One of the perks of being a person of Georgian descent, living in Georgia, is the ability to judge the national cuisine. The capital is full of renowned restaurants that offer the basic (meaning huge) variety of Georgian dishes with meat, vegetarian or even vegan meals, however, a certain percentage of those restaurants stand out as the favourites for the locals.

Shua Kalaki, coincidently sharing the name of the Georgian version of the iconic sitcom Friends, is definitely one of the best places for the authentic Georgian Khinkali experience. The authenticity of the Khinkali experience starts with the simple colourless design of the interior, don’t flinch if you hear a bird churning, there is an actual pet bird in a cage and I have no idea why.

I usually order the beef kind, the lamer one (the typical Khinkali is made with mixed ground pork and beef), which is supposed to lack the flavour and juice that you’re supposed to sip and savour and here is what amazes me: even with the lamest version of meat Khinkali, the restaurant Shua Kalaki pulls it off just perfectly.

If you’re a football fan, the TV is usually on inside, as well as outside so that you can enjoy the ultimate Georgian football tradition: beer and Khinkali under a TV screen. And, if you’ve marvelled at the Vazha-Pshavela monument and observed the Spain-Georgia Diplomatic Relations monument, then you definitely deserve to relax and have a nice dinner at Shua Kalaki.