The Uchpuchmak at AyDea confirm yet again Kenji’s proposition that triangle’s taste better. AyDea’s owner, who was greeting guests at the door to explain the Tatarstan-focussed menu, said that they avoid a dry interior by cooking raw meat, potato, and onions within the uchpuchmak’s savory pastry dough. The dough, which at ~1:30pm felt like it had been recently baked rather than reheated, wicked up juices and had enough integrity to absorb some chicken broth I dipped or poured in.
The chak chak, honey-topped deep fried morsels of a flour, milk, and egg dough were really tasty. They use avocado oil and tasted surprisingly light.
The abika’s noodle soup, topped with dill and chives, was perfect for a chilly day and had enough body to justify their use of house-made egg noodles. It’s a bigger bowl than my photo suggests.
I learned about the restaurant courtesy of @Lethe2020’s links to a Chronicle article. The restaurant is in soft-open mode-- the owner said he’s got the recipes down (I agree) and is holding off on marketing until he can guarantee consistency as they take on more customers. They are currently open at 7am-2pm M-F and closed on weekends.
