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Restaurant Review: Chalet Berezka

Chalet Berezka is a slice of culinary experience from the erstwhile Soviet Union at The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

A jewel in The Pointe’s glittering fine dining crown, the restaurant overlooks the fountain, which remains open between 6pm and midnight every evening.

The restaurant was opened coinciding with the annual music festival PaRus, showcasing international artistes of various genres. Executive Chef Evgeny Belogorlov, 33, who is the brain behind Chalet Berezka’s fare, lays out a delectable spread that captures the vast and diverse cuisine of the former Soviet republics.

For starters, Olivier, or Russian salad, is served with beef or smoked salmon. While eponymous herring salad consists of vegetables paired with fermented herring and homemade mayonnaise sauce.

For soup aficionados, Ukha is the dish to go for. It’s a traditional fisherman’s soup made of clear and rich fish stock, vegetables, sea bass and salmon fillet.

Pirozhki is another traditional dish of golden pies with assorted fillings and evokes memories of a grandmother’s culinary skills. Pozharskaya cutlet — made of juicy chicken fritter — is served with potato purée, sweet and sour cranberry sauce. The delicious five-course meal can be rounded off with Napoleon, a reinvention of the traditional French dessert.

Chalet Berezka also organises special brunches on the occasion of Maslenitsa, an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, Russian Christmas and Easter holidays.

Taste (4/5): Authentic Russian cuisine, influenced by the colonial French in the 19th century, at its best. Live cooking sessions are an added attraction for diners. Plans are afoot to source all local organic produce and catch from the sea for its upcoming weekly seafood brunch offerings.

Ambience (4/5): The 250-cover restaurant is spread over two floors and overlooks the iconic waterfront, which lights up every evening. There are entertainment activities galore every evening at the karaoke bar. You can also hit the dance floor and let your hair down after a sumptuous meal.

Service (4/5): Evgeniy Morozov, who had started his career as a classical violinist and has since moved into the hospitality and event management, is the star attraction. His personal touch and affable nature are in evidence, as he mesmerises the diners with his violin rendition.

Presentation (4/5): On point. Much attention is given to complying with the traditional form of serving each course, which makes for a great visual experience. The well-trained Nepali kitchen staff complement their Russian counterparts in rustling up delicious dishes

Covid-consciousness (4/5): All measures, which have been enforced by the Dubai Health Authority in a bid to keep the contagion at bay, are on display. Face masks, sanitisers, social distancing, which are a part of the new normal, are at hand to win over the Covid-19 challenge.

• Dubai