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The
rumours are not true, The Blue Nile, does indeed have a liquor license -
pheww! It was a bit of a drive out to Esquimalt to visit The Blue Nile,
and the prospect of having to forego a cool, refreshing beverage on the
other end was a little scary.
With friends Debbie and Greg in hand we journeyed
to the understated location in asmall strip mall. What it lacks in external beauty it makes up for with
heavy interior decor. Rustic and personalized-looking African
decoration, with thematic music playing at a reasonable volume. It's got
a lot of character. Our host greeted us quickly and sat us at a large
table in the window (which, Debbie soon noted, gave an excellent view of
people coming and going from the tanning salon
next door). A selection of fresh juices were presented to us, and yes,
finally the beer. We went for an import South African beer. Apparently,
they also have a Kenyan beer available, but
not that day. It wasn't anything exciting, but was a point for
discussion. The rest of the liquor selection was pretty limited, I'd
plan to drink beer or juice.
The
a la carte menu posted on the internet was not available - instead only
the buffet ($10.95) laid before us. No biggee - since everything on the
menu is on the buffet. The buffet, I will note, was steaming like crazy
and all the dishes were very hot - nice and foodsafe for those of us who
are wary of buffets. I've never seen so many different presentations of
lentils, as well as a couple of stewed vegetables and a chicken dish.
This is pretty basic food and presentation, but it was tasty and we all
went back for seconds. My favourite part of Ethiopian food is the
injira bread, of which there was plenty. I've tried to make it at home,
but it's always a failure because I can't get the correct flour. Our
server/owner answered my questions about the preparation of the bread
and told me that the grain used to make the flour is only sold as a
health supplement in BC and is not available as 'food.' Ahhhh...it
all comes clear.
It
didn't take us too long to eat and drink enough to wish we were all at
home on our respective sofas, rubbing our bellies - the price of any
good buffet. Happily, in the end, the fullness subsided and I was left
with a pleasant feeling of a good meal. The booze menu could use some
work - clearly, not their thing, a little more drinking would bump up
their sales numbers. The food is good and the ambiance comfortable.
reviewed 22, 2007
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