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Mariam African-Nigerian Restaurant

MY REVIEW: I would only recommend this restaurant to those already familiar with Nigerian food. My Fiancee and I love to try new foods, we love Ethiopian food, Soul food, and other styles of African food, but we had a very difficult time finding anything palatable here. We would still be willing to try Nigerian somewhere else, but the quality of food did not seem up to par here.

The atmosphere was just barely on the clean side. There were several selections on the special board, but we had a difficult time getting any information about them from the waitress so we just went for the buffet. She brought us water and did not ask us if we wanted anything else. We had wanted to order something, but she was off somewhere else, so we gave up.

The buffet was very small, both in size and portions, and when dishes were emptied they were not replenished. We arrived at 1:00 and another patron told us that her favorite spinach dish was already gone before we got there.

There was a pungent dish that tasted like dried shredded lamb soaked in three-day old fish sauce. The fish soup was overly fishy and so full of bones it was hard to get the tiny fish pieces out. The fried fish was dry to the point of being hard and I noticed that hardly anyone had taken any. There was a beef dish that was so full of huge cow bones that it was difficult to get any sauce out of the dish. There was also a red sauce that was so oily that I did not dare try it.

We did enjoy the rice, beans, and Fufu. The okra was gooier than I'd ever seen. The chicken wings and sauteed shrimp were good, but did not seem very authentic. The macaroons were dry and hard, and the chocolate cake squares smelled slightly of mold.

NAME: Free-Art
SUBMITTED: 2/17/2003   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2003
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Interesting how Nigerian food looks and tastes similar to the Caribbean and Southern Soul food you see today. I absolutely loved their spicy, red beef shank stew, fried plaintain and rice dish. Fufu tastes like mashed potatoes, but has a heavier feel. This is the only dish I have tried, but liked immediately. The atmosphere feels like you're in Africa, with that "hole in the wall" feeling. I would like to venture and try other specialties before giving a general review.

NAME: Myleen
SUBMITTED: 4/24/2002   LAST VISIT WAS: 2000
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Hours: Open 7 days a week. Lunch and dinner, hours unknown.

Brief Description: The Mariam has been my first brush with West African/Nigerian food. I wandered in not sure what to order, hoping there would be either a menu or a buffet. There weren't either. However, through the help of a couple of patrons, I got my first taste of this cuisine. At the recommendation of one person, I was served with a bowl of yam starch, looking very much like bread dough, but with the flavor of potato and the textural quality of thick mashed potato or Play-doh. A bowl of water on the side, and a heaping portion of goat/okra stew. I believe the dish is called fufu.

By the way, I happened to notice on a recent trip to Fiesta, in the ethnic foods section, that you can buy yam flour, for making your own fufu gunk at home. There's even a recipe for the stew on the package.

The goat meat was tough, but the flavor of the stew was wonderful, one of the tastiest concoctions.....I could taste chili peppers, garlic, onion, and okra. I suspect there is a bit of oil in the stew, possibly palm tree oil. Be warned.

Also recommended by a patron, but not tried.......rice and plantain to substitute for the yam flour.

The eating procedure appears to be thus: after dipping your fingers in the bowl of water at the start of the meal, you use your right hand to grab a piece of the yam starch, dip, roll, and pick up some stew meat and drop the parcel into your mouth.

The lunch came to $6.50. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, there is a buffet for $10.00, which might present an opportunity to try several different dishes.

From: Jay Francis's "Ethnic Dining Guide to Houston"

NAME: Jay Francis

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