GEO: Tiflisi

Ever thought of a marriage between beef and sturgeon?

Welcome to Georgia! No, I don't mean the state in the USA, but a country in the Caucasus region. My BFF and I really had a great time exploring its unique cuisine during our 7D6N stay there. We had our very first meal at the highly recommended Tiflisi in Tbilisi, the capital city of the country. 

Pikachu was wondering what dishes we ordered as they all looked foreign.

Shoti GEL 2.00 (~S$1.05)

Made of white flour, shoti is a traditional Georgian bread shaped like a canoe. I felt that it was a tad hard to be eaten on its own, but it went really well with gravy or soupy stuff.

Sulguni Roasted in Ketsi GEL 9.00 (~S$4.65)

Taste: 7.5/10

Georgians love their sulguni, a type of brined cheese from the Samegrelo region in the west. Roasted in ketsi or clay dish till a bit watery, the cheese had an elastic consistency. It was moderately salty with a hint of sour sans repulsive smell.

Chakapuli with Lamb GEL 15.00 (~S$7.75)

Taste: 6/10

A popular Georgian stew, chakapuli usually comes with red meat and tarragon leaves. Tiflisi's broth had a nice minty aroma, thanks to the amount of herbs used, but it turned out to be kinda salty to be eaten on its own. It went well with the bread nonetheless. Also, the lamb pieces could be meatier.

Ostri with Sturgeon GEL 38.00 (~S$19.70)

Taste: 8.5/10

The winner of the afternoon was the devilish-looking, bubbling stew of beef with a kind of fish that I rarely get the chance to savour. Having a great balance between the sweet and the savoury, it came with a generous amount of the fatty fish, but not so much beef. I couldn't stop dipping my bread into the tomato-based gravy.

Strudel GEL 8.00 (~S$4.15)

Taste: 8.5/10

We couldn't decide which dessert to get, so we asked one of the English speaking servers to recommend us something. It was a good decision, for the layered pastry that came to the table was truly crispy and buttery enough. It was filled with mashed apples infused with cinnamon and topped with light chocolate sauce. 

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

I'm already missing Georgian cuisine. Pika's advice: If you feel like splurging, you may want to go for something called Brand Koleno, which I believe is a dish that makes use of pork knuckle, priced at GEL 70.00 (~S$36.30).

Tiflisi

31 Simon Kandelaki Street

Tbilisi

Georgia

(Daily: 12 noon - 10.00pm)

*Prices quoted are subject to 12% service charge.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)