Just when you thought you’ve experienced cuisine from nearly every area of the world, along comes another type introducing flavors that are novel to your palate. If you haven’t been to Flavors Express in College Area, then it’s time to add Kenyan cuisine to your bucket list.
The fast-casual eatery sits in a small strip plaza at the top of College Avenue. Its parent restaurant is Flavors of East Africa in North Park, which opened nearly 10 years ago by a Kenyan immigrant who simply goes by the name June.
A cook since childhood, June began introducing his native foods to San Diego through local farmers markets. He still maintains a presence at the markets in Hillcrest (9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays), Ocean Beach (4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays), and at SDSU (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays).
Because of the particularly spirited reception he received at SDSU, he opened Flavors Express in August, giving students and neighborhood folks daily access to things like ginger-spiked beverages, sambusas encasing savory fillings, and robust-tasting jerk chicken that is decidedly zippier than classic Jamaican recipes.
Even his collard greens and legumes (offered as sidekicks in meal plates) flaunt spice combinations that don’t fall into any type of regional cuisine you’ve eaten before.
The food options are presented cafeteria-style in metal steam trays sitting behind a glass panel at the order counter. Though if you opt for the sambusas as a starter — Africa’s version of empanadas — those are fried to order until their snack-size dough casings turn crispy brown.
We ordered six for $10, choosing one of each type of filling listed on the menu. They’re also available for $2 apiece.
The beef and lentil sambusas are termed as “spicy.” But fear not because their heat levels were mild amid undertones of onions, cloves and perhaps cardamom. The others contained braised chicken, spinach, and potato — all very gently flavored with African spice blends that don’t exclude turmeric, paprika and cinnamon.
Mighty blasts of fresh ginger appear in three different house-made beverages displayed in large vats. There’s cardamon, hibiscus and trendy turmeric. We chose the latter two and loved them. Similar to agua frescas found in Mexican eateries, the difference is in the throat burn you feel if gulping the drinks too fast. Chalk it up to the high levels of ginger bathing your palate, which we found desirable.
A creeping kind of heat ensues when eating the jerk chicken, available in “sweet” or “spicy.” We tried both — the sweetish version piled atop french fries with braised greens, and the spicy version in a combo plate with stewed beans. Both chili-spiked sauces offered a sustained punch fronted by numerous flavors, which seemingly included allspice, cardamom, garlic and cloves.
A side of saffron rice pointed up also by other spices was fluffy and mellow-tasting. And the tender, mixed beans beckoned vaguely to Caribbean recipes, given the herby semi-sweet liquid in which they sat.
We also dug into my companion’s curry chicken plate, which he intended to take home for dinner that night. Only a quarter of it made to the car. The yellow curry had the underlying sweetness of Thai curry because of coconut milk or possibly cane sugar. But again, the owner’s East African spice blends injected into the dish a unique, irresistible dimension that gave its own identity.
There are only a few tables inside Flavors Express, with most of the seating available on an enclosed side patio. Prices are a couple notches cheaper compared to the full-service Flavors of East Africa restaurant. As a result, the food is served in clear-plastic containers and eaten with plastic utensils. But the super-casual concept doesn’t diminish the big flavors that gush from the food.
Flavors Express
5151 College Ave. (The College Area)
619-326-8717
Precios: Salads and loaded french fries, $5.99 to $11.99; jerk wings, $7.99 and $9.99; sambusas, $2 each or six for $10; vegan combo meals, $6 to $12; chicken or beef combo meals, $7 to $14
— Frank Sabatini Jr. es el autor de 'Secret San Diego' (ECW Press) y comenzó su carrera como escritor local hace más de dos décadas como miembro del personal del ex San Diego Tribune. Puedes localizarlo en [email protected].
