New Kyiv restaurant of Middle East cuisine Altruist has its name for a good reason: the place donates money from selling one of its types of hummus, called “the kind hummus,” to charity.
Altruist has minimalistic stylish interior, so if one takes a glimpse through the restaurant’s window, they might think that it’s a co-working space or yet another coffee spot aimed to lure hipsters. In reality, the place, also dubbed AllTrueEast as a witty mnemonic, offers a sneak peek into the cuisines of Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel.
The restaurant opened in December and immediately became popular: several times my friend tried to book a table for the same day and always failed. Now, however, the first influx of the curious Kyivans to the restaurant has slightly faded, and we had no trouble getting a table on a Tuesday evening.
Altruist has two halls: a large one with white walls and bright blue chairs, and a small room downstairs, designed in dark colors and offering a view of the open kitchen.
It was not the design though that attracted me immediately, but a free bottle of drinking water on our table. Such a normal thing in America, in Ukrainian restaurants this simple sign of good service is incredibly rare.
For a starter, my friends and I ordered a set of snacks for Hr 97, which included four pitta breads, excellent hummus, and yogurt with basil and tahini. The place is perfect for those craving for hummus, as Altruist has several types of it: mixed with olives, vegetables, feta cheese and with veal for Hr 67-87.
Hummus, falafel and sandwiches arrive here in considerable servings, and can feed two people when there is no extreme appetite in the picture.
Another delicious must-try is a chickpea soup with squid for Hr 57 that can be a perfect lunch option. The chicken with cuscus (Hr 157) had an extremely soft meat and arrived with delicious orange sauce, and the veal stewed with potatoes (also Hr 157) tasted good but not too different from the most basic meat-potato plate.
For a dessert we went with malabi, a sweet creamy pudding popular across the Middle East with the rose syrup for Hr 67 – and were completely satisfied with the choice.
Altruist has a relatively modest drinking menu: there are up to three types of each of the most popular beverages such as fruit liquors, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, cognac, and beer. One can also find here several types of bottled wine and homemade wine brought from Ukrainian southern Odesa Oblast.
The menu also includes just six cocktails, but I found it to be ideal for those who want to have options but at the same time to avoid the wearisome process of choosing. All the cocktails are aimed at those who prefer classics: Old Fashioned, Negroni, Green Park, Penicillin, Whiskey Sour, and Winter Cosmo.
The staff was friendly and not obtrusive. However, a few times, when our waiter wasn’t noticing my waiving-with-two-hands attempts to call him and place an order, I wished he would care more.
Altruist
1 Antonovycha St.,
+38067-354-6479,
10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
