TUCC appraises cooking and service of Grill Asia at the Hyatt Regency hotel
Because Wednesday also happens to be the deadline for our newspaper, I was seriously rushing from work to the Hyatt Regency hotel Halloween night, where The Ukrainian Connoisseur Club dinner gathering was about to begin. Having spent quite a few nervous minutes in the cab as it struggled though the traffic jams downtown, I was ready to simply jump out of the car, when it finally pulled up to the front of the hotel, when a young man swiftly came up and opened my door. I greeted him, and proceeded inside the hall, where a few uniformed ladies were lined up, smiling widely. As I inquired about the location of Grill Asia to one of them, she bowed her head and led me to the stairs, noting that her colleague would meet me at the top. I hardly had time to catch my breath before my coat was taken from me, and I was escorted into the hall of the restaurant. In a minute I was sitting at a table with a napkin upon my knee and a strawberry champagne cocktail in my hand, served to me by the attentive manager.
Having greeted my neighbors at the table I finally had time to look around – Grill Asia occupied an extensive area on the second floor of the hotel, and the TUCC members were occupying only a part of it. The minimalist interior of black and white was carefully divided into sections, allowing the guests to sit the way they chose – out in the open, or in privacy. In the middle of the room there was an open kitchen where a team of Indonesian cooks were working their magic – every now and then the room was illuminated for an instant as high flames sprang up from the frying pans they were operating with.
As I soon discovered, I was indeed late and missed the start of the dinner – an appetizer of chilled potato and leek shooter with crab meat and apple granite. However, as it turned out it was only the first amuse buche, while the second was still coming. Besides, the formal introduction from the restaurant manager and chef also hasn’t been made yet, so I assumed I was in time for the major part of the evening.
The chef, a jolly young man who I liked immediately for being so relaxed and open, presented dish of sauteed foie gras, apple chutney and orange pepper brioche. I have no criticism whatsoever about the foie gras – it was perfect – apart from the fact that (though it’s not uncommon) the portion was far too small to be fully appreciated, though the apple puree and brioche, which had a slightly pungent taste to it, made a great combination with tender goose liver.
Next, however, a surprise awaited the guests. We were to be served starters, but family style, which was unusual. Basically, that meant that in an attempt to allow us to try as many different things as possible, we were to be served several different dishes at the same time – a plate of each kind per two or three people, allowing each guest to take as much as he or she wished. It created some confusion, and would have been more convenient if the waiters did the job of dividing each meal between the diners, but that was not the case here. On the contrary, the wait staff, which appeared so efficient in the beginning, wasn’t especially accurate when serving the starters – dishes arrived slowly, and while at some tables people were already half through the meal, others were still waiting.
As for food itself, it would be true to say that all three starters were worth attention. Glass noodle salad with minced chicken and shrimp in chili-and-lime dressing felt like a traditional Asian cold appetizer – the jelly-like texture of noodles spiced up with the dressing and shrimp. Steamed prawn wantons with scallions, in sesame oil and soy sauce were rather typical Chinese dumplings – fine, but not too outstanding. The third dish was chunks of lamb, chicken, beef and shrimp grilled on sticks, and served with pickled green and red peppers, and lontong (round bits of compressed rice rolls, and peanut sauce). I personally enjoyed the latter – the semi-sweet peanut paste wonderfully complemented the skewers, which were also grilled in some semi-sweet paste-like dressing. Washing the food down with L’Avenir Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from South Africa – quite appropriate for the occasion – I had to admit that though I had no complaints about the food, the way the dishes were served was a bit unconventional, and not every guest would appreciate meat on sticks at the high-end restaurant.
After a pause, we received our main course – herb crusted rack of lamb with rosemary, celery mash, and glazed baby carrots with poppy seeds. The lamb was very well prepared indeed – its juicy delicacy with a hint of herbs said it all – and was just as well combined with the creamy mash of celery and tiny carrots covered in poppy seeds. Still, the portion was quite small in contrast to the much heartier servings of starters, and appearing more similar to appetizers in that respect. Australian Cabernet/Malbec 2000 Petaluma served with it had quite a prominent rough taste, going quite well with the meat.
For dessert the management decided to once again allow the connoisseurs to taste a number of different options at the same time, but in this case I couldn’t disagree with them. Of six desserts I was served on one plate, I absolutely loved four – creme brulee with its golden caramel crust, creamy chocolate mousse with caramelized nuts, chocolate cake and an absolutely delicious chocolate muffin with dark chocolate sauce.
Enjoying a cappuccino after the meal, I thought that indeed beautiful wrapping is not everything – though the first impression from Grill Asia was a highly positive one, there was certainly room for improvement, but considering that it was still new, some deficiencies could be excused.
Grill Asia (Hyatt Regency Kiev, 5 Tarasovoy, 581-1234). Open 6 a.m. till midnight
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 300
