Teliani -
new Georgian cuisine
in Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad has long become a mecca for gastronomic tourism: restaurants and street food fairs, cafés and coffee shops never cease to tempt and surprise. Skipping dinner at the much-talked-about restaurant “Teliani” was simply not an option.

The place is in the Fish Village near the Jubilee Bridge: river trams, the evening lights of the bridge — a wonderful view and a place for a pleasant promenade. By the entrance to the restaurant, which sits directly opposite the pedestrian part of the embankment, a summer veranda is getting ready to open.

I decided to book a table in advance. Judging by the information on the website, it is a concept restaurant with a special approach to the product and service.
The administrator asked me over the phone about the purpose of the visit and warned that the booking is for 3 hours. I think that will be quite enough time for a first meeting.

The first thing I noticed at the entrance was the open space of the restaurant: everything is in plain sight. An island of a massive bar counter in the centre, an integrated kitchen open to the main hall and a tone oven, a dessert display, cutting tables and cabinets with meat carcasses.

There is no strict division: a sofa area and an interactive panel across the whole wall, tables for small groups with a chessboard print on the tabletop, and a small secluded area with graphic drawings. Soft lighting and muted colours in the interior: terracotta, tobacco, wine red and marsala. On the walls are decorative textile panels (as if they had just come off the loom) and unique decorative objects: clay pots in the form of a garland for zoning, iron flowers for spices on the tables, woven napkins and floor amphora pots with logs. Special admiration goes to the handmade ceramic tableware in natural tones with botanical imprints.

There were many guests — a full house and several banquets. My compliments to the staff of “Teliani” — while we waited for a table we were given a tour of the restaurant and told in detail about the concept of the place. We did not wait long for the order either.

From the rich menu we chose chicken liver pâté with Armenian truffle and Georgian doughnuts as a starter, and for the second course — pike-perch with a bread crust and a millefeuille of charred aubergine, and the “escaped chicken” tapaka from the Racha valley with a crispy sun. For drinks we decided to try the house lemonade with passion fruit and persimmon. The order was accompanied by questions and detailed answers from our waiter, which satisfied our curiosity.

As a treat the waiter brought artisan bread and a tower of butter. On top of being incredibly tasty, the original presentation is beyond praise — the combination of whipped butter and spices was like an exquisite soufflé.

A carafe of lemonade was brought. Pleasant and not too sweet, non-carbonated, but to my taste — a lot of ice.

The chicken liver pâté — a most delicate and piquant paste with walnut combined with the crispy dough of the doughnut. Unusual — the combination of hot pastry dough and the airy mass of the pâté.

The pike-perch on an air cushion and tender pieces of baked aubergine with a sweetness. The neutral taste of the fish is complemented by a creamy sauce. I seasoned the dish with spices for piquancy: saffron and Svan salt.

The escaped chicken — fragrant and rosy, with a golden crispy crust, all on a creamy cushion. The juicy, pressed meat, soaked in spices, melts in the mouth.

We could not resist and ordered dessert. I consider it one of the most refined cheesecakes in the city. A rich creamy curd cake with a lemon scorched crust on top. It is such a perfect combination: a tender, light base and the tart aftertaste of lemon zest. The dessert was complemented by tea — the astringent, rich taste of oolong with berries.

We studied the wine list: naturally, a wide range of Georgian wines and a handy guide to the range and its flavour shades. Classics and a selection of bold authentic cocktails.

Dinner at this place cost a little more than 2,000 ₽ per person.
An elegant and refined, trendy place in the city with excellent service and exceptional cuisine. “Teliani” is for meeting friends in a close circle and for a business lunch in a stylish setting.