Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Restaurant Review: Funmi's Cafe (Louisville)

Meat Platter II at Funmi's Cafe

As I have said times before, some of the best places to east can be little “holes-in-the-wall”, small front-shops. This is especially true when seeking out Ethnic Cuisine. Funmi’s Café in Louisville, is just such a place. Squeezed between the strip mall buildings on Bardstown Rd. at Gardiner Ln. Funmi’s Café is a small and quaint bistro serving up Nigerian cuisine. My dining buddy, Ken, brought our attention to this place because of a Groupon he had acquired. So, this past Saturday, we headed over for an early dinner worthy of a review.

First off, know that with the store-front diners like this, ambience and environment is not going to be the drawing power. This was an expectation we had, and you should have as well. The layout is simple and Spartan. We showed up just as they were opening for dinner. Note also, that often small diners and restaurants like this will have limited lunch and dinner hours. I suspect that as the popularity of this place increases, and thus the funds are available, Funmi’s Café will outgrow those limited hours.

We were greeted heartily and with speed, and every question we asked was answered well as to the fare available. Let me take pause here to note that Nigerian food, and many other African cuisines are lush in rich sauces and stews. Whether it is beef, chicken, goat or fish, there are a variety of methods that include deep-tasting spices and veggie-laden stews. Many of Funmi’s selections are Vegan as well.

Ken and I decided to start with an appetizer; something called a Sambusa that reminded me visually, of Indian Samosa’s. Triangular cut pastries filled with ground chicken that had been cooked in onions, green peppers, garlic and a rub of spices including cumin. Pan fried, the Sambusa’s arrive crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside. Absolutely delicious!

For our main course, we decided to try a couple of Funmi’s sampler platters so that we could get a wide-range of flavors. Ken opted for the “Meat Platter 1” which included Asun beef, Peri-Peri Chicken Cubes, Ewa, and Aloco served with Asaro. That’s a mouthful, figuratively and literally. Peri-Peri is a hearty chili pepper marinade. Ewa are stewed African beans. While Aloco is a dish from Ivory Coast of sweet fried plaintains stewed in tomatoes, onions and chili pepper. And finally, Asaro is porridge of plaintains, onion, potatoes and collard greens. Needless to say, Ken’s plate was full, and he found himself struggling to finish it all.

As for me, I opted for something a little simpler, “Meat Platter 2”. Asun is a stewed dish as well, with meat simmered in a thick, lush house sauce. Accompanied by a generous serving of Aloco plaintains and stew atop my Asun Beef and Asun Chicken, I also delighted in the smooth, yet bitter flavors of a strong helping of collard greens. Some of the best collard greens I have ever eaten, by the way. And to round out the platter, a large scoop of Jollof Rice, spiced to perfection. And this is the joy of Nigerian and African cuisine: the medley of flavors that you can experience in just one dish is incredible. Spicy, sweet, bitter, saucy; even flavors mixed that you might not ever have thought would go together quite so well. It is also important to note that you can request your meal with no spicy heat, medium, or downright “spicy.” Ken went with Medium spiciness and reported that his sinuses were clear for the week. Being the brave one I am with spiciness, and always looking for a new “kick”, I told them to bring on the spicy. And I was not disappointed. I won’t say that my “mouth was on fire”, but it was a respectable amount of spicy heat. 

Unfortunately, neither of us had any room for dessert. I had originally intended to try either their Nigerian “Puff-Puff” donuts, or the Plaintain Delight (aka Nigerian Banana Split), but there just wasn’t enough room. I’ll save that for another day, for we will no doubt be returning to Funmi’s Café in the near future to try even more of their 4-Page menu.

As for the price, at first glance it might seem that the price is a little bit higher than you might expect for a café of this type. However, the quality of the food, and the generous portions make the prices more than worth your visit. While each of our platters were about $14-15 each, there are plenty of other options a little cheaper, and even some specialty items a little more pricey. Median range of the entrées did not exceed the average price you see in most restaurants.

Obviously, all in all, it was a tremendously delicious experience full of flavor and we both highly recommend Funmi’s Café if you are in, or will be near the Louisville, Kentucky area. If you want to learn more about Funmi’s, browse their menu, and get directions, just check out their official website here: 


Definitely worth your tastebuds and money.

Wolf’s Rating: * * * * *              Ken’s Rating: * * * * *

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