Downtown's only Indian restaurant restarts, and Viola Kim stands behind another winning idea
Word gets around quickly when places beloved by ex-pats close. It gets around even quicker when they reopen.
It wasn’t long ago that the owners of Kyiv’s downtown Indian restaurant, Himalaya, announced they’d be closed for renovations. That was early December. I had figured, as with other restaurants in the city, that the renovations would last anywhere from six months to forever. Restaurants in this city have a habit of enduring renovations to match the long, insufferable Ukrainian winter.
A bit concerned, I spoke with a friend and Himalaya frequenter who reassured me that the restaurant would still be doing take-out and delivery orders as the work was being carried out. It came as a surprise, then, when not three weeks after hearing the closing announcement, I asked my girlfriend to stop there on her way back from work one evening and grab some hot green chili sauce for some samosas we’d elected to prepare for ourselves at home. She told me they had already reopened. I didn’t believe her. I called the said friend, who said only too quickly, “Yeah, that’s right. I forgot to tell you. They reopened last week.”
I like Himalaya for many reasons: it’s cozy, I’m always given excellent service, and the food is as good as it gets around here. One friend of mine makes regular pilgrimages to the restaurant just for the butter chicken. Her eyes light up at the mere mention of it. Myself, I like the business lunches, which at just Hr 40 are a steal given that it includes two main dishes, choice of rice, choice of bread and a small drink. But back to the renovations.
The interior at Himalaya has been expanded to accommodate about 50 percent more guests, plus the faded old carpet has been replaced and all the warm colors of the place generally brightened. It’s going to make going there an even bigger treat than it already is.
Himalaya
23 Khreshchatyk, 270-5437.
Open daily from 11:30 a.m. till 12:30 a.m.
Pleasurable Surroundings
Through a friend, I managed to finagle an invite to one of the hottest restaurant openings of the holiday season, that of Pleasure Cafe near the Sports Palace, which was opened by none other than seasoned restaurateur Viola Kim and partner Margarita Sichkar. The buzz surrounded the owners and the type of place Pleasure Cafe was rumored to be: given to comfort, organic in feel, and deeply soothing. That I didn’t make it to the opening is another story. To feel the buzz was all I needed.
Kim and Sichkar happen to be good friends, though Kim says this “marriage” was born out of economic viability as opposed to friendship. Sichkar provided the know-how on the business plan, and Kim used her contacts and industry reputation to find staff and ensure what’s already become a steady stream of clients. The place feels like it’s already been infused with a neighborhood vibe, where the guests know one another and business goes on as if the opening had been a year, not a month ago.
In many respects, Pleasure will be the opposite of Kim’s other baby, Viola’s Bierstube. Rather than wooden seating, the cafe will offer plush, high-backed chairs with lots of cushions and leather, and with high ceilings, the place will be much-better ventilated too. The food will be decidedly fresher, too, with a focus on light and healthy as opposed to thick and hearty: green salads, salmon, Japanese miso soup, simple desserts and affordable wines (average price Hr 150 to Hr 200 per bottle). More of what Pleasure Cafe offers is definitely needed in Kyiv.
But what I like the most about the new cafe is the addition of karaoke, bringing it from fringe curiosity to the mainstream. Ukrainians love karaoke almost as much as the Japanese, and they shouldn’t have to stand in front of gawking hordes at Hydropark, the smell of dried fish and stale beer wafting through the air, to indulge themselves. Well, they needn’t any longer, obviously.
Pleasure Cafe
3 Sportyvna, 496-4135.
Open daily from 11 a.m. till the last client.
