Mu’ooz means ‘tasty and healthy’ in Tigrinya, the language of Eritrea, and this West End stalwart more than delivers with a range of delicious vegan options. Started by community leader Saba Abraham as a not-for-profit social enterprise, Mu’ooz has provided training and employment to over 300 refugee women. Eritrean cuisine has a high number of flavourful vegan dishes due to the country’s population of Orthodox Christians, who avoid meat on certain days. Plant-based options at Mu’ooz include starters of dips, sambusa and tamia, with richly spiced vegetable and lentil-based stews mopped up with and enjera, a slightly sour pancake-like bread, for mains. If you’ve never tried Eritrean or Ethiopian food before, the traditional share platters are a great option, as they reflect the collective eating experience of mealtimes in Eritrea, where family and friends share a large platter of enjera topped with several stews and curries.
Must try: the vegan share platter with enjera topped with spicy shiro (ground chickpeas with stuffed green chilies), duba (a richly flavoured berberé pumpkin stew), kantisha (spicy mushroom and capsicum stew) and brusn (red lentils stewed with tomato & mild Eritrean spices).