Somali cuisine near you!

[Constantine MMX]

Originally Posted by Ras Siyan

What about the Somali traditional beer made of "caano geel"?

Maybe we are talking about the same thing?, never had a drop of alcohol in my life though, but did try the alcohol free beer once and it was disgusting.

[Janub]

There is a beer in Somalia made of fermented goat's milk, I forgot the name but it started with an R.

Before the rise of wahabism in the late 80s, Somalis used to get down.

[Lailax]

I didn't know Somali's used to make their own alcohol.

[ja'far]

Originally Posted by Lailax

I didn't know Somali's used to make their own alcohol.

The Italians build a factory in Jowhar, near Moga.. which used to produce Rum.

[ja'far]

Originally Posted by Ras Siyan

What about the Somali traditional beer made of "caano geel"?

I never heard such a thing.

[Lailax]

Originally Posted by Constantine MMX

Pssh, where is the meat in that?

[Constantine MMX]

[Ras Siyan]

Missed the kaluun

[Ayatulahi]

Originally Posted by Janub

There is a beer in Somalia made of fermented goat's milk, I forgot the name but it started with an R.

Before the rise of wahabism in the late 80s, Somalis used to get down.

Janub Are you Somali or something?

[Janub]

Originally Posted by Ayatulahi

Janub Are you Somali or something?

Yes, born in Kelafo, Ogaden region & raised in Baladweyn.

[screenshotartist]

Originally Posted by Constantine MMX

There is one closer to you at 60a Auburn Rd, AUBURN, NSW 2144. - http://www.business.com.au/business-...cation-auburn/

Yes, I know a lot of Somali hang out in Auburn and there was some news about a restaurant, but I never knew it was materialized. All I always see is somali men arguing and no restaurant.


I will check it out sometime.

[Get Smart]

image hosted on flickr


check out the British weather i know only one Somali restaurant, its called 'The Village' in London.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


the food is simply fantastic. all pictures taken by me, soz about the poor quality, iphone camera

[Constantine MMX]

Thanks for the pics 'Get Smart', I hope you had a great time.

[Constantine MMX]

Dining Domino: Chef Roblé



Posted by Chrystal Parker on Apr 22, 2011

Models do eat. At least if Roblé is cooking. Statuesque Somalis longing for a taste of home flock to NYC hot spot Avenue for a taste of the samboussas that put the twenty-something on the map.

Roblé’s culinary heritage extends to his maternal grandfather, Jesse Harris, who was a chef for President John F. Kennedy. He grew up in Poughkeepsie, just 20 minutes away from his alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America. Since graduating in 2005, he’s been “getting his ass kicked” in NYC kitchens and crafting a signature menu with flavors that represent his Somali and African-American DNA.

The witty chef quickly gained cred catering A-list events on the East Coast. Now that his new commercial kitchen in Brooklyn is complete, he’s making the leap to chef-preneur. Roblé and his sister Jasmine just launched a catering company, Roble & Co. Hungry voyeurs will be able to track the progress of their start-up this summer on the Bravo series of the same name. - Uptown Magazine

[Constantine MMX]

Sogal Cafe aims to be "sogalicious"



"How do you feel about goat meat?" asks Aziz Ahmed, owner of the Sogal Cafe, 1835 N. Martin Luther King Dr. The recently opened cafe offers specialty African food and unique tasting American food, in addition to coffee, espresso, tea and smoothies.

Goat is a staple Somali food. "In Somalia, if you respect your guests, you prepare goat for them. I want to bring that tradition over here and introduce it to my American friends," says Ahmed.

This is only one reason Ahmed started Sogal, which means "come in" in Somali. The cafe offers new perspectives on many American beef and vegetarian dishes, including an interesting line of wraps with names like "cow on the carpet" and "two turkeys talkin'."

Another reason is the growing African community in Milwaukee, which Ahmed says numbers over 100 families now.

After months of planning, Sogal Cafe opened on Saturday, Oct. 8. Ahmed has been very pleased with how things have developed in the short time since.

"I am happy. So far, we've received a lot of support from the African community as well as from the neighborhood," says Ahmed, who is already a business owner, having opened the Sogal Market, 1745 N. Martin Luther King Dr., four years ago.


Customers at the convenience store told Ahmed they wanted more food options in the neighborhood. Ahmed also realized that there weren't any restaurants near his store -- you either had to go Downtown or to the Subway on North Avenue to get something to eat. Listening to his customers and residents in the neighborhood, Ahmed heard that the community wanted something different from what the average cafe offers, and the idea for Sogal formed around Somali cuisine.

Sogal Cafe has a small but comfortable seating area on the floor, two high-backed padded chairs in a nook perfect for reading the paper and sipping one's morning coffee, a counter with stools on an elevated platform that looks out onto the street and outdoor seating on a pleasant, shaded patio that's tucked between Sogal and the building to its south.

Ahmed developed the menu over a two-month period with a friend who Ahmed says has "in-depth knowledge of the food industry." They refined several Somali dishes, such as goat and potatoes and a goat and pepper soup, and created new versions of other soups, paninis, wraps and salads.

Sogal offers a couscous salad, tossed with dried cranberries, celery and spices and one called "a stroll in the garden," which is spinach, arugula and romaine, mixed with basil, cilantro, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Sogal's sambusa, a version of the triangular pastry that's served across Africa and Asia, can be stuffed with either beef or spinach and chickpeas. The Somali rice rounds out the African options on the menu, but the sweet potatoes, seasoned with cardamom and other spices.

More traditional approaches to the wraps, like the mozzarella fresca (with pesto, basil and tomatoes) are joined by the "cow on the carpet" and "two turkeys talkin'." The dressings on these two meat-lovers specialties will make the roast beef and smoked turkey pop.

Sogal has a changing soup of the day, served with Basmati rice, and a beef stew and peanut soup, which are menu staples. The peanut soup has a chicken stock base and is made with tomatoes, carrots, red bell peppers, sweet potato and a creamy peanut butter, which Ahmed experimented with.

This author, being more a "non-meat eater" than a vegetarian, was tempted by the goat but ultimately had to pass. But the chicken stock base in the peanut soup didn't bother me and upon trying it I found its spiciness to be a real treat. The soup is thick, not stew-like, but certainly richer and creamier than most peanut soups, which often seem watered down.

Add the collard greens and grilled vegetable sandwich of marinated eggplant and zucchini on sourdough bread, and I had an excellent sampling of what Sogal has to offer: well-done cafe food that's appropriately spiced to allow all the flavors of the ingredients to come out.

Most menu items are priced between $5 and $7, the paninis and wraps are all $6 or $7. The most expensive menu item is the $10 meal of Somali rice, seasoned goat meat, drink and a banana.

"But it's worth it," Ahmed says.

Sogal offers Kenyan and Ethiopian coffees, espresso, Somali teas and specialty drinks such as the Madagascar vanilla milkshake and the Belgian chocolate shake. Sogal uses Belgian chocolate in its cafe mocha as well.

Ahmed, who lives near 60th Street and Brown Deer with his two kids, is a single dad. Ahmed came to the United States as a war refugee on Sept. 26, 2001.

"My port of entry was New York and later that same day I flew to Milwaukee. I was not conscious of the terrorist attacks, about what was going on in the U.S. I came looking for work, for the opportunities and to be safe," Ahmed says.

Ahmed could tell there was "a mood" in the nation, after the fact, but he plowed forward for himself and his family, his daughter was five years old and his son was just three when they arrived. He worked five years in a clinic handling medical records and customer service before opening the Sogal Market in January 2008.

"To be honest, I haven't experienced prejudice in Milwaukee. People helped me find a job. There was a good atmosphere here, better than the circumstances of being in a war-torn country," he says.

Now 15, Ahmed's daughter is doing well at Ronald Reagan College Prep and his son attends Golda Meir School, just down the street from dad's businesses.

The cafe currently has two employees. Ahmed has a chalkboard below the television display that lists what's playing: ESPN for soccer and, currently, CNN. Ahmed plans to to have Al Jazeera English soon.

Ahmed's immediate goal is "to serve the local residents and the African community." He envisions Sogal as being an African and community meeting place and plans to have live African performances on the elevated platform, where the stools can come off and make a nice stage.

Sogal Cafe's tagline, "Sogalicious flavors," comes from Ahmed hearing the early comments on the cafe's recipes: "so delicious."

"You take, 'so delicious' and, playing with the words, I kept hearing 'so-del-icious, so-gal-icious,'" Ahmed says, with a laugh. -- Source

.........

[Xusein]

It's good to see Somali restaurants branching outside cities with large Somali communities. NYC and Milwaukee have small Somali populations. Not only do they serve as hangouts for the small communities there which helps create more of a sense of community there, but they have more exposure to non-Somalis, which helps popularize the cuisine overall. While on vacation in the summer, I went to a Somali restaurant in Chicago which doesn't have a large community compared to say, Minnesota, and at least 1/4 to 1/3rd of the people eating there weren't Somali.

[Constantine MMX]

^Another one in NYC (North Salina Street):


Horn of African plenty: Mohamed Gelle (left) and Muheyidin Mohamoud prepare traditional Somali dishes at their North Salina Street eatery. Among the delicacies are rice with beef (pictured), though variations can use goat meat or chicken; for those with an American palate, friend chicken and french fries appear on the menu as well. -- Source

[desert burner]

Originally Posted by Constantine MMX

Blue Moon is a very nice restaurant, unfortunately there aren't any good quality images of it. You should go to Dubai and visit Somali Road, or Suuq Somal, and you will be shocked at all the Somali hotels, jewelries, restaurants, textiles, electronics shops etc.

I don't think a section for Somalia is necessary, stable countries like Ghana should be given one before the former, you could make an argument for Djibouti though, discuss it with Xusein.




Where do you live?



Good to know man, I will look them up.




That's cool, hope you remember the name, would love to check it out.



Your pops is the man , I took a Korean classmate once to a Somali restaurant and ordered two rice dishes, the waiter then supplied us with two bananas, and she looked at me with a WTF face, but then she tried it and now she eats it with everything

those in Dubai are many, they is one in Deirra opposite the Bus Stop i love the Canbulo, Saren and even their marakh their serve with every meal, the cities i frequent in China like Yiwu, Guanzhou, ningbo Don't have Somali restaurant, Shanghai i was told they is one but personally i haven't seen it during my visits

[Constantine MMX]

^You should take pictures brother, they would make a nice addition to the ones already posted.

[Qalanjo]

Check out Three One Cafe in Lewiston, Maine. It was a great place to eat and hang out till they closed it a month ago and deported the owner Now, there is no restaurant in the city.







It is VERY modest restaurant but the food is exceptional.