Horse and I met for supper at Mimino (http://www.mimino.co.uk/) off Kensington High Street so we could have a go at Georgian cuisine and we weren’t disappointed. We ate Georgian cuisine. The waitress informed us that the clientele was 70% Russian, 15% Georgian and 15% British. Every meal should start off with a good stat, but this is also the reason that the menu is offered in English, Russian and Georgian. Not being at all familiar with Georgian food the waitress pointed us to megruli, which is imeruli with cheese on top. What’s imeruli? Oh, that’s just flat bread filled with special cheese. So basically, cheesey bread. Nice enough, but didn’t blow me away, though it did burn my mouth.
Horse opted for chanakhi as his main course, a lamb stew which he raved about. I went for the beef and pork khinkali dumplings (‘NO lamb’ according to the menu) and when served the waitress asked if I needed to be shown how to eat them. This represented a bit of a first, as people normally ask me this after witnessing me eat for a few seconds. As it turns out there is a trick to it. You’re meant to chomp on the dumpling, suck out the sweet, sweet meat juice so it doesn’t spurt everywhere, then eat the rest of the dumpling.
The dumplings, due to their size, lacked the torsional strength of say pierogi, resulting in the meat juice bukkaking over my face in a most unseemly manner. There’s only so much beard tonguing the patrons of any restaurant will tolerate before complaining to the waiter so I had to wait till I got home for the neighbours dog to finish the job. Normally me and Rufus don’t get along, but he knows which side of his bread is buttered. Or which side his beard is meatjuiced (all 4 FYI).
The menu states that wine has been produced in “Georgia since 6000 BC” and is “widely acknowledged to be the cradle of wine.” That’ll teach those Frenchies. We shared a bottle of Mukuzani, a red made from saperavi grapes, which was smooth as a pinot noir, but perhaps lacking a little in body. Well worth a try though.
£70 for two people including wine and 12.5% service charge which I think is a bit much for what it was. But good service and probably a good place to have a works Xmas do rather than a hot date. Unless it’s with Rufus, that tease.
საქართველო!
Megruli. As different from Imeruli as night and day.
Chanakhi lamb stew. Looks nice doesn’t it?
Khinkali dumplings. It looks like my GCSE art project, simply entitled “Dumplings I shall eat in 2013 in clay.” Grade U (ungraded)
Local man wins second place in hot dog eating contest.
All restaurants are elevated by the presence of taxidermy. Once Carluccio’s catches on the price of stuffed squirrels will skyrocket. That’s why I buy them in such vast quantities.
This massive round banqueting table was not laid and presume is set aside for animal sacrifice, satanic rituals and parties of 8.
Actually, it kind of looks like it’s in Georgia rather than Kensington.
Menu of Starters.
Menu of mains
Menu in Georgian. The bird at the top is clearly hammered and can’t make head nor tail of it either.
Mimino
197C Kensington High St
London
W8 6BA
Tel: 0207 937 1551
http://www.mimino.co.uk/
