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■餐廳內的布置充滿烏克蘭色彩。 作者提供圖片
Lily Poon
Temperatures fell to 7 to 9 degrees Celsius in Hong Kong a few days ago. Have you ever thought of going to Ukraine(n.烏克蘭)and Russia(n.俄羅斯)during the winter months where people are much more resistant(adj.抵抗的)to cold temperatures than we are? Now you can experience the Ukrainian(adj.烏克蘭的)and Russian(adj.俄羅斯的)culture and gastronomy(n.美食)by eating at Ivan the Kozak in SOHO Central(n.中環蘇豪區).
Ivan the Kozak takes its name from(取名自)its owner Ivan Wang. The restaurant itself is a miniature(n.縮影)of a typical Ukrainian household(n.家庭). It may immediately make us think of how people live a totally different lifestyle(n.生活方式)there. Or perhaps what comes to mind are those recipes(n.食譜)from Grandma's kitchen.
Even many new restaurants have been opened in the SOHO area in the past 10 years, Ivan the Kozak, which was opened in January 2001, still embraces(v.擁抱、充滿)its old charms(n.魅力). Wang himself is a legendary(adj.傳奇的)Hong Kong born restauranteur(n.餐館老闆). He and his Ukrainian wife, Olena, met while he was setting up a hotel and karaoke with his friends in the Northwest region of China. They both returned to Hong Kong in 1995 and came up with the idea of opening a Ukrainian restaurant in Hong Kong.
What makes Ivan the Kozak attractive to the local(adj.本地)community(n.社區)? Far from just a place to eat, Wang runs a restaurant with a splendid(adj.極好的)Ukrainian food and ambiance(n.環境). "My restaurant is a genuine(adj.正宗的)Ukrainian restaurant as all of my chefs(n.廚師)are from Ukraine," said Wang proudly. He takes his chefs to the local markets and asks them to use the best local ingredients(n.材料)to make Ukrainian and Russian dishes(n.菜餚).
"The apple duck(n.蘋果鴨), ox tongue(n.牛舌)baked in white wine and fried potato cakes are our signature dishes(n.招牌菜). Ukrainian and Russian people like to add sour cream(n.酸忌廉)into Russian Borscht soup(n.羅宋湯)and potato cakes. We also add sour cream to these dishes so that Hong Kong people can try the genuine Ukrainian and Russian cuisine(n.菜餚)," Wang explained.
You can also find caviar(n.魚子醬)here, which is often referred as a luxurious(adj.奢侈的)delicacy(n.佳餚). Caviar is served with eggs, leeks(n.蔥)and sour cream in a Ukrainian pancake(n.薄烤餅)called "blini". Contrary to the Chinese cuisine, Ukrainian and Russian dishes are not served when they are still very hot. Ukrainian and Russian people have the habit(n.習慣)of dancing, drinking and talking to each other during the dinner. Perhaps this is the reason why they can stand cold food.
All the decorations in the restaurant are made in Ukraine. Wang showed me the colourful paintings on the walls and a Ukrainian guitar hanging from the ceiling. All these small and subtle(adj.細微的)details remind(v.提醒)me of the great Ukrainian artistic(adj.藝術的) culture.
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