You're reading: Shatro

In Ukraine, I've heard much about various Gypsy attributes. But no one has ever mentioned their food. Therefore, when I heard about a Gypsy cafe, I assumed it was a place to go get robbed. But, my racist associations turned out to be completely unfounded. Shatro, Kyiv's first Gypsy cafe, might charge high prices, but the staff would never pick your pocket.

A doorman in a bright-red Gypsy gown attracts attention to the basement restaurant located near the end of Passazh. The interior, covered in gold, kitsch and color is exactly what I would expect. While the preponderance of plastic (including plastic-wrapped booths that crinkle when you sit on them) would be off-putting in any other restaurant, here it provides an aura of authenticity. The flashy, tacky interior, along with recorded Gypsy music played on a synthesizer, feels appropriate.

The menu is a medium-sized affair with several unknown dishes. However, ask about them, and most turn out to be fairly standard Ukrainian food.

Take the Lynai salad (Hr 10). It was a basic vegetable salad, with peppers and cucumbers, with a cabbage base and an oil dressing. The Beshoro (Hr 17.40) was similar, with mushrooms, pork cubes and mayonnaise thrown in the mix. The portions were not large enough to justify the salads' price.

The main dishes were similarly shrouded in mystery, especially because the waiter wasn't entirely sure what they were made of himself. We opted for the most theatrical names, figuring that would be in line with Gypsy traditions. My companion's Barol (Hr 39) was a slice of pounded beef on a potato pancake. It was tasty, although rather plain. I ordered an even more romantic sounding Gypsy Love (Hr 59.20). This was two layers of beef with a slice of pork and marinated peppers in between. The portion was quite large, but otherwise unexceptional. A side of new potatoes (Hr 12.40) were commendably basked in butter.

Service at Shatro is atrocious, but at least there are no gypsy children trying to sell you flowers. The settings hint at the real purpose of Shatro: Each place has a shot glass and two wine glasses. 50 grams of vodka costs Hr 1. Ukrainian wines come only in the sweet and semi-sweet varieties, and start at Hr 3 for 100 grams. Juice, at Hr 6 for 250 grams, is comparably priced.

They offer to read your future at Shatro, too. I declined, but I know that it doesn't involve Shatro for anything more than appetizers. Really, the restaurant seems to invite drinking and debauchery more than dining. When I was there, it was quite peaceful, but as the drinks are the only reasonably priced item on the menu, and there is a long tradition of bingeing at Gypsy haunts, I foresee that its fate is to become rowdy.

6 Zankovetskoi. Tel: 229-2007.
Open from around 2 p.m. until the last customer.