(georgiatoday.ge) The newly reopened Restaurant Divan under the management of the Kala Group, offers European and Asian cuisine on its ground floor and lounge area, with a special touch from chef Konstantin Tedeluri.
The venue has not been radically changed under the new management and still has three floors and features a restaurant, lounge and club. According to Tazo Davarashvili, the manager, they altered the lounge area and brought a new menu and dishes. Maia Sumbadze’s scorched and embossed paintings on wood decorate the lounge walls.
Tedeluri notes that the meals they offer are unique and unusual, seldom found in other Georgian restaurants. European cuisine on the ground floor features dishes like shrimp spring rolls, French baguette, pizza, spaghetti, chicken fillet with Dutch cheese, and berries and creamy sauce. Meanwhile the Asian menu covers Japanese, Thai and Chinese classics like sushi, Kung Pao and Teriyaki Chicken.
The chef revealed that the beef fillet sautйed in red wine and plums served with wild rice was the restaurant’s most special dish. “We also have Georgian desserts made in a European way, such as Kada baked in puff pastry served with ice-cream and cherry jam,” he explains adding that the kitchen offers home-made lemonades of various flavors including ginger, pomegranate and lemon.
Chef Tedeluri also notes that he uses only fresh ingredients and home-made dressings, and has completely removed mayonnaise and ketchup from his kitchen.
“As the owners are Ukrainians, they requested to have seven traditional dishes in the menu, including Pelmeni [dumplings], Borsch and cutlet. However, I completely broke from tradition. For instance, Pelmeni are not served in clay pots, but in Chinese plates and with chopsticks,” he clarifies.
Teleduri acquired his culinary experience and knowledge in Berlin, where he worked in two Georgian restaurants, Mimino and Genatsvale as well as in Gacha and Pasternatti. He is fully proficient in Georgian cuisine but packages meals in a more modern style. “Cooking is not only my profession, but I enjoy it to the fullest,” says Tedeluri adding that he pays high attention to the quality of a meal, and would rather wait an extra ten minutes for a high quality meal, than be presented an inferior dish but in a shorter time.
During his nine years in Berlin, he participated in several international festivals including Grune Woche [Green Week] presenting Georgian meals to the German capital’s public. Since his return to Georgia last year, he has been working at Maestro TV in the MagtiFun project and now has his show on Thursdays on Dgis Show on Imedi TV.
Each Friday and Saturday the venue puts on different events, live music and DJs. In addition, special cultural evenings are planned on Thursdays and Saturdays.
links:
de.foursquare.com/festival--restaurant-divan
facebook.com/divantbilisi
Konzertgelände · Lounge · Nachtclub
