Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

I'd been to Ethiopian restaurants before, so what really intrigued me about  Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant  was the Buna Bejebena, or Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony . Cost is $25, and makes about 7-8 small cups of coffee. You can read from the wiki about the coffee ceremony, and in the restaurant there is a picture of the ceremony. The ceremony as done in Lalibela is, however, rather boring. They do bring a smoking pan of beans around the table, but really can't linger because of the smoke it generates. They aren't allowed to bring it out too long and in any case it might set off smoke detectors or just plain choke you in the confined space. Then the coffee is brewed in the traditional apparatus and poured into little cups. Concentrated black coffee taken straight (but if you need sugar they will provide). And that's it. The end. You can see the pictures I took and decide if the novelty is enough for you to spend about $3 per coffee shooter. We were a p...

After 25 years, the Afro-Canadian Restaurant will close its doors. The friendly and down-to-earth owner/chef is headed back to Ethiopia. I was there a couple of years ago  and it still had the same cheap decent eats value, though tonight's food looked more fusion than strictly Ethiopian. Three large platters and some dessert worked out to $12.53 per person (including tax, but before tip). Plus we had three take out boxes worth of food -- that's like three leftover meals. The beef was tasty and tender and that was probably the stand-out of the mixed meat-and-veggie platter. Not the tastiest fare, but decent and very cheap eats. But tonight is their last night, we were told. As of tomorrow it's gone.