The Observer
Jay Rayner was charmed by “Luton’s first Somali restaurant”, a “rather lovely” place “full of big family vibes, vivid textiles and groaning platters” that he found on Instagram. ‘Hooyo’ means both mother and home in Somali, and the mother in question, Foz Abdi, presides over both kitchen and dining room with “the air of a matriarch determined to make sure everyone is properly fed and watered”.
The dishes “speak of the Horn of Africa as a cultural crossroads”: India to the east, the Arab world to the north, and several decades of Italian occupation all contributing to a menu that encompasses “hummus, samosas, slow-roasted meats and spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti” – and ends with a “pleasingly dense and sponge-heavy” tiramisu.
The food is “fragrant” and “salty-sour”, and comes in portions that are generous in the extreme, from “a kitchen that only regards far too much as enough. The platter for two at £32 could easily feed three. The platter for six at £60 could presumably feed Luton.”
Jay Rayner - 2024-07-28
