Wednesday, June 9, 2010

EAT goes authentic - Ethiopian in Ethiopia



- Christopher Tuckwood

I recently spent three weeks backpacking in Ethiopia. During the trip, I naturally spent a lot of time eating in restaurants and couldn't resist the opportunity to write a review. Unable to narrow down my favourites to a single place, I've put together a list below of five great places (in no particular order) to eat in Ethiopia, most of which are located in the capital, Addis Ababa. That's not to say the rest of the country doesn't have good food though, so don't be surprised if another list shows up here someday.

Itegue Taitu Hotel
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The Itegue (Empress) Taitu located in the capital Addis Ababa is the oldest hotel in Ethiopia, having been built in 1898 (Ethiopian Calendar - 1906 for us westerners) by Emperor Menelik II, who named it after his wife. The hotel definitely preserves the atmosphere of the era when it was built, with dark-stained wooden architecture and creaky floors included. It boasts a fine restaurant, made all the more appealing by its airy outdoor garden patio. Set in the hilly Piazza area of Addis, walking into the Taitu restaurant is like taking an instant respite from the busy streets just outside the walls. Popular with both Ethiopians and foreigners alike, the Taitu restaurant definitely deserves a visit.

The food here is quite good and the menu offers a mixture of traditional Ethiopian and western - particularly Italian - dishes. The selection is nothing particularly surprising to those familiar with Ethiopian food, but does include a couple of unusual items, such as injera fir-fir, which is something like a wot made of injera spiced with berbere and intended as a meat substitute. The restaurant offers decent vegetarian options throughout the year, but it may be difficult to obtain any combination platters right after the fasting period ends. The drink selection is quite good and includes soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, and juices. The prices at the Taitu are a little higher than you'll find at most surrounding restaurants, but well worth it.



Wutma Hotel
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If the Taitu is a bit outside your budget range or you're just looking for a decent lunch without too much focus on variety, the Wutma Hotel just around the corner might be just what you're looking for. The Wutma is a budget hotel located in the Piazza area and very popular with budget travelers and backpackers. I stayed there for several nights on the way into and out of the country, and it offers good value for money. The attached restaurant only offers a few menu items (in fact, they don't even have a menu) including traditional combination platters and pasta with tomato sauce or vegetables. I was quite impressed with the quality and portion sizes on both counts, especially considering the low prices charged.

The staff at the Wutma is generally young, friendly, and helpful. They seem to spend most of their time at the hotel or restaurant, so there's always a familiar face around. The bar is well-stocked by Ethiopian standards, so there is a good drink selection, though the freshly-made juice so popular throughout the country is not available. The atmosphere is, well, atmospheric, by which I mean it's dark. There never seem to be more than a couple of lights on in the restaurant at any one time, which isn't helped by the frequent power outages, but this is nothing that candles can't help. In fact, the situation seems to have turned the restaurant into a popular spot for romantic dinners.



Seven Olives
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If you happen to be in Lalibela and looking to treat yourself at an upscale restaurant, I strongly recommend the Seven Olives, though the hotel it's set in doesn't seem to be worth the price, based on what more affluent travelers told me. The food here, like most other places, is a mixture of traditional Ethiopian and western food. To be honest, the Ethiopian fare is pretty standard stuff and somewhat unremarkable compared to what's on offer at lower-priced restaurants nearby. The portions, however, are incredibly generous and make the prices worthwhile. The combination platter, for example, could easily feed two people from a single serving, and I have a big appetite. The western dishes, however, are high-quality and offer a few things that you won't find many other places in Ethiopia. The grilled cheese and roasted vegetables sandwich was a surprise favourite of mine.

The real attraction at the Seven Olives is the location and view. Lalibela, famous for its ancient rock-hewn churches, is a small city set among the eastern portions of the Simien Mountains, and the Seven Olives is at the very top of one of the main roads. This affords a great view of the town and surrounding mountains and valleys. As you sit on the terrace surrounded by the garden and trees, expect to enjoy the company of the many different local birds attracted to the restaurant by nearby feeders. If nothing else, at least have a drink at the Seven Olives while enjoying the view and your avian companions.



Castelli's
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Without a doubt, Castelli's in Addis Ababa must be the poshest restaurant in all of Ethiopia, at least of those that I saw. The only possible exceptions would be found at the Hilton and Sheraton hotels, which are the domain of the richest of the rich. Owned and managed by the same Italian family for over sixty years, Castelli's is a little oasis of western decadence in the Piazza area of Addis Ababa. One would be forgiven for reacting with shock at the instant contrast between the streets outside and the perfectly polished interior of Castelli's. You immediately encounter the owner (I call him Old Man Castelli) right inside the door - a massively obese man with the look and demeanor of a mafia boss. He sits behind a desk keeping watch over his domain but refusing to speak either English or Amharic no matter who you are - Italian only here. On the wall behind him are years worth of pictures taken during visits by high-profile patrons like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and various former heads-of-state. The waitstaff are all Ethiopian and seem to be in constant fear of their tyranical Ethiopian boss, who definitely doesn't earn any points for popularity.

The all-Italian menu is quite good by any standards and includes a selection of Ethiopian wines, which were nothing remarkable but still good. If you go to Castelli's be prepared to pay a exorbitant price by Ethiopian standards - easily ten times what you would for a dinner at neighbouring restaurants - but actually nothing more than you'd pay at a lower-quality Italian restaurant in most western cities. Castelli's is recommended if you have the money to spend on it and really feel the need to go somewhere posh for a treat, but the average backpacker might feel a bit out of place. The restaurant is mostly frequented by wealthy locals and foreigners, so our cargo pants and t-shirts were not common sights. If you do plan to go, though, be sure to make reservations in advance, since it gets busy and Old Man Castelli doesn't like to make exceptions.



Oroscopo
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Yet another Italian restaurant located in Addis (it's amazing what a culinary influence that a four-year occupation left), Oroscopo is a good place to go for a quick bite of pizza or pasta. Located near the Piazza about a block away from the Wutma, the food you get here is best described as the Ethiopian interpretation of Italian food rather than anything authentic. I had the mushroom pizza, which came accompanied by some local green pepper sauce on the side to spice it up. The service was nothing particularly outstanding, but I got what I ordered in a reasonable amount of time. The decor was stereotypical Italian eatery fare with the odd random Ethiopian item hung on the wall. Prices here are quite reasonable and a good meal can be had for the equivalent of a couple dollars.