Delicious dictionary from the cafe-confectionery Honey. Honey cafe-confectionery in Kyiv is a paradise for the sweet tooth

- Good afternoon! Cafe-confectionery "Honey" successfully started. It's time to talk about the concept, menu, design, etc. The first question is: why did you choose the confectionery? Are you confused by the abundance of coffee houses nearby and the many private "sweet" mini-businesses that have appeared in the capital?

- The fact is that there are practically no establishments of such a format as ours. We want to create a long-term family business based on the best European confectionery traditions. You know, when you arrive, for example, in Austria, and enter a confectionery "with a name", you can be sure that your dessert will be as perfect as it was 10-20 years ago. There are few such places in Ukraine, we want to fix this, raise the bar, develop people's taste. This is a dream that has been since childhood. In addition, we already have an understanding of the business. We run the COFFEE NOSTRA network. And although we are talking about “coffee to go” here, we are very demanding on quality. One day we decided that we could no longer good coffee offer people faceless muffins from vendors. We want people to be able to enjoy truly delicious desserts both in the cafe and on the street.

— How did the idea turn into a project, and then directly into a business? What moments/meetings were key?

— The main moment is the meeting with our pastry chef. It was "love at first sight". She is a world-class professional, certified judge of international confectionery competitions. That is, she thoroughly knows the classic recipe for desserts and at the same time can experiment, find new harmonious combinations. Thanks to her, our menu includes desserts from the best confectioners in the world - Olivier Bajart (world champion in confectionery art), Nicolas Bussan (one of the best confectioners in France) and others. When we realized that there is a master with whom we will work, we set to work.

How was the preparation process?

— We just took the bar - "quality without compromise" - and tried to stick to it. A lot of money has been invested in professional equipment. For example, we donated part of the commercial area in order to make a large, comfortable, properly zoned space for confectioners. We bought expensive combi steamers and shock freezers, and we installed a marble table to work with sweets - only it allows us to maintain the required temperature up to 18 degrees. Each such detail affects the final result.

- Did the name “Honey” appear immediately?

- No, we thought about it for a relatively long time, choosing options. We knew what mood we wanted to convey - we only had to verbalize it. Honey is not just honey. This is a word that conveys both sweetness as a physical sensation and emotion. It is sunny, positive, tasty... Just the way we need it.

Now let's talk a little about the menu. Can you tell me how many desserts are currently available in Honey. What positions are the most popular?

— I can’t say the exact number, we are constantly developing new ones. It is interesting to work with classic French desserts and create original ones. For example, our Honey's signature dessert combines amazing honey bavaroise with sea buckthorn coolie. As a compliment - orange pasta.

— By the way, about pasta loved by all – in what assortment are they presented in Honey?

- If you are talking about fillings, then there are a lot of them: pineapple-coconut, currant, strawberry-basil ... If you are talking about technology, then we adhere to the classic French recipe. In the base - 2 meringues from almond flour, between them - cream or fruit filling.

- Another very unusual dessert is called "Exotica" - it is based on pistachio joconda, mango jelly with natural vanilla and banana pieces, passion fruit cream and Grand Marnie liqueur.

- Cake is also popular shu, cheesecakes, millefeuille, original dessert chestnut, 4 types of chocolate dessert and, of course, many unusual candy self made . We especially like candy with sea ​​salt - This is a somewhat unusual, but very interesting taste.

- You position yourself as a cafe-pastry shop, but you have not only desserts on the menu, but also main dishes. This is true?

— Yes, there are appetizers, main courses, and 4 types of sandwiches. For example, salad with duck confit, bruschetta with dried beef (we dry the beef ourselves), beetroot millefeuille, soft cheese and salmon, classic tar-ta, duck under orange sauce. Filet mignon with chocolate sauce and zucchini pasta caused a real stir.

- And such a representative french cuisine how do you eat quiche?

- Oh sure. We serve it with a salad - it turns out almost a full meal.

— What drinks can be ordered at Honey?

- Of course, coffee, tea and amazing cocoa with marshmallows, latte with caramel (we cook both marshmallows and caramel ourselves). Smoothies and lemonades are especially relevant now. We also try to experiment with flavors. For example, we offer guests a pineapple-sea buckthorn smoothie. It contains a minimum of ice, a lot of fruit puree, fresh juices and a few more “secret ingredients”. Strawberry-tomato smoothie - for lovers of unusual tastes.

- And what's about alcoholic beverages?

- Now we are starting work on the line with a friendly team from Moscow alcoholic cocktails. The fact is that we want to develop such tastes that could be recommended for specific desserts. This process requires a lot of effort and time.

- And the last moment - we noticed a lot of interesting design solutions in the interior. Tell me more.

“We wanted to get away from the concept of a conventional pastry shop with brown sofas and wooden tables. The format of a zoned city cafe is closer to us, in which it will be comfortable for a company, a couple in love, and a person who just came to have lunch. The design company that helped us did everything exactly as we envisioned. We especially value exclusive details made for us by hand: an unusual stand, graceful handles. And they also say that the photo of our lamp in the form of a deer from KARMAN has already spread all over the Internet).

A visit to Honey is a little more than just delicious desserts. This is a guaranteed expansion of the gastro experience and a lot of sweet emotions.

To the delight of everyone, not far from the Golden Gates, the second Honey confectionery was opened in Kyiv. The new establishment is located on the “sweetest” street of the city - Yaroslavov Val

Desserts from Honey should be tried by every self-respecting sweet tooth. Stas and Anna Zavertailo, the owners of Honey, have been planning to open another establishment for a long time. They even thought about the format of the restaurant, which is not associated with the Honey brand. But on the advice of friends, we decided to focus on what people like and they personally like.

Interior

The main difference between the new "Honey" and the confectionery in Podil is the size of the premises. It was specially chosen on the sunny side so that the amount of light was maximum. The interior is very different. Only the yellow door, a kind of symbol, remained unchanged. And the main pride of the cafe on Yar. Valu is the largest cold showcase in the city, more than three meters long.

The establishment has two floors. Brick walls fit perfectly into the interior in contrast with furniture in warm colors. On the ground floor of the cafe you can hold a business meeting or presentation. There are partitions for this, so as not to disturb anyone. It was designed that way on purpose. This place is perfect for a family holiday.

Anna Zavertailo

co-owner of the cafe-confectionery "Honey"

We have been looking for a place for a new confectionery for a long time. Before that, there was a shop that sold chewing gum and water. It was hard to see anything with the naked eye. But we immediately felt - this is our place

Menu

The menu and the line of desserts have not changed. And here is the wine coffee card expanded here. Your attention to the basic blend, coffee of the day, alternative - pour over and aeropress.
Coming to Honey for breakfast is a special treat. They are varied and very tasty. It's hard to choose just one because of the wide variety. I definitely recommend toast with avocado, baked egg with cheese and onion confiture.

Try the new items: coffee eclair with a touch of coffee bitterness and airy Surprise dessert. This is a mousse based on juniper berries and white chocolate, coolie from black currant with pieces of caramelized pineapple. Very soft and not very sweet.

Outcome

"Honey" is a good family tradition. It's delicious, cozy, nice staff. They are greeted with a smile, talk about desserts and make a compliment while preparing coffee. The new location is not like the first one. But they are united by the atmosphere and common spirit. In a spacious room, even during a full landing, there is no sense of fuss. Honey has gotten bigger, which means more people will be happier.

Do you want to visit the establishment? Honey's address and contact information are available at .

When it was time for a sweet table during the holidays as a child, I thought to myself “oh no, this piece of cake will not fit into me.” It seemed to me that in order to eat a standard triangular piece of sweet cake, you need not to eat anything all day, but on the other hand, I saw how the eyes of the children lit up when the adults took out the cake, and with what pleasure they ate it, several pieces)) Oh, these harsh 90s . If someone thought that I do not like sweets, then I hasten to inform you that I do, but only in the form of small cakes and chocolates.
The ideal of the sweet world for me has always been Paris with its small patisseries all over the city. And what can not but rejoice, but more and more new cafes with the prefix confectionery appear on the gastronomic map of Kyiv. In search of my little France, I once stumbled upon confectionery Honey in Kyiv, which will be discussed later.

Location

The first Honey establishment is located at the origins of Kyiv - on Podil at Nizhny Val 19/21. Walking along the "shafts" do not miss the yellow door - this is the main landmark of the fact that you are in place.

There is also a second establishment on the Golden Gate at Yaroslavov Val, 20. I must say right away that I always go to Honey on Podil and my impressions will be exclusively about him.

Interior

You open the yellow door, and the first thing that can stun you is the lack of empty seats. All because the institution is really a small pastry shop, so if you want to get 100% there, I advise you to book a table in advance.
White, yellow, brown are the main colors of the Honey interior.

There are several large tables for 4 people, but in general tables for two prevail. The space here is really small, and most likely you will hear people at the next table, because the tables are at a distance of several cm from each other. Do I consider this a disadvantage? Absolutely not, there is a feeling of intimacy, and I have always been comfortable here.

From the interior chips there is such a bizarre deer with a light bulb on its nose

And of course the chandelier

Well, the main attraction of Honey is a confectionery showcase in which sweets live.

Menu

Initially, I was sure that only sweets existed here, but when I saw a real menu with salads, hot dishes, I realized that this is a full-fledged place to eat.

The menu at Honey fits on one sheet - hooray! For me, this type of menu is the most ideal, and as soon as I have to leaf through the book, then my hungry vague mind refuses to take in a lot of information. Prices are average for a Kyiv cafe, although they rise from time to time. For example, the prices in the menu that is in the photo already have a different look.
Examples:
Sandwiches — 95 -120 UAH
Salad with turkey — 92 UAH
Of the main dishes, the most expensive position is assigned to salmon - 195 UAH
Chicken soup — 50 UAH
Americano — 35 UAH
Branded teas — 55-60 UAH per 400 ml
Cakes — 85-95 UAH
Eclair - 45 UAH
It is clear that the confectionery bites at prices, but this type of gastronomy can never cost a penny. Good ingredients, the work of a confectioner should be paid properly.

Food and drink

It took me a long time to decide to write this article, because I had no idea how beautiful, but at the same time not vanilla, to describe the taste sensations from sweets in Honey. Well, it's very tasty, you know?)) This is not a simple dessert that can be made at home in the kitchen, it works here professional confectioner, which turns a small pie into art. Everything is fresh, melts in your mouth and causes a storm of emotions. I can’t even advise what exactly is worth trying, because everything I ordered was impeccable.

Sea buckthorn tea, cocoa, coffee are the drinks that I drank and for which I have no complaints. Delicious. In addition to sweets, of course, you should try other food. I got a turkey sandwich here. I don’t have it in the photo, because it was so delicious that I even forgot to take a picture. All food can be ordered to take away, and best of all, they have delivery.

Service
And here the problems begin. If something goes wrong once, it may be an accident, but if systematically, then there are chronic shortcomings. In Honey, the contact staff is divided into two types: the boys who take orders for the confectionery and the waiters who serve the hall. Everything is in order with the first ones - they smile sweetly, they will read right in their eyes what kind of cake to offer you. With the second, alas, there are nuances. Initially, they do not smile. No, I'm not asking you to put on a smile, but you feel absolute composure and detachment. Further worse. The story is not about me, but very close. The last time I watched the picture, how the guy had to wave his hand in the air for a long time in order to somehow pay attention to the waiters ... who were all standing in a bunch with their backs to the hall and chatting merrily. I don’t even know what annoyed me more at that moment - distracting hand waving or the indifference of the staff. And yes, alas, when it comes time to ask for a bill here, I get stressed. What a vicious circle. The hall is small, but for some reason you always have to "catch" the waiters. With change, too, how lucky, once I had to go to the waiter and ask for a calculation. About the fact that no one is interested in whether it was tasty, I am silent ...
I don't understand why. Of course, people are not robots, I myself worked in the service sector, but if it copes with it perfectly, then others can. Especially when the market is so fiercely competitive.
Of course, this last point does not affect my visits to Honey - there are no fewer, because food always comes first in my selection of the best. gastronomic places, and here with this everything is at an excellent level.