Starters, just like desserts, are made to share. We often order a couple of tantalizing appetizers and then start passing the plates around.
In the French cafe Gorchitsa, a chef took us by surprise and divided our Caprese salad in two. This was the first sign we were in for a professional dining experience.
The cafe – sitting in the high-profile Lypky district, next to a court and the Interior Ministry offices – provides good food in polished, spacious surroundings at a reasonable price.
With two high-ceilinged rooms and an eight-table terrace, it maintains an air of elegance. The decor behind a grand, white-and-gold front door is simple, yet stylish. Besides a couple of large, vintage posters and a book case, there is nothing else but food to relish in Gorchitsa. And so it should be in a restaurant.
A two-page menu has 10 to 15 entries for each course. A basket of complementary crispy bread was served along with French Bordeaux (Hr 45 per glass) before our starters arrived. Apart from Caprese for Hr 68, in which even the tomatoes were skinned for a smooth combination with mozzarella, we had cream of broccoli soup for Hr 52.
For gourmands, there are Burgundy snails in mustard sauce and pan-fried foie gras in balsamic sauce, each for under Hr 140.
The main section of the menu is divided into pasta, meat and fish. On our first visit, we tried cat fish in Dijon mustard and a grilled Dorado with grilled vegetables on the side.
The catfish (Hr 86) was served over a bed of finely-chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, which together with the grainy mustard dominated the fish’s unique flavor. The dorado, on the other hand, didn’t have enough flavoring for my taste but my partner enjoyed it as it was.
Laid out like sun rays, grilled peppers, eggplants and carrots were a garnish we ordered again on our next trip to Gorchitsa for meat.
Osso bucco – a cross-cut veal shank – was generously stewed for hours to bring out the best of flavorful beef and savory marrow. Soft like a pear, it was swathed in gravy with a couple of mange tout, among other vegetables on the side.
A bone-in pork loin with small chunks of fat, like love handles, added to the juicy feast.
The meat orders – each for under Hr 100 – were generous enough to skip dessert, which we sadly did. The overall food experience accentuated by the quiet splendor of the 19th century homes surrounding the cafe makes this establishment a place to return and invite your friends over.
Don’t confuse it with Mon Ami restaurant in the same vicinity though – Gorchitsa started out in its spot, on Shovkovychna Street, a couple of years ago but then moved a few blocks away.
Gorchitsa Cafe, 6 Pylypa Orlyka St., tel. 253-7358
Kyiv Post editor Yuliya Popova can be reached at [email protected]
