I’ve always missed the time when I would frequently visit Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where my mother was born. Most of all I miss the unique festive atmosphere of the stunning, colorful markets with their spicy scents, beautiful carpets, freshly baked bread, juicy fruit and tons of delicious shashliks (shish-kebabs).
Last week, those sweet Asian memories came flooding back to me. Since I realized that I couldn’t jet down to Tashkent, I decided to taxi over to Uzbekistan, an upscale restaurant offering probably the best Asian food in town right in the center of Moscow.
Uzbekistan looks like a handsome palace, so when you enter, you find yourself in another world – bright, serene and tranquil. There are three eating zones: The light VIP room – a spacious room with numerous tables scattered around – and a cozy balcony area with oriental drapes, which I fancied most of all; and a few other VIP rooms, decorated with silk, sense and style.
I had to dine alone, so naturally, I wanted to be in the thick of things. I opted for the balcony area, which was the lightest, bluest and nicest of all. A minute later, I was offered a huge and heavy menu that I could hardly hold in my hands. The menu at Uzbekistan features three kinds of cuisine: Uzbek, Chinese and Arabic. Of course, I wanted to try them all! Under the professional guidance of my friendly waitress, I figured out I would order my favorite Arabic entrees, afterwards I’d move on to the Chinese shark-fin soup and, then, finish off with traditional Uzbek chicken shashlyk.
As soon as my four small appetizers arrived, I felt the authentic aura of Asia once again. I had a portion of hummus, babaganush (eggplant cooked Asian style), avocado salad (the softest and freshest I’ve ever tasted) and, finally, a couple of traditional piquant Arabic rice rolls wrapped in grape leaves. The four appetizers cost me 510 rubles together.
I sat back on the comfy banquette and began gazing at the vividly colored mosaics covering every centimeter of the restaurant. I didn’t have time to relax, since the service at Uzbekistan was really swift, and, without pausing for a breath, I tasted my Chinese soup. It was very thick, very healthy-tasting and very filling. I decided to take a short break from it in order to be able to eat my shashlik feeling at least half-hungry.
It took me 15 minutes to recover, and, although I ordered two skewers of shashlik, I could only eat one-and-a-half. Sprinkled with tkemali plum sauce, it tasted as yummy and authentic as in Tashkent!
I like the "dolce vita," so I decided that it would be a crime against nature to leave without tasting any Asian desserts. For 476 rubles, I was given the opportunity to put on my plate as many sweets as I wanted. After a moment of hesitation, I went for kazinak (delicious almonds baked in honey), sunflower seeds baked in honey; baklava, a yogurt tart and a few more traditional desserts that tasted as outstanding as everything else I tried at Uzbekistan.
It was time to leave, but I felt happy: Now I know that the safest and fastest way to go to Asia is to visit Moscow’s Uzbekistan.