Ras Dashen

The air hangs thick with frankincense at this humming Ethiopian mainstay, a citywide standout for its dazzling depth of flavour and warmth of service. Arrive with willing hands, an empty stomach and good company – all essential for Ras Dashen’s communal fare – and prepare for an embarrassment of shared stews and flatbreads begging to be ripped and dipped.

Injera, Ethiopia’s spongy fermented bread, doubles as plate and tangy mediator for the riches it clasps. Plunge it into stewed dishes known as wats and sauteed dishes known as tibs. Comforting doro wat is steeped in berbere, and combines tender chicken, reduced onions and hard-boiled egg.

Alternate between the smoky red lentils of spice-rich misir wat, salt-and-peppered claypot lamb tibs and light-bodied Ethiopian beer. Or, if he’s got any around, sip owner Wondimu Alemu’s excellent tej: a sticky elixir reminiscent of mead.

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