Decadence House introduces its regal brunch, available from 12 p.m. till 5 p.m.; Marokana celebrates the African semolina product couscous with a festival of unique proportions.
ermaids – designer Taras Legar has used all these means to bring the legend of Avalon to life. On the seafood menu you’ll find 12 types of fish, prepared in 10 different ways. As far as shellfish go, there are shrimp, lobsters, crabs, calamari and more. The wine list includes bottles from France, Italy, Spain, Austria and Georgia.
3 Leontovycha, tel.: 234-7494.
Open daily from 1 p.m. till the last customer.
Basilic (upscale French)
An establishment you’ll mistake for a Parisian cafe or bistro. Traditional French food is on the menu. Try the house salad with shellfish and smoked salmon; the Provencal-style omelet with spinach, cheese, and bacon; the medallions of veal; or the dorado with steamed vegetables. For dessert, go with the hot apple tart under vanilla sauce, or the white chocolate souffle with strawberry sauce. Croissants and breads are baked on the premises, and the menu will change seasonally. The wine list includes wines from Chile, Georgia and Moldova, in addition to wines from France (naturally) and Italy.
38 Saksahanskoho, tel.: 227-4166.
Open daily from 11 a.m. till the last customer.
Nobel (French/Italian, sushi)
The subdued, minimalist interior of this popular hangout for young businesspeople was designed by award-winning Odessa-born designer Yuriy Belikov. The food is eclectic, the music – by local DJ Alexey Kononov – is relaxed, and the cuisine – by chef Oleksandr Deyneko – sublime. The sushi a la carte is top notch, as are the fish and chicken dishes, for which Deyneko tends to lighter, cream- or wine-based sauces. For a starter try the simple Neopolitan antipasti, and as for a main choose either the roast leg of pork or the salmon in basil. Attractive presentation and refreshing menu combinations.
65 Chervonoarmiyska, tel.: 238-6971.
Open daily from 11 a.m. till the last customer.
Now open for brunch
Brunch! Right on. It’s the meal best enjoyed when you’ve had too much to drink the night before, and sleep late and wake up with your head still fuzzy. When you stagger down to the restaurant, the coffee and the eggs and the muffins and all the rest of it – all those sugary, comforting carbohydrates – are pure redemption. But it’s good all the other times, too, when you’re not suffering from a hangover.
Kyiv’s always had too few places that do good brunches, which is why it’s nice to see Decadence House (16 Shota Rustaveli, 206-4920) – that newish establishment on Shota Rustaveli – getting into the game. Brunch is served on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It’s an all-you-can-eat-deal that will run you Hr 250 per head. Choose from salads, hot dishes, soups and desserts; there’s champagne, too, and of course, coffee. Hangover not included.
Couscous festival
Couscous, everybody’s favorite North African semolina product, must be important: like Wagner and antique cars, it’s got its own festival.
From Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, stylish Middle Eastern restaurant Marokana (26 Lesi Ukrainky, 254-4999) is presenting a special menu dedicated to couscous-based dishes. For example, there’s a salad of couscous, fresh mango and crabmeat in a mayonnaise sauce (we’re still in Ukraine, after all); a soup with couscous and julienned vegetables; couscous with mutton and dried Moroccan fruits; couscous with sauteed salmon and cherry tomatoes in a cream sauce; and more. Try ’em all.
