Warm up with Hungarian goulash this winter
Visiting the Hungarian capital of Budapest in the summer of 2006, I had fallen in love with the city and the culture – a bridge between east and west – but the local cuisine had left much to be desired. Walking around the city in search of a Hungarian dining experience, my friends and I had made the mistake of choosing an Irish pub, where we ordered a mostly passable goulash that left me with a poor lasting impression about Hungarian national cuisine.
Noticing a traditional Hungarian restaurant in the center of Kyiv, I jumped at the opportunity to try Magyar cuisine one more time, and so a friend and I headed out on a cold Saturday night in December towards metro stop Palats Ukrayina in search of Hungarian food.
Upon entering Uhorskiy Dim, also known as Vengerskiy Dom, translated as the Hungarian House, my dining companion and I were met by popular traditional Magyar musicians such as the American R&B star Rihanna, Canadian rock-pop star Avril Lavigne, and 90’s Ukrainian rockers Green-Grey on the flat-screen televisions. My original optimism for an entirely traditional dining experience eroded slightly.
Overlooked by somewhat ignorant wait staff, we seated ourselves on comfortable wooden chairs at a rustic wooden table and surveyed the surroundings. Beautiful murals of what I assumed to be a Hungarian countryside covered the walls, with little gnome statues and seasonal Christmas decorations completing the decor of the cozy restaurant.
Scouring the purely Russian-language, non-Hungarian menu, we were crestfallen to discover the lack of traditional Magyar dishes. Thankfully, we had simply overlooked the Hungarian culinary section of the menu and were quickly aided by an increasingly helpful and pleasant waitress who pointed out the first two menu pages, full of the traditional dishes I had come for.
While waiting for our ordered dishes, we sipped on a Hr 240 bottle of Chateau Dereszla 2001 Tokaji wine. Hungary is well known for its wines; the particular bottle of Chateau Dereszla Tokaji wine on our table was a dry white Furmint (referring to the type of grape used), which would prove to complement many of the wide-assortment of dishes to come.
The first dish of the impending Hungarian Feast was an excellent goulash (Hr 45), traditionally served as a soup and not the typical stew that I was prepared for. Soft cuts of beef that melted in my mouth, cubed potatoes, onions and peppers, in a broth spiced with paprika evoked memories of the mediocre Budapest goulash experience. The freshly baked white and rye bread (Hr 8 for eight slices) served alongside the goulash also was excellent – light on the inside, slightly crusty on the outside, and went very well with the spicy goulash.
The second course was a delicious “Gourman” salad (Hr 39) consisting of spinach leaves, raisins, nuts and bean sprouts in a sweet vinaigrette slightly similar to soy-sauce, which was well complimented by the Tokaji white wine.
After the first and second courses of hearty goulash, freshly baked bread, and spinach salad, we were already in no shape to continue the Hungarian Feast, but we powered through, figuratively unbuttoning our pants, keeping in mind our commitment to bring a comprehensive culinary review to Kyiv Post connoisseurs.
As the waitress brought the main course, my rational stomach yelled obscenities in the direction of my brain for having ordered so much food, while my irrational, food-loving stomach thanked its lucky stars.
First, grilled eggplant paprykazh (Hr 46) with sauteed onions in a light tomato paste proved to be one of the highlights of the meal, along with the goulash. The paprykazh was joined on our overflowing table by four tasty paprika-spiced chicken patties called bytochky po-venhersky (Hr 41) and simple noodles with ground beef named, also creatively, makarony po-venhersky (Hr 58), undoubtedly adhering to the original Hungarian name.
Overall, Uhorskiy Dim offers a pleasant dining experience with delicious dishes, a cozy and charming interior, and decent service, better than the average mediocre service provided in many dining establishments in Kyiv. For reshaping my thoughts on Hungarian food, thank you, Hungarian House. Koszonom Magyar Haz.
Uhorskiy Dim (111/113 Chervonoarmiyska, 521-1908). Metro Palats Ukrayina. Hours: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
English menu: no
English-speaking staff: limited
Average meal: Hr 150
