Foot Notes | Russian feasts
These five eateries in St Petersburg offer great vegetarian food
In the midst of winter and World War II, when British prime minister Winston Churchill was being driven to meet Joseph Stalin, he famously remarked that it was impossible to defeat a nation that enjoys ice cream in -40 degrees Celsius. My culinary concerns before my visit to St Petersburg were small by comparison. With the beef-based borscht the most known Russian food (apart from ice cream, of course!), I was worried about the lack of vegetarian options. To my surprise I found lots, that too in the most interesting settings.
Here are five of my top picks:
Market Place
Dve Palochki
Dve Palochki, which translates to two chopsticks, is a Japanese restaurant chain in Russia. I enjoyed soba noodles, fried rice and varied beverages while watching St Petersburg’s speeding motorcyclists race each other as I sat outdoors on a brightly coloured chair. I also tried the smoked tomato soup, cucumber sushi (called veg roll) and the Malaysian roti prata.
The Idiot
Named after Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic, this fine-dining restaurant is a 2-minute walk from the opulent Yusupov Palace on the Moika river. Despite the hype, The Idiot offers diverse options, including the staple Russian pancake or blini, which is available in several fillings, both sweet and savoury. Armenian bread, cabbage triplet and potato pie perfectly complement the Soviet-style décor of the restaurant, as do the fixed vodka shots put on my table by the waiter when I asked for water.
Café Zoom
Multicoloured plants in colourful pots welcome you to Café Zoom. I sat next to a teddy bear, coloured in a book with crayons till my order arrived, and had my bill presented to me in a book at the end of the meal. I tried their wide range of salads, including typical beetroot-based preparations, and, of course, staying in character—a layered chocolate cake with nuts called: “Call your parents".
Coffee House or Kafé XAY 3
Coffee House or Kafé XAY 3 is Russia’s answer to Starbucks.
A range of coffees and teas is a large part of the menu, which also has some good breakfast deals, along with burgers, pastries and Russian pancakes. The coffee, like most Russian coffee, is milky, but it perked me up. The tea choices are impressive, with options like sea buckthorn with ginger as well as apple and thyme, both served in a mini jug. I spotted a Coffee House on possibly every major street in St Petersburg.
Vidhu Aul is an avid traveller.
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