This time for Africa

Bayanatu with shiro, kayseer tibs, kay missir wot, fasolia and diblik. Pics/Shadab Khan

Food Review
Food/Authentic
Ambience/colourful
Service/warm
Cost/high
Verdict/

On the TV screen inside Maharsh, the city's first Ethiopian café, a local channel is broadcasting the video of a young pop artiste from the country. The visuals are emulative of the hip-hop videos that emerged out of the ghettos in the US in the 1990s featuring shiny cars and attractive women. It was art that alluded to affluence as a far-off dream. Perhaps such a theme features in Ethiopian popular music even today as the country continues to grapple with financial woes. "You know girlfriend? He's appreciating his girlfriend," Demek Atnafu Ambulo, the Consulate General of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Mumbai, explains with a lilt. Who could have better helped gauge the mark of authenticity in a restaurant of this nature?

He saunters inside the small space in Juhu with burnt tangerine walls, adorned with local artefacts. Pointing to a large straw-hat like memento, Ambulo, who is also a former minister of foreign affairs, explains, "This is a mesob. We place all the food inside it so we can sit around and eat together." Other woven knick-knacks and those made of clay, like jebena, an Eritrean pot used to brew coffee, decorate the space.

Lentil sambusa

Ambulo is forthcoming when it's time to order and takes the onus upon himself, calling for fir fir (Rs 395), lentil sambusa (Rs 395) and a bayanatu thali (Rs 775 for one person). While the food is being prepared, a jebena catches his attention and he explains how integral coffee, of which Ethiopia is one of the primary exporters internationally, is to the country. "Everybody in Ethiopia is drinking it," he shares. The service is attentive because upon overhearing the conversation, the manager serves the freshly brewed drink in small, patterned cups on the table. Interestingly, it comes with a bowl of popcorn.

"We usually have it with barley, but if it is not available, you can have popcorn," Ambulo clarifies. He's excited to spot ambo (Rs 250) on the menu, a popular beverage from the country. On closer inspection, it appears to be naturally carbonated, fresh, mineral water, which is understandably a rage among people who are plagued by a shortage of portable water. And even though the menu is all-vegetarian, Ambulo finds not much amiss, explaining that as a largely Christian country, they often practise vegetarianism during Lent, and on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Fir fir

The food arrives and the fir fir is an amusingly flavourful scramble of injera, spices and potato fries. "Injera is a staple in Ethiopia. It is made with teff [a gluten-free, annual grass ubiquitous in the Horn of Africa]. It tastes like your dosa, but it's not the same," he says. The sambusa is a smaller, more tightly packed samosa stuffed with boiled and flavoured lentils. Both the dishes, which are breakfast fundamentals, work as delightful munchies.

The bayanatu (which translates to different or varied) is akin to an Indian thali. It comes in a mesob lined with a huge injera, with six different dishes (you can pick from a range of 15). In this version, it features yemeser wot, a yellow-split pea mash; shiro (another staple) made with boiled, spiced and mashed chickpeas; kay missir wot, a red lentil mash; a mélange of green bean, carrot, onion, chilli and potato called fasolia; kayseer tibs, which is stir-fried beetroot and carrots; and diblik, which is similar to fasolia, but has zucchini, too. The food on the platter reminds one of Indian fare because it's brimming with a desi piquancy and also due to the pervasive use of lentils, or dal.

Ambo water

"We are major exporters of lentils. And even though it's a small portion, India is one of our buyers, too," Ambulo reveals, adding, "Our countries have been friends for many years. Many of our youngsters have migrated here for higher education, and a few years ago, Pune had a large Ethiopian population. It is declining now, as more universities emerge in our country. But it is nice to see a restaurant finally serving our food. There is one in Chennai, but that is not so good. This is authentic. It makes me feel at home."

At Maharsh - Ethiopian Cafe & Bites, Sea View Building, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu.
Time 11 am to 10.30 pm
Call 9833001745

Demeke Atnafu Ambulo

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