Bilan could be the most unknown restaurant in Columbus. It has one, I repeat, one mention on Google at somaliscoop.com, but the yellow pages listing has it mistakenly listed as Dilan. Driving by it, one would have no idea that it is a Somali restaurant. The name is generic sounding, the sign only says breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there is a cryptic looking map on their sign that is almost surely not Somalia. It’s in a tiny little strip mall where a small supermarket used to be the cornerstone, which then turned into a Vietnamese supermarket, I think. Needless to say, it was long closed. There’s not much to speak for Bilan’s exterior, nor its interior. There are a few Somali decorations inside, along with a very nice TV, but other than that, it’s rather plain. I was welcomed in by someone sitting down in the restaurant, but aside from the chef, the waiter, and a kid who had to have been some relation to them, and one diner, the establishment was empty. From the shouting that greeted me when I entered to the flavors that followed, it was clear that this wouldn’t be your typical meal.
The menu is split into breakfast, lunch, and dinner sections, although I couldn’t quite figure out why the dishes were split up in the way that they were, only that it must be Somali tradition. They all seemed to be either pasta, rice, or stew-like dishes, some served with a banana, which appears to be a popular accoutrement at Somali restaurants. Pasta may be surprising, but as we all remember from high school history, Somalia was targeted by Italy during African imperialism in the late 1800’s, and while Somalia resisted major Italian influence, Italy successfully took over parts of the country. They finally took over the whole thing during a portion of World War II, before sort of losing it after the war and completely in 1960. Hence, the pasta. Most of the dinner dishes come with canjeero, which is pretty similar to an Ethiopian injera bread. 
This bread, which is filled with little holes, is more reminiscent of a pancake, and is good to soup up the sauces and juices of Somali dishes. But as we got our dishes and tasted them, it was clear that Bilan was a trip down memory lane rather than a mind-blowingly new culinary experience.
The muufo with chicken steak was rice served with chicken that was pounded down, chopped up, and grilled, and let’s just say it sported some familiar flavors. The rice was something right out of India—flavorful Basmati long grain, with some bright orange and yellow grains providing great color for the dish. The chicken was seasoned very well, and the chef provided some nice char and well-doneness to the chicken that made certain bites heavenly. Cooked onions and peppers gave the dish a nice crunch as well.
Another dish, kirish o mirish, which according to the waiter was going to contain chapatti, did not but still had a very similar preparation of chicken, with some different spices, only this time served with what appeared to be thick rice noodles…where have I seen this before??? Ah yes, the old Thai standard Pad see ew. These noodles picked up some of the same flavor as the chicken, including the char, which was so reminiscent and the closest thing I’ve seen to how the master preparers of Pad see ew at Thai Aree in Chicago make the dish.
The muufo with beef stewed had little cubes of beef served up with recently added onions, green peppers, and tomatoes, with the inclusion of some cilantro to give it another dimension of flavor. The beef cubes were a little tough, and had little piece of fat on them, but the taste was almost surely familiar…it sort of reminded me of pot roast, or, well I’ll be, beef stew! And the sauce…yes, exactly like beef stew. An enormous surprise to see the American home-cooked classic cooked to a tee by Somali immigrants, but yes, that’s exactly how it tasted. So while it did taste like beef stew, I wasn’t exactly in the mood. The waiter put out two sauces on the table, and I wanted to see if I could adjust the flavor of the beef stew sauce. I asked what the two sauces were, and he said, “this one…is ranch. This one, is hot sauce.” I tossed some of the hot sauce on without thinking twice, and, what was this, yet another piece of the meal recognized by my tongue! It tasted like Mexican green salsa, like the tomatillo, jalepeno based ones. This one kicks butt, however, probably one of the best ones I’ve ever had. I asked him what was in it and he said, “Oh, jalepenos, garlic, vinegar, green and red pepper (read: chile pepper), cilantro, blended together.” Why if that’s not a recipe for salsa if I’ve ever heard one. He saw me enjoying it so much, that he happily added some to my takeout bag. EDIT: I just had a little of this hot sauce on some leftover pasta. Man, did it kick my butt. I had half the one ounce container and thought I wasn’t going to make it through dinner. So hot sauce aficionados, be warned…
On my way out, I asked about some bags filled with what looked to be a dessert sitting in a display case. He said that they were tradition Somali sweet biscuits that were served with tea after a meal. I got some and tried them with some tea; the flavors won’t be anything you haven’t had before, their just sugar and flour, sort of firm unless you dip them in the tea. But like much of the tastes at Bilan, you’ve probably had them before. Whether in an Ethiopian, Indian, Italian, restaurant, or in your own home, you’ve seen these flavors. And they’ve rarely been executed as well, or in a more unlikely atmosphere…
Bilan Restaurant
Columbus, OH 43224
614-337-2442
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