Ebe Ano a Nigerian Restaurant in Berlin, Germany

Ebe Ano restaurant

Penultimate week, I was in Berlin as part of a Lufthansa press trip. Despite running on a tight schedule, I squeezed out time to visit the Nigerian embassy there. My host at the embassy was the Head of Chancery, Mukthar Bashir. During our meeting, he suggested lunch and the choice was the Nigerian restaurant that has steadily been attracting acclaim, Ebe Ano.

This would be my first visit to Ebe Ano, despite spending close to two weeks in Berlin earlier in the year. Then, I was part of a Nigerian delegation to the ITB Berlin expo. At the time, everyone but me pined for Nigerian food. I scoffed at the idea. After all, I eat Nigerian all the time at home, why would I confine myself to the familiar when there was a wide range of options to try in a cosmopolitan city like Berlin?  Mexican cuisine? Yes. Turkish? For sure. Italian? You bet.

Ebe Ano seemed to have left an impression on the others though, so this time around, I decided to find out what the fuss was about.
As a practicing Muslim, Mr Bashir was observing the Ramadan fast, so he got an official of the embassy to take me to  Ebe Ano. Located on Pohl Strasse and close to Posdamer Strasse,   Ebe Ano is easily accessible. It blends in with other restaurants, bistros and cafes in the vicinity. Nothing really prepares you for the surprise that hits you when the food arrives. For example, the lady who took my order is European. She spoke Italian.

To put  Ebe Ano to the test, I decided not to go through the menu but rather, ask for pounded-yam, vegetables and fish, a meal which I must admit I hadn’t taken in a while.

The initial surprise came when I realized the choice of drink was Nigerian: Nigerian soft drinks and beer are as you have them in Lagos, for example. Apparently, they are imported into Germany from Nigeria, just to make sure the Nigerian experience is total.

The range of food on offer is impressive too: Jollof rice, Fried Plantain and Yam, stick meat, Egusi soup and more. And my pounded-yam with vegetables? Let’s just  say it ranks among the best I’ve ever had. The soup had what a friend of mine calls “go slow” which could be anything from shrimps to diced meat. My guide, noticing my satisfaction, commented that “…and to believe it’s a man who prepares these meals.”

The owner and chief chef, Valentine Nnamani, joins us for a few minutes, white apron hanging from his neck. He explains how he got this far. After a few years of work, he got laid off by Bilfinger Berger (Julius Berger’s parent company) due to problems with speaking German. But rather than go back to Nigeria, he started cooking out of his house for friends. The food sold itself.

According to him, he got his culinary skills from his mother. “My mum used to train women who were about to get married how to take care of a man. Of course, cooking good food is a prerequisite. I learnt by paying close attention.” That knowledge has proven valuable. Now, his market is not only Nigerian but African and beyond.

“We get daily requests from the embassies of South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda and many other Africans. Many Europeans also patronize us and they are pleasantly surprised that we have food we can call our own,” said the Nnamani, whose outlet is now a duly registered organization in Berlin.

From being jobless, he now makes a good living while also spreading Nigerian culture - through food – to the world

By Demola Ojo