| rev:text
| - As soon-to-be new members of Dufferin Grove, my future roomie and I set out to see what was good in the the hood. I knew from a quick peruse of googlemaps that there were 3 Ethiopian places near by, so we thought we'd give that a try.
Our first stop, regrettably, was The Queen of Sheba. My friend looked a bit skeptical gazing up at the signage but I began to pursuade her; in my experience dingey storefront = authentic food, a sentiment echoed by a quote in the newspaper review that had been blown up and posted in the window. I pointed this out to my friend, who quipped 'And when was this article written?' 1986, it turns out. I think a lot has changed since then...
Despite the two people relaxing behind the bar, we were not greeted. Only after we piped up, 'Should we sit in the back?' did a woman silently pick up menus and seat us. Walking further into the restaurant, we were greeted very quickly this time: by a DANK SMELL. 'I think they own a dog,' my friend noted quietly. A wet one. Who lives within the walls and carpets.
Although it was very dim, we were still able to see visible filth. There was a fine layer of grime on everything, and sticky residue and crumbs on our table-- the entire restaurant was empty, but we had been seated at an unwiped table.
Not wanting to rudely just walk out, we thought we'd order a beer and go. It took them forever to respond to our request for the bill, even though we were still the only people in the restaurant. I honestly regret staying, and I have no idea why I was compelled to tip. The food could be great for all I know, but I would never order there. I have frequented many a hole-in-the-wall, but I have never seen a restaurant this dirty in all of Canada.
|