02/08/2023
From the page of Aapon's friend...
It was one of those hugely enjoyable evenings at aapon_sg at 140, Robinson Road, Singapore.
Out of the blue, Chinmoy Ghose posed a surprise for us with his signature dish, "Chicken ala Kiev"..
For all you Park street lovers out there, you would relate to the excitement and nostalgia associated with the Russian dish also known as the "Chicken Kyiv" , "Côtelette de volaille" , "suprême de volaille à la Kiev"..
What makes it special is the preparation and the sinful butter stuffing that spreads (read splurges) across the plate the moment you cut it open.
Served with sauted peas and mashed potatoes with a generous helping of olive oil, suddenly it was like an evening trip to Oly Pub that evening with a delicious single malt Whiskey named, "Indri".
It is a breast of chicken (a juicy one, marinated to perfection which is stuffed with the herb butter that we just made and it is eventually served with mashed potatoes. and lots of grilled vegetables.
Personally speaking, the chicken stuffing in this version of ala-kiev was a touch too honest and too filling, which resulted in the butter to splurge a tad lesser.
Must visit this fantastic homely restaurant for such nostalgic trips to Calcutta, while at Singapore.
History of the dish, per Wikipedia:
Oral tradition in Kyiv attributes the invention of the "cutlet de volaille Kiev-style" (kotłeta de-voljaj po-kyjivśky) to the restaurant of the Continental hotel in Kyiv in the beginning of the 20th century.[50] A luxury hotel built in 1897 in the center of Kyiv, it was run until the N**i German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The building was then mined by the retreating Red Army and exploded when the German Army occupied Kyiv in September 1941.
After the war, the building was rebuilt and has since then been used by the Kyiv Conservatory. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Chicken Kiev was the signature dish of the hotel's restaurant.
