Have a quick sushi snack at the Japanese eatery at Bessarabka
Due to its location on the outer side of the Besarabskiy market building, I must have passed Seven Samurai about a million times, and recently decided I just had to check it out. My aspirations, however, were slightly chilled down by the comments I read about the restaurant on www.afisha.ua. The users seemed quite unimpressed with the place, to say the least. Always trying to keep my reviews positive, and therefore simply avoiding places with questionable reputations, I was at first reluctant to go. But it so happened that just recently I ventured to a presentation-party at Arena Night Club, and because the event turned out to be boring – just as expected – I suggested to my friend that we leave soon, and instead have a small evening meal somewhere close by. After all, you can never judge anything until you see and try it for yourself, so before long we stood before the entrance leading to two establishments – The Wall bar located in the basement, and Seven Samurai sushi restaurant.
The medium-sized rectangular hall had a dozen or so tables, a few of them placed behind screens that separated a cozy VIP room for those who prefer dining in a more intimate atmosphere. As soon as we picked a table by the window and took our seats, the waitress approached and handed out the two menus – paper leafs placed between two plates of wood. The surroundings made a very casual impression – the opposite wall was embellished with photographs of Japanese cuisine dishes as well as Japanese-style paintings illustrating the namesake of the restaurant – the daring and wild-faced Samurai. There were also a few Japanese fans attached to the wall here and there, but for the most part the interior was a very typical sushi-bar. Waitresses were dressed in minimalist grey blouses and only the two bartenders hanging out by the bar had something like Japanese-style outfits on.
The menu wasn’t a revelation to me – as it was already around 9 p.m. and I wasn’t exactly hungry, I wished for something truly delicious and light, but I wasn’t able to find any rolls with eel and cream cheese – my favorite roll combination. Still, anxious to taste the cooking, we made the order – an “Unagi Hofu” roll (Hr 66) for me, and a “Syake Kunsei” (Hr 56) for my friend, accompanied by cherry and “Perfection” teas.
The two teapots arrived in a few moments, closely followed by the food. I gave mental credit to the eatery for it’s promptness – it was indeed a late hour with few customers around, but many local restaurants would take their time with your order regardless of that. My “Unagi Hofu” was a roll of eel with Japanese omelet, asparagus and tofu – a tasty-sounding combination indeed. However, in this case there was nothing impressive about it. I had already tried making sushi myself at home, and even made it once with eel, which I accidentally discovered at Billa supermarket by my office. I guess the taste of my own cooking – and I’m nothing but an amateur – could be compared to the roll I had at Seven Samurai – it was OK, but it lacked a certain richness of taste, the rice felt a bit dry and the bit of eel placed on top of rice kept falling off as I dipped each bit into the soy sauce. My friend’s roll of smoked salmon, shrimp, cucumber and flying fish caviar was similar – quite proper without exactly being delicious.
Having finished the food, we carried on chatting, sipping on our teas, which were both fine. Mine was slightly sour, with a strong cherry flavor, and my friend’s “Perfection,” with mint and various fruit, had a soothing and relaxing taste. I had to conclude that Seven Samurai neither justified nor exceeded my expectations. I’ve indeed had better sushi in this town and the service was far from perfect, but the prices were indeed rather cheap for such a central location. Speaking of the latter, it was at attracting tourists – clearly a major part of clientele at the eatery. They could easily spot its big windows richly painted with samurai figures from the street, and coming in just for a quick bite, they would hardly complain about the food. The group of youngsters, laughing and talking loudly in English and an Italian-looking gentleman on our right, who consumed soup with a concentrated look on his face didn’t seem to be disconcerted with anything, and neither were we for that matter.
Seven Samurai (2 Besarabska Ploshcha, 235-3388). Open daily 10 a.m. till 2 a.m.
English menu
English-speaking staff
Average meal: Hr 80
