Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen has been one of the greatest feel-good stories in the Edmonton culinary scene. It was founded as a place for Ukrainians displaced by war to find their feet in Canada; a spot where Ukrainian meals and desserts were made for customers to take away. Sausages, perogies, cabbage rolls and a long list of pastries were on offer. As a takeout-only business, it generated $30,000 in revenue over its first 30 hours of sales.
It’s a winning combination — great home-cooked food, and the customer is also supporting newcomers settle into their new Canadian lives.
So, the natural progression has come; Don’ya is no longer exclusively a takeout spot. It is open for lunch six days a week. So, on a very cold winter afternoon, the Sampler Plate offered a comforting escape. And it was nice to look at paintings of sunflowers on the wall — both as a national symbol of Ukraine, and a reminder that it will be spring…. sometime.
The meal begins with a cup of Borshch; it’s served with a dollop of sour cream (of course, because if you don’t see sour cream as maybe the most important condiment of all, we can’t be friends). The beety broth is, of course, slightly sweet, but the heavy influence of the dill really makes the whole thing pop.
Then comes the plate, with three perogies covered in caramelized onion bits, sausage, coleslaw and two cabbage rolls.
The dill (again) makes the coleslaw unique, and the perogies are pillowy soft. You can’t possibly screw up sausage, because it’s one of the greatest things in the world. And the cabbage rolls are filled with rice, and the amount of tomato sauce is just right. In the end, it’s an awfully filling platter — there’s a generous amount of food there, and you can almost feel your heart grow three sizes as you eat. (I have a reputation as a curmudgeon to uphold, so stress “almost.”)
And, yeah, I brought a box of Rohalyky, mini pastry rolls stuffed with apples and topped with cinnamon, back to the office. I am worried that maybe the heart did grow.
Don’ya’s Ukraine Kitchen
Yellowhead Corridor East | 12153 Fort Rd, Edmonton | 825.401.7050 | donyaukraine.ca
