The Idiot Restaurant

Zdravstvuj!

Pronounced "zdrah-stvooy" i.e. "Hello!" in Russian. Don't bother trying, I couldn't say it the whole time I was there. Speaking of which, have I ever mentioned being in Russia way back in 2006? It was one of my proudest trips taken, simply coz it was so far and so very exotic.


After almost half a decade, I now bring you the highlights of my amazing trip. First up, The Idiot Restaurant, widely acclaimed by Lonely Planet and local sources alike, you can therefore understand why I just had to go there. & I maintain it has absolutely nothing to do with its name. *snicker*

Amazing Bread & Butter, Amazing *Mystery* Dishes

Now Russia, being so big and so Russian, made locating anything a challenge. After an hour consulting the Lonely Planet, various passer-bys and shop owners alike, I finally located the dark alley where the restaurant was located. If you guys ever decide to make your way there, if it helps, it sits right next to a river /canal, which would have made it quite a picturesque dining spot if the sun hadn't set by the time I got there.

The restaurant is vegetarian, which made it twice as exotic. Think about it: Russian and vegetarian! How often do you get that!?!

Through the ages memories fade and I unfortunately can no longer give you detailed play-by-play of each dish I had. I can however, recall they were superb. I was especially blown away by their bread basket: multi grain, dark rye, hand made and fresh out of the oven, all served with equally lovely flavored butter. I like my flavored butter, I liked them in Mumbai, and I liked them here. 

Fingers & Parcels

What can I say? The fingers were finger licking good, the parcels packed a punch. That's what you get for procrastinating, folks: fuzzy memories and lame substitution for quality reporting. I've learnt my lesson now, but take my word for it, the food tastes as good as it looks, so if you're ever in the region (never say never), give it a go. & give me some play-by-play of it while you're there. :)