This new restaurant is a true a gem – from tasteful presentation to superbly cooked and truly delicious food. You will find Korkoro just down Namibia Street past Mado Hotel near Bole Atlas (in a converted old villa). On the night I went with friends, executive chef and General Manager, Seife was able to give us his full attention and in addition to feeding us extremely well he was able to chat and tell us about his really fascinating and interesting personal background.
The word Korkoro is Japanese and means “From the Heart”. The restaurant is not Japanese per say but serves a range of fusion style dishes. Seife lived in Japan for over 20 years however where he opened a very popular Ethiopian restaurant “Addis Spice & Herb Grille” in Tokyo which still operates.
As the youngest child of a large family, growing up in Addis Ababa, Seife became interested in food preparation at home assisting his mother preparing the family meals. It is from her that he learned the basic tools of the trade. Going on to pursue a career in the food and hospitality industry was something he was interested in from a young age and was a logical next career step. Opportunity knocked and his journey from Addis first took him to North Korea as a waiter for the Ethiopian Embassy during the Derg period. From North Korea he went on to Japan, where he was able to accept a job working as a sous chef in Japan at the US Embassy. He recalls serving President Bush among other diplomats. Inevitably perfecting his skills and learning the art of being a senior chef and cooking meals for diplomats and world leaders, it was to time to think of working for himself and opening his own restaurant. After establishing and running his successful Ethiopian restaurant in Tokyo and having left Addis during the turbulent Derg period, Seife still nurtured the dream to return home one day.
Returning home to Addis after decades away led to Seife opening and running of Korkoro. Each dish is presented with finesse and the food prepared in an open kitchen you can view, is truly delicious. In addition to fine dining for lunch or dinner, you can enjoy brunch on the terrace.
+251 985022222 or 0965445532