Atelier leaves TUCC members truly impressed
The latest Ukrainian Connoisseur Club meeting was not a regular one – not only was it dedicated to the sixth anniversary of the club, and involved a much bigger amount of gourmets than usual, but also the gathering was taking place at Atelier – the restaurant of famous Kyiv chef Denis Komarenko, who was also the chef of the very first TUCC meeting at Surprise restaurant six years ago.
Located on the first floor of the new Leonardo Business Center, the restaurant was all refined elegance – chic and sleek, without any excessive design elements that are often found in high-end eateries, and at times appear to be special effects to distract you from the food. In Atelier, it’s made clear that food is what matters most and nothing should distract you from your culinary experience, while the sole aim of the interior is to make you feel as comfortable as possible with proper soft lightning, pastel colors, and plenty of space.
Naturally, the cuisine of Atelier was the “author’s” – after all, it was a chef-owned place. Still, hearing of a certain restaurant offering “author cuisine” I always have my doubts – you never know what to expect, relying on the creativity of the chef and his ideas. Naturally, dealing with the chef with such a reputation as Denis Komarenko has, should have been enough to remove all doubts, but of course, I couldn’t say much until I actually tried his cooking.
As it turned out, many guests, including myself, were somewhat confused by the tiny dish that arrived first, and actually not a part of the menu at all, but a Mise en Bouch – a gift from chef. Done with the “gift” and having taken a few sips on Moet&Chandon Champaign served with it, I was more than ready for the actual entry.
It was tar-tar with Scottish salmon prepared Atelier-style. According to the chef, it was made of wild salmon – not the bred kind, which is commonly sold at stores and used for cooking at many restaurants. Wild or not, but cut into bits and mixed to form in a small cylinder, wrapped around with crunchy slices of what felt like pastry (or perhaps it was cheese) and parmesan, the salmon tar-tar felt wonderfully fresh and savory – a great start to a meal, which was accordingly well-complemented by a white Sancerre Jadis 2004 AOC Henri Bourgeois from France.
Here I should stop to acknowledge that I and my neighbors at the table were equally impressed with the accuracy of the service. Just as the chef finished the presentation of the dish, an escort of a whole number of waiters (there could have been at least 10 of them), marched out of the kitchen each with a dish in hand, promptly placing one in front of each guest. They also hurried to remove the wine glasses as well as the empty plates, not forgetting to inquire if I was done with it already, as well as if I liked the food. The stories of very bad service at even some of the most expensive restaurants in this town have become almost cliche, so being treated the way we were at Atelier was clearly exceptional.
Talking of the second dish – a press-terrine with confit tomatoes and goat cheese – Komarenko claimed he had used about 50 kg of tomatoes to prepare all the terrine for the guests (there were up to 70 of us) and remarked that as he knew from experience, since not everybody equally appreciates goat cheese, he made it especially tender and creamy.
But all the words could hardly describe what it really felt like – tomato ground into a most delicate paste and made in the form of a small brick, and topped with a round tablet of goat cheese, which, just as promised, was quite liquid inside, but was kept together by some transparent seaweed essence.
Mixing with the tomato, the cheese created a combination that felt very familiar – after all, don’t we just have cheese and tomatoes quite often – but also incredible at the same time. Sipping on Spanish red wine, a Baron de Ley Grand Reserva 1996 (a little too rough for my taste), I thought that for the first time I fully understood what being a great chef meant – to be able to turn the most trivial ingredients into a culinary masterpiece.
The third dish to be served was deep-sea scallop cream with asparagus and Jambo shrimp – bits of big shrimp covered with foamy scallop cream made the most exquisite combination with asparagus making up one of the most tender seafood dishes I’ve had.
After a short break – and it was indeed necessary, as many of us were already quite full – the chef once again appeared before us to announce the main course, which was once again fish (not that I had any complaints about it, being the seafood fan that I am).
A delicious sea bass fillet with artichokes and saffron sauce arrived accompanied by the most delicate potato puree topped with some black caviar. It was a perfect main dish in every way, hot, filling and light at the same time, and going perfectly with a Chilean Chardonnay 2005, “Cuvee Alexandere,” Casa Lapostolle.
Already perfectly satisfied with the meal – it was indeed one of the best I’ve had with Connoisseur Club members so far – I took a few tea-spoonfuls of sour lime sorbet to refresh the palates, waiting for dessert. I wasn’t all that hungry for it, but very anxious to try what our chef had prepared for the end of the evening.
A Sauvignon 2003 IGT, “Vulcaia Apures,” from Italy – wonderfully sweet with a distinct honey flavor – served as a great appetizer to the white chocolate mousse with lime aroma, passion fruit syrup and mango sorbet that finally came. The tender white chocolate mousse was a true pleasure for the mouth, with mango sorbet adding a sour taste and making the dessert an absolutely worthy completion to the savory evening.
The guests were getting ready to enjoy armagnac with cigars, courtesy of La Casa del Habano club, and though I was in a hurry to leave – it was Saturday night after all, and I had more plans for the evening – I still had time to hear the club chairman, Terry Pickard, praise the restaurant and Komarenko’s culinary talent, and could only fully agree with him.
Atelier (17/52 Khmelnytskoho, Leonardo Business Center, 1st floor, 581-1081). Open from 11 a.m. till midnight
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 300
