RESTAURANT REVIEW
MEDOVIK : A TASTE OF ITS OWN
W
hen I got the call to review this eatery nestled on the 8th asked how they took on the MCO, she shared that their customers floor of Bay 21, I was immediately intrigued. Having could still order from them directly through their online platform. never tasted Eastern European cuisine before, this was an Then we started off the food adventure with the Vareniki, a savoury experience I didn’t want to miss out on. dumpling served with sour cream. This potato-filled dumpling is Medovik Coffee House is owned and run by In House Chef, what I akin to as a cross between bergedil and curry puffs. I could Yelena Martono, and her husband, Jerome, assisted by their go through these like it was a main course meal! incredibly witty and bubbly daughters, Stephanie and Michelle as well as their team who have all become a part of their close- Next, we had the Shuba Salad. The presentation of the salad is knit family. An Azerbaijan native, Yelena is of Indonesian and completely unique. I had never seen a salad served in the form of Russian descent. 13 years ago, she left her home country with a gourmet dessert before. Biting into the salad, the earthiness of her husband and 3 children to move to South East Asia, namely the beetroot truly shines through complemented by the smoked to Indonesia, Brunei and finally Malaysia where they now call salmon, potatos, carrots and egg. I’m not a big fan of salads but I think I’ve found my favourite one in this. Kota Kinabalu home. Her passion and love for cooking and baking stemmed from her family and resulted in her leaving a job in an oil and gas company to open her very own restaurant to introduce and share food from her region to the local community at an affordable price point.
The Zakuska Pelmeni really hits the spot for me and most of our entourage of the day. The pelmeni is a form of fried Russian dumplings filled with morsels of meat served with diced tomatoes, homemade pickled chillies, and drizzled with cheese sauce and sour cream.
Flipping through the pages of their menu, it was truly unfamiliar territory for me. Before sitting down with Yelena, dish after dish was brought out of the kitchen, creating quite the delectable spread. What a treat!
We also had a cabbage, beetroot soup with sour cream known as Borscht. Served hot, this is something that I would dive into on a cold rainy day. As you can see, sour cream is a very popular ingredient in Eastern European cuisine.
Yelena has such a warm and pleasant disposition, you can’t help The Azerbaijan Plov is not your typical chicken and rice dish. The but feel right at home with her. When she talked about the food chicken is stewed with dried apricots, raisins and prune, served and team, her words exuded passion, love and family. When with buttered rice. It has a mildly sweet flavour from the fruits that would definitely be a winner with fans of honey chicken dishes. by Adelina Adna Images | Aznan Johary & Breeze
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The Beef Stroganoff is served with rice and a crisp fresh salad. The dish’s origins can be traced back to 1800s Russia where it was invented by a French chef who worked for Count Pavel
