hanging in the stall - I would suspect the meat is actually used and even for sale if you wish). It was amusing to see the gentleman manning the stall cleaning up later in the evening as he shut down for the day - Spraying disinfectant throughout (in Africa, of course, this would be highly unusual).

The menu covers about 5 pages and is full of dishes that we were anxious to try. The short names were, of course, accompanied by very helpful descriptions. All of the dishes, excepting the starters (it seems), are served on a large round tray covered with a round pancake with your selection of dishes placed in neat piles on the surface. A basket of additional, rolled, pancakes are provided for you to eat - You tear off a piece (with your RIGHT hand) and pick up pieces of the food using it. The pancake itself is slightly sour and porous - Quite tasty though.

We had a starter of some mushrooms and hot peppers (£5) that was served in a sharing bowl with forks that was very tasty if a bit of “Russian roulette” with some of the peppers not spicy at all but others not so! Our mains were both from the “Chef's Recommendation” section of the menu - the “meat selection” (3 assorted meat-based dishes, £12) and the “Bonzeno Shiro” (mean stewed in spices in a hot pot, £9) which were all very nice. They were served on the large tray (mentioned earlier) with a small salad in the middle (with a light vinaigrette). The dishes were all very tasty though sometimes they were too hot to pick up or had too much sauce which, if you were not quick enough, would quickly eat through the pancake before you could get it to your mouth! I think next time we will try a vegetarian selection…But the selection is a good one unless you have something you particularly know you want to try.

To drink we had the “Spiced Tea” (£1.50 per serving) which was very pleasant and matched the food very well.

The service was pleasant if not overly helpful - The restaurant was very busy on the Friday evening with all tables full and only two people working on the tables. The television playing Ethiopian music videos throughout added a bit of joviality to the place and constant bit of musical background. It is a warm and welcoming place with quite a relaxed feel to it.

We will most definitely be trying to get back here to try more on the menu…

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2012-12-29


Cuisine: Ethiopian

Address: 31 Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush, London W12 8QQ ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Goldhawk Road

Location: London (England) - Shepherd's Bush

Map:

 

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Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8740 7865

URL: http://flamingo-restaurant.com/