Varenycky on the river
25 June, 20:19g summer than a riverside restaurant. So when I heard that Varenichna on Dnipro had recently been christened on the river, I didn’t hesitate.
My visit to the restaurant revealed more than I expected. Only a few years ago the area running from Dnipro metro towards Podil was largely deserted. It’s now been turned into a street with a full range of entertainment. Apart from the old-timer River Palace, and the more recent Murakami and Rukola, quite a few new attractions have appeared. Among them is a giant Egyptian style ship containing an entertainment complex and a hotel, and an inexpensive barge hotel next door – both are still under construction.
We found Varenichna at the very end of this long fleet of ships and barges. Varenichna on Dnipro is in fact the third restaurant of the kind – there are two other Varenichnas (No.1 and 2) downtown, and naturally the one we visited had a menu similar to its two brothers: Slavic and European cuisine, with a special section on varenycky, pancakes and deruny.
The restaurant looks like a big summer cottage built of freshly cut light wood; the pleasant, countryside interior, served as a fine welcome as we went down the stairs and crossed the ladder leading from the pier to the entrance.
We took out seats upstairs in a spacious verandah with high ceilings and big windows. The windows were opened, so we enjoyed the smell of the river and a gentle breeze on our skin. The hostess told us if we got cold, we could ask for quilts.
In the middle of the room there was an open kitchen, where a team of cooks were busy working the grill, and smells of meat being cooked at an open fire quickly made our mouths water. The open grill was just recently introduced at Varenichna and the selection of items available is listed on the first page of the menu. There are many choices featuring various meats, fish, seafood, and vegetables.
From the list we chose a grilled Dorado, but unfortunately it wasn’t available, and we had to go for rainbow trout instead (Hr 114). As for meat we chose grilled veal tenderloin with vegetable garnish (Hr 84).
For starters we picked salads and wine – Moldovan Chardonnay (Hr 30 per 100 grams) for me, and Georgian Saperavi (Hr 40 per 100 grams) for my friend.
My friend’s lettuce mix salad with cedar nuts (Hr 48) seasoned with mustard-honey dressing was refreshing and light. My own salad of salmon with peking cabbage seasoned with mayonnaise and shaped in a pancake was really juicy, and the garlic-flavored croutons were a nice addition. It served well to warm up our palates for the main courses.
Two pieces of grilled tenderloin arrived with a very small heap of finely chopped fried vegetables. The meat tasted fine and had a proper smoked flavor, but was not very tender. The trout was grilled whole, with slices of lemon plastered to each side, and was served with pomegranate sauce and a tortilla. The fish was nicely spiced and very fresh, tasting simply perfect with sour-sweet sauce and lemon.
To finish off our meal, we ordered a latte (Hr 18) each and one apple pie with “English Cream” (Hr 38) for two. We divided up the pie and poured the white sauce on it – it was an airy sponge cake with bits of apple inside and delicious strawberry on top, the sweet milky “English Cream” turning it into an absolute pleasure.
We we did spot some disadvantages – like the portions of some dishes being a bit too small. However, being able to sit in the fresh air, with the waves beating against the hull, watching the summer sunset draw a straight line of light along the horizon, I couldn’t bring myself to complain much.
Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at matoshko@kpmedia.ua or 496-4563
Varenichna on Dnipro (Dnipro metro, Naberezhne Shose, 428-7299). Open 11 a.m. till midnight
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 200