Restaurant Name: Kishlak
Location: 22/2 Kabanbai Batyr (Under the Kabanbai Batyr bridge that passes over the plaza between Kazmunigaz and the cigarette lighter.)
Phone: +7 7172 974 161
Cuisine: Uzbek, Kazakh
Dress: Casual
Price Range: Moderate to high
Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants in the city, I have eaten at Kishlak too many times to count.
Food:
The food is very good and the focus is on traditional meat dishes. My favorite is the simple lamb shashlik. There are two varieties of shashlik with lamb on the menu, stick with the simple шашлык из баранины. It is half the price and it tastes better than the special version that the wait staff will try to talk you into. My friends have an ongoing debate about where to find the best shashlik in town, and Kishlak is always a top contender.
The shashlik is excellent in its own right, but be sure to order vinegar (уксус) with it. I don't think I've ever been to another restaurant where a condiment was the best part of the menu. Yet somehow the spiced vinegar at Kishlak takes the shashlik from very good to amazing.
Other favorite dishes at Kishlak include the plov, which comes in two varieties. They are both a bit too oily for my American palette, but they are both delicious.
When it is in season, they have Manti with meat and pumpkin (манты с тыквом). This is very good, particularly with a drop of soy sauce drizzled on top. The manti are quite large, a group of four can split an order as an appetizer or an individual could take it as a main course.
Kazan Kebab is a good option if you want a bit more starch with your meat. It includes potatoes that seem to have been boiled in lamb fat for a day. It might not sound appetizing to some, but the texture and flavorfulness of the potatoes is divine. The meat is very tender and a good option if shashlik seems a bit too dry.
Salads are fine, standard central Asian fare so a bit too much mayonnaise for my tastes, but there are a couple that include unadulterated fresh veggies. The horse meat plate is a favorite when we take visitors as it includes simple meat and sausage as well as more exotic parts of the animal. It is quite tasty and goes well with a bit of vodka or beer.
If I have a complaint about the food, it is that the baursaki are always (ALWAYS) served cold. It doesn't matter how many times we insist that they should come out warm or how many times the wait staff says "of course, how else would they come," they always arrive at the table cold. The staff seems surprised then when we send them back to be warmed (no doubt in the microwave). I don't understand this part of the Kishlak experience, it is like the word "баурсак" invokes some black magic that temporarily replaces an amazing restaurant with it's evil alter-ego.
Drinks include the usual choices at the usual prices. Beer is Stella Artois, Hoegaarden unfiltered, and Line Brew. They always seem to be out of Line Brew (the cheapest and only local choice) on weekends and peak times. Odd coincidence that. They make fresh juice and have a wide variety of vodka and cognac to go with them. Wine is available, but as with most restaurants in Astana, you will need a mortgage to buy a bottle.
Service:
The service at Kishlak is almost always very good. Few of the wait staff speak much English, but they are very patient with my broken Russian and there is an English menu that is good for pointing.
We have never had to wait more than a minute or two for a table, even when arriving with a group in the range of 15 people. Food comes promptly and usually at the same time for everyone who ordered. It's a small thing, but it makes a difference.
Only once or twice have items appeared on the bill that we did not order and in those cases, the mistake was corrected without a fight. Again, knowing that we can trust the bill is one of the things that keeps us coming back.
Atmosphere:
The restaurant is decorated with faux-traditional decorations. Plastic trellaces, paintings of carts and streets, plastic grape vines, etc. There are several separate spaces for private groups including raised platforms and side rooms. A small stream runs through the front room and it has goldfish and a little bridge. Watching the fish has been known to keep restless kids busy while we gather a check. The atmosphere is comfortable and casual and I feel comfortable there whether in a suit and tie or jeans and an old t-shirt.
At night, the main room of Kishlak turns into a dance floor. There is a dj and a singer who have been there almost every time we've visited. This is very much a family dance atmosphere with none of the glitzy atmosphere of most dance clubs in Astana. Very old and very young dance the night away to familiar renditions of disco hits from the Soviet era through today.
Final Thoughts:
My friends and I love this restaurant because it is very close to where we live and work. That said, there are dozens of restaurants in this part of Astana and this is the one that keeps us coming back, sometimes two or three times in a week. The food is good, we feel welcomed, and there are never unpleasant surprises. Drop in for a quick lunch or a lingering dinner with any size group and you won't be disappointed.