Interiors inspiration meets Ukrainian comfort food at Tatar Bunar - Review - London - The Infatuation

"Tatar Bunar, a Ukrainian restaurant in Shoreditch, manages to be both sexy and comforting at the same time, like a cashmere-clad Joanna Lumley. The tangle you had with a pack of cyclists along Old Street will quickly be forgotten after glimpsing the artfully aged wooden benches outside, fluttery curtains, and an actual tree in the entranceway. The dishes, a hearty but photo-ready mix of cheese-stuffed pies and meaty dumplings, are inspired by Tatarbunary, a city in Southern Ukraine. And we rebooked immediately after finishing our first plate of perfect pickled tomatoes. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pause Unmute At first glance Tatar Bunar looks like a polished, aspirational homeware store with a penchant for earthy ceramics and scatter cushions. But it still manages to have a “what, this old thing?” laid-back feel to it. Which is a lot like the crowd here: perfectly coiffed, seemingly untouched by the Northern line, relaxing into cushion-covered banquettes and cheersing with sweet glasses of Konolist Riesling. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pause Unmute The big shared table—spacious enough that you don’t have to get to know your neighbour if you don’t want to—is best for solo diners picking at plates of moreish plachinda (flatbread stuffed with smoked cheese). We like the heated, hidden terrace for seductive date nights over sweet crêpes. And the tables towards the back of the restaurant, while less pretty, are best for tucking away with the Ukrainian wine list and having a gossip that leans more cackle than polite giggle. But wherever you sit, Tatar Bunar will leave you feeling utterly charmed and very full. Food Rundown Pickled Tomatoes We’d go back to Tatar Bunar just for a glass of wine and this plate of pickled tomatoes. They’re so incredibly sweet that eating them feels like partaking in an advert for high-quality produce. The tang of the yoghurt is a nice touch to balance all the sweetness. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Plachinda With Bryndza Having a sharing plates concept but serving a crisp bread stuffed with bryndza (a salty, tangy cheese) as good as this feels like a test. We failed it, there will be no sharing where this dish is concerned. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Banush With Oxtail Banush is a creamy, savoury cornmeal porridge. This one is incredibly comforting, and while the oxtail was rich and flavoursome, ours was more bone than meat and quite fatty—which made it succulent but left us searching for more meat. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Tatar Bunar Borscht Ceremony Call us demanding, but when a dish has the word ‘ceremony’ in the title we want bells and whistles, or at least a sense of occasion. That special something is lacking here—the borscht is nice, with a good sweet-sour balance, but the sandwiches (cut into bite-size squares) are forgettable and a bit one-note. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Tatar Bunar Crepes As our waiter kindly explained to us, and we immediately forgot in our greedy haste and had to be re-reminded, you should eat this trio of crêpes in alternating bites. One is filled with poppy seeds, one with a sweet blackberry compote, and the other cream. All are delicious. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Sinéad Cranna