Mriya Neo Bistro

Ukrainian Chef Opens London Restaurant Staffed by Refugees From Russian War | Eater London

"Opening later this year on Old Brompton Road, this neo-bistro — whose name translates as "dream" — will be a 37-cover Chelsea restaurant with a quaint terrace and a menu split between classical and contemporary Ukrainian cooking. Founded by Yurii Kovryzhenko and Olga Tsybytovska, it will be staffed in part by refugees displaced by Russia’s war; Kovryzhenko’s rendition of borscht is being positioned as a calling card, and he has described the emotional moment of preparing it as the project moved from idea to reality. The pair arrived in London in February to cook at the Ukrainian Embassy and, unable to return after the invasion, have since hosted pop-ups at Carousel in Fitzrovia and Jason Atherton’s Tower 42. Kovryzhenko previously ran a high-end restaurant in Lviv and launched a Kyiv-inspired project in Seoul in 2019." - James Hansen