The Crimean

January 2016: The Crimean has unopen as well as been replaced yesteryear Bobbie Peels.

February 10, 2013

We've been trying to adapt a repast at The Crimean for ages, but our pub-club has grown to a regular grouping of to a greater extent than than xv people, as well as nosotros weren't certain how good it would larn by amongst such an onslaught. We weren't fifty-fifty actually certain that it was a pub. So a pocket-size grouping of us headed inwards on a Dominicus nighttime to suss it out. The forepart bar expanse is pretty small, as well as the whole vibe is likely a fleck to a greater extent than formal than we're looking for inwards a pub, but in 1 trial nosotros altered our expectations nosotros were pretty impressed amongst the fit-out. The eating seat expanse is dark as well as moody, teetering merely the casual side of fine-dining.

The bill of fare is broadly Eastern European, as well as is thence non super focussed on vegetarian options - vegans volition live on express to sides as well as the plainest of salads, although they're pretty conscientious most gluten-free diners. There are 2 kinds of dumplings, a pair of salads, a large filo pastry as well as approximately sides. The bill of fare is broken into pocket-size plates as well as large plates as well as the staff are pretty insistent that you lot portion the pocket-size plates. With our mix of vegetarian as well as gluten-free diners nosotros ignored their advice as well as merely ordered for ourselves. Before the nutrient nosotros ordered started coming out, nosotros were served upward approximately fantastic breadstuff rolls as well as a complementary starter, a chilled cucumber soup.

There's an impressive drinks bill of fare every bit well, providing a attain of odd European wines, imported as well as local beers as well as a massive, vodka-heavy spirits list. I was next Cindy's Pb as well as going booze-free for the evening, partly inspired yesteryear the blackboard promising to a greater extent than than l varieties of lemon lime as well as bitters. It turns out that was form of a joke, but The Crimean produce accept an assortment of bitters, which nosotros happily sampled (all based on vague suggestions from staff - the non alcoholic options didn't seem to live on written downwardly anywhere). 

Onto the food! The principal argue I'd been interested inwards visiting The Crimean was the hope of dumplings - they accept 2 vegetarian options, the piroshki (baked cherry-red cabbage as well as mushroom amongst sour cream, $10) as well as the vareniki (potato as well as quark amongst roast onion puree, rye crumb as well as orangish zest, $12).

The piroshki were a surprise - they had a crispy trounce (almost similar footling breadstuff rolls) rather than the pierogi-style I was expecting. The filling was okay but non especially distinctive, as well as they needed a skillful slathering inwards the generous dollop of sour cream that came on the side.

The vareniki were precisely what I was afterward though - soft dumplings stuffed amongst carbs as well as dairy as well as lightly flavoured amongst the roast onoin as well as orangish zest. I'd monastic enjoin 2 batches of these adjacent time.

Our principal dish of the nighttime was the banitsa, a Balkan filo pie of zucchini, feta as well as dill, smoked Lycopersicon esculentum as well as love sauce as well as lamb's lettuce ($25).

I was pretty happy amongst this - the pastry was great, the smoky/sweet Lycopersicon esculentum sauce pretty good done as well as the filling delicious. Still, though, it's a feta/spinach filo, as well as it's $25. It's a fleck difficult to larn yesteryear that. 

We ordered the fried cauliflower amongst capers, parsley as well as sharena sol (a combo of salt, paprika as well as savoury) on the side ($12). This was likely my favourite dish - the tender fried cauli pieces had absorbed lots of the spice mix as well as actually hitting the spot.

While I'd been lured inwards yesteryear the dumplings, Cindy had been eying off the dessert bill of fare on The Crimean's website. After weighing upward peach as well as almond pudding or an excellent-sounding chocolate/apricot concoction, nosotros eventually decided to separate the Polish cheesecake amongst orangish caramel as well as pinkish grapefruit sorbet ($13).

The grapefruit sorbet was really grapefruity - mayhap a footling likewise bitter for me - piece the cheesecake was much sweeter. We had high hopes for this, but the combo didn't actually produce it for either of us. Should accept stuck amongst something involving chocolate.

Our experience of The Crimean was okay - the service was friendly as well as reasonably efficient (although a fleck weirdly pushy most things similar sharing the entrees), the atmosphere lovely as well as the nutrient pretty solid. It mightiness accept been a victim of my high expectations though, because I couldn't help but experience a fleck disappointed - none of the dishes actually blew my mind, as well as I ended the repast to a greater extent than excited most a revisit to Borsh, Vodka as well as Tears than most returning to The Crimean.

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There are largely positive opinions of The Crimean on other blogs - cheque out Barley Blog, The Melbourne Food Experience, Superéthique as well as Cork Talk.

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The Crimean
351 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne

9329 3353
entrees/sides $8-$14, mains $25

http://www.thecrimean.com/

Accessibility:There's a pocket-size pace upward every bit you lot function into the building, but things are apartment as well as fairly good spread out inside. The lighting is moody as well as dim. There's amount tabular array service. We didn't watch the toilets.