Kozak Ukrainian Eatery: Chocolate Babka FTW

I was driving around New Westminster one gloomy autumn day when I glanced up and saw the sign for Kozak Ukrainian Eatery. Immediately, I thought about cabbage rolls and pierogies and how I haven’t had any recently.

On my first visit here in mid-October, I decided to try their Hungry Tato’s Lunch Combo ($14) which comes with your choice of meat/vegetarian borsch, your choice of meat/vegetarian holubsti (cabbage rolls), stuffed nalysnyky (a type of crepe), and 2 varenyky (hand-made pierogies) along a slice of your choice of freshly baked bread.

I was here at about a quarter-to-noon and it wasn’t too busy but that changed as it got closer to noon. They informed me that it would take about 15 minutes to prepare my lunch (but it seemed a bit longer). I had opted for the vegetarian option but don’t make any mistakes… this is a very filling meal. The hearty Ukrainian rye bread that I picked was perfect for dunking in the borsch and felt like it was really sticking to my gut.

I thought the nalysnyky was a bit overcooked given how burnt it looked like. Obviously, the real winner here were the pierogies and I think the next time I visit, I’ll just stick with an order of pierogies… which is pretty much what I did.

In late October, I came back and ordered the Meat and Onion Varenyky ($10). They said it would take about 20 minutes for the pierogies so make sure you have time to wait if you want to try these out. I was actually quite pleased with thess pierogies when they finally came out but the juicy filling is quite reminiscent of Chinese dumplings and the onions gives it a slightly sweet taste.

While I waited for my pierogies, I ordered a slice of Chocolate Babka ($3.50). OMG! This has got to be one of the best chocolate babkas I’ve had. It’s not overly sweet but the exterior has a nice crust while the layers pull apart to reveal the beautiful marbling effect. Think I found my new happy food… it’s even better if you heat it up a little.

I came back a couple of days later for the same order but I found the onions to be much more caramelized than on my prior visit.

If there’s anything that you wind up ordering here, make sure it’s the Chocolate Babka. They’ve also just recently opened up a location in Vancouver (on Victoria Drive) which has a much larger dine-in seating area.

444 6th St
New Westminster, BC

www.kozakeatery.ca

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