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Food

Togolese: Relais de Savanne

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Mama Africa’, the unbelievably energetic Assibi Wartenburg serves up tasty Togo-style treats from the entirely self-run HQ of her nonprofit Deutsch-Togoischer Freundeskreis.

Image for Togolese: Relais de Savanne
Photo by Danilo Sierra

Housed in the laid-back HQ of her nonprofit Deutsch-Togoischer Freundeskreis e.V., Assibi Wartenberg serves up some wholesome Togo-style home cooking.

Start with one of her best dishes: the huge Avocado Salad (€7), topped with shrimp and dressed in a delicious vinaigrette whose exact ingredients are Assibi’s secret. Follow it up with beef in peanut butter sauce (€10), some starchy plantain fufu or a vegetarian stew (€7) served with a choice of rice or millet couscous. The fish plate (€12) comes with steamed yams, rice, plantains or sweet potatoes. There are also spicy baked bananas with beans. Have some ice cream or fresh fruit salad for dessert.

The place is entirely run by the unbelievably energetic Assibi, a trained nurse who, apart from cooking and serving food, running her association and being involved in a myriad of charities and community work (which earned her the nickname of ‘Mama Africa’) is working on an ambitious project to build a hospital in her native Togo.