On my recent trip to Kiev, I had great plans to explore Odessa (Black Sea) cuisine. People, forced to leave Odessa, miss it very much.

I wanted to visit and “Babel” and “Barkas” and “Arbequina”, but my plans have changed in unexpected ways, and I only had time to go to the newly opened restaurant “Odessa”, about which they wrote many times on FB.

I’m not going to show you a photo of interior, a lot of them you can find in the internet. I just show meal.

The restaurant “Odessa”. In search of Odessa cuisine in Kiev-2

The menu in the restaurant is quite small and very tastefully decorated. I generally prefer places where there are only a few positions. This suggests that products are fresh and they don’t lie in the freezer for weeks.

As soon as I sat down, they immediately brought me the menu with a glass of cool water, to quench my thirst. As for drinks, I ordered tasty pitcher of lemonade and homemade Italian wine.

The restaurant “Odessa”. In search of Odessa cuisine in Kiev-3

From Odessa cuisine there were just salted sprats, which I ordered, and some other fish. This was my first and only disappointment about restaurant. You can’t find the Odessa cuisine here. There are a lot of fish and they have a tandoor. The name of the restaurant is historic. The restaurant “Odessa” is situated here from the sixties.

The restaurant “Odessa”. In search of Odessa cuisine in Kiev-4

Salted sprats is served wrapped in a reversal of the newspaper “Crocodile” with baked potatoes. It’s tasty. And especially it is delicious with tortilla from the tandoor, which is drizzled with olive oil and spices.

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While eating you can read jokes. Very convenient.

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Next dish – marine reptiles with couscous. Reptiles are roasted right in front of you on a gas burner. Waiter or chef do this.

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I will tell you about the service in general. The restaurant “Odessa” is on top. The personal anticipates your desires, always near you and responsive to requests. Smiles, jokes and easy care bribe you.

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Here is the couscous with seafood.

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And of course, sea bream baked in a tandoor. With a slight smell of smoke, it is baked so that you almost not feel the bones – a wonderful dish.

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Vegetable Soup is served on a spacing with a dry ice. Steam, coming from it, is very fascinating that attracts all visitors of this place.

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Soup with giblets – tasty and nostalgic soup for every Soviet citizen.

Now it is the turn of desserts.

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Blueberry panna cotta is served also on the spacing with the dry ice and with slices of blueberry marmalade and, again, with blueberry jelly in a small bag with a straw.

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This is the same dish, but a little closer and from a different angle. Ice has ceased to smoke.

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Well, I couldn’t resist and tried another classic Odessa dish – Napoleon. It was filled with
strawberries. Very tasty!

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In the bill they add the service, be ready for it. But for such a service I don’t mind to pay even a little more. And for four persons, with this number of the ordered dishes, it is not expensive.

I will be very happy to come again to this restaurant. Unusual feed, tasty menu, polite service. The Restaurant “Odessa”, though the lack of Odessa cuisine (but that were just my expectations), left a very good, even too good impression.