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| - I've never been here, but my parents get takeout here occasionally (there are no sit-down facilities, as far as I'm aware - they're just a catering joint). My parents also had a bunch of people over once & placed a large order in advance from Natalie's Kitchen, & the guests really enjoyed it. The kitchen is in a church basement & I think they're only open Tuesdays & Thursdays for people to drop in & pick out their food (although I'm not sure if they operate their catering business using the same hours/days).
We're a family of Ukis & this place does Uki food. It's been ages since I've had food done by Toronto's King of Uki Caterers (Baby Point Lounge), so my only real basis of comparison is Baba's food. Now, Baba's food is good. Certain things, only Baba can do. But the people in Natalie's Kitchen come pretty close.
Their platsky (potato pancakes) are my definite favourite. More like latkes, really - the size of a 45 record & fried a lovely golden brown. Sometimes they can be a little too greasy, though, but their flavour is very nice.
Varynikis (Uki perogies, but boiled rather than fried) are a million times better than something you'd get in the frozen section of a supermarket but still pretty bland. Both the "cheddar" & "sauerkraut" varieties are nothing to write home about, but by no means bad. They're more flavourful when fried up with some onions (becoming perogies), but they could stand for some more seasoning.
Holubsi (cabbage rolls) are very nice, in my opinion. They used the standard flavourless tomato sauce as a topping, but the rice is nicely cooked & blends well with the meat they use.
Cutlets (both chicken & pork) are standard fare. Again, could do with a little more pepper to give them some extra oomph, but hey, I've never complained while eating them.
Patychki (breaded chicken or pork on a stick) are much juicier than I'm used to (not a bad thing), but my parents love them. They have a nice garlicky flavour (the patychki, not my parents).
Borscht (beet soup) is VERY beet-y. Russian-style borscht, which contains many delicious frills & spices, is more common fare in restaurants. Natalie's Kitchen's borscht is much simpler (as per Uki doctrine), but very light & refreshing as well. A nice change from the heavier-tasting borschtes to which I've grown accustomed.
All in all, this place is recommended if you're driving by (or live nearby) & don't feel like cooking. You won't be blown away, but you won't be disappointed, either. Uki food is tough to critique for me, partially because I grew up eating it but also because it's no-nonsense food. It can be bland, but this blandness doesn't allow any room for error - mistakes are very easy to taste in Uki food! To this end, Natalie's Kitchen does a good job because I've never tasted any "mistakes" in their cooking. Their prices are very reasonable, & again - it's definitely worth a try if you're in the area & want to bring home some warm comfort food. Just make sure that you've got sour cream at home - it's not authentic Uki unless you've covered it in obscene amounts of sour cream!
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