Check out Voline House – Kyiv’s newest Chinese eatery
There seems to be an awkward situation with ethnic eateries in this town. Either they are overly fancy and accordingly costly, which in no way means that you’ll get more than just a cool interior for your money (food quality is often secondary), or they are reasonably priced and the food is authentic, but the overall service and atmosphere is reminiscent of the old Soviet eateries. But, if you still want to take advantage of the great food and price politics of the latter, you’d better leave your high customer demands at the door, and focus on what’s on your plate.
With Chinese restaurants still underrepresented in Kyiv – and roughly 10 eateries can hardly be called enough – I became curious about Voline House after first hearing about it, and last weekend I finally checked it out.
Voline House happened to be discreetly hidden away at a small quiet street that runs off Prospekt Peremohy. As the surroundings suggested, one could hardly expect it to be packed, but Voline House exceeded our expectations in that respect – there was just one lone visitor, sitting in the oblong hall of the restaurant. The young man was clearly very much at ease, reclining in an easy-chair with nothing but a white teapot and a cup on the table before him. When, after awhile, he got up and lazily walked out, we remained the only guests, with the only other person in the room being the waitress clad in a blue cheongsam blouse, who stayed at her “observation” post throughout our meal.
As we looked for a place to sit, we realized that there was only one small table, occupied by the man. Others were all big enough for four people, and all of them fully served – there were napkins rolled into napkin holders, standing erect on plates, complete with knives and forks, and stylish black chopsticks wrapped in silk bags. One thing that amused me from the start was that although there was plenty of daylight coming through the big windows, the lights were on – red lantern-like lamps hanging right above each and every table. It made the place look awkwardly bright, as if it wasn’t bright enough already – the red color that prevailed in the very Chinese interior created quite a blazing effect. Chinese music played in the background enhancing the impression that we were indeed not in a regular European restaurant.
Once we were seated, the waitress promptly supplied us with menus and a drink chart. The assortment was impressive – how even the cheapest Chinese restaurants manage to support such a variety of dishes is a mystery to me, but it cannot but please anyone who likes to have options. I’ve spotted some very curious offerings such as jelly fish salad (Hr 44), the ever-popular Kung Pao chicken (Hr 34 for 300 grams) and Peking Duck (Hr 168), which is available upon preliminary order. The rest of the menu was made up of numerous dishes of vegetables, chicken, duck, pork, veal and mutton, as well as fish and seafood, especially shrimp, and over 10 soups.
After a small discussion, we settled on duck in honeydew (Hr 78) and the “Blossoming Chrysanthemum” fish (Hr 58), with the name describing the look of the dish on the plate rather than anything else. For garnish we chose vegetable (Hr 22) and shrimp (Hr 26) fried rice.
To my utter surprise, the first thing to arrive was not the fresh juices we ordered, but the rice. I still remember how the owner of another Chinese restaurant, whom I knew well, instructed one of his waiters never to bring the rice before the main dish, as it was going to get cold before the latter arrived. Apparently, it was not the rule at Voline House, and trying to take advantage of the food while it was still warm, I promptly started on my rice, washing it down with my fresh apple juice (Hr 18). Finally, our hot dishes were served – first the duck, then the fish. But before we started eating, my friend asked for soy sauce, as there was none of the table. The waitress soon returned with a small bowl filled with a tiny bit of sauce. There was no teaspoon to spoon it out, but willing to enjoy our meal rather then argue with anybody, we just sighed.
Finally, speaking of the food, there is not much criticism to be applied. Even though my experience with Chinese cuisine is still quite modest, I would say that everything was prepared properly and by the people who knew their thing well. The bits of duck meat in sticky honeydew sauce were almost caramel sweet – the taste combination that suits duck better than any other meat – and it went just fine with the well-cooked rice filled with bits of Bulgarian pepper and shrimp. The “Chrysanthemum” fish was of a very different flavor – the tomato sauce (as it was called on the menu) was so sour it was almost pungent and the bits of fish fried in it obtained a quite unusual taste combination, yet savory all the same. Alternating between the sour and sweet flavors, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and when done with it, realized we were even ready for a little more. We opted for caramelized bananas and green tea. This time we didn’t have to wait long – the teapot arrived to our table in no time at all, closely followed by dessert.
We’d had fruit fried in caramel, Chinese-style, more than once before, so we knew what to expect. However, what we didn’t exactly count on was that the round bits were glued together so firmly on the plate, that I had trouble separating some of the bits from the rest – even with a knife – though apart from that, the dish was quite wonderful. Getting ready to leave, I discovered the restaurant also had a hall in the basement – dimly lit, and supplied with a bar, where a lady stood solemnly, overlooking the empty room. It must be spooky, I thought, to stand like that all day, with no customers to attend to.
But, of course, there had to be more guests then just us – perhaps it was just bad timing.
Voline House (68/1 Prospect Peremohy, 458-4318). Open 11 a.m. till 11 p.m.
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 100
