Food
Kishmish:
An Exotic blend of Tea club, cocktail bar and restaurant
wristwatch (a rarity in Soviet Azerbaijan) and John Paul II, a papal medal! That being the case, I think it can be truthfully said that the dapper 56 year old, knows a thing or two about quality service. You will find Yashar at the entrance to Kishmish (Azeri for raisin), ready to greet you with a warm smile and to usher you into the gorgeous, eclectically decorated interior. Owned by prominent Azerbaijani architect Elchin Aliyev, the venue opened some five years ago, as a place you could go to drink one of its sixty varieties of fine teas from around the world, in a sophisticated environment. Since then, it has developed into a venue where you can go to drink fine wines from France, Italy and the new world or enjoy light meal. “We offer speciality teas from India, China, Japan, Moldova, Pakistan and many other countries, including of course, Azerbaijan!” he told me as we sat chatting in the comfortable seating area surrounded by Persian miniatures, a collection of ornate teapots and old pictures of Elchin Aliyev’s family dating back to pre-Soviet times.
Only in Baku would you find a tea “club” managed by man who once waited table for Leonid Brezhnev and Pope John Paul II. Not at the same time, that would be asking for too much, but it is true that Yashar Nabataliyev pleased both men with his service. Brezhnev presented him with a
by Steve Hollier
I happened to walk into the club on the very day Yashar introduced the food menu and had a light lunch with my friend Ibrahim, who had recommended the place to me. We had arrived in the old city half an hour early for a meeting, something that cannot be allowed to happen in Baku and therefore we were looking for a constructive way to spend the intervening period. We ordered a pot of Azeri tea and two plates of Russian salad that arrived freshly made, soon afterwards. Unlike
other versions of the same dish I have eaten here, Yashar’s Russian Salad was not overwhelmed by the dressing and was full of neatly cut pieces of fresh cucumber, diced boiled potato and other vegetables. On the table sat two small dishes of the venue’s trademark kishmish or raisins. Like everything else here, they were of the finest quality and a pleasure to consume… Kishmish is not a common or garden teashop. It is exclusive and as such not cheap. A pot of tea for two, plus a light lunch for two cost me 25AZN. Mind you, I have paid much more for less in Baku, so it still represents value for money! I checked through the menu and noted that a pot of tea for two costs up to 12.90AZN, but that that is for Yashar’s “top secret” blend of Kishmish tea. More ordinary pots cost around 6AZN. Food is modestly priced, with a Greek salad or a brochette costing 5.50AZN. Currently, the venue is open from 2pm until midnight but Yashar would like to open from 7am in the near future, to provide an elegant petit dejeuner for business people and a venue for “power breakfasts”. To find Kishmish, enter the Old City through the double-gate, turn immediately right and you will find it 100 metres up the hill on the left-hand side.
Street address: Kiçik qala küç., 108 (Içeri Sheher) Telephone: (+994 12) 492-91-82, (+994 50) 492-91-82 Opening hours: 14:00-24:00 Website: http://www.kishmish.az 54 | mag ine | october 2011