From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Feb 17 2010 - 11:44:39 EST
http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/whatson/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=whatsonfoodanddrink&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=whatsonislg&itemid=WeED17%20Feb%202010%2012%3A16%3A13%3A750
They’ll
go the extra mile... if you do too nlnews@archant.co.uk
17 February 2010 * * *ZIGNI HOUSE*
330 Essex Road, N1
020 7226 7418
ESSEX Road is often seen as the poor cousin of swanky Upper Street.
While one is famous for flashy restaurants and trendy bars, the other is
better known for its greasy spoons and working class boozers.
But in an age where edgy has become cool and houses in Hackney are going for
over a million pounds, Essex Road's run-down shabbiness is now the place to
be for Islington's cool crowd.
It's a long road though and while many revellers strolling down from the
Angel fail to make it past the Old Queen's Head or The New Rose, the stretch
between New North Road and Balls Pond Road is also beginning to go upmarket.
And Zigni House is one of those places that makes it well worth while
venturing that extra mile.
This great little Eritrean restaurant has been around for five or six years,
but new manager Awet Ghebrelul, who grew up in Islington, has shaken things
up.
The menu has been revamped, the toilets are being redone, and best of all,
she is creating a garden where diners can while away the evening with a
shisha pipe.
Summer is a long way off, but eating inside is an experience in itself.
The furniture is all traditionally carved, the walls are littered with
artefacts and the kitchen serves up a mouth-watering array of East African
delights, from the trademark spicy succulent stews to the amazing, slow
cooked casseroles.
With a high proportion of Eritreans being vegetarian through poverty, there
is also a wide variety of lentil and vegetable dishes.
All of it is served up on huge plates of injera - the soft, lemony
pancake-style bread which Eritrean families rip pieces off and dip into the
steaming stews.
Go for the mini buffet and you get to try a little bit of everything, and
the assault on your taste buds is something to behold.
East African cuisine is about to take off, and with this little gem already
established, uber-cool Essex Road is well placed to lead the revolution. *-
ROB BLEANEY*
*Mains:* from £6.50.
*Wines:* from £13.
*Children welcome:* Yes.
*Disabled access:* Yes.
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----