RIGA - Walk into the only Uzbek restaurant in Riga and you're instantly transported to a land of spice and mystery. Scents of unfamiliar cuisine waft out of the kitchen, tempting you to take a seat. The music softly envelopes you as you fall into a relaxing trance.
You'll find no imitation food at Uzbek Virtuve (Uzbek Kitchen), the menu is pure Near East. Although the fare is slightly pricier than the average ethnically themed restaurant in Riga, the prices are still good enough to have a unique night out and not break the bank.
The best deal is the business lunch, which comes with two side dishes and tea. The tea alone is worth coming for. It's as if someone had taken every tasty fruit in the world and put it into a tea pot 's it's truly amazing.
I ordered the lunchtime liver stroganoff special to be a bit adventurous 's thinking it would be mostly sauce and noodles 's and was a bit surprised when I received a steaming plate of liver. But that was my own fault. It was prepared very well without the normal "livery" taste and was seasoned with cumin and some other spices I didn't recognize.
My fellow dining companions played it safe with the Uzbek and tomato rice dish, plov, and stewed vegetables. Uzbek cuisine seems to be fairly simple, with an emphasis on the preparation. It is very slowly cooked, not out of laziness but to get the most out of the flavor. Not a place to go if you're in a hurry.
The Uzbek dining experience is all about the enjoyment of the food and not just eating because you're hungry, the owner said.
Most of the items are fairly safe for the average visitor, with some very tasty desserts to boot. Lamb and vegetables, at about 3 lats (4.2 euros), is the dish I heard ordered the most. Meatballs and vegetable soup were also common dishes.
For whatever reason 's whether an influx of Uzbek immigrants or simply direct flights from Riga to Tashkent 's Uzbek cuisine has soared in popularity. Grocery stores have cans of plov and stroganoff readily available, if you'd rather spend 30 santims instead of 3 lats to try some of the exotic Uzbek cuisine.
The interior decor begs a closer look as well. Pictures of Uzbekistan line the blue and white patterned walls and the beauty they portray almost makes you want to take a trip there, which thanks to airBaltic, you can do fairly cheaply. There are various Uzbek artifacts as well and the owners are happy to tell you the stories behind them.
The owners of the restaurant seem to speak just about every language 's I heard Uzbek, Latvian, Russian and even some German. It definitely has a welcoming atmosphere.
Evenings seem to draw bigger crowds at the small restaurant, so your best bet is to go during the lunch hours. Although I hear they have live dancers on some evenings.
All in all, it's a delicious and exotic afternoon escape if you're tired of the standard meat and potatoes cuisine of the Baltics.
Uzbek Virtuve
12 Brununieku Iela in Riga
Mon 's Sat 11 's 23,
Sun 12 - 22
