With a "feels like" -10 degrees celsius temperature, it became imminent that I needed a hot cup of green tea very, very soon. The "ski resort" has plenty of small kiosks for hot beverages. But there is only one dine-in restaurant in the vicinity.
It is a pretty cool place. The restaurant is a circular structure made of wood that resembles what I had imagined a cottage would look like in the middle of nowhere. At the entrance, which looks like a shady entrance to a secret lair, there are piles of cut firer-wood stacked to one side. Then there is a very beaten up metal door with all sorts of warnings stuck to it. Didn't read any of those, didn't have the processing energy to mentally translate all that.
It gets even better inside! At the center of everything, there is a beautiful warm spot. A circular structure made with clay and there in hangs a metal pot with burning firewood and all the smoke goes up the low hanging chimney. Never seen something like this. Pretty cool stuff.
The furniture inside is all wooden with some leather couches and some wooden benches. The roof is low and the place is well lit. On one side there are panoramic windows through which you can see the snowy slopes.
The kitchen is partially hidden behind a rack of mass produced snacks. They have sweets, wafers, chips, a very simple coffee machine, a fridge with all sorts of drinks. The kitchen inside, as much as could be seen, had a large grill, some tables to work on, and a lot of electric boards. The cashier is also the chef and the waiter.
To the side of the kitchen slash cashier, is the menu. Very short and sweet. Considering the place is only in business during the winters, the prices made sense. I think. They have plov, pork shashlik, borsch soup, chicken shashlik, cheese wraps, sausage grills, pirojki with cabbage, potatoes, or meat. Prices are a little up there.
For the time I was there I saw a lot of people walking in. But not all of them were customers. Some clumped under the 13 inch plasma TV and sat there watching it for an awkwardly long time. I placed my order and went to my bench. Everything here is probably made on order, so the wait was almost 20 minutes long. But fresh is good, anywhere and any day.
I sustained some injuries at the resort, most of them were to my body. My immediate attention was drawn by my fingers. There is nothing serious, but my fingers had a scratch and there was some bruising. Since it was cold, I used the hot green tea to start bringing the heat back to the tips. In this case, you should always apply indirect coldness to the areas...unless the injured area is already freezing.
My fingertips which were injured started turning black from blood getting accumulated there so applying a cold pack would come secondary after letting them sit in the heat for some time since they were already freezing.
Thanks to this fireplace at the center of the restaurant the entire place was warm and cozy. It also makes for a brilliant view. For someone from the middle east where I have seen nothing like it, this was the center of attraction for me. I took the bench right next to it.
I had the fireplace on one side and the beautiful view of the snowy slopes on the other. It was the perfect place to sit. Such a lovely atmosphere to dine in. It is what people from the desert lands would imagine a meal would be like when going to somewhere cold and frozen. I can now say I have lived that imagination.
The pirojki came first. It is basically a soft bun with stuffing inside. This is a staple in this side of the world. I have been eating this for as long as I can remember in Ukraine. They come with potatoes, cabbage, meat, apples, and whatnot. I went with the potato pirojki. These were freshly baked and so soft and smooth. What a delight!
After a 20 minutes wait that almost turned too long the main dish finally arrived. Plov and chicken shashlik with a side of sauce and salad. I thought I had lost my appetite after waiting for so long but the aroma instantly turned me into Pavlov's hound. It was remarkable.
I don't think I have had the chance to feast on a more satiating and satisfying shashlik ever before. It was incredible. The plov and chicken shahslik were freshly prepared and very VERY delicious. The chicken was hot, juicy, and full of flavor. The plov was juicy, the rice was well cooked and the texture was perfect. No carrots here, though.
Overall, this was the best grilled meal I have had in a long time. The salad was tossed around in the grill chicken juices and had a smokey flavor. The sauce was a mix of Ukrainian sauce, BBQ sauce, and a dab of mustard. The shashlik was so good I ordered another portion to-go and was completely happy waiting another 20 minutes!
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