Elvira's

Review

Elvira: Douze Points

Photo: Heribert Corn Elvira Sari is a woman who does what she sets out to do. The German teacher from Ukraine decided to come to Austria, check; after a while she decided to open a restaurant serving Ukrainian cuisine, which is not exactly the trendy cuisine of the moment. She took over the Kärntner Stüberl in Seidlgasse, where Ukrainian babushkas cooked the cuisine of their homeland, check. It has to be said that the restaurant really wasn't very pretty, but people didn't seem to mind at all in connection with these completely authentic dishes. In the fall of 2015, Elvira Sari was hit by a catastrophe: she was run over by a truck and her life was at stake. But she didn't give up on the restaurant, her daughter and friends took care of it during her recovery, and the restaurant became something of a lifeline for Elvira Sari. And not only did she recover, she also decided to completely renovate the restaurant, although: "I already knew that before the accident." But it was only afterwards that Robin Molenaar and Yvonne Krisch, who had already given Supersense and Café Menta a good makeover, decided to do it.
And lo and behold, Elvira's opened in spring in a completely new look: bright, with a wooden counter with a 1950s mirror wall, colorful designer lamps, large wooden windows that can be opened to the alley, rustic stools and - so that you know where you are - a pinch of rusticity in the form of colorful plates or a bench covered with rustic carpets. A really good mix of new and rustic, urban and Ukrainian. And the best thing about it is that the Elvira kitchen now comes into its own even more, as a refreshing contrast. Mushroom soup with tiny Ushki ravioli, the inevitable "Olivier" mayonnaise salad, "Schuba", aka "herring in a fur coat", Mlintzki, Blintschki and the aspic called Cholodetz. Small cabbage rolls filled with rice and minced meat in roughly equal measure with a little dill and mushroom sauce are called golubzi and are also wonderfully old-fashioned (€ 10.20).
The variously filled mini ravioli called Wareniki are all made by hand here and are delicious - with a bit of luck and persuasion you can get a mixed portion (€ 9.20-9.90) and the stew called Zharke made from pork, potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms served in a small clay pot is exactly what a good stew should be (€ 11.20). What you should know when ordering from Elvira: The portions are enormous, and terms such as starters and entrees should be used with caution. And, of course, you drink Ukrainian vodka from an ugly bottle. Summary: Great Eastern food with a refreshing un-hipness, in huge portions and a pleasantly successful designer atmosphere. Elvira's 3rd, Seidlg. 39 Tel. 01/890 80 81 Mon-Fri 10-23, Sat 12-23

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