Best Food In China

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Having dutifully researched Ethiopian cuisine before my recent visit to RAS Ethiopia, I must admit I was left feeling more than a little excited.
National food staples, so I learned, include rich meat and bean stews known as we’t, stuffed triangles of fried pasty (sambussa), and pancake-like bread made from teff called injera. The culinary culture is equally pleasing - diners sit on squat wooden borchumo (stools) around a hand-woven, hourglass-shaped table called a mesob, and eat from a communal plate with their hands. So far so good.

First impressions were encouraging; the new restaurant on Sanlitun Lu has an enormous colourful sign on the wall above a canopied outdoor area with separate bar for diners to kick back with an after-dinner cocktail or two (Happy Hour is 4:00 – 8:30pm).

It is clear that a great deal of thought has gone into the interior décor to give the restaurant both authenticity and a relaxed, fun atmosphere. On the former, restaurant owners Danny and Marley have imported the traditional-style tables and chairs, as well as Ethiopian umbrellas (suspended from the ceiling) and artwork all the way from Africa.

But to the food. The menus are user-friendly, with large pictures of most dishes and descriptions in Amharic, English and Chinese. Traditional starters are sambussa filled with beef (20RMB) or vegetables (15RMB). We sampled a selection of mains including ye'misir (split lentil stew – 50RMB), key sir (beet, potato and onion stew – 50RMB) and ye’siga we’t (berbere spiced cubed beef stew – 55RMB), as well as kifto (Ethiopian style steak tartar served with cottage cheese and collard greens – 85RMB), which for me was the real highlight.

If like me you are an Ethiopian cuisine novice however, I would highly recommend the sample platters which give a good overview of Ethiopian food and are undoubtedly the best value for money. “Taste of Ethiopia”, which is designed to feed three, has a sample of the we’t menu and 2 sambussas for 400RMB, “RAS combo” offers four stews for 120RMB, while “Marley’s Combo” (90RMB) will leave vegans salivating. For those on a shoestring budget, there is also an international buffet every day at 11:30am - 2:00pm for a very decent 48RMB.

If you have any room left (not easy when both the cutlery and communal plate are made from bread!), do wander over to the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony set-up in one corner and treat yourself to a cup of hand-roasted (before your very eyes) very strong coffee.

The evening is punctuated by several energetic traditional dance performances with Ethiopian dancers in magnificent costumes (one features an actual lion’s mane, need I say more?) accompanied by loud music. That and eating with one’s hands, which is a less than graceful look if you’ve never done it before) mean that RAS is probably not the ideal place for a first date or business lunch. Kids on the other hand will absolutely love it, and your mates won’t fail to be impressed.

The owners have made a big effort to bring the soul and energy of Ethiopia to Beijing through the restaurant, without it being too much of a culture shock. At their new Sanlitun location they have added some token fusion-Chinese dishes to the menu, and now offer Western-style tables and chairs, as well as cutlery to accommodate the less brave among their customers.

Needless to say, the best way is the traditional way however. Get stuck in with the local food and customs and revel in Ethiopia’s wonderfully vivacious culture at RAS.

-- by Jennifer Pooley

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