New chef’s cuisine restaurant serves delicious meals of European and Oriental cuisines
We ventured to Kushavel on one of the first snowy nights of this year – so all the more comfortable and cozy the restaurant appeared to us from the moment we entered – with its easy chairs and soft dim light. Once seated by the window at a neat square table for two, I immediately felt quite comfy. A large company occupied a big table a few steps from us, but luckily they weren’t loud and bothersome.
On the whole the restaurant appeared quite small, but it was only because its territory consisted of several medium-sized halls – the first was more like a summer terrace, the second, in which we sat, and the third leading into the insides of Kushavel.
A few things, however, I found quite disturbing – one was the loud music playing a nasty compilation of Russian pop, the other were the paintings adorning the walls. The one to our right depicted a naked young man wearing nothing but a mask in place of pants, the other was a black man dressed as Napoleon. Also, when I went to the bathroom, I first found it quite refined and stylish – real towels instead of paper, red lighting and a padded stool – but then the toilet didn’t flush and I couldn’t squeeze any soap out of the soap container.
Still, those were minor problems (though I really wish they would switch that music off), and I was mostly excited about the food, knowing that the cuisine at Kushavel was said to be innovative – the eatery was chef owned. The fact that the menu was indeed a reflection of the chef’s own tastes and preferences was quite evident – it was not very extensive, but varied all the same. There were appetizers of some original Italian cheeses, a certain something called “correctly chopped salad,” a wok menu and a separate sushi menu, a few soups and a set of main dishes of meat and fish.
The excitement for the food grew as we waited for it, and seeing that we were the only people in the restaurant who were expecting an order soon – the youngsters were getting ready to leave – I thought it was taking rather long.
Finally, after about 20 minutes of waiting we got our starters. My friend’s “Caprese” salad with mozzarella burrata (Hr 70) quite amused us both by its unusual serving – what looked like a whole round piece of mozzarella lying on top of a thick slice of a reasonably-size tomato. Upon trying it, my companion immediately informed me that the pesto wasn’t freshly made, but clearly came from a jar, the mozzarella was great and the tomato was just a tomato. For my part, I had no complaints whatsoever about my dish, except for perhaps difficulty with eating it, but this could only be helped by not having it at all, and I was glad I did. It was “sushi sandwich” (Hr 45) or rather “sandwiches” – four or five small triangular pieces of rice in place of bread, and slices of tuna and avocado inside – a great alternative to the ubiquitous rolls – juicy, very fresh and soft.
After we were done, another long pause passed before we received our main courses. In the meantime a few changes took place. The best of all was that all of a sudden I noticed the music changed – instead of loud Russian pop, I could hear quiet, jazzy tunes. Also, the kids left, but almost immediately we were joined by a man and two ladies – one of them very eccentrically dressed – who took the table to our right. Before long they were joined by a young man whom I recognized to be a vocalist of a certain band, currently gaining popularity in Ukraine. Soon all four were deep into discussion about various appearances on the Ukrainian pop scene – not that I was eagerly listening in, but it was rather quiet at the restaurant, and because my companion and I weren’t in the mood for much talking, I couldn’t help but hear everything they said.
At last, however, my attention was distracted by the food. This time my friend’s dish looked bigger in size than mine – he ordered wok of noodles with seafood (Hr 55). You could choose between egg and green tea noodles for the dish. He chose the first kind and appeared more than pleased – having tried some I couldn’t disagree. The noodles, evidently prepared according to some Thai cuisine recipe, constituted an ultimate taste combination – sweet, sour and salty at the same time, generously filled with squid rings and prawns. However, I was equally impressed with my own plate of salmon in crab sauce with prawns and stewed vegetables (Hr 65). The salmon was cooked perfectly and made an almost heavenly combination with the tender consistency of the sauce. Finishing the green tea, I leaned back in the easy chair, watching the snow fall behind the window in the yellowish street light and feeling perfectly happy and relaxed. That’s what great food does to you – once you’re full and satisfied you forget all the failings of the place – and that’s what happened to me at Kushavel.
Kushavel(30A Artema, 482-3894). Open noon till the last customer
English menu: No
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 120
