Heath Druzin, a reporter for Stars and Stripes, drinks a Dju Dju-brand palm lager beer at Safari in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Inspired by Africa, the beer is actually brewed in Belgium for a German company. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Heath Druzin, a reporter for Stars and Stripes, drinks a Dju Dju-brand palm lager beer at Safari in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Inspired by Africa, the beer is actually brewed in Belgium for a German company. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
The sambosa is a pastry filled with vegetables and chicken or lamb, similar to an Indian samosa. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
Patrons at the Safari Restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, dig into the Safari, a platter for four featuring a spicy beef stew, cubed lamb with onions and herbs, a succulent chicken stew and lentils and vegetables in Eritrean spices, all served and eaten with “injera,” an East African flatbread. (Matt Millham/Stars and Stripes)
On television, stories about Africa tend to highlight whatever new tragedy is unfolding there.
But I’d like to shine a spotlight on one of the continent’s better features: East African cuisine.
Safari, a new restaurant in Kaiserslautern, serves up a range of Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes that are welcome diversions from the Continental, Asian and knockoff American fare that are the city’s bread and butter.
With the restaurant’s signature dish — the Safari — spicy chicken, beef, lamb and lentils come in heaps. The ingredients are fresh, the meat tender and the flavors rich without beating the taste buds into submission.
It’s hard to describe the food because it doesn’t have any Western or Asian peers to which it can be easily compared. Many of the meat dishes can probably be classified as curry-seasoned stews, while one of the appetizers, the sambosa, is a close cousin to the Indian samosa.
Added to the joy of the food is the novelty of eating it the traditional way. Diners who are new to East African cuisine get a quick lesson in eating with their hands using injera — a sort of spongy crepelike flatbread — as an edible utensil. After the short class is over, it’s time to dig in.
Eating can be a little bit messy, but don’t worry. Finishing school graduates and others who prefer to eat with forks and knives still have that option.
Those who want to wander a little farther off the beaten path, though, can try an African-inspired beer, served in a gourd.
While it’s possible to get individual portions, the best things on Safari’s menu are its platters.
The platter for two comes with two entrees; the platter for three, three; the platter for four — yup, there’s a pattern here: four entrees. That’s where the menu maxes out. Just to point out the obvious, though, for those who like variety, it pays to dine with friends.
Like the injera, the platters present an enjoyable novelty — eating from a communal plate. For some, this can spark a horde of anxieties. Will I come off looking like a pig? What if I forget the sharing lessons I got in kindergarten? If I don’t jam it down quickly, will I get enough to eat? Rest assured, it’ll be hard to go home hungry.
millham.matthew@stripes.comTwitter: @mattmillham
SAFARILocation: Humboldt Strasse 31-35, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Hours: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday; 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Food: Eritrean and Ethiopian.
Dress: Casual.
Costs: Appetizers from 3 euros; vegetarian entrees from 6.50 euros; meat entrees from 9.50 euros; multiperson platters from 9 euros per person.
Know of a restaurant or entertainment spot you’d like to see reviewed in After Hours? Email Pary Smith at smithp@estripes.osd.mil.
