Varenyky – also known as halushky, these are small boiled dumplings that are filled with potato or cheese or some other filling and are served with cheese and meat with sour cream or butter sauce.  Similar to Pirogues in the United States.

Borshch – Ukraine’s national soup, Borshch has been ‘adopted’ by other Slavic nations.  Borshch is traditionally made with beets and mixed vegetables in a broth.  It comes in different varieties, each area adding their own flavour to the mix.  Borshch is usually served with a clear broth or with sour cream.

Holubsti – cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned rice, buckwheat or meat and topped with a tomato style sauce.

Kotleta Po-Kyivsky – the real name of Chicken Kiev.

Kasha – a grain based cereal similar to a buckwheat porridge and served as a side dish or stuffing.

 Khleeb – this is the Ukrainian word for any type of bread.  This is the generic name as each type of bread – sweet bread, wedding bread, honey cakes, doughnuts, white and wheat bread, etc.  While each of these types of bread have their own name, if you ask for Khleeb you’ll get some type of bread.

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1. Ukrainian cuisine
2. Recipe for Meat Solyanka
3. 10 Must try of Ukrainian Cuisine

If you should happen to visit Ukraine and hear hubbub about the country’s space industry, then you’ll be getting yourself into an interesting conversation.  Like the American spade agency NASA, the Ukrainian industry is going through its own restructuring in order to make it better and more effective.  Visitors to Ukraine who are working with these employees know that the restructure is helping the country form a favorable business and investment climate, advance their rates of output for intensives science material production, develop new competitive techniques, and plans on incorporating state owned companies into the space industry in an effort to establish international investments.

The National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) was established in February 1992 in an effort to launch the country into their own space race with former ‘Mother Russia’, the United States, China, and other countries looking to head into outer space.  With the success of the International Space Station, it may not be long before we start hearing about Ukrainian astronauts taking their turn on the ever growing satellite.  With 30 production enterprises working with them, they have made great strides in modern launch vehicle technology, spacecraft engines, control and telemeter systems, and space goods and services.

You can find more information on Ukraine and NSAU at ukrtravel.com

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1. Entertainment Industry Show In Ukraine To Feature Atronic
2. Ukraine Tourism Is Up
3. Clinical Trial On Hepatitis Vaccine To Start In Ukraine

September 17 through 19, 2008 will see Atronic coming back to Kiev, Ukraine for this year’s Entertainment Industry show.  The company is a provider of casino games and services on an international level and their offices and products can be found in the United States, Europe, Russia, Latin America, Australia, and Asia.  A member of the Gaming Standards Association that supports open industry standards, Atronic will be showcasing two of its new top linked gaming products.  ‘King Kong’ and ‘Cash and Cash Fever’ are four level progressive jackpot slot games.

Additionally, Atronic will be displaying to the Ukrainian people their line of linked games from the e-motion cabinet, a digital display that shows off some of Atronics popular line.  The Cash Fever cabinet will feature classic games such as ‘Time for Money’, ‘Bamboo Forest’, ‘Crystal Lake’, ‘Blastin’ Barrels’, ‘Golden Adventure’ and ‘Wild Fangs’.  The King Kong Cash cabinet will offer displays featuring, ‘Tiger & Dragon’, ‘Sun Spirit’, ‘Treasure Cats’, ‘Crimson Fire’ the X-tension game, and ‘Jungle of Gold’.  Additionally, Atronic will be demonstrating some of their casino management products and cashless gaming solutions.

Atronic products are currently being operated in over 90 countries throughout the world.  They hold 226 gaming licenses that include ones for the 25 states in the United States that allow slot machine gaming.  This includes 164 Native American Indian tribal casinos.  They have over 130,000 machines in place in more than 1,300 international casinos.  Dedicating to producing high quality games and products, they also offer linked gaming products and casino management items to all of their customers.

You can also check out more on the gaming and poker happenings in Kiev at this great blog too: Casino Life Magazine Blog

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1. Ukraine Takes Gold In Fencing
2. Ukraine Scores First Olympic Gold For Women
3. Kaddouri Staying Put In Ukraine

Ukraine is home to some of the most historical locations to be found in that area of Europe.  From the historical districts of Kiev and Kharkov to the ruins of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine is a tourist’s paradise, especially if history is one of their main vices.  One of the most interesting sites in Kiev is the Great Patriotic War Museum.  Closed on Monday, this museum is a testament to the courage and stoutness of the Ukrainian men and women of the country during times of war.

Ukraine’s Great Patriotic War Museum is a collection of World War II artifacts that are being housed in a Soviet-built building.  It is overlooked by a towering statue that represents the Motherland.  The statue is wielding a sword and many people have compared it to the Statue of Liberty in the United States with a sword instead of a book and torch.  Outside of the building are decommissioned tanks standing sentinel.  They have been painted with flowers in a sign of peace.  Another statue sits near the tanks that are entitled ‘To the Fallen’.  It is a memorial to all of the fallen men and women who died during World War II.  While most of the displays are tagged and noted in Russian or Ukrainian, they are fascinating and are laid out well, allowing visitors to understand what they represent without needing the notes.

You can check out more great Ukraine pictures are http://www.brama.com/travel/kypics.html

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1. 3 reasons visit “The National Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945″ Memorial Complex
2. Rodina Mat (Motherland)
3. 4 things about National Museum of Medicine of Ukraine …

Entering and leaving Ukraine is no longer a problem for most visitors since the country became an independent nation.  If you are a citizen of the United States, the European Union, Swiss Confederation, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Japan, you no longer need a visa if you are not going to be in the country for 90 days or less.  To be sure that the law has not changed since it was instituted in 2005, you should confirm this information with the Ukrainian Consulate in your home country before travelling.

When you enter or leave Ukraine, you should pass through the green or red custom corridors.  Always have your travel papers available for inspection including any paperwork that you receive and fill out when going through customs into the country.  You will need them in order to leave.  Also, always make sure that you have all of your paperwork before leaving the customs area to make sure they have been properly returned to you.

If you are carrying goods or money that needs to be declared you will need to pass through the red corridor.  These items include: prohibited items such as explosives, weapons that are not approved by the authorities; drugs; artwork; antiques; luggage that is being sent through separately; more than $1,000 and 85 hryvnyas in cash; personal jewellery that exceeds $240 in value; more than 1 litre of alcoholic beverages; and more than 200 grams of tobacco products.  Everyone else should us the green customs corridor.

All foreign visitors are required to have insurance policies in place that guarantee payment if any medical treatment is provided to them.  These policies can be bought in Ukraine from the State JSC for Providing the Foreign Citizens with Emergency Aid or any place where a visa is processed and at the state border during crossing.

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1. Open Question : Will Ukraine Customs seize my Gold and Silver if I do not declare it?
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3. 5 Reasons to Come to Ukraine

While the men were winning gold medals left and right, Ukraine women were having a slightly tougher time until Saturday when they were handed the gold medal for the women’s heptathlon.  Nataliia Dobrynska of Ukraine recorded 6,733 points after competing in a two-day, seven sport discipline event.  Her teammate Lyudmila Blonska too the silver medal 33 points behind Dobrynska and American Hyleas Fountain of the United States taking the bronze with 6,619 points.

Says Dobrynska after winning her medal, “The Olympic Games is the main goal for every athlete, but today I think I wanted it more and that’s why I won it.  I had very strong opponents, but like every athlete, I had the goal to win the Olympic Games.”  Her medal was based on her performance in seven different track and field events, with her shot put landing at 17.29 meters – a personal best for the Ukrainian athlete – and the long jump of 6.63 meters.  She scored 13.44 seconds in the 100 meter hurdle and 48.50 meters in the javelin.

Blonska, who took the silver, was the 2006 world indoor champion and reigning world silver medalist.  “I never thought I could win a silver medal in the Olympic Games. It has always been my dream to win a medal in the Olympics,” she said.  Now, her dream has come true.

Related posts:

1. Ukraine Takes Gold In Fencing
2. Petriv Wins 25-Metre Rapid Fire Gold
3. Open Question : Will Ukraine Customs seize my Gold and Silver if I do not declare it?

Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan led the team’s comeback against China, working through a four point deficit to tie the competition up.  China was leading the Ukraine team 40-36 when Kharlan and China’s Tan Xue faced off on the piste.  When the scores tied at 44, both women believed they had delivered the winning blow to the other.  The judges paused the competition to review the official video for clarification and decided to withhold the point all together.  When the two women faced off again, Kharlan recorded the winning blow and won the Ukrainian team the gold medal.

Kharlan and her team defeated the American team 45-39 earlier in the match, relegating both the American and French women’s fencing teams to battle for the bronze medal.  The United States took the gold in the individual women’s fencing competition, the medal going to Mariel Zagunis after she defeated fellow team mate Sada Jacobson.

For more news about Ukraine you can also visit the Kiev Ukraine News Blog.

Related posts:

1. Petriv Wins 25-Metre Rapid Fire Gold
2. Open Question : Will Ukraine Customs seize my Gold and Silver if I do not declare it?
3. Kaddouri Staying Put In Ukraine

The first came after finding no burgers at Shalena (Crazy) Mama, that American-styled diner near Shevchenko University with the Rolling Stones theme. We were disappointed coming back out onto the street, but a local Best Of teamer reminded the others that this isn’t the United States, and not every place serves burgers. “Do you want to be living in Ukraine or America?” she asked. The rest of us zipped our mouths.

Then later, at beer brewery Chateau, we got this response from a waiter there when we asked her if the place had burgers.

“No, we don’t serve burgers. This is a restaurant,” she said, stressing the final word. Weren’t we told!

First up after failures at the above two places and Arena – where we were sure they had burgers – was Golden Gate. We met inside with pub general manager Robyn Attryde, who explained the high price for his restaurant’s burgers. It’s all about using the best ingredients, he said.

To make a long story short, we decided to order one, only to be told by our waitress that the restaurant was out of hamburger beef. Attryde disappeared only to return minutes later, apologizing for not having anything but T-bone steaks. In fairness, he did say he’s had a problem getting quality beef in these days, but that’s another story. The Best Of team had work to do and pressed on.

Other Options

O’Brien’s was next on our list, and after handing them the award for best classic breakfast, we had high expectations. At first glance the burger we got was certainly huge, and quite reasonably priced, but there was little to praise after that. The two-high stack of patties made the burger hard to eat, and the whole thing itself just lacked that zing we were really hoping the best burger would exemplify. Well, there’s always next year.

At the Eldorado joins the Hairy Lemon and the Opera Cafe, we got the city’s cheapest cheeseburger (aside from the jokes served up by that yellow clown), and it wasn’t a bad effort, either. The cheeseburger was thick and juicy, the toppings fresh, but as a drawback – and unlike all the other competitors, the burger didn’t come with fries. Bummer.

Past winner Arizona BBQ down in Podil has probably the city’s biggest and best reputation as far as cheeseburgers are concerned – and a Best Of Kyiv best burger award to boot. This year, however, the times have caught up with AZ, which far and away had the most expensive cheeseburger in the city. While the burger was thick, juicy, tasty – all the right things – and the toppings fresh and the cheddar cheese melted just right, it costs between two and three times what any of the others do. Just for comparison’s sake, the Best Of team could have had four Eldorado cheeseburgers, two from O’Brien’s, or more than 20 from Rotten Ronnie! But not to be all about price, the bun was not sesame topped, the pickle was old and stale, and Podil is a heck of a place to go just for a cheeseburger.

Top Two

The Drum was a surprise second-place finisher in this week’s search, what with having heard so much in the past about their nutty rice burger – the darling of Kyiv’s vegetarian, burger-eating population. Their all-beef cheeseburger was thick, juicy, served with fresh ingredients – including a lovely sesame-seed bun and what had to have been a home-style pickle made by Grandma McEwan – and it was the second-cheapest of the lot. Not that we’re so stuck on money these days, but we like good value and appreciate it when it’s there.

But the big winner again this year is T.G.I. Friday’s, which can now add yet another Best Of Kyiv title to its previous victory for its margaritas. The burger was thick and cooked just right; gooey from all the melted cheese on top; heaped with lots of lettuce, tomato and onion slices, with a dill pickle on the side, and the serving of fries on the side was the best of the bunch. The price wasn’t bad, either, and for a change the T.G.I. Friday’s service was not over-the-top, but pleasant and respectful – just like the burger.

Winner of the Best of Kyiv cheeseburger: T.G.I. Friday’s.

T.G.I. Friday’s

5 Bessarabska Square, 235-4264.

Open daily from 11 a.m. till 10 p.m.

Related posts:

1. Petriv Wins 25-Metre Rapid Fire Gold
2. Kaddouri Staying Put In Ukraine
3. No More Bread Production?

]]> http://ukrainianguide.com/we-dare-to-name-the-citys-best-cheeseburger/feed/ 0 http://ukrainianguide.com/new-desserts-at-clair-guinness-in-obolon-country/ http://ukrainianguide.com/new-desserts-at-clair-guinness-in-obolon-country/#comments Sat, 25 Dec 2010 09:41:25 +0000 admin http://ukrainianguide.com/new-desserts-at-clair-guinness-in-obolon-country/

Himalaya reopens; Pleasure Cafe starts up

]]> It?s almost a given that every year the owners of Soho American steakhouse remodel their basement and give it a completely different look. The area began as a nightclub, which being far from the center never proved too popular, and then became a pizzeria and strip club (both of which still exist), and to all this has been added a new restaurant called Eclair.

From what we hear, all the changes form part of a larger, grander scheme for the whole complex, which earlier housed the elite, women?s only club ?Beverly Hills? (now defunct). And if you guessed by the name ?Eclair? that this place serves lots of desserts, you?d be right, too.

In fact, sweets happen to be the raison d?etre for this place, and with 65 items on the dessert menu, that?s fairly obvious. They don?t encourage diners to sample every dish, but to enjoy the ones they sample.

Chef Yuriy Levin specializes in desserts and confections, so the place has essentially been worked around his talents. Levin has lots of original creations on the menu, as well as good takes on standards such as tiramisu, American cheesecake, meringue pies, pudding, mousses, fruit pies, cakes and even sweet varenyki. Belgian chocolatier Ghirardelli provides much of the chocolate, with other ingredients imported directly from the United States.

 

Eclair

82 Artema, 484-1668.

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

 

?Guinness for strength?

With St. Patrick?s Day just over the horizon, Guinness seems to be a drink more and more bars are willing to take a chance on. When we recently did a ?Best of Kyiv? search for bars serving the traditional Irish stout, we found only five places purveying the stuff. We even greatly exaggerated the demise of Carambol, the billiards club off Horodetskoho. (Turns out when we did the search they decided to renovate without putting a sign up in the window.)

Anyway, and to the point, two new places have opened up serving Guinness (among other things). First there?s the aptly named Guinness Pub in Obolon and the BierStadt (?Beer City?) beer hall near the U.S. embassy.

I spotted the latter easily enough in the restaurant pages of a recent Afisha magazine ? they have daily specials on a range of imported beers; Wednesday is Guinness and Kilkenny ? but the former I stumbled upon with my girlfriend. While heading to Minska metro station after walking along the riverbank in the city?s north end, we saw the ?Guinness Pub? sign on the side of an ugly new building and my first thought was, ?There?s no way they have Guinness on tap.? She bet that they did. She won.

Run by the guys who do the Planeta Sport sports bar, Guinness Pub is a quiet little place with some Irish and Scotch whiskeys behind the bar, a good selection of house wines by the glass and, of course, an assortment of beers. In addition to Guinness they have Murphy?s Irish stout, Hoegaarden, Erdinger, Stella Artois, Chernihivske and a few more. They even have cigars from the Fortuna cigar shop in a humidor.

Price for the pint of Guinness? Hr 26.

It should be pointed out that at BierStadt they boast of having 40 different beers in stock (though not all on tap) and live music on weekend nights.

 

GUINNESS PUB

24 Heroyiv Stalinhradu, 230-523.

Open daily from 11 a.m. till midnight.

Bierstadt Beer hall

12 Chornovola, Lukyanivska metro, 592-3872/972.

Open daily from 11 a.m. till 2 a.m.

 

Speaking of beers…

Fans of the dark Czech beer Krusovice will be licking their lips to hear that this rich, savory brew has finally made its way from grocery store shelves to bars and restaurants across the city.

Naturally, the first place I saw Krusovice on tap was at U Khromoho Pola (At Lame Paul?s), that new Czech place about halfway between Shooter?s and the Salyut Hotel. That lovely dark beer will go down well with some of the many new dishes introduced at Lame Paul?s recently, so get a taste of both the next time you?re dining out.

The other place where I?ve seen Krusovice is at Stariy Kvartal (?Old Quarter?) next to Planeta Sport and across from TsUM in the heart of downtown. This new little cafe/pub opened to little fanfare a short while ago and, to their credit, the place has only grown in popularity, thanks in part to having beers such as Krusovice on tap.

 

At Lame Paul?s

4 Suvorova, 280-5007.

Open daily from 10 a.m.

till the last client.

Old Quarter

3 B. Khmelnytskoho, 279-7611.

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

Related posts:

1. Himalaya reopens; Pleasure Cafe starts up

]]> http://ukrainianguide.com/new-desserts-at-clair-guinness-in-obolon-country/feed/ 0 http://ukrainianguide.com/the-ultimate-ukraine-packing-list/ http://ukrainianguide.com/the-ultimate-ukraine-packing-list/#comments Sat, 25 Dec 2010 05:50:09 +0000 Victoria http://ukrainianguide.com/?p=306

Understanding The Language Barrier In Ukraine

Ukraine Could Be Next India In Software Development

SITA Computer Program Selected For Ukraine Airport

]]> When planning a trip to Ukraine you are going to want to make sure that you pack the proper items.  You cannot always account for every eventuality, but if you follow some of the basic ideas we present here, you will be able to make your stay in Ukraine enjoyable.  The most basic things you will want to make sure that you have is a change of clothing, shoes or boots, a passport, money, and other necessities, all in a carry-on bag.  This ensures you always have the proper documentation and some clothing in case your luggage is lost.

 

If you are planning on bringing a laptop computer to Ukraine, you will need to bring a power converter with you.  In Ukraine, the electrical current is 220v/60Hz while in the United States if runs 110v/50Hz.  Make sure that you computer can run on both voltages and the adapter plug you purchase will fit into European sockets.  Also, make sure you bring a surge protector, and other computer supplies that you may need with you.  You may not find what you need when you are in Ukraine, and if you do find it there, expect to pay a higher price for it.

 

When you pack your clothing, make sure that it is comfortable, versatile, and easy to take care of.  Mix and match is the best if you are on vacation and bring business attire with you in the event that you will be having a business meeting.  Bring the toiletries that you can use in public restrooms and pack a bath towel as the ones in the hotels are usually small.  Also, don’t forget to bring a small gift for your Ukrainian hosts and their children as this shows proper etiquette.

 

You can read more about Ukraine travel at travelgalica.blogspot.com.

 

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1. Understanding The Language Barrier In Ukraine
2. Ukraine Could Be Next India In Software Development
3. SITA Computer Program Selected For Ukraine Airport

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