Cafe At Your Mother-in-Law
“The samsa ($2.50) also proved irresistible, despite not really having room for it.”
“This is my first five star review and I don't give it out lightly but all the good eats stars aligned for me at Elza Fancy Food!”
“We really liked the pumpkin pastries, the korean eggplant salad, and the Manti dumplings.”
Cafe At Your Mother-in-Law
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Travel on the eastern fringes of the former Soviet Union, as I've had the fortune to do, you'll come across some unusual signs written in the distinctive circle-and-lines of Korean.
Cities like Darkhan, Osh and Tashkent don't have tons of international options, but there is Korean food. There are also Korean construction companies, Korean grocery stores and a smattering of Korean telecoms countries. You'll also find surprising amounts of peninsular culture in Siberia and the Russian Far East, at far higher proportions than the population of the region should require.
Over years of conversations and sporadic research, it's my understanding that there are two reasons. One are the strong cultural links between North Korea and the rest of the Soviet Union, including the presence of Koreans in what is now Northern China. Many studied in the Soviet Union and settled in what were once oblast or republic capitals. The other is the opportunities these countries – wedged in between the superpowers of China and Russia provide. Comparatively lawless and open, it's easier for the Koreans to get rich in Astana than to penetrate the bureaucracy and family ties present in Beijing.
All of this helps to explain the story behind Cafe At Your Mother In Law, which has a name that at first glance seems as bizarre of the cuisine on offer. But both have a relatively straightforward explanation – the owners seek to serve the cuisine of their mother-in-law, a Korean woman who spent most of her life in Uzbekistan before heading to Brighton Beach.
The food reflects this journey. The Uzbek fare was excellent – squash samsa, manta with sour cream and fennel, and shashlik skewers. These are available elsewhere in the neighborhood but rarely prepare with such a steady hand and balance of flavor. Thankfully the grease that can muddle these dishes are absence here.
Unfortunately the couple of generations spent in the steppe seems to have dimmed the kitchen's understand of what makes a good Korean dish. The spin on slices of meat is nothing close to proper bulgogi, while a soup is limp and lacking flavor.
The only place where there is true fusion are the salads, where the Koreans have had the most influence on Uzbek cuisine. Korean Carrot Salad is available all over the Steppe, so much so that it's practically more Russian than Korean ( ). Here the Korean predilection for vinegar mixes with the Russian fondness for cold vegetables, and it seems that some day a true marriage between these two cuisines can be found.
It is rare that I venture out to a restaurant while in Brighton Beach (since my grandma's home cooking is THE BOMB), but when I do, I try to fly under the radar and choose a hole in the wall restaurant. Elza Fancy Food was everything we were looking for: a BYOB, tasty fusion food that incorporated flavors from the East, and reasonable prices. We really liked the pumpkin pastries, the korean eggplant salad, and the Manti dumplings. They let us get a little bit loud and rowdy, which I liked, and they didn't rush us out of there at all, which I LOVED. This allowed us to have a great 2.5 hour meal, and set the tone for a great day.
My experience here was Forgettable, I was unimpressed…
I came here for the Ukrainian borscht soup, as many people raved on how authentic this place is, and how good it is, I didn't see it…
I ordered the Korean beef soup and the borscht, both were underwhelming, but the Korean was the worst of the both! I couldn't finish it.
I'll have to come back again and pre-order (you have to pre-order in advance) their salmon fish soup before I count them completely out.
WARNING: If you keep on hearing that beeping sound, it's coming from the kitchen's microwave!!!
Featured on SeriousEats (2013) and NY Times (2010), my friend and I came here for dinner to only be disappointed. We ordered their dumplings and pumpkin samsa as appetizers and their stuffed cabbage and spicy chicken wings as entrees. Thinking that the portion would suffice, we were nothing but wrong. Everything we ordered came in small portions including our entree, which did not include any sides. For sides, they said there would be an extra charge.
For me, when a restaurant tries to cut every possible corner to save money or make money, it just drives me nuts especially when the food can not justify their price tag, quality or experience.
All the dishes we had were aweful. The worst criminal dish were their chicken wings which looks like pigeon size wings that tasted rubbery and old. Their wings look like it had been sitting in the freezer for months and is only then microwaved frozen to be resuscitated back to life.
Honestly I felt slides from this experience. Both my friend and I didn't eat much of the food we ordered and had to fork over $35 for the bill while left completely unsatisfied and hungry!
interesting Uzbeck+ Korean food. loved the small dishes (price is by weight) that is reminisce of korean picked veggies – got the eggplant dish, noodle dish and definitely the carrot salad. The borscht was ok and the beef broth with noodles was tasty but we all hands down loved the pumpkin samsas- warm doughy pocket with pumpkin/onion inside.
A great local eatery. My boyfriend and I tend to explore and try different ethnic foods. Located in the bustling area of Brighton Beach, there are so many Uzbek and Russian restaurants. It's difficult to really know what this restaurant is unless you know how to read their awning… It was quite busy on a lateSaturday afternoon (3pm). Customers were coming and going, seemed very popular. We ordered manti, hansu and braised cabbage.
This place could've gotten 5 stars but I was turned off because when the food arrived, it was warm (almost cold) and not hot. Our food seemed to take a really long time to come, compared to other customers who were seated and ordered after us. The manti's look like xiaolongbaos, but were so different. The skin was more doughy and chewy and the filling was unlike asian dumplings. These were filling itself. The braised cabbage was fillied with meat and rice. This was so good. The sauce on top was tangy. Hansu is dough filled with shredded potato and also topped with the same sauce from the braised cabbage. Both these dishes were lacking excitement, like maybe some spice or pepper and salt.
It tasted very homecooked and was a hearty meal. I would come back again! I wish their menu was more descriptive so I know whats in each dish.
Yelp does it again! Stumbled upon here using yelp and thought this was an interesting fusion to try (Korean and Uzbek). Place is small and hard to find, but the food doesn't disappoint. Value is amazing! We were a group of 5, but our meal came out to be less than $45 including tips and tax. I was actually pretty full too.
We ordered a bunch of stuff, but I only got to try:
Kuksu – A cool twist on the korean guksu, but more flavorful =X I actually like this version better than the original kind.
I ordered the Manti and the "Crepe w/ meat"… both were nothing special, and uses the same meat filling.
The samsa was a little too doughy for me.
Small setting with very good food. We had the "make your own soup" and samsa. Best dish was spicy beef and rice…a revisit needed soon.