ESENTAI GOURMET (DELICATESSEN)

Esentai Gourmet incorporates many successful elements, including a delicatessen, enabling it to compete with some of the best restaurants in the whole region. One of the greatest attractions has to be the 40-seat dining area which serves food prepared freshly on site with all the options also available for take-away. Let's consider some of the reasons this area is worthy of the Esentai name.

First of all, the staff are trained chefs and fully competent in all aspects of dealing with food preparation and service. Dishes are made in a small kitchen in the centre of the store which observes the highest standards of hygiene, and can be observed by anybody interested through its glass walls. The entire cooking process takes place before your very eyes, reassuring but also interesting given the range of meals available, both sweet and savoury.

The delicatessen has the same commitment as Esentai Gourmet to range and quality. There are dishes fully representative of local traditions, be they Russian or Kazakh, while food more familiar to western newcomers may be more tempting for those new to Almaty, as well as those not. The food is cooked to perfection and can be made to order, with the team ready and willing to modify recipes to suit customer preferences. Ask for more spice, less spice or simply a larger portion. You may find that you always want more from Esentai Delicatessen, an outlet committed to satisfying the diverse wishes of its many customers. And many of the options are unique, created specially by the talented and committed team.

You may eat in or out of the store, and if choosing the former you will be comfortable in the snug café area in which teas and coffees are promptly served and offered alongside some serious temptations from the experienced pastry chef, many of these also cooked to order or the personal creation of the maker. The Italian hand-made ice cream has proved a favourite since the delicatessen opened in 2011, with the famous brand Dai Dai Bocconcino proving that it's not only pizza that Italians make best.

Central Asia is one of the meat capitals of the world and it would be fair to say that the range of meat-based dishes here is as good as anywhere in town, but that is not to say that other dietary requirements have been disconsidered. Gluten-free options are readily available and organic food dominates the menu, with plenty of food for people avoiding meat for whatever reason.