First of all, this word has a meaning: a traditional Ethiopian hut. Its basis is made of wood, while the rest of the structure is made of wattle and daub. A little something like this:
When we stepped in, the entire atmosphere made quite the impression. Soft light, brown/beige tones everywhere and wood. Wood, wood, more wood. Love it.
The ceiling is full of decorative objects coming straight from Ethiopia. The vibe of the place was imagined by Belgian photographer Serge Anton. The result is a warm and exotic atmosphere.
On each table, a big round wooden plate, glasses, and spoons only.
Nico, following his love for beer, ordered an Ethiopian beer named “St Georges”. I picked the pisco sour, given that the one I had in Paris last summer at the Fish Club turned into a very good memory.
Here, no fork, no knife. Food goes straight from the hand to the mouth. Exeperiencing food by touching it is something we have been taught not to do since our youngest age. The opportunity to do it kinda feels like a guilty pleasure, and it’s awesome. The menu gives you a lot of options, and for people like us = not really educated on ethiopian food, making a choice can be difficult.
In fact, Nico and I struggled a bit to agree on the menu we would pick ^^ Eventually we went for the Shifinfin which had two kinds of marinated beef, cheese, spinach, a mix of chick-pea, a mix of zucchini/tomato/mushroom, and a salad. To eat all this yummy food you get to use the injera, an Ethiopian galette. Just tear a piece of it, and use it to grab a bite of the various preparations.
We enjoyed it very much. It is a unique culinary experience with lots of different tastes, flavours, spices and textures. Ethiopian cuisine doesn’t look nor taste like any other cuisine.
Note: another interesting address in Brussels is the Kokob.
