THE ITINERARY ETHIOPIAGTW/IMAGEBROKER/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARYand ploughed on, stopping triumphantly
at Black Pearl Bar. He smiled; it was
almost what we had asked for. Barely
sheepish, he demanded more cash.
When we finally reached Black Rose
Bar it was worth every misspent birr,
every extra kilometre in the wrong
direction. The buzzing lounge with the
vibe of auteur cool, the dim but not too
dim interiors, the ambient but not too
loud music; all of it was just so.
That night among others brought
me to these five words I did not expect
to say: Ethiopian wineis a marvel. I
can’t tell you much about the body or
tannins or the subtle hints of avocado
and rosemary, but I can tell you that
both the Rift Valley Chardonnay (
bir r/`630) and Acacia Rose (
bir r/`485) were plenty delicious and
plenty cheap too. Ethiopian beer was
no slouch either. The two local brands
I tried, Habesha, and Walia, were
perfect; so bitter, so cold. But everyone’s
favourite au courant trend Ethiopian
food—best known by the sourdough
crepe, the injera and its various
accompaniments—was simply not
for me.
Ethiopia was one of only two
countries not to be colonised, except
for a brief stay by the Italians, and that
impact lingers in the cuisine. Local
iterations of pasta were uneven—bland,thin spaghetti with boiled vegetables
or fat noodles sitting in an anodyne
tomato sauce. But at Ristorante
Castelli, an Italian-run Addis Ababa
institution, there was little room to
complain. Situated in an old building
on Mahatma Gandhi road off Piazza, it
has been serving up hearty pastas in the
capital since the 1950s, when Francesco
Castelli,an Italian soldier, decided
to stay back after the brief colonial
misadventure.
With its creaking floorboards and
large windows, it conjures up all the
requisite charisma that behoves such a
popular family-run outfit. The Castellis
are among the few remaining European
families in the city, and as Addis has
developed and evolved around it, the
restaurant, now run by Francesco’s
daughter Tiziana Castelli, remains
much the same.
Its walls are studded with pictures
of celebrity visitors—including Jimmy
Carter, Angelina Jolie and Bob Geldof,
who called it his favourite restaurant in
the world. Why do people love it? “The
food, the food, the food,” exclaimed
Tiziana. “The quality and the portions.
We don’t give small sophisticated
portions where people come out feeling
hungry.”From deep inside me the
afternoon’s mushroom ravioli and
tiramisu grunted in agreement.The Ethnological Museum set
in the former king Haile Selassie’s
palace is a fine introduction to the
country. It has also maintained
the king and queen’s chambers
(entry: 100 birr/`245). The
National Museum of Ethiopia
(entry: 10 birr/`25), contains four
storeys, the most important being
the basement that houses Lucy
and other ancient remains. The
first floor has a nice selection of
contemporary Ethiopian art. The
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial
Museum offers glimpses into
the country’s violent communist
dictatorship (entry free). Tom oc a
has some of the best coffee
to drink and to buy. Risorante
Castelli is a perfect lunch pit
stop and La Mandoline has some
lovely French fare. The city does
not lack for cheap, good quality
alcohol—try a tej bar, such as
Topia Tej Bet or a more modern
option, Black Rose Bar. If you’re
lucky you can catch the great
musician Mulatu Astatke,
the father of Ethio-jazz, at a
local concert.ESSENTIALSThe city has shaken off a violent communist past and has welcomed change but still manages to retain its unique culture.