The Knockturnal recently attended a tasting hosted by Ras Plant Based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
The delightful Ethiopian restaurant features locally sourced, organic, plant-based, kosher-certified dishes. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by chef Romeo Regalli and his wife Milka. Regalli was recently named a James Beard semi-finalist for best chef in New York State.
Ras recently launched lunch and brunch menus and features an innovative cocktail program, new mocktails, and raw desserts. Check out some pics of the latest offerings below!
The restaurant also hosts local DJs on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to close and Sundays for brunch. The menu was inspired by Romeo and Milka’s great grandmothers.
We started our meal with a delicious appetizer called Sambusa. We tried a lentil and a squash Sambusa. Sambusa is a flaky pastry shell filled with mixed vegetables, lentils, or squash. This is a can’t miss starter!
Next up, for our main course, we had mushroom tibs, made of tender button shrooms, tomatoes, and jalapeños. We also got to sample Mercato, which is a platter dish. Named after a spice market in Ethiopia, the dish consists of string beans, carrots, cabbage, carrots and bell peppers, shiro (Slow Simmered Chick Pea; Holy Basil), missir (Slow Simmered Red Lentil Stew) and gomen (Steamed Collards). On the side we enjoyed injera rolls. Injera is a crepe-like flatbread. The food was fantastic and so filling.
There is beautiful Ethiopian art on the walls and intimate lighting. The restaurant has a bar as well.
For dessert we enjoyed sorrel chai iced tea and Ethiopian coffee paired with a vegan cheesecake and a vegan red velvet cake.
The service was excellent and we can’t wait to visit again soon.
