As Kyiv citizens returned to the lockdown life on March 20, cooking at home is gaining popularity again, just like a year ago, when the first pandemic measures were introduced across Ukraine.
The lockdown will stay in force at least through April 16.
With food markets shut, finding perfectly fresh produce might not be easy for the real gourmets. And with the number of new COVID‑19 cases on the rise, some might feel hesitant to make multiple trips to grocery stores.
The Kyiv Post has picked out some of the best small delivery services offering fresh vegetables, fruit, cheese, seafood and some ready-to-cook meals.
Fruit and veggies
Kyiv-based fruit and vegetable delivery service Ovo is a big hit among Kyivans, taking just a day to deliver placed orders. The company offers a wide choice of vegetables from zucchini and broccoli to the rarer finds of sweet potatoes and bok choy. Other items on the menu include all sorts of greenery, mushrooms, fruit, nuts, dried fruit and smoothies. Ovo delivers all around Kyiv, charging Hr 200 ($7) for orders of less than Hr 500 ($18). Orders over Hr 500, are delivered within Kyiv for free. Ovo provides free delivery to the suburbs for orders of Hr 2,000 ($72).
Fruit Time has a full-fledged supermarket choice on its web store, with a variety of grocery products. There are vegetables, mushrooms, cereals, eggs, fruit, nuts, honey, oil and even spices. The company offers some exotic fruit that is difficult to find in Kyiv, such as dragon fruit, four kinds of mango and passion fruit. The store provides all the details about the origins of the imported products and their storage conditions. The cost of the delivery depends on the distance. Fruit Time has free delivery for orders starting at Hr 449 ($17) within Kyiv. Delivery to the suburbs is available for orders of at least Hr 1,500 ($54).
The online food market FreshMart is another perfect choice to order all products needed to prepare a whole meal. Aside from an array of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, dried fruit and cereals, the company offers sweets like jams, nut pastes and craft chocolate. Juices and smoothies are on the drink menu. There are also a bunch of combo boxes, like the one for cooking guacamole. The orders can be either delivered by FreshMart’s own courier service or through the Nova Poshta private parcel delivery firm. FreshMart charges Hr 38 ($1.4) for orders starting at Hr 500 ($18) within Kyiv. To get a package delivered to the suburbs, customers need to buy for at least Hr 1,500 ($54).
Ovo. www.ovo.ua.
Fruit Time. www.fruit-time.ua.
FreshMart. www.freshmart.com.ua.
Seafood
During the lockdown, the chain of fish restaurants Chernomorka launched a “virtual restaurant,” where online customers can chat with servers, pick a dish from the menu and order a delivery. In addition, Chernomorka offers scaled, cleaned and marinated seafood. The website posts fresh options every day such as a variety of salmon whole round or steak. It is also possible to order the fresh seafood cooked, pan fried or grilled, with the options of creamy or tomato sauce. Chernomorka charges Hr 70 ($3) for delivery within Kyiv and Hr 150 ($5) outside of Kyiv.
Kyiv’s Chernomorka restaurant chain offers delivery of seafood with fresh daily options. The company can also scale, clean and marinate fish and other seafood upon order. (Chernomorka/ Facebook)
Another option for seafood delivery is the online fish market Seadora. It offers fresh produce caught abroad and transported to Ukraine without freezing. Caviar straight from Alaska, herring from the Netherlands, salmon from Scotland and fish caught in both the Ukrainian rivers and the Black Sea are in the online store. The delivery by Seadora’s courier service is Hr 50 ($2) and Hr 100 ($4) by the Meest Express delivery service within Kyiv. Delivery outside of Kyiv costs Hr 100 ($4).
Chernomorka. www.chernomorka.online.
Seadora. www.seadora.com.ua.
Craft cheese and vegan products
Vegetable food production Zelena Korova (Green Cow) sells products suitable for those following a vegan diet. Its choices feature tofu, soy pate, falafel, chickpea hummus, sesame or bean paste and vegan sausages. The company accepts orders for more than Hr 300 ($11) and delivers them through Nova Poshta.
Syroman is the place to go for fans of all sorts of cheese. It has a wide range of cheeses including cow, goat and sheep, aged and young, and with blue and white mold. The company also offers meat delicacies, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and sauces to be served with a cheese plate. Syroman’s courier delivery in Kyiv is available for Hr 70 ($3) for the orders that start at Hr 450 ($15). Another option is self-pickup at Syroman’s store.
Zelena Korova. www.zelenakorova.com.ua.
Syroman. Order at www.syroman.com.ua. Pick up at 10A Dmytra Lutsenka St. Mon — Sun. 12 p. m. — 8 p. m.
Kyiv’s delivery service Gudfood At Home offers pre-homemade dishes that take 10 minutes to cook such as dumplings, lasagna, croissants and more. (Courtesy of Gudfood At Home)
Ready-to-cook
The star restaurant company, First Line Group, which runs a number of hit restaurants in Kyiv such as Italianskaya Redaktsia (Italian Edition) and Eastman, has launched its own delivery service called Mammy. The service offers ready-to-cook food of “restaurant quality” that customers can make according to recipes Mammy publishes online. The menu includes a variety of dumplings, pasta, meatballs, crêpes with savory or sweet filling and syrnyky, Ukrainian cottage cheese pancakes. The ready-to-cook dishes can be ordered from the group’s restaurant Lyubimy Dyadya (Favorite Uncle) through the Raketa delivery service or by phone.
Gudfood At Home delivers pre-homemade dishes that take 10 minutes to cook. The choice includes dumplings, ravioli, lasagna, meatballs, syrnyky, cinnamon rolls, croissants, vegetable bowls, sourdough bread and all kinds of sauces. Delivery is available from Sunday to Friday from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. The company provides free delivery for orders of more than Hr 300 ($11) within Kyiv. Suburban delivery costs Hr 100 ($4) for orders starting at Hr 500 ($18). Self-pickup is also available at the Gudfood shop.
Mammy. Check the menu at www.readymag.com/firstlinegroup/mammy. Order through the Raketa app or by phone +38067 506 3198. Pick up at Lyubimy Dyadya (20 Pankivska St.) 10 a. m. — 9.30 p. m.
Gudfood At Home. Order at www.foods.w3b.services/menu/gudfood. Pick up at Gudfood (14 Kostiantyna Dankevycha St.) Mon — Sun. 10 a. m. — 8 p. m.
