You're reading: Charming little Hostiniy Dvir serves up big meals

Charming little Hostiniy Dvir offers up big meals at reasonable prices

The atmosphere a restaurant endeavors to create for the diner is not really so different from the suspension of disbelief that a writer creates for the reader or a filmmaker for a moviegoer. Part of the experience of reading a lively book or seeing a good movie is the audience’s involvement – the total but temporary immersion in a story that imparts a sense of personal investment in the characters.

People who operate restaurants ostensibly understand this. Unfortunately, they all‑too‑often create a special atmosphere only to allow it to be marred, although unintentionally, by staff who don’t understand how fragile the illusion is.

So it was at Hostiniy Dvir, a small but beautifully decorated Ukrainian restaurant in Podil’s historic Kontraktova Dom. Once Kyiv’s mercantile center, the 1817 “House of Contracts” is now home to upscale salons, clothing and jewelry stores and a bank, in addition to the restaurant.

Hostiniy Dvir’s decor is a perfect fit for the building. Chandeliers adorn the dining room’s high ceiling, and skillfully restored woodwork and tasteful wallpaper cover its walls. The wait staff is outfitted in traditional Ukrainian garb, and the tablecloths appear to have been hand‑embroidered.

So why, I wonder, did the management spoil the atmosphere of this quaint, intimate and elegant little restaurant by installing a television playing pop‑music videos. Downstairs, the cloakroom attendant had asked my companion whether we’d like an “orchestra” to play for us during our meal. The cost? Very reasonable, he assured. We declined.

It was probably a wise choice, since the orchestra – a four‑piece Ukrainian band led by a woman with an operatic mezzo‑soprano voice – made its appearance about 20 minutes later anyway. Their first selection sounded vaguely familiar – a Ukrainian flavor but with a popular melody. Then I had it – they were playing “La Cucaracha.” The atmosphere was tarnished again.

Happily, the gaffes at Hostiniy Dvir began and stopped with the atmosphere. They did not extend to the cuisine, which was simple and honest Ukrainian.

I started with a half‑liter of Obolon (Hr 9.10) and a bowl of Ukrainian borscht with pampushka (Hr 15.10). The soup was a far cry from the watery stuff I’ve encountered in many a Kyiv stolovaya. It was thick and rich with an abundance of meat. I followed up with an order of holubtsi (Hr 29.50) and nalysnyky‑baked pancakes with meat (Hr 22.70). The holubtsi was a thing of beauty: two rotund and stuffed cabbage rolls that filled the plate. The aroma itself was nearly enough to satisfy me.

If it wasn’t, the food certainly was. I soon discovered that both the holubtsi and nalysnyky are considered main dishes at Hostiniy Dvir, where the portions are far larger than the reasonable prices betray – a welcome surprise.

My companion, laboring under a similar misconception, ordered a crisp vegetable salad (Hr 12.20), which was served with vinaigrette dressing on the side. She followed that up with the Brizol turkey breast fried in egg (Hr 26.65) and potato pancakes with onion and pork rind (Hr 18.75).

These were not dishes for diners intent on avoiding coronary‑artery disease, perhaps, but they were delicious nonetheless. The turkey was lightly fried yet moist and the pork‑cracklings gave the dozen crisp potato pancakes a satisfyingly smoky taste.

Surrounded by all this food, I fought the urge to run out into Kontraktova ploshcha and recruit a couple additional souls to help us eat it. When the waiter approached and asked, “Is that all?” I sensed it wasn’t the first time he’d seen patrons in such a predicament.

Nibbles

Upscale Italian eatery Da Vinci is to open a second restaurant called Da Vinci Fish Club on Sept. 6. Located in the Millennium Business Center at 12 Volodymyrska, the restaurant will operate between 8 a.m. and midnight. The telephone number is 490‑3434.

HOSTINIY DVIR

Kontraktova Dom

4 Kontraktova ploshcha.

Tel: 416‑6876.

Open: Noon to 1 a.m.