The new Rybniy Bazaar eatery offers a variety of options for fans of seafood
I was waiting for the Evening Star to rise above the metro Golden Gate (Zoloti Vorota), and when she finally chose her moment to appear, she smoothed her light summer dress and the light-blue filigree lily gilded into the soft fabric straightened, singing its fragrance into the late summer ether.
After that, it took but minutes, walking St. Sophia-ward on Volodymyrska street, before our destination, Rybniy Bazaar (Fish Market), came into view, starting with its semi-enclosed terrace latched onto the restaurant proper.
But you can only get to the terrace through the restaurant itself, which brought us onto the main set as we opened the glass door and walked in. The hostess was gracious and gave us a tour of the place, which consists of two floors done in soothing deep-wood textures, large windows and elegantly appointed tables.
While the first floor is filled with tables, it is also an open space from which the second floor is visible. There, tables curve against the walls and windows in something like a semicircle that is reminiscent of an amphitheater, or perhaps the upper deck of a ship, although there is nothing about Rybniy Bazaar’s bone or exoskeleton, which particularly suggests that you’ve been transported to a gastronomic kingdom of fish.
Now, there is an open fish-on-ice container toward the back of the first floor that boasts an impressive assortment of sea creatures and their strange-looking parts, and the hostess realized that we deserved an explanation for the brazen display.
Star was in top form, taking the large sweep of center space in front of the glass encasement that I had generously cleared for her by stepping aside, performing the minor role of not understanding what the hostess was saying. In fact, I didn’t understand anything the hostess said.
Star, meanwhile, delivered her part flawlessly, listening to the hostess quickly rattle off the names of all the fish and their parts, and communicating comprehension.
I dare say, Star managed the part well, having gained significant experience receiving fish explanations when she had played the Scythian Princess in an earlier seafood adventure review produced by this author. We eventually decided to take a table on the much simpler, and in my opinion, far more casual and comfortable outdoor terrace.
Out there, cars rumbled over the cobblestone Volodymyrska, making lots of noise for sure, but the day and the summer and the breeze coming in through the terrace were refreshing, making the dissonance joyful to hear.
Wait staff kept asking if we were interested in wine, but given the weather, I kept imagining a fish dissolving in beer rather than floating nobly in a pool of the grape, and so Star and I ordered one 0.5 liter Warsteiner beer (Hr 30) each. Besides, my ignorance of wine is so vast, being of boorish working-class stock, that listening to a waiter suggest which nuance would travel best with my ingested fish friend is usually enough to turn my blue-collar appetite off altogether.
We both wanted something exotic, and Star made a great selection of cuttlefish (karakatytsya in Ukrainian) at Hr 78 per 200-gram portion. Cuttlefish, an ink-squirting mollusk belonging to the same class as squid and octopus, has the same bouncy juicy texture as octopus, which is now common in the capital, if prepared correctly.
According to Star, the cuttlefish collection served up by Rybniy Bazaar, after being baked in a rich white wine and parmesan cheese sauce, was delectable, and two dressings – one an oil-garlic-herb mixture, the other, apparently a soy-sauce-based concoction – added either zip or tang to the dish, depending on which you chose to anoint the mollusk with. I know for certain, because I had a try.
As for my entree, a word to the clever and frugal: There is no reveling in luxuriant flights of flavor with the majestic diamond-winged manta ray (skat in Ukrainian – charmingly translated in the menu as “Ray’s Wings”). For all its gliding grace, bumping against the coral reefs off the shores of Australia, it’s still a fish, and at Hr 92 per 100-gram portion at Rybniy Bazaar, fish fun it’s not. One may do just as well, if not better, for less with the more familiar and commonly available bass or trout.
I was not so much disappointed with the taste of the ray as with its price, especially after realizing that it was just a fish. Well, what else could I have expected it to be?
A very tasty side-cylinder of rice with garlic and herbs (Hr 30) compensated for my momentary loss of joy, and acted as a good complement to the expensive Australian ocean import.
It was no time at all before I entered my childlike dining phase, thoroughly enjoying learning how to slide the lightly grilled ray meat off from both sides of its fanlike cartilage, making a thorough mess of the table and victoriously whirling the cartilage around in the air, as Star looked on, apparently mildly amused.
An east wind began throwing dark clouds together and sending the first drops of rain from the gathering storm onto the terrace. Wait staff rushed to untie the enclosure’s heavy bundled curtains, which unfurled to cover the openings. It was time for us to go.
Rybniy Bazaar (24A Volodymyrska, 278-4852). Open 8 a.m. till 11 p.m.
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Some
Average meal: Hr 200
