No. It’s not a Chinese restaurant. No. It's not a Mediterranean deli. Don't let the sign or the décor at Hawa Russia fool you. Despite the Chinese architecture (and unfortunately the poor service), Hawa Russia serves authentic Russian food such as Chicken Kiev and Beef Vareniki on its menu. Located on 161 and Cleveland Avenue, Hawa Russia strives to deliver regional Russian cuisine at affordable prices.
Unfortunately, the affordable prices (entrees range from $8-$14) lend itself to sub-par food, seemingly hastily prepared, despite the long wait times. The beef and potatoes vereniki (dumplings) came out smothered with sautéed yellow onions with a side of sour cream. The dumplings were bland with hard, dried edges around each piece. However, the vegetarian borscht offered a more tasty dining option. Borscht, a traditional Russian beet soap with cabbage and potatoes was a cornucopia of vegetables. One diner sitting next to me claimed that the borscht was "the best soup he ever had."' The Pork Kebob came out nicely charred; however had a marinade as one diner described as "strange." The Chicken Kiev was nice and juicy with a good crust. The compliments ended there when the waitress came to tell a person within our party that the Red Snapper she had ordered was "bad" and that "there was [is] something wrong with it." We should have left the restaurant then. However, because the sporadic delivery of all of our meals, the waitress treated us to an array of frozen-then-thawed chocolate cakes and cream puffs to tide us over as we waited another hour and some for the rest of our good.
Although Haw Russia tries to put their best foot forward, it still although suffers from the trials and tribulations of new-restaurant syndrome with unknown traffic levels, questionable fresh food, minimal staffing, and inconsistent availibility of menu items. Overall, Hawa Russia has authentic food, but just needs Gordon Ramsey to whip it into a professional restaurant.
Rating: 1-5 (worst to best)
Food
Menu Selection: 3 globes
Taste: 2 globes
Presentation: 2 globes
Ambiance
Cleanliness: 3 globes
Décor: 2 globes (Chinese restaurant meets Russian cottage)
Service: 1 globe
OVERALL GLOBES: 2 globes
1 comment:
Some other comments on this fine establishment.
1) Our overall dining time was close to 3 hours. This included 2.5 hours where at least 1 member of our 5-member party was awaiting their entree.
2) The front door is not obviously the front door.
3) This place turns into a Russian nightclub on Friday evenings, including live music. Perhaps the music is better than the food and service.
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