6 Signature Cuisine Spots in Saint Petersburg
In the culinary sphere, a new wave of local chefs is venturing into signature cuisine based on local produce and a heady shot of well channelled creativity. There aren’t many places where you will notice such a local penchant for eating and drinking – particularly drinking – as in Saint Petersburg, like some genuinely celebratory way of life. And, as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Cococo. In the same kitchens where Alain Ducasse decided to try his luck in the city, now it is chef Igor Grishechkin and his talented crew who delight lunch and dinner guests that share their predilection for the setting and staging. Local produce in abundance and a commitment to the source of each dish. Brilliant plating up. Must book in advance. Voznesensky prospect, 6
TartarBar. Well off Saint Petersburg’s tourist track, this huge, industrial-aesthetic eatery invites you to savour chef Dmitri Blinov’s creative offerings. A profusion of raw, proximity products on a menu which makes no distinction between first and second course in a bid to foster a sampling approach throughout the meal. Vilenskiy St. 15
Hamlet + Jacks. Here you can taste chef Eugene Vikentiev’s compelling local-style dishes, as well as those of international inspiration, hard by the warmth and in full view of the kitchen fires. Short cookings, judicious combinations of ingredients and texture contrasts go into the making of dishes that bring out the finest in Russian cuisine as well as successfully exploring the culinary produce from the world over. Volynskiy per. 2
Pedro & Gómez u Larisy. If you’re into generous helpings of fusion cuisine, this is for you. Get ready to wield the chopsticks and move from America to Asia through a number of adroit dishes prepared in front of you, if you elect to sit at the bar. Large snacks, tremendous bowls of ramen and all dishes conducive to sharing. Rubinshteyna 29
Four Hands.Strike out just beyond downtown Saint Petersburg to try this warm gastropub with its characterful, minute cuisine authored by chef Cepren Fokin. Go for the bar counter so as not to miss the various preparation stages and even engage in repartee with the chef while you’re at it. Their tripe is another hallmark of the house. Prospekt Kosmonavtov, 63
Duo Gastrobar. Market cuisine with harkings of long-standing recipe books in modest-sized helpings. This quaint hangout with a bar counter and just five tables is the in spot among the foodie crowd. You’ll be caught up by the atmosphere and the ambitious wine list. Best book in advance. Kirochnaya St. 8A
Where to Sleep, Breakfast and Vice Versa
W St. Petersburg. This is the grand hotel par excellence. A pageant of modernity, warmth and good taste in Russia’s most cosmopolitan city. You will appreciate the welcome, the fireplace in the lounge in the colder months, and their spa, all year around. Spacious rooms, a roof terrace with views, a peerless location and a buffet breakfast lacking nothing, round off this charming hotel. 6 Voznesensky Prospect
Polikoff. The most functional option, sited at an intersection on crowded Nevsky Avenue, which you are bound to hit sooner or later. Housed on two floors of a former block of flats, this is the most practical and economical choice when pressed for time to sleep and breakfast. Karavannaya/Nevsky prospekt 64/11
Text by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas.com
more infoFour Bridges With Views of the Seine
Old, new, designer, romantic, cold, practical, beautiful, iron, ornamented… these are some ways of describing the thirty-seven bridges that span the river Seine on its passage through Paris. Any visit to the French capital that excludes this beautiful river and these priceless engineering works would be tantamount to missing part of its soul. This is no overstatement. For starters, the banks of the Seine and the monuments sited there were included in UNESCO’s 1991 World Heritage listing. A stroll along those shores is a walk through centuries of history – and art – which we constantly encounter along the way: Notre Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Orsay Museum, the Tuileries Garden, Place de la Concordia, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Eiffel Tower, to name but a few.
Another highlight you are likely to come across on your walk are the magnificent bridges. Apart from conveying you from one side of the river to the other, they afford the best views of the city. Following is our selection of four of the most popular bridges, which are bound to end up in your photos during your tour of Paris, help you cross the Seine in search of some landmark or provide the backdrop to you stealing a kiss from your beloved.
Pont Neuf
Despite its name (meaning New Bridge), it happens to have the honour of being the oldest and longest bridge in the city. In 1578, work commenced on what was to become the first stone bridge built across the river Seine, as until then the bridges had all been wooden – hence the name. Located at one end of the Ile de la Cité, it has two spans – one connecting the left bank to the Ile de la Cité and the other linking up with the right bank. It is the classical bridge one takes when going on the essential visits to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle.
Pont des Arts
The Pont des Arts, also known as the Passerelle des Arts, located in the 6th Arrondissement, was built between 1801 and 1804 and was the first iron bridge in Paris. What visitors will see today, however, is a replica of the original construction, built from 1981 to 1984, as the original was severely damaged during the two World Wars. The views it affords of the Ile de la Cité make it one of the most frequently visited spots by sightseers and also artists, who tend to come here in search of the best picture-postcard view of the city. In recent years it has also become a place of pilgrimage for young couples seeking to seal their love by placing a padlock on the railing.
Pont d’Alma
Located alongside Alma Square, which features a replica of the Flame in Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty, it was commissioned by Napoleon III in 1854 to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War. In previous times, the Zouave statue – one of the four statues adorning it – was used to measure water levels in times of flooding. Nowadays it has become a place of pilgrimage to pay tribute to Princess Diana, as the tunnel situated behind this bridge is where she died in a car accident in August 1997.
Pont Alexandre III
This elegant bridge, classified as a French “historic monument”, was built for the Exposition Universelle in 1900 and dedicated to Tsar Alexander III of Russia. Construction on the bridge got under way in 1896 in the Beaux Arts style of the Third Republic. Sited between the 7th and 8th Arrondissement, it links the Invalides to the Grand Palais des Beaux-Arts and the Petit Palais. A stroll across the bridge provides a magnificent panoramic view of the area, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Book your Vueling to Paris and roam the banks of the Seine in search of some of its magnificent bridges and beautiful views.
Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS
Images by stanze, Bruno Pereira, Yann Caradec, Barry
more infoKalinka, Kalinka, Kalinka moyá
¡Kalinka, Kalinka, Kalinka moyá! Can't get Tetri´s song out of your head? Easy..., the same thing happens to us as well. We have just landed in Moscow and we are going to eat a lot! Going out in Moscow and try some restaurants can be an amazing and enriching experience where you will discover both the delicious flavors of Russian cuisine and customs of the Russians, which may seem a little peculiar.
The dishes of Russian cuisine are usually quite caloric, due to the harsh winters where greater caloric intake is needed. The Russians give much importance to the ritual of food and like to make life around the stove.
A typical meal starts with a Russian zakuski (appetizers) that can be salads, and small plates of pickled fish like pod Seliódka shuboi (herring coat) or a pirogi (dumplings) meat with vegetables, and always accompanied by a good shots of vodka.
As is typical starter soups, both hot and cold in winter and summer. Russian soups are very strong and more than a starter for us are almost a full meal, since all carry vegetables, meat, chicken, fish ... The most popular are the borsch, made of beets, cabbage, potato and meat; and solianka, made of meat or fish, with an acidic due to the lemmon they put on it. Another soup is shi made of cabbage and Uja, made of fish.
Main courses can be stroganoff meat, shasliki (a typical meat kebabs from Caucasus), golubtsi (cabbage leaves stuffed with meat) or the dish we liked the most: pelmeni (a kind of Russian ravioli filled with meat, potato or vegetable)
Many dishes can be served with smetana, a sour cream sauce flavored particular that we loved. The most popular drink in Russia, in spite of the general though, it's not the vodka but the tea. For dessert, along with tea, you can taste some delicious blini (pancakes) or marlenka cake, something like a strudel.
My-My
At Mu-Mu restaurants they serve typical Russian food. It is a self-service restaurant with tiny portions, so it is ideal to try different dishes. They are very popular among Muscovites and it is well priced.
Jachapuri,10 Bolshoi Gnezdnikovsky per.
It is a nice and central Georgian food restaurant. The food is very good and it is not too expensive. Totally recommended.
Pushkin Cafe, Tverskoy bulvar, 26A
It is considered the best restaurant in Moscow. It is a nice vintage place, very well preserved where can you can taste high level dishes of the Russian cuisine. Good service and medium-high but reasonable price.
A couple of features to consider when venturing out for lunch or dinner in Moscow: dinner can be served until the minute they close the place, but they will not wait until you finish the meal, so if you do not want to have to swallow all in five minutes, we recommend not arrive too late. Russians do not like you to pay them with coins, so if you're planning to spend those last loose rubles at a dinner, do better buying souvenirs in Red Square, or you will receive disapproving look from the waiter.
Приятного аппетита!!
By Nadia Polo
solianka by Шнапс | stroganoff by Pittaya Sroilong | zakuski by Timothy Post | pelmeni by Bernd Hutschenreuther
Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!
more infoMálaga in 7 Bites
Málaga has become the hot capital of culture, due to the recent opening of local branches of the Centre Pompidou and Saint Petersburg State Russian Museum Collection, added to other art successes with the Carmen Thyssen Museum, La Térmica, the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) and the Picasso Museum (a fine retrospective of Louise Bourgeois is currently running until 27 September). The city centre’s beautiful pedestrian precinct – distributed around the stately Marqués de Larios street as its hub – it’s pleasant climate all year around, its beaches and its gastronomy make it the ideal getaway destination. Here are 7 essential eateries you should not miss in Málaga.
1. El Pimpi
You can’t leave Málaga without stopping off at this emblematic bar with its eminently Andalusian patios filled with potted carnations. One of its draws is the casks autographed by the most variegated celebrities who have dined there, from Antonio Gala to Miquel Barceló and Pablo Alborán. It has a huge terrace, too. The food is very good and prices average about €30.
2. Los Baños del Carmen
This former spa opposite the beach, once a luxury baths and now decadent, preserves a charm of its own. Refurbished as a restaurant boasting an enormous terrace with a stately air, this is the ideal spot for soaking up the twilight hours. The menu du jour costs €18 and the à la carte is very Malagueñan: tapas de la bahía (from the bay), fish on a skewer, charcoaled meat… and concerts are usually held on weekend afternoons.
3. Mercado Atarazanas (Atarazanas, 10)
This lovely market with wrought-iron ceilings, colourful stained glass and a marble, Mudéjar entrance features several stalls that sell their tapas on the street, with tall tables for eating standing up. Dogfish, octopus, razor clams, prawns, venus shells, Malagueñan mixed fry… fittingly all very fresh and at excellent prices (averaging €3.5 for a half-portion). Ideal for having an aperitif.
4. Andrés Maricuchi
El Pedregalejo beach offers one of Málaga’s most prized specialities – espetos or skewered fish, particularly the sardine variety. They are charcoaled on cute barbecue boats set in the sand. Prominent among the many beach bars with a carefree, happy ambience is the Maricuchi. Instead of a menu, they recite their dishes to you. Their sardines are crisp on the outside and tasty on the inside. Around €20.
5. Montana
If you are seeking a more curated cuisine in romantic surroundings, this town palace has a gastronomic restaurant upstairs and a tapas bar below, set in a gardened terrace. Some of the recommendations: scrambled egg with whitebait and peppers in yuzu sauce, ox carpaccio with olive oil ice-cream and wasabi cheese, and timbal (tartlet) with griddled bacon, field mushrooms, foie gras and balsamic reduction. Classicism and modernity in one. Average price – €45.
6. José Carlos García Restaurante
Haute cuisine for gourmets. The chef, Carlos García, was awarded the province’s first Michelin star for creative cuisine in his Café París restaurant. They recently opened another, more distinguished, upmarket restaurant in the harbour. It comprises an intimate dining area with just six tables, a kitchen enclosed in a cube in full view of diners, a priceless terrace and an events room. Tasting menu – €110.
7. KGB
The more daring foodies should head for Kisco García Bar, a trove of world cuisine. One of their hits is pure Asian and Andalusian fusion – the Vietnamese nam de pringá (€4). They also give a nod to Russia with their vodka omelette, and to other parts of the world, as with their Peking Express bread. They also feature an array of thoroughly southern dishes, like the Ángel León-style shrimp omelette. A curiosity – the premises once housed Dani García’s gastrobar and, as a lot of the latter’s guests still came to order their excellent ox-tail hamburger, the dish has been incorporated into the menu of the bar opposite, belonging to the same owner as KGB – Wendy Gambas.
Málaga seems to have just everything. A good climate, excellent museums and endless culinary delights to wit. Come and live it out for yourself. Check out our flights here.
Text by Isabel Loscertales (Gastronomistas)
Photos by Isabel Loscertales, Montana, José Carlos García Restaurante
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