LINE BREW

Visitors come to Kazakhstan for many reasons. They might come on a business trip or to visit friends already living here. Others come to work for a year or more, perhaps as teachers or in some of the prospering multi-national corporations. Among them, many people, we can assure you, decide to stay here permanently and this is not just because of the hospitality of the country and the vast array of interesting things to do. It often owes to the fact that, even being in a country as unique as Kazakhstan, there is no need to go without some of the things you enjoyed back home.

So what are these things? Did you enjoy a decent pint of beer and a juicy steak in a pub sometimes? Did you like to watch the chef barbecue fish or meat over an open fire? How about a local brewery selling its own beer from behind a traditional bar where the service is not only efficient but also friendly? Maybe you enjoyed being in places where you could have something different virtually every night of the month, be this drinks or really good pub food.

You see, over here in Kazakhstan, the life many of us left behind, either for a short while or for many years, isn't as far away as some may think, considering there are places like Line Brew just on our doorsteps.

Like its sister restaurant, Line Brew Mix, Line Brew is the real deal! They take their work very seriously and the number of regulars hailing from western countries is proof enough that they are up to the job. The main room is styled like the traditional institutions of western Europe with some special features including an open fire in the central area which is used for preparation of the steaks you may find tempting. Check out the menu for nine choices. Also prepared over the flames are fish dishes and other traditional favourites in the western tradition.

The décor is almost medieval in style and with the stained glass windows the main room is worth a few minutes just to look at from the comfortable wooden benches around tables which seat up to seven people quite easily. The whole area seats 130 people although for evening meals it's best to reserve a table in advance, considering how popular Line Brew is. Note that in summer the total capacity rises to 210.

This is a meat-lover's paradise, with not only the aforementioned nine varieties of steak but many other local and European dishes, so numerous that even the most decisive guest may be delayed while perusing the menu. My Guide Kazakhstan is happy to recommend everything on the menu but because some people like to have an idea of what's popular, it may be enough to say that Line Brew is known for its meat and its beer. With so many of these to choose from, take your time and enjoy whatever you order.

Another selling point is the drinks, the bar being some several metres long on two sides. Line Brew, now 15 years old, is in fact a successful brewery as well as a restaurant and the famous Line Brew lagers on sale here are brewed very much locally. We are proud to recommend them and know them to be very popular with ex-patriates, but at the same time the restaurant offers imported drinks including Stella Artois and other Belgian beers, for example Leffe.

The wines are stored in a specially adapted room maintained at the correct temperature, actually quite an interesting feature given the glass walls behind which are literally hundreds of bottles many of which retailing at prices which prove them to be top class. There are more affordable options too, also good quality in their own right.

So far so good! There is the Line Brew atmosphere and this with all the trimmings of a great pub/restaurant. But it would be wrong to imply that this is just a feature of the main seating area, enough though this may be for most guests. The famous outdoor terrace area is designed like the deck of a ship and in the warmer seasons is filled every night with guests from either the local area or from other countries. Kazakhstan is rightly proud of the way it treats its guests and eating in Line Brew is exemplary of this, as people from all over the world often sit together to enjoy the evening.

Downstairs there are the VIP rooms, including the White Room with its themed white décor and private table for twelve. Outside this door are some enclaves which seat about six or seven in privacy, while at the end of the same corridor is the famous Vodka Room which has display cases featuring hundreds of different bottles of vodka. The final VIP room, the Fireplace Room, as with the other two is great for private parties or perhaps business meetings, all on hand provided you book in advance.

My Guide Kazakhstan prides itself on the information we provide to English-speaking guests in Kazakhstan. And while we recognise that the ex-patriate community is as diverse as the local community, we also know that the many thousands of people coming to Almaty from abroad every year appreciate the chance to eat and drink some of the things they are accustomed to back home, as well as try new things. In Line Brew you have both options, and whatever your reason for coming, this should be on your itinerary for your leisure time.