What a strange time we’re living in. After all the upheaval of Covid things have never really quite settled down. Prime Ministers are coming and going at an alarming pace from Downing Street. The price of things seems to go up almost on a daily basis. And of course there’s a war going on in Europe with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All very unsettling.
On a positive note, this has led to the opening of a Ukrainian restaurant in London’s Earl’s Court area. The eatery is the brainchild of chef Yurii Kovryzhenko and his partner Olga Tsybytovska. They were stranded in London in February after the invasion and came up with the idea of opening a restaurant and employing Ukrainian refugees. The result is Mriya which translates as Dream in Ukranian, inspired by the dream of ending the war. The couple are also using their time in London to promote Ukrainian culture and raise funds for the country through food-related events.
And what better way to absorb some of that than by visiting their restaurant? Mriya Neo Bistro is spread over two floors and has a lovely patio area. The menu is intriguing (well I haven’t eaten a lot of Ukrainian food). Plenty of pre-vist googling required to discover more about the dishes.
I started with the oxtail holodets served with horseradish. Turns out a holodet is like a meat jelly, in this case beautifully shaped and served on a stick for ease of eating. Meaty and savoury with pretty pink touches.
The duck tartare was pretty as a picture with a duck egg perched on top and coloured pink and finished with an intricate crisp. The duck was beautifully tender and again packed with flavour.
The pink theme continues with a nourishing bowl of Borsch served with pampushka – a soft and garlicky Ukrainian bread. Love this beetroot soup and the bread made for perfect dipping.
And I couldn’t resist the chicken Kyiv – it’s always been a favourite and oh how sophisticated I felt the first time I ate it. Served today with creamy mashed potatoes, pea puree and peas it was perfectly crisp and satisfying and oozing garlic butter just as it should be.
The restaurant also serves Ukrainian wine and we enjoyed a lovely bottle of Artania Rose Beykush Rose.
Thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this little piece of Ukraine in London. The food was exotic and tasty and the service warm and welcoming. I was rather tempted by their range of vodkas which I managed to resist by turning up my willpower, but the restaurant’s close to home and that vodka may well draw me back to Mriya soon.
Today’s price point
Lunch for two was just over £60.
The bottle of rose was £37.
Mriya Neo Bistro is at 275 Old Brompton Road SW5. The nearest tube station is West Brompton which is a few minutes’ walk or Earl’s Court is about 10 minutes away.
