molodost - odesa, ukraine

Rating:  7 / 10

Stumbling across this devilishly cool little bar/restaurant in a side-street of Odesa, happened to coincide with a deep need for Borsht. Asking a slightly confused waitress if they served the beetroot soup, she quickly announced they had the best in town, and buoyed by her confidence, I took my seat in the small outdoor area. ​

Barely had my glass of wine arrived, when a truck with a huge drill attached to the back pulled up right behind me and started going hell-for-leather into the old sidewalk. Being a tinnitus victim, I decided to save my mental health and hide indoors with the doors acting as massive earplugs.

A rather hip, sophisticated spot I hadn't expected to find, but it definitely spoke of someone who had studied interior faffings. A bit too design-ey for my tastes, but if the borsht was good, I'd eat it in a bowling alley (yes, been there, done that). 

Slipping by almost unnoticed, the bowl was placed in front of me and my eyes began to sparkle. The decadent ruby sheen of deeply flavoured soup, strings of beetroot tangled in the succulent icebergs of pork. I dipped my receptacle into the bowl and sipped heavily. Good. Not the best i've ever tasted, but damn, this was good. 

Perhaps my merriment was amplified by the fact that I ate alone, the proximity of heaving humans chattering in their rabid intoxications fills me with deep unease. I slurped away until nothing was left but the fatty traces of a good time.

If ever you happen to pass through Odesa, and are hankering for a spot of beetroot decadence, then Molodist will satisfy any yearnings for the time being.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.