The Grand and Gracious Grill Asia

Grill Asia at Hyatt Hotel Kiev
by Lana Nicole Whatson-Kiev.com

Grill Asia Hyatt (Alla Tarasova 5)
phone: 581-1234, 06.00 – 00.00

One of the things I considered doing for this review was writing the word Hyatt, and beside it the words exceptional, unforgettable, delicious. Somehow I think this might have been seen as slightly less interesting than writing about what everybody wore and then what everybody ate. As I’m a jeans girl myself, I’ll leave discussions of design up to those more qualified. I shall, however, try to recount the evening’s tastes, smells and experiences as best I can. My apologies to the chef in advance: the real thing is much, much better.

It is Thursday. It is raining. It is the start of what looks as though it might be an unpleasant fall, and to be honest, I am still suffering from the effects of an inordinate amount of good vino consumed the night before. What I’d really like to do is crawl into bed. Alas, I am needed at the Hyatt’s Grill Asia for TUUC’s monthly event and I shall not disappoint.

Fashionably Late
Walking into the grand gallery that is the reception at Tarasova 5 always takes me aback. It is big, yes, and grand, but it is also gracious, and that’s what makes it special. We are met with smiles, something one doesn’t often get from strangers, and we are treated as old friends.
Moving upstairs to the legendary Grill Asia, there is already a murmur of voices. We are the last few to trickle in, a fact I will attribute to my sense of unwell being this evening. With jackets removed and umbrellas stowed, a flute of Prosecco somehow finds its way into my hand. I look down in shock wondering how it got there, and then, like a real trooper, cheers with the venue’s Deputy GM, Gozde Eren. If you’re going to go down, you might as well go down in flames: never one to refuse the good hospitality of others, this is something my dad always used to say which has ironically found its way into my own vernacular
There is much talking and laughing, laughing and talking and I can hear a lively Nikki Mendoza Wilson, always the life of the party. Not far from her are the lovely Christof and Margarita Rienbay who are in conversation with Erik Franke, while newlyweds Hai and Anna Vo sip on bubbly as they chat with TUCC’s new wine manager Charl Theron. There is a festive mood up here on the second floor, which just seems to improve as the contents of bottles recently corked are poured and served.
I have to say, my headache is quickly disappearing, and it occurs to me that which caused it now seems to be the antidote. It’s a good thing too because the Kyiv Lion’s President Marjan Cals and her husband Ton just showed up, and I wouldn’t want be under the weather sitting next to her queenship. Making our way over to our assigned table, I run into the always picturesque Viktoria McNeil. She and her husband Robert rarely miss TUCC events and for good reason – they are always a delicious night out.

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of
The bell has rung which signals the evening’s launch. Those caught mingling are singled out and promptly asked to find their seats: the Club’s president Terry Pickard runs a tight ship. Welcoming all to what is the second-largest gathering of TUCC in the club’s nine year history, the Hyatt’s Richard Turner does likewise in his own very eloquent Russian. Head Chef Sebastian Kellerhoff also offers his wishes for a wonderful evening, at which point he disappears into the kitchen where gastronomic feats are dreamt up and then made reality.
There must be six or seven large tables this evening. But the Hyatt has it covered. Servers come out in waves with bottles of a new wine to try, a nice little American Riesling from Eroica vineyards. Hangovers come and go but this is lovely; something I utter aloud as it turns out. As I sip and sip some more, the first course is served. Treating us all family style, first up we’ve got a tuna tataki which is fresh and tasty with a zippy fennel relish. The next dish is a mix of beef and chicken satay with lemongrass skewers. There is an uneven number of skewers which evokes a little rivalry. The lemongrass, however, isn’t sturdy enough to inflict any real damage, and so we all act like the ladies and gentlemen we are and share nicely. The third dish we’re told is a something called lahb gai. This Thai salad of minced chicken with rice flour is light, pleasant and nothing at all like I would imagine a lab guy would taste. Sveta Shulyavska’s favourite, meat samosas with mint chutney is what’s served last. Coming around with plates full of this stuffed pastry, there are far too many to say no too many times. But honestly, why would you want to when they taste this good?

An Interesting Response
The wine has been drained, the dishes are empty, the conversation and laughter escalates: definitely a negative correlation going on. With little time to sip on water and get myself out of the predicament I found myself in last night, new wine glasses replace the old and an Italian chardonnay is what fills them. It is stronger but with less flavour than the last. It’s not my favourite. But as the scallop-wrapped Dover sole appears before me, and notes of coconut, curry and chili waft through the air, it does a pretty good job at accompaniment. As the last to finish this dish, one might infer that the various glasses of wine were starting to have an effect on my motor skills. That’s not the case. It is simply too good to rush.
With a short break at hand, I take a quick look around the room: everyone seems to be having a good time. There are a couple of tables that make up the Ukrainian team, of which Andriy and Natalia Belik and Antonina and Oleksandr Radzhinovsky are definitely part. Another someone who has quickly become a TUCC regular is Kryzsztof Siedlecki who, as always, looks to be enjoying himself; especially now that Mr Pickard is back up in the spotlight and engaged in his own brand of entertainment: the famous TUCC anecdotes.
Terry’s talent at tickling the old funny bone is of course one of the many reasons people are drawn to these events. But let’s not forget, we are at the Hyatt, and there are plates containing the tenderest pieces of beef making their way to tables around the room as I speak. Rather than tell you what it is on my plate, perhaps I can work you through the emotions. It goes something like this: mmmm, oh my, wow… It sounds akin to something else that induces such a response, and sipping on an equally matched Crozes-Hermitage, the only red this evening, my tastebuds are doing cartwheels.
My hunch this evening has been correct: the Hyatt does very little if anything under par. The predicament, however, is that everything is just too delicious, and begs the question, where do you stop? I have to ask myself this very thing once I reach the dessert table. Opting for a very modest banana chocolate spring roll with pistachio ice cream I think I do okay. Had I gone any further, I’m sure my trouser buttons would have been dancing on the floor.
Swallowing the last little snifter this evening, a Sauvignon Blanc/Gewürztraminer from Chile, we waddle around distributing goodbye kisses to all. Running into another little refinement from the South American continent, we chat briefly with the always enjoyable Iryna Jahn and promise to think about a date that might work to get together. It’s not a hard task. It may even be this Sunday. The Hyatt does an incredible Sunday brunch after all, and I’ve got buttons to spare.

The next TUCC event will be in October at Teatro. For details write to terry@naipickard.com

The Edible Inventory
Fermented Marinated Beef with Chili Sauce Prosecco
*
Satay Skewers with Lemongrass Grass
Tuna Tataki with Fennel Relish
Meat Samosas with Mint Chutney
Lahb Gai
Eroica Dr. Loosen Riesling
*
Dover Sole, Scallops, Curry Leaves,
Vegetables, Chili
Barone Ricasoli Toricella
*
Hoi Sin Marinated Beef tenderloin with Pak Choi Gingered Butternut Squash
Delas Crozes-Hermitage
*
Sago and Lemongrass Pudding with Mango
Banana Chocolate Spring Roll
Pandan Crepe with Coconut Filling
Green Tea Tiramisu
Passion Fruit Crème Brulee
Kulfi Ice Cream with Pistachio
Chinese Fruit Salad
Tarapaca Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc/Gewürztraminer

Grill Asia Hyatt (Alla Tarasova 5)
581-1234, 06.00 – 00.00