Ivan The Kozak 東歐餐廳

 

I finally could visit Ivan The Kozak! Much looking forward to and it did not disappoint me. This was to celebrate my best friend's birthday.  Ivan the Kozak offered two booking slots, 18.00 or 20.00. We opt for 20.00 and had a quick ride to the Peak. The night was cloudy but the view over the city was quite good. The roof of the peak building was blocked for an event. So, no chance to stay longer.  

We arrived at Ivan The Kozak shortly after 7pm. Yup, one hour ahead of our booking. We tested our luck if we could have a table earlier. And we were lucky. 

The interior of Ivan The Kozak is full of Eastern European ambience. The plush red venue is graced with a wall-length photograph of the Kiev skyline.

I had borscht many times in life and even cooked the soup at home. But the Ukrainian borscht is completely different from that we have normally. The one at Ivan is robust red colour, enriched with beetroot, a mix of vegetables, pork and topped with another dollop of sour cream. Yummy, refreshing and nutritious! A must have!

We ordered the very popular appetizer at The Ivan, ox tongue. It is cooked with cheese, covered with pastry. Serving staff cut the pastry into 4 pieces for easy sharing. Wow, the ox tongue was super tender and full of flavour. The cheese made it a bit filling. But we couldn't stop eating.

The serving of stewed venison in palace style was elegant and eye catching. The taste was heavenly. It's gamey and succulent. The flavour was complex.

The other famous and beloved dishes include Ivan The Kozak (古法香燒猪肋骨) beef Stroganoff (酸奶燉牛柳絲), baked duck breast, chicken Kiev, etc. Ivan The Kozak was ordered by most of the guests. It was served endlessly with a fame which created a dramatic effect and straight-from-the-’70s experience. If we had a bigger stomach, we would love to try more main dishes. But it had a limit. 

Last but not the least, dessert! Honey cake (Medovik) is a classic and authentic Ukrainian cake.  It is layers of honey pastry and cream. A lot of work and patience are required. And the result is terrific!  So nice combined taste! We had it together with vodka. A beautiful end of the birthday dinner.