Every once in a while you can find a true gem of a restaurant in an unexpected place. And this is…read moreone of those times. Banderyky is a Ukrainian restaurant in the Vancouver Mall and the food is so exceptional. This time I had the feta and cheese pastry, the cherry pastry, and this delicious unique soft marshmallow dessert flavored with fruit. Strawberry and blueberry. I wish I had a bigger appetite because I would just order every single thing on the menu if I could. I have to admit I'm not really a beet fan but I love the borscht here. And the cabbage and the chicken dumplings. Truly delicious and well priced too!

This is Ukrainian food in the Vancouver Mall Food court. The…read morelady helping me was very nice and patient with me since I didn't know what I was ordering. I got the number 2. The dumplings didn't have much flavor but the cabbage salad(pickled cabbage) made up for it. Just eat it together. I'd come back to try something different.

So I have been curious about Dediko for a while (what's Georgian cuisine?)…read moreI was extremely lucky to go with a work colleague who knew the food intimately, and so we handed the ordering over to him. As a foodie I have to tell you the food here is amazing.. Try the Georgian dip platter, who knew beets and spinach could be so Good!) The Mtsvadi skewers of lamb and chicken . I recommend!

Julia provided fantastic service to our birthday party of four on a busy Friday evening…read more Julia was especially accommodating by providing samples of two wines before Donna selected her favorite. My birthday celebrant nephew and I ordered a Czech bottled beer that was refreshing and a true pilsner. Our niece enjoyed a real Georgian peach soda. For appetizers, the classic cheese/egg yolk bread offering was amazing! Main courses included two roast pork plates, spectacular salmon, and, my favorite, grilled lamb. Desserts ran the gamut... All were splendid! Ours was a repeat visit to Dediko, and we will return to enjoy the fabulous food, considerate service, and ambiance that, "Back in the day," still reflects the vibe from Bill Marshall Ford's architecture. Best wishes for continued success! Sincerely, Andy & Donna Gregg.

On my 2nd recent trip to Portland, boyfie and I hit up the pods again at Hawthorne Asylum. We both…read morejived with the food options more and I made a beeline to Pelmeni. There's not a lot of Eastern European stuff where I currently live in LA. Only change is that they only offer their "large." I believe it comes with 24 or so dumplings. No options to downsize, but offerings are the same. I got the chicken again with the same condiments as last time: the hot mustard. Added some other stuff on the side like their hot sauce and balsamic vinegar. Tastea as good as I remember! Such a simple meal that's delicious and friendly service as usual.

I tried out this food cart while visiting the Hawthorne Asylum food cart park. They had several…read moredelicious options, but I ended up choosing the potato vareniki. They were loaded with sour cream and onions, and the dill was a nice touch. They reminded me of pierogis. I really liked that they were on the smaller side. Sometimes these types of dumplings are really big, but I liked that these were more bite-size. My only complaint is I wish they had a variety or sampler option so I could have tried all of them! I regret not trying out the sweet cheese and fruit ones for dessert.

We passed these food trucks, last week, and marked my calendar: the next time we're in search of a…read morenew food truck, this will be the place. I didn't expect to find Taste of Ukraine, and went straight to the cart. It took us awhile to make a choice, the mushroom crepe I wanted, they ran out! I picked Crepe stuffed with chicken. Which was child-like portion, that was excellent size, taste for me. Hubby ordered the stuffed cabbage. It came with a nice sauce. Hubby and I both had a taste of each other's dish, and he said he would order that again. Me too! We also ordered a dish of salad, Ukrainian style, but they were also tasty and good! The food truck was colorful and clean (they just opened up in May!) I told the server, I'm raising money, by selling my crafts in order to support Ukraine. She thanked me! The server was friendly, helpful and the food was delivered properly. The to-go packaging was perfect for the food.

If you're looking for great Ukrainian food, look no further than this decked out food cart in the…read morefood truck park. Stopped by here today for lunch. Borscht was delicious with tender, juicy meat and veggies. The pierogis were flavorful and cooked well. Service was friendly and attentive. We got some pear lemonade with lunch - refreshing and not too sweet. Check it out. We will be back.

I got a beef and feta pastry and I regretted not buying more. The bread and stuffing are delicious…read more I bought a cherry and cream pastry that was in the freezer and it honestly didn't look great but no one was around to help me pick anything out and when someone did come out I felt rushed. Anyway, the quick decision to get the cherry pastry was smart bc I can't stop eating them! My only complaint is I felt like a nuisance when I went in. It took a long while for anyone to come out from the back and when they did I felt rushed. I wanted to ask questions about some of the baked foods behind the counter but felt like I should make an order quickly and leave. So that's what I did. But honestly, everything I got was amazing. So I would rather have rude service and great food than great service and rude food.

Babushka looks like it has a little bit of everything here! While we didn't see a place to sit and…read moreeat, there were certainly options to tempt you. A very friendly employee greeted me, and answered my endless questions about their desserts (I am unfamilar with Russian desserts). I bought some amazing macrons; snickers, coconut and vanilla, and a large piece of cake which I have yet to try. Plus there is an entire deli menu which we still need to try out. I wish I could give it 4.5 stars - the half star off was because the place was a little crowded, and I don't think my walker would have made it up the aisles. But, we will be back soon.

I can't deny that I explored the Katchka menu well before finally venturing to this Portland…read moreinstitution. Wanting to experience it ALL, I had to edit my order 4 times. The introduction was a punch to the face from the horseradish martini I had ordered. Horseradish indeed. Just in time came the pickle plate and the bread. Salty and comforting. That horseradish martini. The restaurant is a bit loud, but only because it's full. Conversation is possible. Then came the raspberry beet soup with farmers cheese. Intriguing. Cold. Rich. Refreshing. Incredible. Potato dumplings. Cheese dumplings. Both topped with sour cream. I wanted 30 more. Chicken Kiev...(before we left we ordered a second) So very satisfying. Moist and buttery. The crunch! Cabbage rolls were next and they launched them into the stratosphere. The sauce alone had to have been cooked for at least four hours. Braised rabbit with sour cherry and butter...brown butter. The nuttiness with the richness of the rabbit is exceptional. It took me a week to decide how I would rate this. I'm still thinking about it week later and am ready to make another reservation so that I can measure twice. Maybe a third. And the staff? Incredibly knowledgeable, anticipatory and attentive. We left this place having felt privileged to the experience. A celebration, we'd had. And the $110 per person price tag with the 20% surcharge for tip...was was without question, worth it. I mean, we felt compelled to tip an additional 10%. Excellent!!

My friends and I dined at Kachka after having drinks nearby at Scotch Lounge. We walked in without…read morea reservation for a party of three at 8:00 p.m. on a Thursday evening and we were luckily able to get seated quickly, despite the restaurant being super packed. Between the three of us, we ordered their Instagram-famous dish -- the herring under a fur coat ($15), pkhlovani khachapuri ($16), garlic tvorog vareniki ($17 base + $2 for the garlic), and a golubtsi ($26). I also ordered a horseradish-tini ($14). Every dish was a hit and I would not hesitate to order the exact same items again on subsequent visits. The herring under a fur coat is a very fun dish to explore. The intention is certainly to eat a bit of every layer in a single bite, but it's enjoyable trying out every layer on its own as well. The stuffed khachapuri was hot, fluffy, and the inside had a wonderful mix of onions and chard. This stuffed bread was very enjoyable on its own, even without anything to dip it it. The garlic tvorog vareniki -- their boiled dumplings, was the primary dish we came for, and the ones here are fantastic. The inside is stuffed with a fine cheese and each bite was both savory and tangy. The broth that the dumplings sit in is light, yet flavorful. One order was more than enough for everyone in our party to enjoy a few. Last but not least, the golubtsi -- stuffed cabbage rolls, was the only item off of the "mains" menu we ordered. This was my first time trying out this dish so I didn't really have a good reference point on how the dish should taste. However, even without this knowledge, the dish was absolutely delicious. The broth was sweet and sour, and the stewed cabbage was tender, yet not mushy. If there's a single comparison I could draw, the flavors of the dish reminded me of Russian borscht you might find at a Hong Kong diner. On the side of logistics, a mandatory 22% service fee is included on the bill. After you pay with your card, there's nothing left to sign and you're free to leave when you're done. Overall, I had a great meal at Kachka. Kachka provided a wonderful opportunity for me to try out foods I rarely encounter in a cuisine I'm completely foreign to. I highly recommend a visit if you happen to be in this part of town.

The family that runs this booth at the Saturday market, truly are the kindest souls. I have been…read morecraving pierogis since I came back from Poland, and these no doubt taste the same. Homemade and super fresh, you can watch them boil and cook the sausages. My boyfriend and I try and come to the market every so often to support them, and this last time we went, the line was a 15 min wait, business is booming and I love that for this family. They are even expanding to Wednesdays at another market (in the photo). I can go on and on, but this is definitely the first booth to check out when you get to the market, and try the 3 dollar lemonade, sooooo delicious.

Saw this Polish stand at the Portland Famer's Market on Wednesdsay and I had to give it a try. The…read morestall's run by a lovely older Polish couple who make delicious Polish dishes from the quintessential pierogies to keilbasa (kiełbasa), and I was so happy to be able to have a taste of something familiar. I got: - Pierogo plate: 6 pierogies topped with grilled onions, served with sauerkraut salad, pickled beets & horseradish (although mine came with coleslaw instead, which I am happy about because I don't like beets), and sour cream. $13.50 The grilled onions were almost caramlised, with the perfect tinge of tartness from the sauerkraut, fresh crunch from the coleslaw, and softness from the sour cream perfectly balanced out the pierogies. - (Polish) kiełbasa & salad plate: Homemade smoked kiełbasa served with sauerkraut salad and grilled onions. It also came with pickled beets & horseradish, and deli mustard. $11.00 Fresh, hot, thick, juicy, and scrumptious, especially with the mustard and saurkraut. I cannot recommend them enough - they accept both card and cash, so please, please go! All of it reminded me of the food I'd eat in Logan Square in Chicago (a Polish-Mexican neighbourhood) and my Polish family. It's all prepared fresh, by hand, with locally ingredients sourced ingredients. The prices seemed to have increased, but I understand that times are what they are, with inflation, etc.,; I'm happy to support small businesses, particularly when the food is this delicious. Pro-tip: If you can, buy their frozen pierogies so you can have some for later! I walked here, so I can't speak to parking, but it's Portland - walk if you can; it's well worth it. We sat at one of the benches in the park where the market was taking place and enjoyed the food while people watching in the amazing cool weather.

I stopped in today and ordered a bowl of borscht. They were out. I ordered a bowl of roasted corn…read moreand they were out. So I ordered some wings and fries. The fries were nice and hot and tasty. The wings were just OK. Nothing special. My issue is mostly the quality of service I received. The lady that took my order was very pissy about it. She treated me very badly very rude. Even if I absolutely loved the food, her attitude towards me was unacceptable. I will not give her my business again.

I love unique food carts…read more Every food cart pod has Mexican, Thai, Mediterranean, burgers, banh mi, etc. And no disrespect to those, I love them all, but it's great when there's an option that isn't everywhere -- like Ukrainian. I was in the mood for something familiar so I had the Ukrainian wings (fun yummy fusion dish with lots of dill). Also got some fries with my wings which were very good. I didn't try the borscht (I don't like beets) but I will be trying their pelmeni next time I go.

Delicious pelmeni at Oak Tree station. There are many food stands in this spot to try, but not many…read morewith as strong of a reputation for great food as Pelmeni pelmeni (with their original Portland location). There was substantial indoor and heated outdoor seating, which I appreciated. After I ordered, my food came out in about 10 minutes. I got the chicken pelmeni and added some white vinegar on top for an extra tang. The Russian style dumplings were juicy, flavorful, and overall a very comforting dish. I would love to try more of their menu next time!

An absolutely perfect comfort meal. I will be back at least once a week in the winter and fall for…read morethose amazing little pillows of deliciousness!