""" This summer, a new restaurant called Palushki opened in Rakovsky Courtyard, offering dishes based on recipes from "Polesskaya gospodyni" Alena Bronislavovna, as well as an original take on Belarusian cuisine by the head chef. Many people have already had a chance to experience this concept, with seats being booked at lightning speed when the restaurant first opened. This week, anyone could attend a "Generous Evening" — a dinner featuring a special five-course menu with commentary from the menu's creators, all for a not-so-affordable 360 rubles per guest. The question remains: is this Belarusian cuisine with a "premium" label, or is it a collection of exclusive recipes? We'll answer that now.

"I'm ready to share my recipes with everyone"

Just minutes before the dinner began, we caught up with Palushki head chef Yuri Soroko and Alena Bronislavovna for a quick interview. It was time to explain in more detail how this collaboration came about and why a restaurant in Minsk and a home tavern in Turov share the exact same name.

Last summer, we were among the first to visit Palushki and wrote a detailed article about how Belarusian cuisine can surprise both locals and tourists. But no matter how trendy the decor is, the most important thing in a restaurant is, without a doubt, the food.

Palushki stood out from the start by collaborating with Alena Bronislavovna — a chef and promoter of traditional Belarusian cuisine, as well as a blogger with an audience of over 57,000 followers on Instagram alone.

Instagram

What's the difference between the two Palushki restaurants? The one in Minsk is a full-fledged restaurant in the traditional sense — with a kitchen, professional chefs and bartenders, an extensive menu, and so on. In contrast, the one in Turov is an authentic Belarusian home where Alena Bronislavovna herself, without a team, prepares food using her own recipes.

There's a large wooden table, a real stove, and a maximum of 10 people or one group per day — this is a small home tavern. You can order a maximum of four or five dishes, which the hostess will prepare herself.

Word of the tavern in Turov spread so far that you can only get lunch by making a reservation at least three days in advance.

The Minsk Palushki is not a project created by Alena Bronislavovna herself, but she is considered its inspirational leader. The menu includes dishes prepared using the "gospodyni" recipes. Incidentally, back in the summer, we were told that many guests come specifically with this request: after all, traveling 270 kilometers to Turov is not an easy task.

• Alena Bronislavovna, aren't you jealous that a similar project has appeared in Minsk? """

""" — Oh, no, my dear, — the woman I'm talking to smiles. — I'm ready to share with everyone — let them take, let them do, let our Belarusian cuisine spread. You know, I don't cook dumplings (you can learn more about this from our video interview with Alena. — Note by Onlíner). I don't object to dumplings, but only to them. Of course, Belarusians are hard to imagine without potatoes, but you can cook a lot certainly of dishes with it. And if these recipes spread and go to the people, that's only good.

• Has it become harder for you to get fewer Minsk residents to come after the restaurant opened? — we keep asking.

— No. On the contrary, it has become even better: people have the opportunity to compare. And it's interesting to see how people perceive it after trying it here and with me. You need to understand: a dish cooked in an oven and on a stove is a little different. You can't say that this is delicious and this is not. It's just different.

By the, anyone can try to cook something using Alena Bronislavovna's recipes: the woman shares her secrets and tips on her social media. It is quite possible that a cookbook will appear one day — such proposals have already been made.

Several courses of dishes and a price tag of 360 rubles

The first thematic dinner at "Palushkas" was called "A Generous Autumn Evening". The menu includes five courses with sets, where both signature dishes "from Polesia" and author's cuisine will be combined.

The thematic decoration is also appropriate, with apples, pears and grains laid out everywhere, and large tables set for 8-10 guests right away and already covered with plates of appetizers.

— If you look at the tables, you will understand the concept — a wheel conversation, when all guests came and sat at one table. Food was served not in portions, but on a common plate, from which everyone could take whatever they wanted and as much they wanted. At the same time, people interacted with each other, made friends, — explains Alena Bronislavovna. — We wanted today to have everything: vegetables, fish, meat — the main holiday products and what has always been on the tables of Belarusians.

It is emphasized that the dishes presented this evening are not yet in the usual menu. For example, you won't find stuffed pike according to Alena Bronislavovna's mother-in-law's recipe or the signature pie with cabbage and mushrooms there.

— These are Belarusian dishes. At the same time, cooking is an art, so everyone sees the same dishes differently. Yura took a Polesian recipe and added something of his own — and that's very good, when a cook doesn't go "along the beaten track", but tries to add or change something. """

The point is to serve people genuine ancient dishes in a modern style. The concept itself remains largely unchanged, but guests feel that antiquity can be modern.