KOKOB

Ethiopia has more to it than long-distance runners. Kokob on the rue des Grands Carmes was a delightful surprise, situated in Fontainas, the trendy downtown district close by the Grand’Place and St Géry.

When you enter the restaurant, your nostrils will immediately flare from the olfactory memory of old-style torrefaction shops, such as the Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho, where they roast and grind the coffee beans on the premises. The slightly burnt aroma of freshly roasted coffee wakes your senses up from the minute you set foot in Kokob. Coffee is one of Ethiopia’s most important exports – it may even be what keeps those long-distance runners going – and if your sleep patterns permit, you should aim to round off your meal with the juice of the bean.

Charming Ethiopian-born co-owner Haile Leoul Abebe has a permanent smile on his face. As well he might have. Despite being a fairly new kid on the block, (they have just celebrated their first birthday) Kokob is enjoying huge success, blessed by an early visit from President Barroso and his team, as proudly displayed on their website. “Kokob” means "Star" in Amharic, and after the rave reviews they have had in the Brussels press, they soon will be. Smiley Haile described how he and Moroccan-born business partner Nassim worked for months through nights and weekends to give Kokob its distinctive contemporary but hand-crafted atmosphere. The artworks on the walls are eclectic and all made by arty pals. One in particular caught everyone’s eye, a backlit collage of citrus slices which aroused in me a deep nostalgia for a gin and tonic.

A covered terrace at the back of the restaurant transports you temporarily into the atmosphere of an East African hotel lobby in the 1930s, where you would not be surprised to see the ghost of Lawrence Durrell in his white suit and panama hat. This sheltered spot is the ideal place to down a Belgian beer or some real coffee after an afternoon’s Christmas shopping in the trendy boutiques of the rue du Midi, and peruse one of the collection of picture books on Ethiopia. The restaurant is composed of separate spaces – bar, terrace, main dining room, function room – where afternoon tea or coffee, sundowners (as we used to call them in the colonies), lunch or dinner can be enjoyed, as well as private parties and public events. Kokob also act as a cultural centre for recitals of traditional music, storytelling or promotions. Events are advertised on their website or you can join their mailing list to keep abreast of what’s coming up. They also do outside catering.

Despite the trendy location and modern décor, Kokob does not compromise on authentic Ethiopian style. Wat is the most popular dish. No that’s not a question, wat is the name of a stew made from vegetables, pulses or meat such as lamb, beef or chicken, generously seasoned with a hot chilli sauce called berbéré. There are also fish dishes and a selection of salads. The “menu découverte” or “discovery menu”, ranging from 18 to 25 euros a head depending on how hungry you are, is the nearest thing to a typical Ethiopian meal, consisting of a selection of prepared dishes served on a tray of spongey millet pancakes called injera which serve the purpose of both plate and cutlery.

Thanks to the influence of the early Coptic Christians who did not eat meat, vegetarians are easily catered for, with a vast selection of veggie dishes on offer, including spinach with mushrooms, lentils, split peas, ratatouille, ayeb (cottage cheese), to accompany the meat dishes such as diced chicken with spinach, minced beef spiced up with berbéré, and diced lamb in a creamy yogurt sauce. All the dishes are extremely tasty, and surprisingly mild - apart from the berbéré, nothing will blow your head off. An extra bowl of rolled injera strips is provided for you to break up and use them to scoop up the food on the tray. It’s a convivial and fun way of eating in a couple or a group, and apparently the typically Ethiopian way to do it is to feed each other with the mouthfuls of filled pancake. The mad, romantic fools! If you don’t fancy other people’s fingers, or even your own, cutlery can be provided on request.

Sticking on the same continent, we chose to drink a South African Nederburg Shiraz at a most reasonable 15 euros. After the meal, we were enveloped in burnt-coffee smelling steam, as the freshly-roasted beans were waved over the table like incense. If you are one of the poor unfortunates who can’t drink coffee, you can inhale it for maximum effect. The roasted coffee beans are then taken away and ground to produce a light coffee with a delicate flavour that will not keep you tossing and turning all night. Alternatively, you can sip an Ethiopian herbal tea flavoured with ginger and cinnamon. There are no desserts on the menu, but the coffee is served with a piece of homemade cake to sweeten your dreams.

Kokob is really something new and different, and serves tasty food in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Discreet Ethiopian background music is soon drowned out by the chatter of diners, as the place is invariably full by about 9 p.m. The service was discreet, efficient and accompanied by helpful explanations of the different dishes and how to eat them. The kitchen door is permanently open to the main room so you can see the chef at work. Haile and Nassim make a point of going round chatting to all their customers, and everyone gets a warm handshake and a dazzling smile on their way out, with a genuine invitation to come again.

A gold medal for Ethiopia – this new venture should run and run.

Kokob
10 rue des Grands Carmes
1000 Bruxelles
Tel: 02 511 1950
www.kokob.be

Open: Tues-Sun 12h00 – 24h00, Mon 18h00-24h00