If the presumptions of my two Ukrainian friends are anything to go by, Vietnamese food still has a way to go to endear itself to most locals.
If the presumptions of my two Ukrainian friends are anything to go by, Vietnamese food still has a way to go to endear itself to most locals.
“We won’t have to eat spicy bugs or monkey brains, will we?” asked one.
But on the recommendation of a high-profile Vietnamese diplomat, I dined at the Imperatur Vietnamese Restaurant and took these doubting Thomases with me.
What you first realize about Imperatur is that it fails the realtor’s “location, location, location” test. It sits deep in Kyiv’s southern bowels, nestled between two cemeteries.
You need strong motivation for Vietnamese food to go and an even better sense of direction; even the taxi driver lost his way and we only arrived after much backtracking and map reading.
First impressions are, however, immediately endearing. A granite lion by the door confirms you’re set for a night without varenyky and borsch.
The restaurant interior is predictably red and crammed with elephants, dancing deities and reclining Buddhas.
An unobtrusive mural of Vietnam’s famously picturesque Ha Long Bay, nondescript ambient music and Ukrainian reality television accompanied us throughout the meal.
The restaurant interior is predictably red and crammed with elephants, dancing deities and reclining Buddhas.
No visit to a Vietnamese restaurant is complete without testing the Land of the Blue Dragon’s more famous dishes.
I ordered nems, fried rice noodle paper rolls, and beef pho, Vietnam’s famous noodle soup. The pho was delicious, screaming fresh lemongrass and coriander.
The nems, while solid, lacked the traditional accoutrements of basil and lettuce in which to wrap them.
Six of the oily things become quickly overwhelming. One friend ordered sweet and sour chicken, which was tasty without being particularly flavorsome.
I also had deep-fried prawns followed by deep fried banana for dessert; both good but both oily.
Everything was correct but nothing apart from the pho stood out. We paid slightly less than Hr 500.
Given its location, this restaurant needs more to attract the crowds. As one of my friends said as he contemplated the long journey back to the city center, “it’s good but it’s not that good.”
We were the only customers for the whole evening (to be fair it was Tuesday), which didn’t reassure my companions.
It did, however, give the friendly Vietnamese owner-cum-chef the time to chat with us.
Despite his bonhomie, no sooner had we exited the front door than the porch lights were switched off and we and the granite lion were plunged into darkness.
12 Andriya Golovko St.
tel. 502-3146, 502-3147
www.imperator.kiev.ua
