 
|
|||
|
The Eskimo Cafe This research visit to Obscure Restaurants has resulted in your intrepid explorers unearthing a gem. We feel a little like Indiana Jones - venturing into the wilds in search of treasure - and actually finding it.
On this adventure we took along a special "Celebrity Diner" as we will from time to time. Syann Williams added the glamour aspect to the Indiana Jones analogy. This was this special Aussie's second last night in UB - after three years - and I think we managed to create a few memories for her. Read on. RESTAURANT NAME - The Eskimo Cafe RESTAURANT TYPE - Ukrainian LOCATION - Not as remote as we would have liked. The sense of adventure fizzles a bit when you only travel west a little ways from the Centrepoint Centre and turn north up the short one way street. On the right hand side, about half way up, a brightly lit apartment add-on brightens an otherwise nicely menacingly dark side street of UB. At first sight, The Eskimo looks like an ice cream parlour (which indeed it doubles as!!). HOURS - 11 a.m. to midnight. So lunches are on as well. APPEARANCE/AMBIENCE - Clean, bright and nice big windows looking out onto the street. Plus plenty of tables for two, nooks and crannies, special private rooms and all sizes of tables to be able to cater for any sized group or any assignation. The main restaurant probably has seating for 30 or so on 8 or 10 tables. Russian-type music is played suitably muted in the background. Decor is non-descript but tasteful and clean. ATTENDANCE - On the Wednesday night we attended, there were about three tables full of Mongolian groups. But if our recommendations herein are ever taken seriously, booking may become essential!!!! RESTAURANT STAFF - Attentive, friendly knowledgeable Mongolian waitresses and one Ukrainian waiter (a student here from his native country). That was a nice touch for Syann. "Wow - if that's Ukrainian men, I am calling Qantas and swapping my ticket for Sydney to one for Kiev". Everyone spoke English well enough for us to have quite a nice conversation with them all and it made for a nice extra pleasant touch to the evening. SERVICE - Superb. We suffered a blackout after the soup/salads and feared for the worst. Candles were quickly lit and the ambience grew even nicer. But the underlying fear for our food was eased, when it magically appeared before the electricity came back on. How they did that is probably worth a UN-funded study. MENU - Limited, but don't let that word put you off. Four or five salads, a similar number of soups and perhaps 8 main courses. Then a wide range of sweets, ranging from sweet curds to ice creams to crepes. Definitely Russian style, but most of the dishes would be familiar to most ex-pats dining in Mongolia. The attractive menu was written in English, Russian and Mongolian. FOOD - The Ukrainian Borsch got a slurping 9/10 thumbs up from Shel, the chefs chicken salad a finger-licking endorsement from Doug and the herrings and onions a limited OK from all. The crinkle-cut chips, unfortunately, were the same old droopy and insipid standard we in UB have grown used to. Syann's cabbage roll was a delight, and luckily she was eating daintily on the night so we got the chance to sample it and agree with her 9/10. The potatoe stuffed with meat (read Shepherds Pie) was rated a 8/10 by Doug. "Bloody delicious" was his Aussie verdict. The serves were adequate. White wine was served too warm for our liking, causing one of the few complaints of the evening. The sweets (and we all had different varieties of their ice creams) were delicious. Move over Norgen Vaas. Worth going along in summer just for a cone. Maybe even in winter. Shel had fritters which he raved over - only to top that rave when he discovered they had supplied syrup to add to them as well. Overall a worth 7.5/10 for the food. HYGEINE - a cockroach had the temerity to appear near our table, and wipe a star or two off our assessment. But Vitalii the Ukraine had Syann swooning even more as he attacked it with ferocity and despatched it with a brutality that his forebears must have learned when Genghis Khan was ruler of their land as well. The toilets were a marvel. All tile, polish and modernity. Shel's disappointment at the lack of a roll of toilet paper in the gents was offset by Syann's amazement at the supply of a hair dryer in the ladies. Shel was not left high and dry. Paper was promptly delivered. COST - Together with two bottles of rather expensive white wine, the total bill was 43,000Tg. Not a cheap night for three, but there are worse around Ulaanbaatar. Take out the wine and we would have eaten for about 18,000Tg. RECOMMENDATION:- Go there. The tent on Lake MacQuarie, in New South Wales took on a lot less appeal for Syann after this second last dinner in Ulaanbaatar. Unless, of course, she can talk the Ukranian Mel Gibson into living in it with her. RATING - 3.95/5
|
|
|
