TUCC checks out Soho

by Alexandra Matoshko, Kyiv Post Guide Editor
May 07 2008, 21:44

© KP Media, photo by Konstantin Klimenko TUCC members appraise Soho’s selection of steaks from all sides.

Although American steakhouse Soho has been around for five years, is favored by many for its meat dishes and jazz evenings, it was the first time that the members of The Ukrainian Connoisseur Club ventured to evaluate it according to their high standards.

Soho made an excellent impression from the start. From the moment I stepped inside the restaurant and handed my trench coat over to the cloakroom attendant, I felt the welcoming atmosphere of the place. The other staff members greeted me with smiles, a waiter held the chair for me as I sat, and upon seeing that I placed my bag on the floor (or rather a carpet), hurried to bring in a small foldable chair so I could place my bag on it. As the director of the restaurant later pointed out, most of the staff have been working at Soho for a few years and are one big family.

The interior of Soho is well suited for savoring its American meat cuisine – it is elegant with lots of dark wood and photographs showing famed New York landscapes. The signature element of the design however is the wine tower made of glass allowing all guests to view the restaurant’s wine collection.

The dinner began with a two cold appetizers, a salmon tar­tar and a beef tar­tar. Both were among the best tar­tars I’ve ever tried. The most tender bits of fresh salmon went wonderfully with soy sprouts and piquant stems of wakame seeweed, while ginger served along with it helped reveal flavor of the fish in full. Fresh American beef was aptly served with a raw quail egg on top and a crunchy black bread toast with a touch of garlic. French Riesling G. C. Henst Ville Colmar 2003 was served with both dishes; however it didn’t compliment the red meat.

The veal fillet served as a hot appetizer was a true delight. Two cylinder shaped bits of meat were topped with tiny bits of truffle, adding their unmistakable aroma, and spring asparagus sprouts the meat was placed on, were wonderfully thin and sweet – asparagus at its best. The wine Valpolicella Classico D.O.C. Allegrini could hardly match the wonderful taste of this appetizer.

A hot fish dish followed, grilled sea bass lying atop a warm salad of octopus, olives, tomatoes and basil that resembled a stew. The bass was well prepared, the salad and red sauce complimenting it and Chilean Sauvignon Blanc Medalla Real Santa Rita 2006 completed the positive impression of the dish.

Finally as the main course, we were given an offering Soho’s steaks – Australian Meltique, Chicago beef and Ukrainian Angus beef. To make sure that we know what we were eating, each steak was marked by a small flag. I tasted them all, soaking each bit in the pepper sauce served in a small glass, and if I tried to rate the meats, the lineup would be as follows, though it may seem unpatriotic. The Ukrainian meat came in third place and for a while I was undecided between American and Australian meat. The American beef had a more pronounced taste, with a tinge of bitter, but the Australian was without a doubt the juiciest and extremely tasty, so I finally picked it as best. As it turned out the most connoisseurs agreed with me on that. To give us the better idea of what we’ve just had, the waiters brought out fresh steaks wrapped in plastic – each was a different shade of red, but the Australian had the most marbling.

The dessert of the evening was called an improvisation so I hardly knew what to expect. What finally arrived was more of a flowery colorful composition – whipped halva with fresh berries, rum and honey caramel, adorned with beautifully carved bits of chocolate and a few rose petals. The dessert was fine, though I still viewed it more as a piece of art than a dish. By the way, I’d still rather have it with a nice dessert wine but the sommelier instead chose a pink dry one, Tave A.O.C.E. Guigal 2004 from France.

Nevertheless, the romantic jazz tunes played live by Dmitry Alexandrov quartet all evening right in front of us helped mask any possible flaws, which were very slight and few throughout our dinner.

Soho (82 Artema, 484-0351). Open 11 a.m. until the last customer

English menu: Yes

English-speaking staff: Yes

Average meal: Hr 250

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