LVIV, Ukraine - It is a small cafe in Lviv that became its own Crimea, minus the sea and swimsuits.
In early May, the family of Shefqet Yuzbashev, a Crimean Tatar who moved to Lviv from Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula, opened a small restaurant of Crimean Tatar national cuisine in the heart of western Ukraine’s unofficial capital.
“We visited our friends in Lviv this March and then decided to stay,” Yuzbashev recalls. He and his family members are now among almost 2,000 refugees who fled to Lviv from Crimea, according to United Nations statistics.
His tiny Aishe cafe, with only nine tables, ended up in a quiet courtyard in Andreolli Passage in front of Lviv’s city council. Yuzbashev said he was busy from the start as visitors came in to try Tatar food. There are many foreigners among Yuzbashev’s guests. “Even Russian tourists call in sometimes,” he says.
Months later, the cafe is quieter as tourists prefer staying outside during summertime. Apart from Crimean Tatar cuisine, the venue offers a variety of European dishes. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t cook here everything we can because we lack space and open fire for our traditional dishes,” Yuzbashev explains.
However, the dishes served in the cafe is still delicious. The most popular are traditional mutton lamb, kebab, shashlyk, stewed vegetables and eastern pastry.
Yuzbashev said almost every item is the pride of the kitchen, but one of the most favorite orders is Lamian (Hr 30), homemade noodles served with beef, potatoes, carrots, eggplant and spices. It is a substantial meal.
Yuzbashev’s family is getting used to Lviv’s atmosphere and its way of life. His three kids are already enrolled in a local Lviv school and the entrepreneur himself is looking for a better place for the cafe. He says he misses his homeland, but is not sure whether his family could ever move back to Crimea. “One day I believe Crimea will find its way, it will no longer be Russian or Ukrainian – it will be European as it should be,” Yuzbashev said.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be reached at [email protected]
Aishe cafe
Rynok Square, 29 (Andreolli passageway)
Coffee- Hr 20
Stewed vegetables (250 gr) Hr 35
Bahlava (100 gr) Hr 15
