Thu Sep 26 14:59:53 UTC 2024: ## Georgian Dumplings Meet Asian Fusion: Kinkally Brings Unique Dining Experience to London
London’s Fitzrovia welcomes a new dining destination, Kinkally, offering a captivating blend of Georgian cuisine and Asian influences. The restaurant, named after the Georgian dumplings known as khinkali, is the brainchild of Russian entrepreneur Diana Militski.
Kinkally’s minimalist exterior gives way to a mesmerizing interior, a fusion of “Twin Peaks” and “Dune” aesthetics. The restaurant boasts a lighter, sand-washed hue, while the bar evokes a Sahara dust storm with its orange-hued lighting. Militski describes the space as a “love letter” to her Eastern European heritage, with the bar representing sunset and the restaurant symbolizing sunrise.
The menu features traditional Georgian dishes with a unique Asian twist. Highlights include broccoli pkhali with bergamot and walnuts, chkmerulia, a guinea fowl stew cooked in garlic sauce, and megruli khachapuri, a cheese-filled bread with summer truffles. Kinkally’s signature khinkali come in a variety of flavors, including wagyu with peppercorn plum sauce, langoustines with wasabi, and duck with foie gras mousse.
Militski, a former financier, was determined to find a chef who could recreate the flavors of her childhood. After a meticulous search, she discovered David Chelidze, a Georgian chef with a passion for bringing his cuisine to an international audience.
“Opening a restaurant is a massive project,” says Militski, “It requires a sharp understanding of accounting and finance.” She also emphasizes the importance of a diverse staff, which reflects Kinkally’s multicultural clientele.
Despite opening only this year, Kinkally has already gained significant popularity, attracting not only Eastern Europeans but also a growing number of Western European guests. Militski has set her sights on expanding to New York and Dubai, confident that the world needs more dumplings and exciting dining experiences.
First Piper 