Cozy couches and movie star photos create the right ambiance at Ovatsiya cafe
It always strikes me as amazing that somehow, even in the very center of our busy city – especially on weekends when travelers from the regions as well as from outside the country start pouring in – it’s still possible to find a place to eat that stands quietly aside, providing a cozy meal, and allowing you to feel as if you were far away from all the turmoil. And that’s exactly what I felt when I first entered Ovatsiya (Ovation) cafe on Prorizna the other day. Just a few steps from Khreshchatyk metro and there we were – in a small room full of soft couches and tables fully served, as if waiting for us. Some European pop classics were playing in the background, and we immediately felt quite comfortable.
Based on the menu it could easily be said that it was indeed a European-style cafe, offering a moderately priced menu of appetizers, salads and main dishes, divided into sections: by fish, veal, pork, chicken etc. As for the name of the eatery, it apparently referred to the photographs of movie stars, hanging along the walls, which were actually enlarged screenshots, showing scenes from different movies: John Travolta and Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction,” Brad Pitt and George Clooney in “Ocean’s Eleven” (or perhaps one of the sequels), Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon in “The Good Shepherd,” Penelope Cruz in “Volver,” as well as a poster from “The Devil Wears Prada,” and of ex-James Bond Pierce Brosnan, Jude Law, and Cameron Diaz.
Although I found the decor a bit funny, as the eatery itself wasn’t movie-themed on the whole, I had nothing against dining surrounded by familiar faces. However, just as we were served our first courses, the charms of the place started to evaporate. It so happened that at the very moment the other guests left, and my friend and I appeared to be the only clients, the waiter decided it was time to watch TV. It had already been on, but with the sound turned off, and now he made it really loud. The pleasant music was still playing overhead but it could hardly compete with the TV. After I threw quite a few annoyed glances towards TV, with the waiter switching through the channels, a lady standing at the bar asked him to turn it down. We could still hear it all too well, but at last what was on – a classical Soviet comedy – wasn’t too annoying, and we started on our salads.
I was having what was called “Mary Ross” (Hr 23.78) – a salad of tomatoes, salted salmon, marinated chanterelles and cedar nuts. Unlike what I usually expect from common Ukrainian cafes, the ingredients weren’t chopped into small bits and mixed, but arranged nicely on the plate with chanterelles lying in a heap in the very middle. The mushrooms made an original combination with the salmon and tomatoes, cedar nuts adding an unusual taste nuance. My friend was having “French” salad, which included salmon, shrimp and orange slices seasoned with so-called “spicy sour cream” sauce. She defined her dish as “tender and light,” and observed that the sauce was clearly a mix of sour cream and mayonnaise, which was indeed better than plain mayonnaise and went well with the fish and orange. With the salads we also ordered a specialty of the house – homemade bread with seeds and nuts, with cinnamon flavoring – slightly sweet, it was quite enjoyable, though it would have been more enjoyable if they served it as a regular part of the meal rather than charging for it, even though it was just Hr 2.20 for two slices.
As I was still having my salad, our second dishes – once again fish (somehow neither of us felt particularly hungry that day, so fish was all we needed) – arrived at the table, and although it was not exactly nice to bring it before we were done with the starters, it was less annoying than the TV, which was getting noisy again. The waiter clearly just couldn’t help turning it up every now and then, to see what was on various channels, so I was finally tired of sighing and throwing exasperated glances at him, and I really hate complaining, so I decided to give it a rest.
My catfish with mustard sauce (Hr 29.75) felt just a bit too salty, but was quite savory on the whole, a finely cooked fish complimented by the mustard flavor of the creamy sauce, filled with mustard seeds. My friend’s salmon under shrimp sauce (Hr 44.99) had a much smoother taste, the sauce, which she claimed tasted at if it was cottage-cheese-based, adding some extra sweetness to the fish.
As none of the desserts on the menu inspired us, we went for hot drinks – a coffee with ice cream (Hr 20.50) for her, and hot chocolate for me (Hr 10.58). The latter turned out perfectly satisfying – the chocolate wasn’t a very thick cream to be eaten by teaspoon, as it’s is in some cafes in Kyiv, but on the contrary, was just thin enough for a chocolate drink, with a rich bitter-sweet flavor and a hint of nuts. Satisfied with the dinner, which also didn’t cost very much, I had to think that if not for the waiter who clearly cared more for TV shows than keeping his customers happy, Ovatsiya could gain much higher marks from me and still deserved a few thumbs up.
Ovatsiya (9 Prorizna, 278-7243). Open 10 a.m. till 11 p.m.
English menu: No
English staff: No
Average meal: Hr 80
