Just suppose, Peffekoven muses, that someone who has no idea where in the world they are is allowed to wake up and type in this place. Maybe that someone would say Brooklyn, or a Pakistani neighborhood in London, or the banlieue of Paris, maybe even Addis Ababa. But no, it’s Munich, very close to Germany’s most expensive city, which you can’t even guess at here in the backyard of the “Rotes Meer” restaurant.
The backyard isn’t very wide, the houses are tall, and two deciduous trees spread a wondrous canopy over the tables. Building materials are piled up in the corner, and there seems to be a beauty salon in the back building. Welcome to the outdoor seating area of the “Rotes Meer” restaurant, which is not indicated on the busy Lindwurmstraße. If you want to sit outside, you have to tell the extremely friendly man at the bar, then he will take you out and unlock a heavy lattice gate to the courtyard and lead the guests down a long driveway, then around the corner. Peffekoven doesn’t want to be misunderstood: it’s a very poetic place, and in its phenomenal incompleteness it’s also decidedly un-Munich.
Inside, the restaurant is sparsely furnished, colorful light patterns dance across the ceiling, Afropop sounds, and the guests on Peffekoven’s visits were mostly Eritreans, it seemed; friendly people, by the way, who gave him music tips, where to see which singer on YouTube.
Eritrea is an old cultural country on the Horn of Africa and unfortunately not at all spoiled by recent history and the present. The national cuisine is correspondingly little known here. This is similar to that of neighboring Ethiopian, which is why the “Red Sea” offers dishes from both countries. A large platter of flatbread, lightly leavened, is placed on the table Ingeras, and a bowl of thick stew. Each guest breaks the bread and takes something out of the bowl, whereby everyone gets their own potty out of consideration for European eating habits. Incidentally, in Eritrea it is considered extremely bad manners to touch your lips with your fingers.
Every ball, every sauce seems to have its own color. A dinner in a larger circle becomes a wonderfully colorful affair – and a tasty one, because the dishes are cooked at a remarkable level, even if the restaurant looks very simple. The appetizers convinced Kinchebarley in spiced butter with various herbs as well Ye’ Siga Sambusa, very spicy dumplings filled with spicy beef, onions and herbs. Or you order a plate of mixed starters and don’t even want to start, the colors harmonize so beautifully.
Inside, the restaurant is sparsely furnished, the guests are probably mostly Eritreans.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The main dishes work according to the principle: you take a piece of the sour flatbread, which initially tastes a bit bitter and unusual – don’t worry, the Ingera harmonises fantastically with the stews! -, and dips it. The one listed as the Eritrean national dish was excellent Il Dorovot: a tender chicken leg, stewed in a spicy sauce with spices and herbs, served with cream cheese and a hard-boiled egg.
Most of the main dishes are variants of it, but with an amazing variety of tastes: instead of the spicy sauce, there is the chicken leg (or chicken breast if you wish) in a milder version, seasoned with turmeric. Doro Tips is prepared differently again: marinated and fried chicken with onions, tomatoes, pepperoni and spices. You can determine the sharpness yourself when ordering. The same dishes are also available with beef (“from tender alpine beef”, the menu promises, and it was really very tender) or lamb.
The restaurant review “Kostprobe” in the Süddeutsche Zeitung has a long tradition: it has been published weekly in the local section since 1975, and online for a few years now and with a rating scale. About a dozen editors with culinary expertise from all departments – from Munich, science to politics – take turns writing about the city’s gastronomy. The choice is endless, the Bavarian economy is just as important as the Greek fish restaurant, the American fast food chain, the special bratwurst stand or the gourmet restaurant decorated with stars. The special thing about the SZ taster: The authors write under pseudonyms, often with a culinary touch. They go into the restaurant to be tested unnoticed about two or three times, depending on how long the budget given by the editors lasts. Iron basic rules: a grace period of one hundred days for the kitchen of a new restaurant to familiarize itself. And: Never get caught working as a restaurant critic – to be able to describe food and drink, service and atmosphere impartially. SZ
For vegetarians, the group tested three main dishes, all of which were very successful: Atikltwot (mild vegetables stewed in their own juice with fresh herbs), then misirvot (peeled brown lentils in a spicy sauce with cream cheese) and Shirovat (“the vegetarian national dish”): ground peas in a seasoned sauce, with tomato and cucumber salad, refreshing and spicy at the same time. It doesn’t always have to be meat.
A visit to the “Red Sea” is a small gastronomic adventure, but it’s worth it. The prices are reasonable by Munich standards (starters from 6 euros, main courses from 11.50 (vegetarian) and 13.90 (chicken), the sugar-sweet, tempting baklaba with honey and cinnamon for dessert 3.80 euros. There is also a small one , but fine selection of South African wines. The staff is extremely friendly and happy to explain all the dishes and local eating habits. They can do that better than Peffekoven, so: just try it!
Red Seaaddress: Lindwurmstraße 33, 80337 Munich, telephone: 089/20565075, Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 4 p.m. to 11.30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 2.30 p.m. to midnight, Sunday 2.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.