olechko

The wonderful benefits of staying with my parents in the summer - produce fresh from the garden in the back yard. Radishes, salad greens, scallions and cucumbers are in season at the moment. mmm.

..has its own brewery and a patio, but food there sucks. Do not get there anything but the beer (Slavutych)! Otherwise, people watching, especially on a weekday around lunchtime can be real fun. It offers free WiFi (I have not checked it myself). I got to write up a post about places to get free WiFi around Kyiv now that I come to think of it.

Shato, 24 Khreschatik vul.

Two days ago I took a flight from Milan to Kyiv and had some time to spare on observing my compatriots getting ready to board. First thing that stuck out in observation process was their shopping habits. Usually everybody gets stocked up while still in town. Therefore the over-sized suitcases at the check-in. And let’s not forget the shiny wrapping plastic film that help holding up those bursting suitcases.

Then come the duty-free shops. Desperation gets out at this stage and most exiting things get carried on the plane in the clear sealed plastic bags. And lastly, the duty free shopping from catalogue on the plane. I thought they are there for the in-flight entertainment. But no! As we were giggling about the items on the list, my neighbor promptly made a request to buy something from it.

Irony aside, I love to shop every time I am abroad. This time I was coming back with one more garment bag, securely wrapped at the airport in bright acid green plastic and our carry-on luggage full of duty-free food goodies. God save us from the catalogues.

…are so-so good!!! The traditional cakes seem to have stuck around. Roshen has bought up some of the specialty cake bakeries (and cheapened the ingredients, brr). But others, like the old trusty Kyiv city bakery (supplies to most supermarkets) makes the best “Kyiv”, “Prague”, “Truffle” ever!! Those three are all-time classics and serve for a perfect guest treat/indulgent breakfast afterwards.

The Kyiv cake requires an aquired taste to enjoy it. It’s dry, based on ?bize flour, full of nuts and heaviest cream topping :). It comes in special chestnut-leaf themed box (chestnut must be on city coat of arms or sth like that, its blossoms here are as big as cherry blossoms in D.C… and Japan, wher they-cherry trees - came from).

My friend who was in Peace Corps at the time set her mind on opening a Ukrainian Cake backery in the States upon her return. This is something that Europeans are so used to and what the US really lacks. I hope she fared well but D.C. still does not have a restaurant with a decent dessert menu (well, as of six months ago since I’ve been there last).

We came there for late dinner so camera-phone photos turned no good. So, here’s one from the restaurant’s website. This white-linen place sits on 8th floor above Lvivska square and overlooks the Pushkinska street, up to Premier Palace. The view is breathtaking. The regulars are beautiful people. One girl brought there an accessory/dog so small, Paris Hilton would’ve been jealous had she seen it. I just did not get why the native indians’ portraits on the walls.

Pushkinska str. 42/2

… is no more. An advantage of growing older - is getting to appreciate the good things in life that passed. For instance, basic daily bread - I remember sinking my teeth into a warm loaf, biting on the crusty, burned side, mmm. The trucks would deliver the bread to the stores still warm.  Way back then the bread came in bricks, less often - in round shapes, black or white. The dessert bread would be the baton.  Everything else was pastry.

These days the supermarket stalls are terribly disappointing.  They offer shrink-wrapped goods, or even worse - sliced! (I have nothing against my bread sliced, it just goes against logic that it is fresh at the same time). The good old bricks disappeared for some reason. More foreign options are offered - pumpernickel, baguette, olive bread - not in their best executions though.  At Furshet at Mandarin Plaza I was sold a totally stale loaf of Italian bread.  At local Silpo or Velyka Kyshenia (by Peremogy square) I don’t even look at the bakery stalls.

As a relief to town came Volkonsky backery. (it is also a relief for your vallet, becuase the prices are hiiiigh). Their breads are amazing, Italian and French varieties mostly, also tons of amazing pastry. They have a coffee shop adjourning with warm creamy interior.   Another runner up is Viennese Buns (Videnski Bulochky) on Pushkinska. Make sure to ask what is fresh at the moment; unlike at Volkonsky, they do sell some goods on the second day.

One point on an artist’s view of local bread. Gaydar -commercial studio photographer from Kyiv - recently came up with a series on the subject. His loafs came out of all kinds in different shapes and colors - suspended in black space. I searched for the images online but no more, seems like the only place you’d see them is at his studio on Prorizna. It’s no big spectacle, but give it a try. Also, it’s the only art gallery that charges entry fee that I know in Kyiv, sniff.

(The pic features my breakfast today.  This brick was super small and long, but full of nuts, plus banana-nutella, yam!)

Last night my husband turned “..” and we decided to pop into a bar to celebrate. It was Monday night but the scene at Arena bar was very happening. Expats hanged by the bar, tired executives in suits, pimp-looking Ukrainians lounged in booths. Girls in pairs (one pretty girl and another - wing woman) - occupied booths, sipped chardonnay, talked on cell phones, smoked hookah and waited on Mr. Pinchuk to drop by.

Otherwise it’s a very typical “new Ukrainian” place, fully equipped with sushi bar, exposed stainless steel kitchen, mini brewery, and sports on tv. The bar was on the ground floor, the lift in the hall lead into a restaurant on the second, casino on the third, and night club on the fourth, what else? In short, a perfect place for a restless oligarch to meet his needs all-in-one. Fabulous!

Arena City Entertainment - off Baseyna St. across from Besarabka

We finally visited Yakitoria sushi restaurant. Since it was labeled “democratic” I was a bit skeptical about potential food quality. Since I had low expectations, the place actually proved to be quite nice. Usual fare: sushi, other Japanese dishes, teas, at one ethnically asian server per restaurant and fashion TV without sound on. This is about the Artema St. location. Also, I saw a suspiciously similar-looking store front with the same name in London walking on the canal towards Little Venice… The web does not mention this to be an international chain. Marketing idea rip off? Common Japanese term for sushi place?

Great to discover wonderful things around the corner from your house! This specialty fish store is a great find for a fishyterian, particularly precious amongst this meat-centered national cuisine. There are guys there taking the fish apart in bright blue overalls, equipped with saws, all covered in fish blood, brr…
Turgenyivska St. ?35

On a corner of Besarabka market people watching is fun. Cafe Mono offers this and some yummy pastry. Their eastern sweets selection is particularly good. The music there is good, though the messages in between the songs whispered by a particularly sexy woman’s voice promoting their menu annoyed me greatly. Also, they seem to have added a sushi bar downstairs.. next thing will be pasta/caprese salad on the second floor?

2 Besarabska Ploshcha