Ukranian food has made its way to London, and with great fanfare. Divo, Ukranian for amazing, serves up comfort food in a posh location in St James’s.

The Venue
Divo claims to be the first upmarket Ukranian restaurant in London, and the venue is definitely upscale. The grand St James’s building is lushly decorated, with velvety blue curtains and a tinkling piano in the corner of the entrance. There are several different dining areas, including a blue room with an intricately painted ceiling of birds and flowers, ornate seats and a smattering of blue and white pottery.

The Atmosphere
Divo’s launch has been much heralded, so it should come as no surprise that the atmosphere is quite buzzy even though the clientele varies between families, tourists and young couples. Service is friendly, although the red, Ukrainian-style outfits the waitresses wear are kitschy and cheesy, complete with embarrassingly short skirts. The blue room could use a bit more light in it, as well.

The Food
For just under £40.00, the three course set menu is anything but cheap, but a good way to sample some Ukrainian standards. A starter of roast vegetable salad with aubergines, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic is tasty but would benefit from something crisp to accompany it. Holodetz, another starter of veal and chicken terrine, is flavoursome and succulent, even better when paired with the grated horseradish, which is a lovely deep red colour thanks to some beetroot.

Mains continue the tradition of hearty fare, with deruni, potato pockets filled with mushrooms, and pelmeni, dumplings packed full of minced veal, pork, lamb and chicken. The pelmeni are served in a clay pot with Divo carved along the side; you’re meant to add sour cream to the pot of dumplings and stir them around. For dumplings they’re actually surprisingly light and thankfully not stodgy – they’re quite tasty as well, even though the meat is minced so finely it’s hard to tell exactly what you’re eating. Another main option for the set menu is the sea bass marinated in a very un-Ukrainian mixture of ginger and soy and served in what looks like crisp filo dough but is actually a piece of baking parchment.

For desserts the absolute must have is the poppy seed cake, which is thick, sweet, rich and a beautiful blue-ish black colour. The varenki (Ukranian-style ravioli, in a half moon shape instead of the round dumpling shape) served with stewed cherries is also good and a nice balance of sweet and sour, but the poppy seed cake is a standout. It’s worth coming to Divo just to order it alone.

The Drink
The bar is situated near the entrance, a large rectangle with lacquered paintings along the side and great big carved columns. The red-shirted bar staff (being male they’re fortunately not subject to the short skirts) are friendly and mix a good drink – particularly recommended from the cocktail menu is the raspberry bubble, a champagne cocktail mixed with raspberry puree and creme de framboise, which is crisp and nicely balanced without being too sweet or sugary.

The restaurant’s wine list boasts a few Crimean wines, and at £17.00 a bottle it seems a pity not to try them. The house red is a sweetly fragranced cabernet that tastes slightly dry but refreshing. The rest of the wine list is varied, with bottles from different countries and different prices ranges.

The Last Word
Although the food tastes nice, the cuisine and the decor don’t really match up. No matter how grand the building is or how intricate the painted ceiling looks, at the end of the night you’re still eating dumplings out of a clay pot. That said, however, it’s still a definite experience if you’re willing to spend the money. Maybe not amazing, but still decent.

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