A new Ukrainian-inspired restaurant will open in Notting Hill in May, serving reimagined classics in celebration of the country’s food culture, its rich forests and green coastlines.
Called Sino, the restaurant will serve “refined” dishes, blending elements of Ukrainian gastronomy with Western cooking techniques, the Standard was told.
The menu will feature the likes of aubergine marinated with dill, fennel, and garlic; beef tartare with mushrooms, Jerusalem artichokes and lovage; pork belly with beetroot, smoked pears and pickled walnut; and dumplings with ox tail, beef broth, and mushroom garum.
In charge of the kitchen will be Eugene Korolev, the president of Bocuse D’Or Ukraine, while co-founder Polina Sychova has been responsible for the concept.
Both hope to capture the food of their homeland and present it to a new audience, and while it will be higher-end, some will be more traditional, harking back to regional specialities.
Main courses will include barbecued catfish with fried parsley root and samphire, and a Ukrainian sausage called kovbasa, spiced with paprika and served alongside dried, grated mussels and a pepper sauce.
As for drinks, a cocktail list has been created by Ukrainian mixologist Ana Reznik, formerly of A Bar with Shapes for a Name. The wine list will focus on vintages from Europe, predominantly Spain, France, and Italy.
Pronounced “see-no”, the restaurant is named for the Ukrainian word “сіно”, which means hay and is a product of huge cultural significance in the country, Sychova said.
She added: “Our mission is to celebrate Ukrainian culture and gastronomy and to help to raise its profile in the west. Ukraine has a rich culinary history, yet its food is sorely underrepresented in the UK.
“We’re combining traditional Ukrainian ingredients and dishes with western techniques, to create something elevated that we hope will feel authentic, innovative and familiar at the same time.”
Sino will open at 7 All Saints Road, Notting Hill, in early May. For more information, follow @sinorestaurant or visit sinorestaurant.co.uk
