Restaurant near Aviano gives patrons rare chance to sample cuisine of Kazakhstan

Italy is justifiably known for its food, but trying to find non-Italian offerings or some foreign cuisine that isn’t duplicated all over the place can be a challenge in much of the country.

So Elmira Berdiyarova wasn’t exactly treading familiar ground when she opened a restaurant just minutes south of Aviano Air Base featuring fare from a country that not many Italians — let alone Americans — have ever visited.

Bistro Alma’Ta, located on the main street of Roveredo in Piano, calls itself the first Kazakh restaurant in Italy.

“It was a bit of a gamble, but she wanted to find a way of presenting some of the best of two nations,” her son, Giacomo, said during a recent visit.

The sign for Bistrò Alma’Ta hangs above the entrance on the main street of Roveredo in Piano, Italy. The restaurant, just minutes south of Aviano Air Base, calls itself the first Kazakh restaurant in Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

The standard menu is sparse and doesn’t change much, in part because of the restaurant’s tiny kitchen. But twice each month, Berdiyarova offers full-course menus focused on one of Kazakhstan’s many ethnicities.

The appetizer list had two salads featuring potatoes, carrots and eggs with either apples and cucumbers or beets. There was also a focaccia-adjacent bread stuffed with cheese, meatballs stuffed with vegetables and spices, a fried bread called baursak and a savory pastry filled with cheese and herbs.

There were only three mains listed and one was unavailable. The two available were manty, a ravioli-like pasta filled with meat, vegetables and spices, and a dish resembling paella known as plov.

A sampling of appetizers at Bistrò Alma’Ta includes a savory pastry filled with spinach, a stuffed meatball, fried bread and a dipping sauce. Owner Elmira Berdiyarova has adapted some dishes for Italian palates while keeping them recognizable to those from her native Kazakhstan. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Plov, a paella-like rice dish, is one of a handful of regular main courses at Bistrò Alma’Ta. The restaurant’s menu stays small in part because of its tiny kitchen. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

A cold cucumber and onion soup was offered as a first-course substitute during a recent visit to Bistrò Alma’Ta. Twice a month, owner Elmira Berdiyarova also offers full-course menus built around one of Kazakhstan’s many ethnicities. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

A soy noodle first course at Bistrò Alma’Ta resembles a chow mein dish found at a Chinese restaurant. Kazakhstan is home to many ethnicities, and its cuisine reflects that mix. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Manty, a ravioli-like dumpling filled with meat, vegetables and spices, is one of the few regular main courses at Bistrò Alma’Ta. The restaurant, situated near Aviano Air Base, offers Kazakh dishes that are rarely found elsewhere in Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Two other offerings were available that day: a cold soup featuring cucumbers and onions and a soy noodle dish that closely resembled something one might get at a local Chinese restaurant.

Berdiyarova was born in Kazakhstan and trained to be a dentist. She eventually decided to become a sommelier.

That expertise in wine is on display in her restaurant, which features regional offerings from Italy as well as wines from the countries of Georgia and Armenia, the latter being the birthplace of her husband.

The seating capacity at Alm’Ta is less than a dozen inside and not much more on the outside. So reservations are a good idea, especially on the weekends.

Berdiyarova said her clientele seems to come to the restaurant both for its dishes and its vintages.

Like most owners of restaurants here serving non-Italian food, she’s had to alter the dishes a bit to suit the local palate because many Italians are wary of strong unfamiliar spices.

She nevertheless strives to maintain the integrity of the dishes and said they would be recognizable to those from her home country.

Bistrò Alma’Ta

Address: 34/A Via XX Settembre, Roveredo in Piano, Italy

Prices: Appetizers 3.50 to 10 euros, main dishes 16 to 19 euros, desserts 6 euros. Wines ranging from 3.50 euros a glass (18 a bottle) to 7.50 a glass (43 per bottle). Grappa and vodka 5 to 12 euros.

Hours: 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 5-10:30 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Currently closed until Sept. 1 due to the annual Italian vacation period in August.

Information: +39 327 2964542, www.almata.rest