Mama Abena’s Ayiti Restaurant

''Tired of the ubiquitous pub-fare? Well, have I got a rare treat for you!''



In the language of Haitian Creole the name of the Republic of Haiti is rendered Repiblik Ayiti, and Mama Abena’s Ayiti Restaurant serves up spicy dishes with the same authenticity by the restaurant’s hardworking, almost magic-imbued cook, Sebastian.

''“'Ey, Jason boo! How you doin'?”''

Remedi "Jumbie-Bead" Maissade, the restaurant's biggest fan, and sometimes-femme maître d' , greeted me warmly by name the moment I walked in the door.

Remedi "Jumbie-Bead" Maissade at Mama Abena's Ayiti Restaurant

''“A'ight, Jason! You gonna love a little Manje Kreyol, an' no mistakin'.”''

The classic Manje Kreyol, or Haitian cuisine, Seb prepares night after night in his small kitchen is based on fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, and meats such as poul (chicken), bèf (beef), or kabrit (goat meat), with often-liberal use of spices and peppers.

Remedi started me with diri kole ak pwa, which is brown rice and kidney beans, with a marinade, and topped with tender red snapper and skillet-browned tomatoes.

This was followed by griot, which Seb makes with the tenderest sliced spice-pork you’ll ever encounter, swimming in a thick, spicy, orange-based sauce, all laid out on top of a bed of dirty rice, garnished with a slice of lemon. The rice is cooked with a little chicken, giving it a ‘dirty’ appearance and a flavor that competes nicely with the pepper in the bitter orange-sauce.

Desert was a wonderful chilled Mango fresco served in a carton with a wooden slat to spoon it up with, just as Haitian street-vendors would serve it in the streets of Jacmel.

Typical evening at the Ayiti Restaurant

For vegetarians, Seb can whip up a meatless Legim, a thick vegetable stew consisting of a mashed mixture of eggplant, cabbage, chayote, spinach, watercress and other vegetables, flavored with epis, onions, garlic, and tomato paste,

Sebastian cooking up some Manje Kreyol magic.

Another dish Seb specializes in is Tchaka, a hearty stew consisting of hominy, beans, joumou (pumpkin), and pork, which is served with a side of honey bread for dipping, and fried okra.

Ayiti also serves many beers, such as the Haitian Prestige lager, and specializes in Haitian rum and Kremas'  drinks, several of which are made with some of the many tropical juices common to Haiti.

A couple enjoying drinks at the bar (Thank you to Inanna & Pancratius)

There is a distinct Third World meets Old World charm in this Darkside restaurant, and I found it to be a very nice place for a small group, or a romantic couple, to just be able to sit down at the bar and chat, share a few Haitian-influenced cocktails, or have a very nice dinner, all in a relatively quiet and secluded setting.

-  by Jason "Jaise" Maier.