Doma Kitchen’s Kale Salad

Slavic or Eastern European food is generally considered quite heavy, which is primarily because of the harsh climate for much of the year, so Manhattan Beach with its balmy weather would seem a strange fit for that style of food. However, Doma Kitchen mostly gets it right with their eclectic menu with food from Russia, Siberia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and more at their new modern rustic establishment located in the Manhattan Beach Village. Owner Angie Corrente is very hands on with the customers, and it is clear that the success of Doma at their previous location was thanks to her and the enthusiasm she brings to the table.

The menu is reasonably large so ask lots of questions and you might want to start with Borscht Soup ($9) which is the Ukrainian version w/lamb, beets and cabbage and served with the Lithuanian pumpernickel bread. Talking of bread, the house version here is terrific, perfect for those with savory taste buds, a rustic German version with a touch of garlic.

The Pelmeni Chicken Dumplings ($13) from Siberia are nothing like the Chinese version. Much heavier dough and soaked in chicken broth and dill juice and served served with a side order of cream sauce. Doma also serves the Vareniki Potato Dumplings, and these are accompanied by caramelized onions and shiitake mushrooms.

There are five salads to pick from, and the Kale version ($12) was good and very healthy tasting, but maybe lacked a bit of zest to it. Finely chopped and light green in color, it is adorned with feta cheese, carrots, dried cranberries, fresh grapes and edamame beans. None of the salads fall under the Eastern European umbrella, an obvious reach to the local community. If you want that then you have to go for Plov, and yes there are 300 different types of this rice style dish.

The one served at Doma is called Plov 12, and hails from Uzbekistan and it is basically simmered rice with vegetables and herbs and lots of grilled proteins. Cage free chicken or grass fed lamb can be added for extra. Alternatively go for the Buckwheat Kasha w/sausages that is served with two different mustards.

The restaurant only serves beer or wine and their list is very basic, but will be expanding soon. The Belgian beer Allagash White that I had was just right for the food consumed. This is certainly a restaurant difficult to pigeonhole with quite a few totally unfamiliar dishes mixed up with a few well known ones such as Chicken Kiev and Lamb Stroganoff. Best thing is to ask lots of questions from either Angie or the servers, and if you want to be adventurous, then go for it. Otherwise stick to the salads or sandwiches, which look very tempting and are served either on a French baguette, Italian Ciabatta or the German or Bavarian multi-grain breads.

Doma Kitchen
3562 N Sepulveda Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Tel: (310) 647-3157

Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 11am-10pm
Sunday: 9am-3pm

Plenty of free parking