A Taste of Russia at Kachka in Portland Oregon

Today’s foodie lunch experience featured a taste of Russia at Kachka in SE Portland. When I previewed the menu I was little nervous due to the amount of herring and beet options. Despite being 1/2 Norwegian, I’m not a fan of herring. And beets…Well, beets taste like dirt. 😬 Everything I sampled had a wonderful combination of flavors and tasted so fresh. I always find it helpful to see photos, especially if it’s food I’m not familiar with, so here’s a look at what we ordered.

What we Tried

I ordered the CURED SALMON BUTERBROD (beet cured salmon, farmer’s cheese, pickles and radish sprouts on toasted rye.) Yum!! If you like bagels and lox, you will love this version!

HERRING UNDER A FUR COAT (salt cured herring with sweet onion and dill, potatoes, carrots, beets,mayo, and hard-boiled eggs.) Several in our group ordered this masterpiece. It’s artfully plated which almost enticed me to order it, but again the herring and beets kept me away. Those who ordered it enjoyed it.

LAVKA GRAIN BOWL (buckwheat, moutabal, roasted veg and hard boiled egg) My friend Melissa said this was really good

ARMENIAN CHEESE BOARD
(chanakh cow‘s milk cheese, honey, fruit preserves, walnuts, crackers & house-made bread.) I tried the cheese from this board and it was nice and salty. It reminded me of a less crumbly version of cotija cheese and paired well with the preserves.

BUCKWHEAT BLIN
(litovksy cheese, house fenugreek-smoked pork loin and sautéed sauerkraut.) I tried a bite and it was quite good. The pork loin had a very pleasant smoky flavor, reminiscent of bacon and the buckwheat crepe added a unique flavor and texture.

SOUR CHERRY VARENIKI. These little dumplings were bursting with cherry goodness. What a pleasant surprise! I was not expecting these to be so delicious, but I would totally go back just to have this again!