On Saturday night, after I returned from Menagesha, I went out for dinner with Mary, Eric, Terefe, Yeshi, Sehen and her mother to Fasika, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant that has become a very popular eatery and hotspot with both locals and farenjis (foreigners). You see, in addition to boasting traditional Ethiopian cuisine, Fasika has live music and live dance performances for you to enjoy while you eat your dinner. The music was a combination of fast beats and slow ballads with traditional stringed instruments and drums and vibrant vocalists. The dances were from all regions of Ethiopia and the costumes were colourful!
The ambience was absolutely amazing – there was traditional artwork and furniture. We sat on couches instead of the typical restaurant with chairs and tables. They served fresh popcorn (Yay!) with the coffee and all of the servers were decked out in various regional manifestations of traditional Ethiopian attire!
In terms of food, I had the “fasting plate” (which is one of the only vegetarian options at the restaurant) but contrary to its name, there was enough food to serve at least 4 people. The plate is covered with a large piece of injera (Ethiopian fermented, flatbread made of teff) and covered with various vegetable preparations including shiro (a chic peas puree/gravy with spices), lentils, potatoes and carrots, cabbage, chic peas, and fasting fir fir. I enjoyed the meal! Thanks so much to Sehen and her mother who picked up the entire tab and treated us to such a lovely feast!
