Au Sans Souci: Georgian Standards with a Twist

During a typical lunch hour at Au Sans Souci (also known as Ar Idardo), the air hums with the relaxed conversation and activity of people on dates, on business lunches, or sitting with their open laptop computers enjoying the free Wi-Fi along with a shot of espresso. Over one doorway there is an inscription: “Un Bon Repas Sans Vin, C’est Une Belle Femme Sans Tete” - ”a good meal without wine is a beautiful woman without a head.” There’s no excuse for a headless meal here. The wine list ranges from local Saperavis to French Bordeaux, though you can also enjoy a refreshing GEL 9.80 mojito which, with a generous portion of fresh mint leaves, also makes a nice spring dining companion.

The menu at Au Sans Souci features traditional Georgian dishes with a twist. (One of these twists is that portions are not very hearty: expect nouveau cuisine rather than supra-sized servings). Quality and attention to appearance and flavor are strong across the board – it’s hard to go wrong here.

Of Au Sans Souci’s smaller dishes, the pork on tkapli (GEL 6.80) is quite nice – cold slices of roast pork on tart slices of fruit leather – as is the leek hors d’oeuvre (GEL 3.80), which is much like the spinach-and-walnut phkali served at many Georgian restaurants, only with leek instead. The substitution is startling and delicious. Mushroom lovers should try the grilled mushrooms (wild mushrooms in lots of garlic) or the cream of mushroom soup (GEL 5.50). (Whatever you think of Cream of Mushroom soup in general, this fresh fragrant item is a far, far cry from Campbell’s). I’m not sure whether to recommend the meatball soup (or gupta – GEL 6.20), except for it’s novelty: it manages to be both rich and extremely mild and light. It consists of two baby sour plums and two meatballs in a clear golden broth that smells strongly of fresh butter. Likewise the wine pudding (GEL 2.10), while a bit granular, it is a dainty and unusual dessert. And whatever you usual beverage of choice is, be sure to try the “house lemonade.” (More of a limonati, really, it has a lemon-lime flavor with a hint of tonic, and is quite refreshing).

Though the food at Au Sans Souci is reliably very good, it’s the ambiance that make this place a real treasure. There isn’t a dull surface in the restaurant. You sit upon, and eat off of, beautifully painted furniture – the tables are adorned with playful drawings and lines of Georgian poetry and prose. The walls twinkle with colorful tile, Christmas lights, and posters from the past tours of café owner Rezo Gabriadze’s nearby marionette theater. Patrons also enjoy a view of Tbilisi that juxtaposes two extreme cultural touchstones: the 6th-century Anchiskhati Church a short hop-scotch game away from the Hanger Bar (whose motto “Our Balls Are Bigger Than Yours!” somewhat undercuts Anchiskhati’s austerity).

Au Sans Souci: 98 65 94, Shavteli 13, Tbilisi
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Georgia Today, 27 Apr 2007.