Vegetarier in Berlin: Massai

Lychener Str. 12, 10437 Berlin
www.massai-berlin.edu


Yesterday, after several cancellations spread out over the last six months, I had dinner with my friend Chris. We chose Massai, a self-described "African" restaurant she found in her guidebook, because the guidebook said it was an vegetarian friendly but will also satisfy the adventurous omnivores. Yes, it serves zebra, antelope, and crocodile, but I won't be able to tell you about these fine delicacies because we're both vegetarian.

The guide was right--two pages of the menu were dedicated to vegetarian dishes. We ordered the Maadee combo under Vegetarische, along with Dju Dju banana beer and Dju Dju palms beer.


The place is really nicely decorated and looks touristy. It was dimly lit, with bold colors and animal wood carvings as decorations. They even had giraffe utensil holders which would probably make good presents for someone back home. But I'm in Germany, so I will try to purchase "German" things.

The beers came first. The banana beer was light and sweet, and you can smell the banana when the bottle is open. I would definitely go for some in the future if I come across it again. The palms beer was dark and almost red, but other than that it just tasted like a strong beer (its alcohol content is more than 8%).


Our first course was a soup that tasted saltier than it looks. It was a little like porridge and very tasty. I think there was some type of dried fruit in there (raisins?). Then came the "salad," which consisted of thickly julienned cucumber, carrots, and some other vegetables. It was drizzled in these yellow and brown sauces that added just a tiny bit of flavor that was barely salty with a hint of sweetness. Overall, it was refreshing and light.


Finally, the main course arrived. It was a big plate that spanned the length of our two-person table. The two main dishes were Foolfeta and Agbisa with rice and couscous, but the meal also featured small spinach, cabbage, and another dish--all sitting on two generous pieces of Injera bread. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure what I was eating most of the time, but as a vegetarian it was comforting to know that we weren't eating any exotic animals.

The Foolfeta, covered in shredded cheese, is African beans, tomatoes, and paprika. The African beans are humongous, so big that we didn't realize they were beans. They were like obese kidney beans and something like three-quarters of an inch long, but they definitely had the characteristic bean texture.

The menu described the Agbisa as a dish with sauce, onion, and tofu. However, instead of tofu, we had eggplant, which I am slightly allergic to. It's okay though, because I still enjoyed the small vegetable dishes, especially the spinach one. The spinach dish, next to the Agbisa, reminded me a lot of the Palak Paneer that I've had at various Indian restaurants (without the tofu-like cheese though). The couscous, under one of the dark fruit shells, was excellent as well.

The meal with the two beers came out to be around 30€ after tax and tip for two, which seemed very reasonable given fancy decorations, interesting beers, and three delicious courses. It's one of those meals that fill you up slowly, leaving you satisfied but not stuffed. Overall, I had a wonderful meal and would definitely recommend it to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike!