Blue Nile East African Restaurant, 612 Head Street, Esquimalt, BC - - (250) 475-6453

Are you looking for that first taste of authentic African food but are worried about being served monkey brains with no water in sight? Well, if you go visit The Blue Nile in Esquimalt, I promise that neither of the above events will happen, unless you ask them before hand.


Now that I've woken up from a five hour, I don't know what to call it, coma? - I can confidently tell you that the Blue Nile was a positive experience, and having water nearby at all times was key.

Definitely not a selection heavy buffet, the Blue Nile offered a few interesting and tasty items that were piping hot and ready to eat.

My favorite was the Zebhi Dora Chicken, which are full pieces of chicken, served in a spicy sauce and heavily seasoned. I love them and ate nine pieces.

Zebhi Siga, slices of 'spiced to hell' sirloin served on kibe sauce , deserves a notable mention. The oils and spices seemed to bring out the tenderness of the sirloin, which was surprisingly not over cooked. I have a hate on for dry, overcooked sirloin.



A relief from the spice, Kilwa, or as the waitress pointed out, Yesiga T'ibs (Y-click-eebs), is also a sirloin dish with onions and an array of peppers. It was my third favorite dish, and when combined with the Zebhi Dora chicken and Zebhi Siga beef, creates a one-two-three meat punch thats hard to beat.



The buffet soon thins out in terms of meat content, and tries to make ground with a few dishes that would make any vegetarian blush:

Injera- Traditional African bread, bitter tasting flat bread, wound up like a crepe.

Hamli Kawli- Cabbage, carrots and potatoes, cooked in onion sauce, quite good.

Ater Tumtumo- Yellow split peas cooked in a few light sauces, reminded me of split pea curry.

Aletcha- Potatoes and vegetables flavored with a blend of herbs, kind of like a vegetable stew.


The quality of all the dishes was undeniable. The food was hot throughout the buffet, and items were replaced when finished. One of the few down sides of the Blue Nile buffet, is the lack of meat dishes that varied in flavor. All of them possessed a similar spicy taste, and even if thats the way it's supposed to be, it might not play well with people who like variety in their meat when they eat at a buffet.

PRICE for DINNER: 11.95 + tax
3.8/5