Mu'ooz Eritrean Restaurant

Mu'ooz Eritrean Restaurant, Moorooka

Called Mu'ooz, meaning "tasty and healthy" in Tigrinya (the language of Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia), this restaurant is a Brisbane-based social enterprise established by Eritrean refugee women. The restaurant employs women arriving in Brisbane from many parts of Africa. ~quote from the menu~

B and I went to Mu'ooz last week but didn't realize that the restaurant closes on Wednesday. Finally, we managed to try it out today! We were the first customers in the restaurant and I was a little worried since there was no one yet. But, customers started to come steadily after that  ... good sign....

It took some time to look through the menu, maybe because I was busy taking pictures that time. =) Luckily with the help of the friendly lady, we finally decided on these main dishes which are served together with enjera.

Top: Chicken Zighni (traditional favourite spicy curry flavoured with berbere, onion, tomato, garlic and tasame
Bottom left: Kantisha ( a rich mushroom stew flavoured with berbere, onion, tomatoes & garlic served with salad)
Bottom right: Qulwa (tender lamb cubes sauteed in tasame with onion, garlic, rosemary & green chillies)
Enjeras by the side

Enjera or injera is a yeast-risen flatbread with a unique slightly spongy texture. It's the national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea. I have not tried enjera before and my first bite, "It's sour!" The texture of the enjera is similar to a 'breed of crepe, pancake and Indian dosai" except that it has a mildly sour taste. Following their tradition, we both eat using our right hands ... never use your left hand!

My favourite is the mushroom stew while B's favourite is the sauteed lambs. There's definitely spices and flavours that I have not tasted before and found them to be interesting. 

Panna Cotta infused with cinnamon and coffee beans accompanied by fruit salad

We had panna cotta for dessert. It's pretty good, you can definitely taste the cinnamon flavour ... yum!

Ethiopian/Ethirian coffee

Recommended by the lady, we tried their national Ethirian coffee. Not my usual flat white or cappuccino, this long black coffee is served in a clay-pot jug *cute*, enough for two small cups. Not too bad!

The verdict:

• friendly service
• nice ambience
• quite good and tasty food
• worth the money (since we had the voucher deal)

Overall, both of us had a good dining experience and even better we contributed something back to the refugee community! =)