We’ve been aware of Jazeera Cafe (16 Paisley Street, Footscray) for a long time, but simply haven’t gotten around to visiting until now.
No doubt because we’ve established such a happy groove in going to Racecourse Road, Flemington, when we desire Somalian food.
Which is often.
However, recently CTS friend Juz has given Jazeera a couple of goes – and his feedback has been heartening.
So here we are.
I suspect there may be a menu available here … but our ordering is reduced to admirable, happy simplicity.
“Can we get some dinner here tonight?”
“What sort of food do you want?”
“Somalian food!”
“OK!”
And with that – and a big smile – our server disappears into the kitchen.
That’s fine by us.
We understand that on a low-key week night, we’re going to get what’s actually in the kitchen – or nothing at all.
As it turns, what we are provided is what we would’ve ordered anyway – soup, lamb, rice.
The soup is thicker than we’ve become used to elsewhere – more like a cream soup or a chowder.
It’s fine, but doesn’t have the zesty, lemony tang we love so much.
Our rice platter is most excellent.
It could be described as “lamb three ways” – there’s a stew, a sort-of Somalian bolognese atop the spaghetti and a big, meaty piece of braised/baked sheep meat.
Bennie has already eaten elsewhere this night, so our $15 meal does fine for both of us.
And as ever, it’s the fabulous, fragrant rice that crowns our dining as top notch.
consider the sauce 
Do they not had menu!. I been to place long time ago,they had menu,no like questions what kind food do you want!. Their menu use to consists australian,ethiopian and somalian,
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No menu, no problem – we liked it. I think she thought we didn’t know what we were getting into. All good.
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Differently under new management.when i was there,a while back, they had menu but it was mainstream style cafe,there was no option without menu
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The menu is the pictures on the window, you can see them in the top photo. Lamb with rice… chicken with rice… etc. Simple, tasty!
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the whole place looks different,hard to recongnise,it looked much cooler before,now it looks so simple,the only thing i can recognise is coffee machine,everything else went downward simple,why!
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its like the only cafe open in paisley st @ 12am! tea gossip for sudanese,somali,ethiopian all it is now
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Hashim most of somalian eateries in footscray are mainstream with menu,all have non african customers.you talking like as if everything went downward simple. https://m.facebook.com/somalistarcafe/photos/a.1378117745558037.1073741829.1314003111969501/1378117438891401/?type=3&source=48
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Now, now – I won’t have any arguing or squabbling between you two! 🙂
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The review was like play script ha.i liked it.if you are after hipster african, you are in wrong place.but food is excellent
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hamza it looks different but ok yes different to before but its cosy joint. I think before the decor was a little too much, footscray’s white community was small back then,but now white community are moving into footscray, probably in future jazeera may go hipster decor,but now it suits and fits well its surroundings.
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Didn’t mean the place is bad now,just different i mean.you are right future when they feel wind,things may be rearranged.at arcade corridor kulan sits at the gate ready for the windy already!
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do you want swap, we need afro fast food in flemington,i mean badly
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Y’all i have no time for food race politic gentrification now,my dinner last night at jazeera was superb like the considerthesauce said😊
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They really give him somalian,meat rice….to the end but no green sauce, probably thought its too hot for kenny,good federation
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Nothing was missing in that plate.
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Thanks for the info about menu juz.i hope price is included,no problem if they didn’t.food looks delicious
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Hard to read but window also says haramous cafe on the side! I’m thinking the name jazeera is the old name hasn’t yet deleted!! Sometimes it happens low key places!
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Tried to zoom the pic,does look like haramous cafe! .it happens specially if same family handchanged the management some of these places
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It could be haramous cake,but little chance,I’ll go for cafe instead cake,its not clear though.
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great to see our neighboring footscray doing alright.salute from flemington.and this blogger does good reviews on west mostly,salute to consider the sauce!!
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I think you guys(somalis) are puting your selves alot pressure on this somali mainstream talk. I’ve lived long enough melbourne,& been to many different ethnic neighborhoods,particularly those heavily concentrated one particular ethnic,Indian,Vietnamese, Arabs all, and i can confidently say somalis are most probably the most mainstream of all. Go to sunshine and show me any viet restaurant that as mainstream #somalieats, show me any restaurant arab restaurant in heavily arab concentrated hoods that are as mainstream as new somali kitchen, west footscray Indian also show me any Indian restaurant that can be all white dinners like some of these somali cafes in flemington. Its clear fact,even though african community is very new,somali neighborhood demonstrated to be the most mainstream ethnic neighborhood restaurants already. I’ve even been to turkish kebabs in heavily turkish neighborhoods,and 99% of its dinners are people id turkish descent,same with other ethnic hoods. So somali neighborhood like flemington already did what older ethnic couldn’t achieve ,also when you consider the fact that many white australian have little contact with african community as african community is still new community and there is little chance african taking his white friend to somali cafes in flemington, yet still these somali cafes in flemington have more white dinners than those older heavily concentrated ethnic hoods like nothern suburb Arabs or sunshine.
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Thank you Zakaria. Couldn’t agree more. Take a short trip 2 Sydney rd Lebanese eateries,dinners can all speak arabic,2 b more specific Lebanese atmosphere. In my experience the only time u see arab,Vietnamese or indian restaurant full of white dinners is when the restaurant is located outside little India, little Vietnamese etc.
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Disagree – there are a heap of Viet and Indian restaurants in the west where white customers are there in big numbers or even in the majority. Only two Somalian places are like that.
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Two somalian is still too many when you look the number as a whole. Also average scene is not too many white in sunshine or footscray or northern suburbs. And this is not limited to ethnic alone even some turkish places can appear mainstream or white people dinning in but the truth is turkish women not wearing hijab looks like any Anglo-Saxon aussie or turkish men with aussie accent looks no different to Italian or other white aussies, but the place is still community cafe abd very far from mainstream. Even some Lebanese places can be said same thing,
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If we are counting friday night Saturday nights then it’s more than two somalian,its norm to see white people dinning in sahra kitchen ,house of mandi. But its not average 5 weekdays scene.
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One mistake i made is house of mandi may not have too many white dinners but it still sizable white dinners average ,but from what i know sahras kitchen is very recently after renovation that you see white dinners at nights ,not only weekend but also weeknight as sahraskitchen close very late 2am, but during non weekend daytime its not so mainstream in my observation
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There are many indian & viet restaurants where many white customers are there in big numbrs in the west ,true but “not every suburb in west is litlle india or little Vietnamese!. West footscray is little india & there is no scene “too many white customers “.so my opinion little somalia flemington still ranks top compared to other “little ethnic hoods”.and certainly last pic scene in sunshine or west footscray, i wasn’t overwhelmed by too many customers in those restaurant.
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Rahan flemington is different from say sunshine or west footscray, although these two places are “little ethnic ” location is factor, flemington is close to city and it has very large white neighbors.also they used decoration to attract. The viet restaurants for example in footscray has more white customers than sunshine viet restaurants and its about who is your neighbors. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/taking-an-ethnic-restaurant-mainstream/
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Mumin great website. Thanks for posting it.
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Alot if it its to do with population make up of suburb & how the restaurant is presented to white community.its just my opinion
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Jonathan you are right on presentation,i own a restaurant in area known as “middle eastern hod” but most my customers are white,but i did alot work on crossing over to that. From music,decor and of menu
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