Mama’s Cuisine, 331 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 0399 947 229
One of our old faves has undergone a revamp and been bestowed with a new name – what was Afro Deli is now Mama’s Cuisine, and looking rather spiffy with new furniture and fittings.
We figure it’s time for a re-visit – and, heck, it’s been a month or so we’ve had a good Somalian feed.
The menu (see below) features our expected favourites – and a few intriguing items for us to try on another visit.
A breakfast dish of shakshouka eggs, for instance – made in a tomato sauce.
Or mandazi – Somalian doughnuts.
The lamb broth soup (above) is superb.
Unfortunately, the mighty sounding “Mama’s Special” of fried goat shoulder with herbs and served with vegetables and rice ($17) is not quite ready for us …
So I go for my trusty lamb on the bone, federation style with rice and pasta ($15).
All is delicious, and there’s plenty of charred/fried onion, capsicum and carrot to go with the tender meat.
Bennie, too, sticks to routine by getting pasta only. He likes it, but does prefer the more tomato-ey versions to be had elsewhere.
For him, and for the same price, the carnivore aspect is covered by on-the-bone camel meat – and it, too, is tender and beaut.
All that and we’re served complementary mango smoothies as well.
Mama’s Cuisine is right up there with the other great Somalian joints on this strip.
Will CTS ever stop banging on about the Somalian establishments of Flemington?
No.
consider the sauce 
pasta looks plane colorless but rice looks fabulous.beautiful coffee setting interior,few exotic plates here to try!!
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Tried their rice 2 night back; one of the best in memory.green chilly thing is beauty
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Do they cook separately the meat & spices and then mix them later on or cooked together, it bursts with flavor heavenly,very cleverly
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probably cooked with,to get that tender is slow cooking game i recon,not familiar with cuisine,somalian cooking book may look up
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Is the old new somali kitchen permanently closed now,things was going well for them,anyhow this new one in its place lets it wipes my tears
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It was afro deli before.new somali kitchen is not closed Natasha
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Sorry i mean deli afro where its now mama’s
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There is somali restaurant on Nicholson st kulan eatery it has authentic somali dishes,but its not new its been there more than a year
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In footscray not flemington
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Cheers the tip
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Any somali restaurant in deer park side!
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Hi Tania! Not that I’m aware of! There’s a couple of West African places – one in St Albans, one in Sunshine – I’m in the process of checking out. But the food is very different from Somalian. But we love Somalian food so much, we reckon the drive from Deer Park to Flemington well worth it; your mileage may vary! 🙂
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We in process first home hunt in kensington region,it sure is worth the drive,addictive rice
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Also any recommendations somalian grocery to get those spices? Might take walking tour little ethnic alleyways around footscray perhaps!
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Don’t know! Afaik, the seasonings used in Somalian cooking are all familiar. But I’ll ask the cook next time we’re eating in Flemimgton!
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Tania, there is little somali ethnic grocery in flemington, its on racecourse rd with name “bilan grocery ” ,if you know the little somali cafe new somali kitchen its just 2 or 3 blocks down from it on same strip. But i assume you live in deer park so your closest will be footscray, there should be somali grocery in the Nicholson st mall or as it is known african mall to some and business hub to others.just enter the corridor. I’m not from footscray so i can’t remember their names the groceries
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Tania if you are not familiar with flemington, just ask some one where is little somalia they should direct you its also home to few somali cafes, and for footscray just ask some one on street where is little africa and when you find it look up footscray business hub on Nicholson st that is where is most ethnic somali business located i think its one or two floor mall with corridor entery.i haven’t been there for a while but you can’t mis it
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Thank you so much ahmed,
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I think they somali butcher on racecourse rd has it too,,, along other ethnic like malaysian foods. https://m.facebook.com/bayukelulut/posts/pcb.239254256805345/?photo_id=239254076805363&mds=%2Fphotos%2Fviewer%2F%3Fphotoset_token%3Dpcb.239254256805345%26photo%3D239254076805363%26profileid%3D100022192364229%26source%3D48%26refid%3D52%26__tn__%3DEH-R%26cached_data%3Dfalse%26ftid%3D&mdf=1
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Yes they do
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Tania most somali business are in paisley st & Nicholson st in footscray.the grocery would be in arcade Nicholson mall most probably, my friend recently opened a boutique shop call maryan’s boutique on paisley street just near somali jazeera cafe but i think its only retail clotting women’s staf only.Nicholson st including arcade mall is predominantly ethnic somali.for ethiopian groceries they are mainly Irving st & barkly st which happens to be predominantly ethiopian business.good luck
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Considerthe sauce have you checked hooyo’s kitchen in kensington
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No.
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Mustafe be A little Reasonable,he Can’t Visit Ever single Somali Place, he is human & did check in all he could!
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