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| 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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