ciao! reviews
SAPERAVI
Neighbourhood . . . . . Corydon
Address . . . . 709 Corydon Ave
Phone . . . . . . . 204-416-3996
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . .$10-$32
It’s the first of its kind in
Winnipeg, and on the prairies for
that matter. Georgian restaurant
Saperavi, run by father-son duo
Landis and Christer Henry, opened
in 2016. Regions surrounding
Georgia, like Eastern Europe and
Western Asia, influence the cui-
sine of the country, so dishes aren’t
entirely foreign to Winnipeggers.
Dumplings, stews, cheesy breads—
all with a Georgian fl air.
Red patio umbrellas welcome
visitors into the restaurant. The
20-seater lounge has large, comfort-
able chairs, and the 50-seater dining
hall has moveable tables. The décor
refl ects Georgian culture, like drink-
ing "glasses", traditionally made
from animal horns, on the walls.
Eastern European music plays
over the speakers. Restaurant goers
stumble on menu items as they
order, but the server, knowledgeable
about the content and pronuncia-
tion of the dishes, is happy to help.
Order family style to share the large
portions, sampling the variety of
available dishes.
Try pkhali, a pâte made with beet-
root, carrot or green beans, alone or
on bread, like fresh lavashi. Ground
walnuts, a staple in Georgian cui-
sine, add mild fl avour to the spread,
and the spice mix adds hints of garlic
and cumin. The eggplant rolls are all
about texture—soft feta and moz-
zarella cheese wrapped in tender
eggplant, topped with a smooth yet
slightly crunchy walnut sauce.
Search images of Georgian food
online and khachapuri appears
fi rst. The bread baked with cheese
comes in various shapes like the
boat-shaped Adjaruli topped with
butter and an uncooked egg served
with tomato-based and green chile
pepper-based dipping sauces. Mix
everything together using a piece of
bread, cooking the egg.
Eat khinkali (dumplings) the
traditional way. Grab the “handle”,
take a small bite, slurp out the broth,
then eat the rest, without eating the
handle. Try the slightly spicy ones
filled with beef and pork or the
mushroom ones stuffed with dill
and cilantro.
Served with rice or potatoes, the
tender chkmeruli features garlic
chicken seasoned with hints of
turmeric. Like chkmeruli, the stew
ojakhuri is cooked and served in a
clay pot. The meat and potatoes pick
up the fl avours of the surrounding
onions, peppers and tomatoes.
Finish with Napoleon cake,
popular in Eastern Europe, with
N OW S E RVI N G
20 FINE WINES
C U R AT E D B Y
VÉR O N I Q U E R IVE ST
TO P F E M A L E S O M M E L I E R I N TH E W O R L D
C O M E S E E WHAT WE’R E PO U R I N G
FIND US IN THE FOOD HALL AT TH E FO R KS MAR KET
24
ciao! / aug/sep / two thousand eighteen