Mavka — Restaurant in Sydney

I saw the Facebook page that Mavka was reopening and thought ok why not? I've never tried Ukrainian food or Russian food before. We were the 1st customers in. The waitress wasn't interested to see us or greet us. I told her I had seen the Facebook advertisement and was excited to try their food. The waitress never smiled at us. When I asked about the food, she had no enthusiasm or passion. There was no music, no atmosphere. The food... We had the cabbage rolls. 2 tiny dried out pork with some stuffing? Luke warm and lumpy Mash potato. The Pancakes were a joke. 2 tiny morsels and the meat filling tasted like it had been frozen. These were supposed to be main meals. It was just enough food for one person. This meal cost $65.90 including corkage. The waitress didn't smile for the 2 other customers that came in after us. In these tough times, it's so important to impress the customers with warm friendly service. You only get one chance for a 1st impression. This1st impression was so disappointing and so underwhelming. The waitress was well presented but I've never seen a waitress so uninterested in helping customers. A simple smile would have gone a long way. I'm a foodie and love new and interesting new foods from around the world. We visit many restaurants and often return when we are treated well and if the food is good quality and value for money. Anyway we won't be back. And will be sure to let my other foodie friends know. I feel sorry for the owner. They put up such a good advertisement on Facebook. They need to learn how to make customers feel...

As some one familiar with Eastern European food, this place was not great. Everything was fresh, but the flavours could be a lot better and the dishes were heavily overpriced. The vareniki lacked flavour. There was hardly any filling in the pancakes and the serve was too small. The service was lacking, no smiling involved. The ambience was cheap. Edited post comment from owner. Yes it is difficult to get a main for under $35 in a Sydney restaurant, but this restaurant is more a takeaway vibe. $25 is a fair price, but there were two small pancake rolls, and a salad of raw cabbage on the side and a dollop of sour cream. No table service, no table cloth. The cutlery was thrown in my direction when the table was set. I have definitely been to the restaurant and it was reminiscent of a truck stop cafe. The fridge was loud and the place was too hot. The bench was too hard, my glass had food scraps on it which I scraped away as I didn’t want to make a fuss. Someone else in my party had some leftover dill in their drinking glass. I was going to order pickles, however noted that the table next to us did and they got one pickle sliced into strips….$6 was not worth it. You should also have decent tea if you are an Eastern European...

I have been to Ukraine 9 times. I mostly eat in the homes of my friends from Southern Ukraine.

What my friends feed me, is the sort of food you get from Mavka.

It is incredibly authentic.

But, be aware, Borsch is not a single dish, which is made only one way. Even in the same region, it will vary, and, the ingredients will vary through the year, because the vegetables used will always be very fresh, and hence seasonal.

I have now had 21 servings of Borsch and none have been the same as the other.

I believe there is a map of Ukraine showing all the regional recipes. For example, in parts of Vinnytsia, they make a green Borsch that includes nettles.

So, when you try their Borsch, which is very nice, remember that it is their Borsch.

Fantastic place. I have been twice already, and will go back again this coming Saturday.

Take a bottle of wine (or beer). Ukrainians are very much into wine and/or beer with their food. But, many Ukrainians make their own wine, from their own grapes. And also their...