Full Course Meals

Both yesterday and today I went out to lunch at places that offer a full course lunch menu. The portions are generally more than I would usually order and the price of both places was 75birr, which is expensive for lunch here, but in reality, less than $7.

Yesterday: Crown Hotel
Just a few minutes drive from the water center in Kality, this hotel was built some 30 years ago and has been kept in good condition. The first floor restaurant offers Ethiopian fare while the second floor offers a more European selection. We were the only customers and an older gentleman in a vintage looking suit attended to us. I chose a selection of salad, cream of chicken soup and roast beef, which also came with a basket of rolls and coffee. The room was octagonal and softly lit by diffused sunlight coming through the balcony doors along the outside wall; since we had the place to ourselves, we propped open one of them to get a nice breeze.


Today: Il Caminetto Restaurant
A hidden gem located behind a shopping center just after the roundabout coming from Bole International Airport, the sign boasts an "antique Italian flavour". Walking through the compound walls that surround it, you feel like you're in a little village. The restaurant is made up of three large hut-like structures made of thick, painted reeds, which does not remind anyone of Rome, but was pleasant nonetheless. The course came with a pasta and a main dish; I chose the penne ragú and fried fish, which turned out to be excellent. They served a basket of lightly toasted French bread as well, which I used to scoop up the leftover meat sauce from my pasta. The lightly fried white fish came with half a lime, potatoes and steamed spinach leaves. To finish the course they served a glass dish of fruit salad and coffee.

Now, the only problem with these extravagant meals is that, even with a cup of coffee after the meal, despite efforts-- loosening your belt buckle, rolling up your shirt sleeves--there is no escape from the lethargy of a full stomach in the afternoon.