All of us on the Post editorial team used to love this place (everyone knew what was meant by “at Chinese.”) First of all, it was conveniently situated downstairs next to our office; secondly, it served decent ethnic food for very modest prices – a combination rarely found within the Kyiv restaurant scene. So when “Victory” was forced to leave its premises on Lesi Ukrainky and move away we all missed it badly – and we still do. After all it was the best – and certainly the healthiest – lunch spot around. But we finally have good news. After a few months the place finally reopened on a secluded street in Podil, where me and two other Post colleagues finally tracked it down last week.

Situated in an industrial area and placed inside some sort of warehouse the new “Victory” resembles the original only by the familiar Chinese paintings hanging on the walls, while the rest of the interior is quite different – now there are three halls instead of one, including a small room with a round table for a special feast. But the most important feature of the restaurant has remained – it’s still managed by the same team headed by the hospitable owner each of us knew so well: Li Jing Long, who often introduces himself as Kolya.

When we came, the restaurant was empty for the most part, with only one table occupied by a noisy group. The eatery is set to open officially by the time this issue comes out but on the day of our visit it was still unofficially open for friends. However, when we asked Kolya aka Li about the people we saw he admitted he didn’t know them.

The menu we were offered was the old version we remembered of slightly over a hundred dishes.  Li claimed the new menu was already in print and would carry about 270 items, all in three languages – Russian, English and Chinese.

Instead of our usual favorites such as Gun Bao, chicken bits in soy sauce, and chicken with mushrooms, we decided to pick one we’d heard so much about before, the so-called “Squirrel fish” (Hr 36). Here’s where we should note that all the main dishes offered by the restaurant are served in huge portions, enough for at least two people, which makes Victory a perfect place for small or large feasts. As usual, we ordered rice (Hr 4 per portion) and another Chinese favorite of ours – soy sprouts salad (Hr 20). As we waited for our order Li showed us other innovations in the new restaurant, such as karaoke, offering English-language songs as well as Chinese. (Li claims he’s also planning to purchase a collection of Russian songs for native karaoke-loving customers.) Willing to demonstrate his new gear Li played for us what he called an “old Russian song” that I recognized as “Podmoskovnye Vechera” (Moscow Evenings), performed, however, in some unfamiliar language – it was, of course, Chinese.

Finally we got our order. “Squirrel Fish” cooked in the traditional Chinese sweet and sour sauce was crispy and lean, and nicely contrasted with the salty marinated soy sprouts served with pieces of chicken. Originally we intended to order more but then we realized that the fish was quite enough for the three of us. However, we decided to order a dessert we all liked – assorted fruits – apples, banana and pineapple covered in a caramel crust (Hr 20). As usual they arrived together with a plate of warm water. Each piece is to be dipped prior to eating to get rid of excess oil and make the fruit juicier. Simple and brilliant.

Of course, “Victory” still needs a little work when it comes to ambience and service, but, as the place combines low prices and good ethnic food prepared by able cooks, it’s a great option for both Chinese-food connoisseurs and amateurs alike. And though the location has gotten much less convenient, it’s definitely worth a special trip.

Victory (58 Glybochytska, 332-9959)

Open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.

English menu: Yes

English-speaking staff: No

More than just coffee

Mokko is one of those popular hangouts situated in the very center of the city on Kreschatyk, but comfortably hidden away from the street noise in the Passazh, where you can find a few fashionable stores and several eateries and cafes, including Mokko.

I was advised to visit it by a female friend who claimed the soup she tasted there was really heavenly and that she hadn’t had anything like it anywhere else in the city. Considering its location – close to all the main partying spots – I decided to hit it with a friend Sunday afternoon.

Though the name Mokko (Mocha) made it sound more like a cafe, it turned out to be much more than that. The interior of the place attempts to recreate the hold of the sort of Renaissance trading vessel that would have carried goods, including coffee, from Africa to Europe.

The open terrace of the eatery, on the other hand, had no special theme to it and just looked pretty welcoming – but all the tables were taken except for the one that was reserved, so we decided to settle inside on a comfortable couch.

There was a separate chart with the menu that carried a huge selection of coffee and coffee drinks plus about 25 kinds of tea including refined varieties, such as Chinese tea, mate and various brewed teas served with caramel sugar. A nice assortment of desserts and chocolates could also be found.

However, my friend and I decided to leave the tasting of tea and coffee till next time because at the moment we were quite hungry and got down to ordering food. We decided to share the much-advertised puree of chanterelles and salmon (Hr 39) and were not in the least disappointed by it – its peach-colored creamy texture was a pleasure to the mouth, while bits of chanterelles and salmon competed to complete the satisfaction. It was indeed “heavenly,” and a perfect “girly” dish too.

The two other dishes we ordered didn’t repeat the success of the soup though were quite enjoyable on the whole. My veal carpaccio (Hr 54) was not so much sprinkled with Parmesan as it was covered with whole broken chunks of it. The taste wasn’t exactly affected but the presentation certainly suffered, though the meat was quite nice. However, the croutons lying right next to the meat and soaking in the juice weren’t quite a perfect finishing touch. In fact, the bread was a questionable matter altogether – it wasn’t served together with the soup, and my friend had to ask for it specifically until we finally got a few pieces. Luckily, at least, we didn’t get charged for it.

Our third dish, just like the soup, was a combination of mushrooms and seafood – a so-called “shrimps and chanterelles coquille” (Hr 43). It arrived served in a large oyster-like shell but the portion turned out to be quite small. Fortunately by that time we weren’t so hungry any more. The coquille was covered with a crust of cheese under which we discovered bits of mushrooms mixed with shrimps floating in some creamy sauce. We found it quite enjoyable but more as a hot nibble than a main dish. The shell-shaped serving platter was also quite hard to deal with using a knife and fork.

Also, the service we received at Mokko is another thing that should be mentioned. Though the food was good and the ambience pleasant, our impression of the place was a bit spoiled by the waiter, who – though not actually impolite – was too moody and unsmiling to make us feel welcome. Every time we asked him something it seemed like he was doing us a huge favor. He reminded me of a Soviet-style waiter who had only a very vague idea of what “service” means. Of course, though, it could’ve been simply our bad luck – the waitresses we saw running around in Renaissance-style dresses looked much sweeter and more becoming. However, Mr. Soviet wasn’t able to ruin the meal completely. We left determined to come back – if only for the “heavenly” soup and some exotic sorts of tea.

Mokko (15 Khreshchatyk, 230-9230).

Open 24 hours.

English menu: Yes

English-speaking staff: Yesby Alexandra Matoshko, Kyiv Post Staff Writer