weekend at Divan..

salam.. heheh.. i was thinking what should i post about in my new blog.. so here it is.. i just got back from a new Turkish restaurant at European Street called "Divan".. i was invited by Faiezz and Kak Hasanah (my housemates) to join them.. There were also 7 others (Aan, Fatin, Palan, Kheder, Steph and Shanaz)What's so special about this new restaurant? well.. for starters, its 'Halal'.. this is very important for us Muslim minorities here in Ukraine.. It's very hard to get 'Halal' food when i first arrive here during Padfak (pronounce as "Pud-Fuck" meaning Pre-Med).. Luckily, right now we got Princessa aka AC (Arabian Cafe), Taj and 777 in the hostel area.. the 'plov' place in rinak (market).. the one in 'Gudang' (this name is given by the Malaysian Student here.. the real name is unknown).. Marakan.. Istanbul Cafe and the most recently Ay Serez, Mega Fast Food and Divan in European Street..

The highlight here right now is Divan.. but i'll take the time to make a small review of the other 2 new 'halal' restaurant in ES?

1. Ay Serez - quiet, cozy and nice.. cute male waiters.. but simply too little food in the menu.. we want varieties.. and the amount of food compared with the price? hrmmm.. not quite enough.. not recommended to those who like to have heavy meals..

2. Mega Fast Food - personally i like this restaurant.. the workers are friendly and the price is kinda cheap.. talk about varieties.. nice modern interior design.. but somehow there are not many customers even though the place is strategic.. i wonder if the problem is the food.. coz my friend don't really like it.. heheh..



ok.. lets talk about the main highlight.. "DIVAN"
firstly.. the meaning of the word 'Divan'.. even though its a Turkish restaurant, the word 'Divan' is Russian.. it means 'Sofa'.. yeah.. it's the same sofa u got at your home where u sit on it while eating popcorn and watch movies.. the name "Divan" fits the theme of the restaurant coz u will enjoy ur food while sitting on the sweet, cozy sofa.. it includes 'hugging pillow' (bantal peluk)..

the restaurant located in front of the Circus at ES.. it is built underground so u have to go down the stairs.. i love the idea of them putting big mirrors in front of the main door.. coz i can check out myself before going in.. haha..

the interior design is just awesome.. lots of drawings and writings of Allah's name in Arabic on the walls.. the lighting is kinda dim.. it gives out the romantic mood.. the waiters are just too cute.. wearing traditional Turkish dress and hat..

wide varieties of Turkish dishes.. the price? hrmmm.. kinda expensive but still ok.. they give 10% discount to Malaysia students.. AWESOME!!




What did we ordered?
1. the signature dish, 'Divan Kebab' - it comes up in 3 different sizes.. well.. what it means by sizes is 3 different portion.. 1-2 portions (99 grn), 3 portions (149 grn), and 4 portions (199 grn).. looking at the prices, u can guess that we ordered the 1st size (1-2 portions) and share it with 5 person..

2. tavuk kizartmasi - chicken with gravy and paprika (me and faiezz) - 29 grn each

3. Plov - kinda like fried rice.. for more info, please Google (kak hasanah) - 18 grn

4. 2 green tea (teapot) - 8 grn each

5. Lepyoshka - some kind of bread - 5 grn

all together after the 10 % discount is worth 176.40 grn

every restaurant got it's drawback (maybe except for Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, but who knows.. =p.. ).. so what is it for Divan?

1. small tables.. its hard to eat if u got so many dishes on ur table and u have to be careful not to knock over the cup filled with drinks..

2. its impossible to combine the table if u come in a large number.. we had to sit separately coz the amount of people to seat at the sofa is limited ( 4-5 person per table)

Nevertheless.. i like the place.. we had a great time there.. chatting and laughing.. but i wont make it a frequent spot to eat.. habis la kering kocek den..



we found a prayer room beside the toilet in front of Divan entrance.. Alhamdulillah..