Boolaay Restaurant

I had so much fun.
I stood looking at the posted menu, obviously looked bewildered. The really sweet counter guy came out to look at it and explain it to me. I’m a vegetarian and of course all the specialties are meat. But they offered me a wonderful spicy carrot and cabbage soup, then proceeded to concoct an enormous rice and bean plate that was great. And a salad. And a banana. And then strawberries and an orange. I suspected if I sat long enough they would just keep feeding me all my meals of the day.
I was alone, and suddenly the proprietress plopped down across from me to welcome me and chat, despite her nearly nonexistent English. But it was sweet and I felt like an honored guest. For non-​Somalis this place is a trip — a good one.

We were on our way to jerusalem restaurant to dine and watch some belly dancing, when a friend suggested this small unpretentious restaurant, inside of what looks like a mini plaza surrounded by convenient shops.
So we decided to take a raincheck on belly dancing and go to a strip club after dining here, hoping to find a treasure trove of riches.
We went in and ordered a large plate of basmati rice and lots and lots of meat– mmmm yummy, that’s right. We’ve than decided to use their restroom to wash our hands, Came back out and decided to cancel our order because the stench in the men’s rest room was unbearable. I mean, It stunk to high heaven… it was beyond rotten eggs and garlicky smell, might even be worse than a porcupine and a skunk getting it on.
I would give the place a one star but my buddy’s high over heels that the food is really «awesome» is what prompted me to give them two stars.
Despite my buddy’s moribund state, a place like this can’t serve any disease-​free meals if their restroom is in this shape. Sticky floor that looked as though it hasnt seen a mop and a bucket since the dark ages is disgusting and crawling with disease like Vegas for bacteria as far as I am concerned.

Like all Somali restaurants I’ve tried, the meal here also came with large portions, exotic flavored cool aid, a banana, a choice of spaghetti or rice, soccer on TV, and smiling Somali men. My default Somali dish is Chicken Suqaar, so for the purposes of comparison I got it again. It tasted as good as I remembered it, that’s all I’ve got to say.
My 2 year old had a good time smiling at and saying hi to all the customers and employees, and loved the spaghetti. But as I often do when eating out with her, after fishing out some food for her from my plate, I focused on my own plate, and forgetting about her needs I finished off the spaghetti. She wanted more though, and the woman behind the counter must have noticed because she came over and plopped down a gigantic plate of spaghetti. There was no charge for it and the meal only cost $ 7. Very generous of her.
The Somali places I’ve seen cook the spaghetti in big batches, throwing the cooked noodles in a huge pot with some oil and a bit of red sauce, so that it comes out with a bit of a fried quality, and lightly but pervasively coated with a generic sauce.
A youtube video of the restaurant in Somali —