Small restaurant in Bonn-Endenich Tibetan chef serves up diners in a converted garage
Endenich · Teki grew up in the highlands of Amdo. He mission is to make people happy with his cooking, and he certainly does that in Bonn. He serves momos and homemade noodles from a converted garage space in Endenich.
Teki was hit by culture shock when he arrived from Tibet ten years ago. "There have been many tough challenges since then, just like for a baby," he says, because life is very different here. His family back home lives a nomadic life in the highlands of the Amdo region. They roam with the yak herds. Teki learned to survive there - and to look after the animals. "We don't need cash; nature provides us with food." That's not the only thing that’s different for him living in Germany. People's self-centeredness is a problem for him. "Everyone just says me and my space, my house." He finds that to be rather cold. It's different in Asia, he says, much more emotional.
The culture shock has dissipated over time, but the homesickness has stayed with him. Fortunately, there is the internet and video calls are possible as well. When asked what he likes about Germany, the 36-year-old says without thinking twice: Democracy. "But what I don't like is the bureaucracy.”
When two worlds collided, cooking was a comforting experience which gave him a sense of being connected. There were Tibetan recipes. At home, it is the women who cook; he inherited the passion from his grandmother. "I wanted to open a restaurant." His idea for that: "Simple, but good." He ended up in Cologne, in Sülz to be precise, and opened "Down to Earth". The menu includes momos - steamed dumplings - with various fillings and homemade noodles.
Teki is driven by an idea. Using the best ingredients, and with a small but attractive menu requiring relatively short preparation time, he wants to take on the fast food chains. His mission: "To make people happy with my food.”
A hidden treasure on the autobahn
He came to Bonn in search of other locations that fit his vision. By chance, he met an elderly woman on the street called Wiesenweg in Endenich. It was Rosi from Rosi’s Grill, she used to be in the space in the garage where he now cooks for customers. On days when it is warm enough, they can sit outside - with a panoramic view of the autobahn and the traffic. Not exactly romantic. But that's just how Teki imagined it. A "hidden treasure", he says.
The snack bar is now called Kleiner Herd - Großes Feuer, in English this means something like “Small stove - big fire”. There is room for a handful of diners inside. Customers can see into the small kitchen with four hotplates, special steam pots, a counter for serving food and a fridge. Teki runs the place with two other Tibetans, Tenzin and Dawa. Most people who come order take-out food.
"Yum," says a university student, who is apparently in charge of feeding hungry students in a large shared flat. He is out the door quickly with the take-out order. A Chinese student at the counter can barely contain his hunger. He stabs a dumpling with his chopsticks. In a preserving jar is also some inexpensive cutlery made of tin. On display is a prayer chain, a Buddha picture and flag souvenirs - are they from Tibet? Teki laughs. No, he says and explains that customers brought them for him.
Kleiner Herd - Großes Feuer, Wiesenweg 40, has a website with contact details and opening hours. Bonn Tibetan food is also available at Tibet Imbiss, Clemens-August-Strasse 39; at Himalayak Restaurant, Graurheindorfer Strasse 61, and at Bistro Tibetische Küche, Römerstrasse 237.
(Orig. text: Jutta Specht / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
