African and Middle Eastern

AFRO CANADIAN RESTAURANT
Find authentic African food in a tiny hole-in-the-wall in one of the sketchier parts of Gastown, where a great menu and the proprietor’s charm overcome the dubious surroundings. Ethiopian-born Menasbo Kiros offers his guests a crash course in East African dining, with variety that spans the continent. Spicy meat and vegetable stews top fluffy injera bread, the staple of Ethiopian meals that serves as both your plate and eating utensil. Tear into tender lamb with Moroccan couscous ($9), Egyptian fava bean ful ($7) and curried goat ($10), or sample a few on the generous combination platters that start at a mere $13.50. 324 Cambie St., Gastown, 604-682-2646. $-$$

EAST IS EAST
Kitsilano’s tiny East is East, now with a new location on Main Street, offers exotic organic flavours from Istanbul to Calcutta. The sparsely lit dining room takes patrons to the Middle East, complete with the spiced chai, flickering candles and soothing (if you think so) sitar. Feast on roasted masala chicken roti-roll, with tamarind and lentil soup ($8.50), washed down with creamy yogurt lassie drinks flavoured with fresh mango, cardamom and rosewater ($4.50). A takeout window offers the entire menu to go. At the Kitsilano location, upstairs Chai Gallery is available for private parties, and hosts live music and dancing most nights. 3243 W. Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-734-5881; 4413 Main St., South Main, 604-879-2020. $

FALAFEL MAISON, FALAFEL HOUSE AND FALAFEL KING
All three locations offer Middle Eastern takeout, a cheapskate’s best friend. Cheap, filling and tasty, the falafel sandwich ($3.99) partners a crispy and moist chick pea croquette with a choice of lettuce, tomato, tabbouleh and hummus tucked inside a pita. Chicken or beef shawarma ($5.25) sees slowly roasted meat carved from rotating spit and rolled up in a pita with hot sauce and a choice of condiments. Don’t forget the napkins. Falafel Maison: 516 Robson St, Downtown, 604-647-6450; 902 Granville St., Downtown, 604-806-0045; Falafel King: 1105 Davie St., West End, 604-688-5536; 1110 Denman St., West End, 604-669-7278. $

FASSIL
Authentic Ethiopian food. Order the meat or vegetarian combo, both consisting of several spicy stews, delivered on top of injera (flatbread) the size of a lazy susan. Special dishes for the seasoned diner can be ordered in advance, and so can the coffee: after a half-hour preparation, the coffee ceremony is performed at your table. While the room is worse for wear and the electrical cords should be covered, it’s not Yaletown, and neither are the prices. 736 E. Broadway, South Main, 604-879-2001. $-$$

HARAMBE RESTAURANT
Richly spiced Ethiopian dishes top a blanket of flat, spongy injera bread. Harambe’s combination platters are the best way to go: yebeg wet is a piquant stew of lamb slowly simmered in berbere sauce, and yemsir wet is its vegetarian counterpart made with red split lentils. Adventurers should try kitfo, a version of steak tartare amped up with a potent kick. Ethiopians don’t traditionally eat sweets, but the banana tibs is a simple yet delicious dessert. Its taste recalls a sweet banana-orange creamsicle. The restaurant recently expanded by 50 seats. 2149 Commercial Dr., 604-216-1060. $$-$$$

LA MARRAKECH
The vibrant, sultry casbah that is La Marrakech profers mint tea mojitos upon arrival. They’re just the right mood elevator to drink in the rich room, and richer food that flows from owner/chef Abdel Elatouabi’s Moroccan-fired menu. Start with a trio of eggplant, grilled pepper and tomato cucumber salads ($11), or the rosewater and pomegarante-tossed golden beet salad ($11), then make way to kefta meshouiya (grilled mutton kabab, $15). Stop for a blood orange mojito. Mains include “La Casserole d’Essaouria” (seafood in saffron tomato broth) or tender K’sksou Royal (braised short ribs). Don’t miss: the companion blueberry and fig salad. Belly dancers on weekends. 52 Alexander St., Gastown, 604-688-3714. $$

NYALA
Gently simmered chicken, lamb or goat, or stews of peas or lentils are piled atop pillowy injera. Homemade biltong and boerwors draw South African expats. Large parties can order the special roasted-while-you-watch coffee. 4148 Main St., South Main, 604-876-9919. $-$$

RED SEA CAFE
Berbere and mitmita are primary seasonings and injera bread is the utensil, but Eritrean flavours are rendered subtle when an herbed butter called tesmih subs in for Ethiopian spice. Dorho kilwa is a lush, velvety dish of chicken marinated in turmeric, ginger and garlic before simmering with tesmih and jalapeno peppers; a vegetable mixture of cabbage, potatoes and carrots receives the same delicate treatment. Find heat in tender marinated chunks of lamb in the kilwa awaze, rich with seasoned chili paste. Fully licenced. 670 E. Broadway, South Main, 604-873-3332. $$-$$$

SANAFIR
David Nicolay, now Vancouver’s dominant restaurant designer, has created a soaring casbah, lantern-lit with brass and glass chandeliers, and aglow with enormous candles and those who self-tan. Under new chef Mark McEwan the pan-handling is decidedly upbeat. Platters feature themed trios of tuna, salmon, lamb and more ($14). The salmon version shows seared Coho salmon over vindaloo curry; tea-smoked spring salmon fillet over black Thai rice; and B.C. sockeye tartar with capers, tomato, pineapple and yam chips. Sanafir means “meeting place” in Arabic; here, the match you’ll make might range from downshifting hockey players to Aguilera wannabes. Celeb spottings: Sting, Shakira, Penelope Cruz and Kid Rock. 1026 Granville St., Downtown, 604-678-1049. $$$

BACK TO REVIEWS HOME