The last time I was at Lalibela in Kimihurura over six months ago, it was coffee on my mind: strong aromatic and heavily spiced coffee that Ethiopia is known for. That time, after downing two small cups of my coffee brew, I was left drenched in sweat and actually suffered a mild head ache. Such is the power of Ethiopian spices that it took me a few more outings just to get to grips. More on that later.

We visited the place again on Thursday, this time for the lunch buffer, and what greeted us outside were road construction workers preparing to set tarmac to the once treacherous dirt road. If there is one thing regulars agree was a bloat to Lalibela’s well-earned reputation, it was that road.

More pleasant surprises awaited us on stepping into the facility, as a new garden bar had sprouted up in the lawns. Soon we found that it’s actually not new, but the same bar that once belonged in the main house.

Basically, what Lalibela has done is to combine great dishes with traditional Ethiopian hospitality.

Their main buffet runs from midday to 3:00 pm (Monday to Friday), and in true Ethiopian style, is quite eccentric (where else in Kigali will you find a buffet that is purely vegetarian)?

As we queued up for the buffet, we learnt that this is actually one of the defining aspects about Ethiopian food –generally vegetarian leaning. The other is Injera, the flat, spongy bread made from fermented teff flour, and that on my first visit to Lalibela I mistook for wet hand towels.

Indeed on the extensive buffet table, Injera was the first item, dolled up neatly in small mounds. There were lots of unique and rare Ethiopian spices that went into the cooking, evident from the heavenly aroma that engulfed the buffet hall.

The lunch buffet typically attracts the lunch meeting crowds, and is priced at Rwf4,000. Going by what I saw at tables adjacent to mine, it is safe to say that Ethiopian food is some of the best from the continent.

The weekday buffet is complimented by two special buffets; the dinner buffet on Wednesday nights, and the grand buffet, come Fridays.

The Wednesday dinner buffet also doubles as ladies’ night, where ladies get 30 % discount on the buffet, plus a free soft drink. This is the perfect option for the romantic types, as the night is a candle lit, bon fire and barbecue affair.

Meat lovers can take solace in the Friday grand buffet, which runs from 7:00 -10:00 pm, and from which one can fill up on lamb, chicken, and beef.

Come Saturdays, guests are treated to a special traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony that involves live roasting of coffee beans to bring that endemic aroma unique to Ethiopian spices. After all, it is said that coffee traces its origins in Ethiopia, the original home of the coffee plant.