Editor’s note: Eating out in Ukraine is a gamble. To bring you honest food reviews, Kyiv Post writers go to restaurants unannounced, pay for their own meals and never accept favors from restauranteurs.
Opened in early September, this restaurant still smells of fresh paint. It’s made to resemble a boat with plank decks for the floor and steely sails for a roof. With two of its lounges complete, a slight scent of paint hovers around the other two – still in the works. None of that should bother you though, unless you decide to check out the construction in progress.
The restaurant named “Sad,” translated as garden, is a convenient two-minute walk from the Presidential Administration on Bankova. The backyard of the classy Union of Writers building has leveraged its rich history to the new food joint. But let’s get to the food first.
Greeted at the door by friendly staff, we were first offered a table in the spacious garden, which looked like a homely, well-manicured dacha. But since it was already a chilly September evening, we chose to sit inside.
Albeit slim, the menu was all over the place. Sturgeon’s caviar at Hr 1,200 per 40 gram serving was in uncomfortable proximity to Ukrainian borscht for about Hr 50. Asparagus, a rare find in Ukraine’s supermarkets, for Hr 80, was on the same page with buckwheat, Hr 30, the staple food in every pensioner’s home.
With some difficulty, we ordered an Italian-themed dinner of four courses. Another surprise came with the wine. If you didn’t want to order a bottle, there was only a choice between one type of red and white. Chilean Cabernet for Hr 60, however, was of proper room temperature and was served quickly with a complimentary bread basket and dill-flavored butter.
Writer’s House on Bankova street hosts new restaurant Sad in its backgarden. Managers of the food venue did not allow the eatery itself to be photographed. (Oleksiy Boyko)
The indoor lounge where we sat felt like an upscale marquee with slanted ceilings, white shades draping the white walls and naked lamp bulbs hanging down the walls like clusters of grape. Relaxing lounge music, was unobtrusive and felt natural, just like the service itself.
Caprese salad for Hr 90 was a great combination of sweet cherry-tomatoes and moist mozzarella balls. It was enough to share. It took about 25 minutes for the main course to arrive but the company and general ambiance made the time fly by. Grilled sea bass for Hr 110 was a good value for the quality offered.
The fish’s mild flavor needed no more than a touch of some freshly squeezed lemon juice. It was grilled perfectly (could be steamed if you like) until it could flake easily. The waiter undressed it fancily on a separate little table in front of us and served it with asparagus (Hr 80) on the side. This veggie also appears on the hors d’oeuvre page with a special mustard sauce for Hr 100. The restaurant owners must have taken a special liking to it as it appears on the venue’s logo.
My company opted for vitello tonnato, Hr 90, an Italian dish made of braised veal and tuna-flavored sauce.
The chef offered it as a starter, but in Italy it works as a main as well. To avoid the veal getting dry, generous amounts of thick sauce – a mix of tuna, egg yolks, cream, lemon juice and some condiments, are highly advisable. Sadly, our vitello was not swimming in it but that seemed like the only error with it. Risotto for Hr 60 ordered as a side was a plain dish of boiled rice with no thick cream to hold it together.
We were also bothered by the smoke from nearby tables, but had no choice since the non-smoking lounges were still in the works. My company expressed doubts about coming back, but I would give this place the benefit of the doubt.
The restaurant has got what it takes to become an elegant wine and dine joint. The terrace would be especially alluring in summer and perhaps even on the few warm evenings left in October.
Housed next to The Union of Writers building, it’s got heavy history strings attached. In the late 19th century, it belonged to Jewish sugar magnate Simkha Liberman. Then, it was used by the Communist Party as a propaganda-writing center before World War II, and also as a hospital and a kindergarten. Writers moved in the 1950s and keep musing there to this day.
Despite this illustrious heritage, the venue still looks like a teenager with a closet full of cool outfits but no idea how to wear them.
On the one hand, airy white draperies and comfy couches call for bohemian coffee breaks in the afternoon and fashionable pre-party in the after-hours. But on the other, its proximity to the president’s workplace and porridges on the menu hint at Soviet-themed kitsch, which Kyiv has already got in abundance. Fixing a phone line and a website could help as well, since neither seems to function properly at this stage.
The Kyiv Post hopes the restaurant finds its waters and dives into its bohemian past without any Soviet inkling.
Restaurant “Sad”
Bankova 2, tel. 599-0808
Kyiv Post Lifestyle Editor Yuliya Popova can be reached at [email protected].
