Restaurants Ukrainian Kanapa Restaurant Saloon C-2, H-1, Andriivskiy Uzviz
19A, tel. (+380) 44 425 45 48, www.kanapa-restaurant. kiev.ua. A very upscale Ukrainian restaurant right in the midst of Ukraine’s main tourist trap. The dishes are huge and colourful not your ordinary Ukrainian food as in most places. An average complete meal for 2 will run around 1,000Hr. And if you are on one of the terraces - the view is spectacular! The original structure of the building dates back to the 17th century and has been beautifully restored. There are lovely paintings decorating the place and are for sale as well. Do not forget to visit the shop as you leave and take home some handmade gifts. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. PAEGW
Kniazhyi Grad C-3, H-2, Velyka Zhytomyrska 2,
MMaidan Nezalezhnosti, tel. (+380) 44 278 06 41, www.knyazhiy-grad.com. It was like entering a huge throne room. Located under the Diplomatic Institute, this cellar has been marvellously transformed. There are stones pillars and arches throughout with swords and plaster figures set in them. The cuisine is traditional Russian and Ukrainian with an average meal costing around 400Hr. QOpen :00 - 24:00. PALGSW
Kult RA C-3, Volodymyrs’ka 4, MZoloti Vorota, tel. (+380) 44 331 59 48, www.kultra.org. This is a journey in time to Pre-Christian Ukraine. The staff wears traditional costumes and speaks some English. The décor is “early Ukrainian”, like being in an old village. There is nothing on the menu that was not in the “Pagan” times, hence no tomatoes or potatoes. The organic menu is reasonably priced and in English. A specialty is the mustached cat fish fillet smoked in vegetables for 106Hr. We tried the fried trout in herbs with beets and celery and found it great! There are homemade liquors and Ceriman herbal teas to enjoy. The place is absolutely non-smoking. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. PAGW Kureni D-6, Parkova doroha 4, tel. (+380) 44 253 17
24/(+380) 44 360 56 24, www.carteblanche.ua/en/. Kureni, one of the oldest restaurants in Kyiv, has reopened after renovations. Chef Natalia Bondareva offers Ukrainian cuisine and follows the modern European traditions. The restaurant represents a truly outdoor style, but it is located in the centre of the city. The Ukrainian hospitality along with a breathtaking view of the Dnipro river and surrounding natural landscape make this place exceptionally unique. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. €€ PAUILEGBXS
Pervak A-5, H-3, Rohnidyns’ka 2, ML’va Tostoho, tel. (+380) 44 235 09 52, www.pervak.kiev.ua. Take a trip back in time to early 20th century Kyiv. The décor includes the showing of silent movies, and the restaurant itself is on the site of a famous merchant’s house. A friendly wait staff in costumes serves up a variety of hearty Ukrainian dishes with inventive names. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. €€€ AE
Sinoval H-3, Saksahans’koho 40, tel. (+380) 44 289 54 75, www.sino.com.ua. It is a different sort of place which one finds out upon entry and is greeted with a bathtub full of fish. The décor is kind of flea market with old radios, typewriters, books, and assorted knickknacks scattered throughout. The cuisine is Ukrainian with an average meal running just 100Hr or so. There is a delicious lunch served daily for just 39Hr. One can see the daily special on line in their very interesting web-site. There is no English menu nor English speaking staff when we were there - but in such a relaxed atmosphere - there is bound to be another guest happy to help out. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00.
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Decoding the menu
Ukrainian dishes show a sophisticated simplicity based on pleasing combinations of fresh, pickled, and smoked ingredients. While cooking techniques are not complicated, dishes may contain a great number of ingredients and unusual combinations, such as shuba salad which combines pickled herring and beets. Food is neither highly spiced nor bland, but skilfully seasoned to perfection. Bread, is of course the mainstay of the Ukrainian diet. The country’s reputation as the “breadbasket of Europe” is well deserved. The French writer Honore de Balzac, who lived in Ukraine for four years, counted 77 different ways of preparing bread. It is such a central part of the diet here that there is a custom to give honoured guests and departing or arriving travellers the gift of a loaf of bread and salt. This tradition is still used in welcoming ceremonies for dignitaries and other important persons. Another staple of Ukrainian diet is kasha or what would be called “mush” in America and “porridge” in Britain. Borshch is certainly the national dish of Ukraine, even making its appearance on the menus of Chinese and Italian restaurants in Kyiv. This uniquely Ukrainian soup has been adopted by other countries in the region, but as recently as 45 years ago it could not even be found in restaurants in other Soviet republics. The many versions of borshch served throughout the country reflect the individuality of Ukrainians as well as their ingenuity. The beet-based soup can contain as many as 20 different ingredients, depending on the season, region, and of course, personal preference of the cook. It can be meatless or prepared from a rich meat stock and contain either beef or smoked pork. The availability of ingredients for traditional cooking are often dependent on the season, so most varieties of vegetables sometimes make their appearance in certain dishes in their pickled form. You also might find that certain dishes listed on a menu might not be available at certain times of year. Salads are very common, but rather than being lettucebased, combinations of fresh, cooked, and preserved vegetables may be mixed with meat, cheese, or fish. With so many different recipes, the only constant of Ukrainian salads are the presence of vinegar or mayonnaise. Varenyky are dumplings made from boiled or fried dough, resembling ravioli without red sauce. They can be filled with meat, potatoes, cabbage, and sometimes mushrooms for as an entrée, or sour cherries or sweetened cottage cheese and raisins as a dessert. Any kind can be accompanied by butter or sour crème. The word holubtsi can be translated into “little pigeons,” but really has nothing to do with fowl of any kind. They are cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice or buckwheat and often covered with a thin tomato sauce. For a uniquely Ukrainian drink, try kvas, a slightly sweet non-alcoholic beverage with a wheat-like taste sold from giant tanks on wheels in the summer throughout the city.
Winter 2013 - 2014
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