Ukrainian model, 21, drops out of NTU to help parents save restaurant from bankruptcy
06 Aug 2023 SOURCE: CNA Lifestyle (Channel NewsAsia) A CNA Lifestyle feature (sourced from 8days) on Mark Zubovskyy’s decision to put university on hold to run the family restaurant. It mirrors the 8days story: Mark, who grew up in Singapore and served NS, was set to study maritime business at NTU but “couldn’t leave the restaurant” as it lacked manpower asiaone.com asiaone.com . He joined Kapitan full-time weeks before term, taking over operations to ease his parents’ burden. The piece notes Kapitan (opened 2020) had a “nautical-themed facelift” in April 2023 but had struggled for a year with almost no customers cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com . Mark leveraged TikTok, creating humorous content (dressed as a ship captain “kidnapping” strangers to dine at Kapitan) which went viral and brought in new patrons straitstimes.com . Still, he acknowledges the challenges of introducing unfamiliar fare (Russian dumplings, borscht, etc.) to Singaporeans straitstimes.com . The article underscores Mark’s resolve to honor his sailor-turned-restaurateur father’s legacy in a different way, and includes Mark’s quote that he has “learned a lot more in the past two years [running a business] than at university” asiaone.com asiaone.com . (This story was published on CNA’s platform, authored by Yip Jieying.) VIEW NOW
Ukrainian Model, 21, Drops Out Of NTU To Help Parents Save Restaurant From Bankruptcy
22 Apr 2021 SOURCE: 8days (Mediacorp entertainment portal)Profile of Mark Zubovskyy, a 21-year-old Singapore PR and part-time model who deferred his university studies to rescue his family’s Slavic restaurant. The article reveals that running Kapitan in Tanjong Pagar costs his parents ~$55,000/month and they were on the brink of bankruptcy 8days.sg . Mark noticed the year-long slump – some nights only one table of diners – and felt he “couldn’t leave” for NTU while the business struggled straitstimes.com straitstimes.com . So he quit school to work 12-hour days at the restaurant, handling everything from kitchen to promotions. He jokingly calls pelmeni and vareniki “ang moh dumplings,” introducing locals to Slavic boiled dumplings with thick doughy skins and various fillings (meats, veggies) 8days.sg . The article also touches on the eatery’s evolution: opened in 2020 with his parents’ life savings, it was formerly known as Dumplings.ru before a nautical “Kapitan” rebrand in April 2023 8days.sg . Mark’s social media savvy (TikTok skits in sailor costume) brought a temporary spike in customers. Despite the hard work, he finds meaning in preserving his parents’ dream and hopes to eventually return to school once the restaurant stabilizes. VIEW NOW
Best Russian Restaurant & Food in Singapore – #2. Russian Street Food by Dumplings.RU
22 Apr 2021 SOURCE: StringsSG (Lifestyle blog)A roundup of Russian food spots in Singapore that lists “Russian Street Food by Dumplings.RU” as an option. It explains this outlet was located at Lau Pa Sat (stall #01-34) and was opened by the owners of Borscht/Kapitan stringssg.com . The stall offered authentic Russian and Ukrainian dishes in a hawker setting, allowing walk-in customers to grab classics like pelmeni dumplings, blinis, etc., on the go. It notes that being in the iconic Lau Pa Sat food centre made it easily accessible. (The blog credits an Instagram photo of Dumplings.RU and mentions the stall in context of the couple’s expansion from kiosk to restaurant to hawker stall.) This entry indicates that beyond the main restaurant, Vadim and Alena also ran a short-lived Lau Pa Sat outlet to introduce Russian street fare in a hawker environment. VIEW NOW
Ang Moh Dumplings – a new level of comfort food
22 Apr 2021 SOURCE: Expat Choice Asia (Digital magazine) An editorial spotlight on Ang Moh Dumplings, the modest Slavic dumpling kiosk started by Vadim and Alena in Tanjong Pagar MRT station. It praises this “excellent new dumpling house” as “comfort food at its best” expatchoice.asia . Notes the effusive Ukrainian couple behind it have lived in Singapore ~15 years and saw a gap in the market for a “western dumpling shop” in the CBD expatchoice.asia . Describes their modern take on dumplings with innovative fillings humorously named: e.g. “Black Bull” (beef), “Minty Ram” (lamb), “Wild Hog” (pork), “Golden Hen” (chicken), plus vegetarian options like cottage cheese or mushroom – each plate comes with 8 sizable dumplings expatchoice.asia expatchoice.asia . Also mentions they serve Slavic soups like beetroot borscht and chilled okroshka, and even sweet condensed milk pancakes that kids love expatchoice.asia expatchoice.asia . The article conveys that Ang Moh Dumplings brought a beloved taste of home to Singapore, offering hearty Eastern European “comfort food” in an accessible way. (Ang Moh Dumplings was the precursor takeaway kiosk that led to the full restaurant.) VIEW NOW
Fusion Dumplings: Hearty Beef Dumplings & Other Authentic Russian Food in Maxwell Chambers
2 Apr 2020 SOURCE: SethLui.com (Food portal) A review of the then-new “Fusion Dumplings” cafe at Maxwell Chambers, which served authentic Russian fare under a deceptively modern name. Writer Nicole Lam recounts that owner Vadim Zoubovski intentionally chose the name “Fusion” not for fusion cuisine, but philosophically – to signify how dumplings are a universal food and how his family fused into Singapore’s melting pot sethlui.com sethlui.com . The article traces the venture’s roots: Vadim’s wife Alena started a popular Ang Moh Dumplings takeaway kiosk in Tanjong Pagar, and after a dispute with management, they opened this sit-down cafe sethlui.com sethlui.com . Describes the eatery’s plain interior but vibrant dishes – from Russian salads (beetroot vinaigrette, spicy eggplant) to must-try borscht soup sethlui.com . Highlights the main attraction: Pelmeni dumplings, handmade daily with thick dough and color-coded skins (using natural spinach, beetroot dyes, etc.), filled with pork, beef, lamb, salmon, potato, cheese etc., served with sour cream sethlui.com sethlui.com . The reviewer enjoyed the authentic flavors (beets, dill, etc.), noting that despite the unassuming decor, Fusion Dumplings delivered an exciting and hearty Russian dining experience. *(Note: Fusion Dumplings was the original name of Dumplings.ru before rebranding later that year.) VIEW NOW
新加坡的俄罗斯饺子馆成俄乌争端泄愤工具，老板卖饺子捐乌克兰 (Singapore’s Russian dumpling restaurant becomes an outlet for anger over Russo-Ukraine conflict; owner sells dumplings, donates to Ukraine)
9 Mar 2022 SOURCE: 新加坡新闻 (Xinjiapo News) Chinese-language news article summarizing Dumplings.ru’s predicament and response during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It explains that a Russian couple in Singapore runs a dumpling restaurant, and the boss (Vadim) – born in Ukraine but holding a Russian passport – received hate comments after the invasionxinjiapo.news. It quotes their Facebook post urging calm and “no more hate speech in this humble space”xinjiapo.news. Notes the couple has family in Kyiv and, “to support humanitarian work in Ukraine,” the restaurant pledged 10% of sales to Ukrainexinjiapo.news. The article urges readers to stay rational about the conflict. It then pivots to a brief explainer on Russian dumplings (pelmeni and vareniki), describing their various fillings (meat, potato, cottage cheese, even cherry) and cultural significancexinjiapo.newsxinjiapo.news. Ends with a wish for world peace and the hope of families making dumplings together again. VIEW NOW
Lunch and carefully avoiding politics at the only Russian-Ukrainian restaurant in Singapore
23 Mar 2022 SOURCE: Business Insider (Insider Life)Insider feature by Marielle Descalsota, who visits Dumplings.ru in March 2022 amid the Ukraine war. Describes the Maxwell outlet’s decor (walls plastered with Russian/Ukrainian memorabilia, Europop music) and fully occupied lunch crowd businessinsider.com . Narrates an interaction with owner Vadim Zubovskyy (born in a Ukrainian city to a Ukrainian father and Russian mother) who works full-time in shipping while managing the restaurant with his wife businessinsider.com businessinsider.com . The piece notes the restaurant’s unique positioning as Singapore’s only Russian-Ukrainian eatery, serving pelmeni and vareniki (dubbed “ang moh dumplings”) made from scratch daily businessinsider.com . It addresses how the owners navigated political tensions: after Russia’s invasion, they faced online attacks (one person told Vadim to “get Putin to stop the war”) businessinsider.com . In response, they donated 10% of delivery sales to the Ukrainian Red Cross and offered free food to stranded Russian/Ukrainian students businessinsider.com . Vadim steers conversation away from politics, focusing on sharing family recipes. Overall, it’s a profile of resilience – the owners consciously keep politics out of the dining experience while using food to build cultural bridges businessinsider.com businessinsider.com . (Subscription required) VIEW NOW
Russians in Singapore see varying degrees of hostility, some bracing for more (includes Vadim’s story)
2 Mar 2022 SOURCE: TODAY (Singapore)News feature on how the Russian community in Singapore was affected by the Ukraine conflict. One segment focuses on Vadim Zoubovski, 51, owner of Dumplings.ru todayonline.com . It recounts that after the invasion, his restaurant’s social media received abusive comments linking them to the war. Vadim, a Ukrainian-born Russian citizen with family in Ukraine, posted a Facebook appeal for kindness and announced donating 10% of online order proceeds to Ukraine relief todayonline.com . The article notes the turnaround: soon after, the restaurant saw a surge of support – on the Sunday TODAY visited, Dumplings.ru’s Maxwell outlet was packed with diners waiting outside todayonline.com . It illustrates how public sentiment shifted to encouragement once the owners took a clear stance (“blame war-makers, not dumplings”). This TODAY piece situates Dumplings.ru’s experience amid broader instances of anti-Russian xenophobia, showing how the owners responded with a message of peace and charity todayonline.com todayonline.com . VIEW NOW
Russian dumpling restaurant in S’pore hopes people refrain from ‘hate speech’ on their page
2 Mar 2022 SOURCE: Mothership.sg (News)Article addressing backlash faced by Dumplings.ru after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It notes the restaurant – run by a Russian couple (Vadim and Alena, now Singapore PRs) – received hateful comments on social media mothership.sg . In response, they posted on Facebook urging the public to “be kinder in their words” and stop the hate speech mothership.sg . Mothership reports the owners have close ties to Ukraine (family in Kyiv) and were “shocked” by the war. It also mentions Dumplings.ru’s pledge to donate 10% of delivery sales to support humanitarian causes in Ukraine mothership.sg , and briefly lists their offerings (dumplings, soups, salads, stews). The piece humanizes the owners’ plea for peace and highlights the solidarity action of donating sales to help Ukrainians mothership.sg . Mothership VIEW NOW
‘We wish for nothing but peace’: Local Russian restaurant pledges portion of sales to Ukraine humanitarian efforts
11 Mar 2022 SOURCE: AsiaOne (Lifestyle) / also in The Singapore Women’s WeeklyNews brief on Dumplings.ru’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war. Reports that on Mar 1, Dumplings.ru posted a Facebook statement calling for peace and announcing it would donate 10% of all delivery sales to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine womensweekly.com.sg womensweekly.com.sg . Notes the family-run restaurant (opened 2019 by Vadim and Alena) had been hit by online flak amid the invasion, and the owners – Russian nationals with family in Kyiv – urged the public to be kind and avoid hate speech womensweekly.com.sg . The article, written by AsiaOne and also published in Singapore Women’s Weekly, explains the couple’s background (moved to Singapore in 2004, now PRs) and describes Dumplings.ru’s cuisine (home-style recipes, pelmeni dumplings stuffed with salmon, bacon, potato, etc.). It highlights supportive comments from netizens and encourages readers to support the business womensweekly.com.sg womensweekly.com.sg . (AsiaOne text by Melissa Teo & Amierul Rashid) VIEW NOW