Seafood restaurant in Pechersk imitates the interior of its namesake.
“Quite a peculiar name” – that was my first reaction when I heard about the restaurant named Titanic. On the one hand giving an eatery a name that has such a tragic reputation seems like not a very smart marketing move, but on the other hand, thanks to the Hollywood film “Titanic,” it is also a reference to pop culture and as such easily attracts attention. And Titanic restaurant isn’t even located on water – standing on solid ground, on a quiet street in Pechersk, its windows facing a Soviet-style apartment building.
Knowing beforehand that the restaurant’s prices were on the expensive side, I expected to see an elegant and chic place, and was right in my expectations – from first glance the place breathed cold solemn elegance, which is common at eateries of its kind. Inside we were met by a man in a black suit, who led us to a table by a window in the so-called “upper deck” hall. The room resembled Titanic’s first-class dining room – at least the way it was shown in James Cameron’s blockbuster: heavy wooden tables matched with striped vintage chairs, stylish carpet on the floor, and walls covered with wooden panels. Right then I had to think that the doors we entered through also resembled those leading to the dining room of the infamous ship. Besides, the room was adorned with black-and-white photographs showing scenes from Titanic’s short life (don’t worry, no DiCaprio). On the wall behind my back hung a newspaper obituary of the Titanic orchestra that played while the ship was sinking. I also spotted a collection of tickets for a ride on the Titanic in all of its different classes placed in a frame under glass.
The only guests at Titanic apart from us were a company of several people sitting on the other side of the room. The emptiness of the restaurant, combined with the formality of the members of the all-male wait staff, who took turns attentively serving us over the course of our meal, made us feel slightly uncomfortable. However, knowing that real comfort comes with good food, we took to ordering. The truly extensive menu consisted of various seafood and fish dishes, as well as common European offerings, such as carpaccio and Caesar salad, and several pages dedicated to Japanese cuisine, with a great assortment of sushi. We decided that since we were dining on the “deck” of the Titanic we should indulge in food that comes from the sea and ordered accordingly.
As we waited for the food to arrive, sipping on juice – grape for my friend, and cherry for me – our pleasant young waiter brought us a bread basket and explained what we could find there: wheat and rye rolls and breadsticks with Parmesan – all of it smelling fresh and appetizing. I had already started chewing on a breadstick as our first courses arrived – “Kiwi” mussels (Hr 54) for me and “Captain’s Catch” (Hr 55) for my friend. The big mussels cooked in an original sauce and served with broccoli were a light and tasty appetizer. Although I’m not a big fan of broccoli, it went just fine with mussels. However, I liked the dish my friend was having even more, which was a mix of fried bits of fish – salmon and halibut, on flaky pastry. It was truly delicious. After that we had to wait for some time, probably because our entrees took some time to be prepared, but luckily we had quite some news to share.
Being a big fan of rye bread rolls, I decided to try one with garlic butter, but regretted it as soon as I saw my main course – I hardly had enough capacity left for the portion. The thing is, I must confess I’m not very experienced at ordering at fish restaurants, and though I could see that the prices for fish were given per 100 grams, I still thought the portions were going to be small, since after all, some types of fish are really expensive. And least of all did I expect to receive a whole fish, which I discovered after the waiter took off the metal lid. As a result, my dorado amounted to Hr 245, and my friend’s sea bass to Hr 176, while initially they both cost the same amount – Hr 57 per 100 grams. The menu suggested two different ways of preparing it – either grilled or baked in salt. My friend preferred grilled, while I was eager to find out what baking it in salt actually meant. But while prepared differently, the way both fish were served was the same. They arrived on plates sprinkled with soy sauce, accompanied by a lemon wrapped in a plastic net and a serving of some orange paste-like sauce. The dorado, which arrived with no skin (it was taken off together with the salt), didn’t have a very outstanding taste to my mind, but when sprinkled with lemon and dipped into the sour orange sauce it tasted just fine. The impressions of my friend from her sea bass were similar, but because it was grilled, the taste was stronger and more flavorful. Because of the big portions we couldn’t exactly cope with our side dishes. My friend had merely a bite of her vegetable ratatouille (Hr 25), while I really liked my hibachi rice mix (Hr 45) with chicken and shrimp, but unfortunately wasn’t able to finish it.
Already too full to even think about desserts, we finished our drinks in the quiet of the restaurant, where we were now the only guests. I had to conclude that Titanic certainly occupies a worthy place among Kyiv’s high-end eateries, and unlike its unfortunate namesake, promises to remain afloat for a long time.
Titanic (8 Panasa Myrnoho, 569-1939). Open daily 11 a.m. till 10 p.m.
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: No
Average meal: Hr 250
