Dining to the beat of a different drum
Habesha Café 124 Helen Joseph (Davenport) Road, Glenwood Phone: 076 046 2516 Hours: Mon to Sat 8am to 10pm.
WE COULD hear the drumming as we approached the entrance and, on walking inside, found a group of enthusiasts banging away with great gusto in an adjoining room. We were the only diners.
We chose a table overlooking the road, which had a steady flow of cars and pedestrians ebbing and flowing through this restaurant and pub node.
The room was cosy, with wooden floors and tables and comfortable wooden chairs.
Our friendly waiter took our drinks orders of sparkling water (R24) and a Drifter The Scallywag IPA craft beer (R40).
The menu offered an exotic adventure. From the starters we chose azifa (R35), which was a green lentil salad mixed with onions, green peppers, fresh lemon juice, a touch of olive oil, vinegar and mitmita, which according to Wikipedia is a powdered seasoning mix used in Ethiopia. It is orangered and contains ground African bird’s eye chilli peppers, cardamom seed, cloves and salt. The dish was served with squares of bread. We both loved this lentil dish, which had a bit of a bite.
Our other starter was tihlo (R40), a type of dumpling made of roasted barley flour, served with minced meat in a special sauce. My wife wasn’t crazy about the dumplings, but we enjoyed the mince in the sauce.
For our mains my wife chose the doro wot (R75), made up of chicken pieces marinated in fresh lemon juice and simmered in a mixture of freshly chopped onions, garlic and ginger, with berbere (another type of spice mixture) and a hint of butter.
I chose the tibs (R65), beef cubes, stir-fried with rosemary, onions and the same spices and butter as the chicken dish.
The meals arrived on a tray covered by a traditional flatbread. According to Wikipedia it is an “East African sourdough-risen flatbread with a slightly spongy texture. Traditionally made out of teff flour, it is a national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea”.
Our two bowls of meat were upended over this bread on the tray. The menu warns that Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes are eaten by hand, so we grabbed the spongy bread to mop up the meat.
My wife gave the chicken high praise; I felt the same about the beef. We would have to practise to get the mopping up actions right.
All the while, the drummers were drumming away, so our conversations were a bit of a challenge. We ended off with a pot of Ethiopian coffee (jabena) (R50 for the two of us). My wife topped up her cup three times.
This was one of our more unusual meals, in an interesting setting, and with enjoyable food.
Ratings (out of five) Food ★★★✩ Service ★★★✩ Ambience ★★★