Last April, I reviewed the oddly named 1881 Dubai Restaurant in Kissimmee. It specialized in the cuisine of Uzbekistan, not the Emirates. But the day the review came out, 1881 was, shall we say, (18)86ed. My words certainly did no harm — they were quite complimentary, in fact. No, it seems a concept and ownership pivot was in the works, as the restaurant, embracing its Kowtown heritage, reopened as a steakhouse.
Then I found out that 1881’s former chef was cooking at Chayhana in Altamonte Springs, a restaurant whose marquee touted “Uzbek/Turkish Cuisine.” And while that may be somewhat true, I also came to learn that the chef, as well as Chayhana’s owners and staff, were Kyrgyz. So why not tout the fare of Kyrgyzstan instead? I’m guessing because a lot of folks are familiar with Turkish cuisine, and slightly less unfamiliar with Uzbek cuisine than dishes from Kyrgyzstan.
Nevertheless, I felt obliged to visit, if only to give chef Farukh his due props — because deserving he is. And while he may not be making beshbarmak, Kyrgyzstan’s national dish comprised of boiled meat, flat noodles and an onion sauce, I’m told the “five finger” specialty will eventually make its way onto the menu. Beef, or possibly lamb, will replace the typical horsemeat, as horses can’t be slaughtered for human consumption in this country (much to the dismay of the Kyrgyz who flock to Chayhana). But with the FDA being gutted, who knows?
What you will find on the menu is plov ($16), a rice dish that ranks among the world’s great kernel creations, alongside biryani, bibimbap, jambalaya and jollof. The pop of pomegranate arils in the rice, glistening with shreds of beef and lamb and colored with carrots, scallions, quail eggs, chickpeas and a lone serrano, gives the dish its edge. I’ll be adding them to every rice dish I make from now on. Roasted garlic, too. And if anyone out there has a spare cast-iron kazan lying around, I’d be happy to take the cooking vessel off your hands.
Lagman ($15), the hand-pulled noodles often referred to as lamian in Chinese restaurants serving the Uyghur staple, come tossed in a wet sauce with tender beef, bell peppers, green beans, cabbage and scallions. Simple and sapid. No horse, but I sure as hell ate like one.
Swigs of a tart cherry beverage called “compote” ($2) helped to cut through all the fatty bites, but it was a bit too sweet for my liking. I preferred quenching my thirst with broth flavored by a lamb chop, beef-lamb meatball and beef chunk in a stewy number called kuza dymlyama ($20). It’s like Russian cabbage soup meets pho, and it’s precisely the type of crossroads dish that Central Asian cuisine is known for. It’s about as common across the central Eurasian Steppe as manty ($18) — steamed dumplings sprinkled with dill, served here in a steamer basket along with a red pepper dip. Samsa ($3), a baked triangular dumpling holding cubes of beef, onion and melty fatty bits, bears a likeness to its less hefty cousin, the samosa. And of course they have kebabs, most notably the corpulent lulya ($11), Central Asia’s answer to Turkish adana, but fattened with a beef-lamb mix. It’s served on stretchy lavash with onions.
On one visit, two large parties were gathering for an iftar meal during Ramadan, while patrons at other tables were enjoying a layered honey cake ($7) which I couldn’t help but order too. (Cadbury Crunchie fans need to get this.) Point is, the restaurant was getting packed. It’s clearly a draw for Muslims, as everything here is halal, but especially to Orlando’s growing Central Asian population of Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Tajiks. No matter their nationality, it appears they all stan for Chayhana.
Chayhana
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This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2025.