It’s no secret I’m a big advocate of traveling through food, whether by boarding a plane and jaunting across the world or simply hopping on the subway to try a cuisine I’ve never had before. So today, let’s head to the Upper East Side for a quick trip to South Africa at Kaia Wine Bar. Earlier this year, I went on a wild ride, no pun intended, and road tripped from South Africa to Zambia. On my first night in Cape Town, I saw elk carpaccio on the menu, but I didn’t order it, foolishly assuming I’d have another opportunity to try it. I do my best to live a regret-free life, but I never saw elk carpaccio on a menu again for the remainder of my time in South Africa, and I was kicking myself for not ordering it when I saw it that first night. So, to my surprise, when I was back in NYC looking for hidden dining gems, a friend who had followed my adventures tipped me off to this South African spot. I looked up the menu online and saw they had elk carpaccio, closed my laptop, hopped on the 6 train and was there less than an hour after hearing about it. Elk carpaccio at Kaia Wine Bar. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News) While Kaia Wine Bar felt like a hidden gem to me, it doesn’t quite appear to be one to those in the neighborhood. It was extremely busy around 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday evening, and I was fortunate enough to grab one of the last remaining free tables. I started with a glass of South African sauvignon blanc from Thelema Mountain Vineyards while I scanned the menu to see what else they offered. Run by Suzaan Hauptfleisch, a South African-native but a long-time New Yorker, Kaia Wine Bar has been open for 14 years and highlights the ingredients and dishes unique to Africa’s southernmost nation, with many of the recipes coming directly from Suzaan’s family. Aside from the elk carpaccio, I was excited to see they offered biltong, a dried jerky native to both South Africa and Namibia. It’s typically made with beef, ostrich or kudu (an African antelope, but Kaia was sadly sold out the day I went. Instead, I opted for a dukka hoender (Afrikaans for chicken) slider, which Suzaan told is a bestseller, lam sosaties (lamb skewers), and homemade bread with olive oil and dukka. Lam sosaties at Kaia Wine Bar. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News) The chicken slider had a soft, pillowy bun, and for $6, was a good portion and great bang for your buck. The meat itself was completely covered in dukka, a textural spice blend made with herbs like coriander, black pepper, and cumin and ground nuts and seeds. There was a sweet onion marmalade on the chicken patty that greatly complemented the earthiness and nuttiness from the dukka. Kaia also offers a viskoekie slider made with a crusted fish cake and a veggie slider made with portabella mushrooms. The slider and the order of bread, paired with my South African sauv blanc, were enough to keep me a happy camper. The bread is Suzaan’s mother’s recipe, and like the slider bun, is as soft as a cloud. Suzaan encouraged me to first dip it in olive oil, and then dip it in dukka to properly congeal and cover the surface in the spiced seasoning. Wine with bread and dukka at Kaia Wine Bar. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News) The lamb skewers were served with an apricot chutney in a reduction of pinotage (a popular South African wine), creating pops of sweet from the apricots and a deep earthy fruity flavor, almost like that of blackberries, thanks to the wine sauce. While there was nothing wrong with the lam sosaties, they wound up being the least memorable dish. I think the right move at Kaia Wine Bar is to order smaller snacks and share with friends over some quality South African vino. We haven’t yet addressed the dish that drove my visit in the first place: the elk carpaccio. The dish features six pieces of elk served alongside a sweet mustard sauce — also Suzaan mom’s recipe — and a lightly dressed arugula salad. The elk was tender, lightly spiced and, with a small dollop of that sweet mustard and peppery arugula, this was my second favorite bite of the day after the simplicity of the bread and the dukka. My only qualm with this dish is the steep price of $31. Other dishes on the menu with similar prices came in massive portions, so maybe the price is attributed to the costly ingredient of elk. Either way, I’m thrilled to finally have tried elk carpaccio, even more so because it brought me to find a true gem on the Upper East Side. Kaia Wine Bar is a quintessential neighborhood joint, serving up unique South African dishes in a warm, inviting environment. I fully endorse this cozy spot for a night out on the town, and hope it brings you to trying something new and entices your curiosity the way it did for me. Address: 1614 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10128 Phone: (212) 344-3467 Hours: Monday-Thursday 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Prices: appetizers: $6-26 (oysters are MP); tacos: 3 for $25; entrees: $21-$43; cheese & meats: $8 each; desserts: $9; wine by the glass: $15-$30; wines by the bottle: $64-$100; brunch: $16-$26 Delivery and takeout available; Reservations accepted for parties of 5 or more. Have a suggestion for a great hidden dining gem in your neighborhood? Reach out to us with your recommendations [contact-form]