I remember my first days in Kyiv well, as forgettable as they were. It was five years ago and the city had no middle-class restaurants worth noting. Kyivans had the choice of dining out in Soviet-style cafes, McDonald’s restaurants or really expensive places where you daren’t walk in without a thick wad of C-notes to cover the high cost of dining. I love eating out and yet I hardly ate out at all.
These days, I can’t keep up with all the new, mid-priced restaurants that keep popping up all over the capital. The latest edition of the Lonely Planet guide, written by a Moscow-based stringer, seems to posit that what was true five years ago of the city’s dining scene remains so. That’s utter nonsense, and Kyiv Post readers are quickly taking note of this rapidly emerging trend.
Ex-pat expertise
Delving into the history of honestly priced eats, it’s hardly surprising that the first middle-class restaurants in Kyiv were opened by ex-pats. German Eric Aigner of the Eric’s Family group has built a solid reputation on establishments serving good, wholesome German food in healthy portions and for low prices. Visitors to Art Club 44, Eric’s Bierstube, Viola’s Bierstube and all the rest, including his Tapas Tapas Spanish restaurant, will be hard-pressed to find dishes costing more than Hr 50 ($10); most typically top out at Hr 40 ($8). The seats might be wooden, but the patrons rarely so, and the places are all lively, inviting and cozy.
The same goes for Euan MacDonald’s miniscule hole in the wall, the Drum. For those who can find it, tucked into that little alley off Prorizna, the menu they’ll find is simple but good. The nutty rice burger is the only vegetarian burger in town, the fries are great, the burgers even better, and the chicken hero sandwich and breakfasts always sell well. And the best part? None of these items costs more than Hr 40.
And, while not ex-pat run, the pair of Opera Cafe and Hairy Lemon Cafe serve up reasonable American standards, steak, burgers, fries and breakfasts all, for something approximating pocket change. The cheeseburger at either place goes for Hr 20 and is simply a steal.
Winning formulas
While Aigner has continued to open restaurants nearly every year since 44 opened in 2001, including his most recent venture, Schnitzel House, it took a while for other restaurants to catch onto the idea of combining cheap eats with a cool and trendy atmosphere. Shalena (“Crazyâ€) Mama brought diner-style eating to the city in 2003, as well as dishes named for Rolling Stones albums and songs. As odd as the names are, the food is good and the prices right. Most dishes, from sweet and sour pork to spring rolls, chicken wings, cheesy fries and steak, range from Hr 30 to Hr 40.
Soon after Shalena Mama got going, the Moskovska 22 complex, which includes Shooter’s nightclub, opened with Limoncello restaurant, recently re-launched as Limoncello Fusion. From pizzas and pastas to Asian fusion dishes and even Tex-Mex offerings, Limoncello Fusion serves everything using original recipes and as many local ingredients as possible. Personable Limoncello Fusion Head Chef Mike McDermott has been running restaurants in Ukraine for years. Need a recommendation on food? Ask to speak to him, as he’s always willing to tweak recipes to suit customers’ tastes.
Adding Spanish and Italian flavor to the mix, La Paella Spanish restaurant and Primavera Italian restaurant opened just a few years ago and continue to improve, serving up dishes such as, well, paella and pasta primavera at affordable prices.
A lull followed the opening of Shalena Mama and Limoncello Fusion, but then the Orange Revolution happened in late 2004 and the city really moved forward quickly. In recent months I’ve talked to local ex-pat restaurateurs who tell me that the new government has really helped open the border, allowing food to be brought in much faster and, consequently, much cheaper, too.
A true breakthrough
Since the revolution no fewer than six great new places have opened up in or near the center. They all boast excellent service, pleasantly trendy interiors and menus that are not overly deep but accessible in the extreme. I am speaking of in no particular order Pleasure Cafe, Sochi, Chocolade, Lame Paul’s, Liquor and Talgen.
With the exception of Sochi and Liquor, which just opened in recent weeks, the others have been plugging happily along and growing more popular by the day. While too many “new Ukrainians†have busied themselves opening up over-priced, over-glorified dining rooms to serve themselves and their elitist network of friends, not nearly enough regular Ukrainians have tried to go the way of the above-mentioned places.
Take Pleasure Cafe: walk in and there’s co-owner Viola Kim (of Viola’s Bierstube fame) smiling happily, chatting away with friends, welcoming customers with even more fervor than her hostesses. Just the other night I stopped by and she gave me a grand tour of the place (including the cool karaoke room) and the menu. She said that, in all honesty, she could never be part of a business that ignored regular, working-class people. Dishes at Pleasure Cafe begin around Hr 20 and top out at Hr 50.
It’s nice to finally have some reasonable dining options out there. I wonder if the gang at the Lonely Planet will take notice.
Chocolade
39-41 Shota Rustaveli, 289-0194.
Lame Paul’s (U Khromoho Pola)
4 Suvorova, 280-5007.
Liquor
19 Yaroslaviv Val, 235-4545.
Pleasure Cafe
3 Sportyvna, 496-4135.
Sochi
44 Shchorsa, 202-0260.
Talgen
32 Chervonoarmiyska, 502-6537.
by Paul Miazga, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
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