SAPERAVI

When you think of Georgia it might not be about the peaches!

I recently had the opportunity to stop by a relatively new establishment in town that serves up what can only be described as authentic Georgian cuisine.

I’m talking eastern European as opposed to southern United States just to be clear.

Saperavi, is the first Georgian restaurant in the Canadian Prairies.

If you haven’t tried food from the region you will be pleasantly surprised. It has influences from the Middle East, Western Asia and of course Europe.

We went to the restaurant on a Saturday evening. It is a clean clutter free establishment with an inviting atmosphere. The tables are spread out so you have some privacy and elbow room.

My dinner companion and I wanted to try a number of the dishes so we decided to share.

We started with soup. I ordered Chikhirtma, a traditional chicken soup. It was very good and full of flavour. If you like soup this is something you should try.

My guest ordered Kharcho, beef soup with rice and Georgian spices & garlic. Although the soup also very flavourful I found it a bit too oily for my liking.

If you are like me and like breads of all sorts you absolutely must order Khachapuri Imeruli. It is a cheese filled baked flat bread that will probably have you ordering extra to take home (yes it is that good). In fact my dinner guest said she would go back just to have the bread.

Both entrees were excellent.

We shared Chkmeruli, roasted chicken in a traditional milk based sauce with garlic & coriander and other Georgian spices.

This dish was moist, flavourful and spiced just right and perfect for sharing. It came with three thigh portions so you don’t go away hungry with this entree.

We also shared Kebabi, a traditional Georgian recipe made with minced pork and beef, cooked in the oven and served in Armenian lavashi.

I’m a huge fan of kababs from various middle eastern regions of the world but I have to admit that I might just have a new favourite. If you like meat with well balanced spices you owe it to yourself to try this dish.

We didn’t have any room left to try the desserts this time but the next time I go (and there will be a next time) I will sample a few and update this review.

Normally that would be the end of my review but as we were about to leave the owner dropped by the table and we got to chatting about food (one of my favorite subjects) and one thing lead to another we ended up sampling a number of beers that are unique to this establishment.

Saperavi is a hidden gem. It is situated on restaurant row on Corydon Avenue and is definitely worth a visit. I give it 4.5 out of a possible 5.

Until next time,

The Everyman Gourmet