SALAMA SOMALI RESTAURANT
On 28 April 2008, a friend and I went to Small Heath for lunch. Our intention was to go to Mashwii Arabic restaurant, of which website says it is open from 12 noon, but in reality, it was not open when we visited. So we walked up Coventry Road and found a more exciting alternative, Somali restaurant!
From outside, the interior looked quite dark and I hesitated, but the more adventurous friend lead the way and there we were.
All the other clients were Somali men (although I saw some women and children later), but as we were given this compartment like table, we could eat with comfort. A waiter asked us if it was the first visit for us, and when we said yes, he brought us menu. It is a one-sided A4 paper, and when we chose what we wanted to order, we discovered many of the items were unavailable. In the end, the friend went to the kitchen and chose what we to order. She said that the waiter was kind and helpful.
At the table next to us (to the left in the photo left), some Somali men came and ate, while I was observing. They ate with a hand, some very quickly, some without even bother to sit down. Interesting view.
The food arrived pretty quickly. It was no wonder, as there were only some dishes on offer and many were pre-cooked as in canteen. They did not bring us cutlery, so I asked him to bring it. He nodded but after some time of wait, my impatient friend went to fetch it together with two cups for water.
It is not an ideal service for customers like us, but the food was pretty impressive. Left down is pilaf rice, in clock-wise from it, is fish (hidden under salad), meat, and spaghetti (the menu description is not more than that and I am not sure what I ate). In the small bowl to the left is green chili yogurt sauce.
Let's look closer. This is 'meat'. They are stewed chops of either mutton or goat, the latter I think was more likely. They were slightly spiced and tasty, though bit chewey. Went well with the green chili sauce.
I don't bother to show you the photo, but it came with spaghetti with meat sauce. According to my brief internet research, the Somali startered to eat spaghetti under the Italian dominion and keep on doing so. They were thinner than normal spaghetti, and some time had passed since they were cooked. But it was not the end of the world as neither they nor we were Italians.
The 'fish', instead, tasted freshly cooked. It was a big fillet of white fish, coated in spice and seasoning. It was probably deep-fried, but as it wasn't in batter, it wasn't oily. I liked very much the spicing and found it better than Masala fish.
And this is the 'rice'. It is a typical pilaf, long grain rice cooked in stock with onions, carrots and some sultanas. And probably with a bit of butter.
It was also spiced, but far less than Indian biryani. It is much closer to Arabian pilaf. This one again was excellent, if not very 'special', meaning I can probably cook it at home.
For all these dishes, the bill was less than £ 10. It is not per a head, but is for two. Astonishing value for money.
Salama Somali Restaurant
479 Coventry Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B10 0JS
Tel: 0121 771 2055
