Russkaya Rybalka
Author: Mārtiņš Rītiņš0 COMMENTS
A real Russian exotic where you can catch your own meal! St Petersburg's Krestovsky Island attracts gourmets of various ranks and crafts, foreign chefs and local political elite being among them. Outwardly humble-looking restaurant Russkaya Rybalka (Русская рыбалка), overlooking a lake, has been honored by pretty prominent guests. Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac, too, have tried their luck with fishing-rods there! Photos, featuring the best moments of their struggle with a catch, along with fishing nets and tables clad in white create a unique ambience of this cozy place.
While some nearby factory buildings might seem quite off-putting at first glance, the restaurant itself is set in an authentic fishermen's hut. Presence of movie characters of "Peculiarities of the National Fishing" is sensed from a very threshold. Their artfully created figures are placed here and there in the old-fashioned wooden house, while something like a dog kennel is set up in a tree outside. A bunch of cats is dwelling there, though, luckily enough, fluffy purring pets are never let inside...
All the needed fishing-tackles are provided and a small wooden footbridge leads to the fishing place. Just place a bite on a hook and off you go for a big catch! Even three degrees below zero of the beginning of December cannot ruin the joy! Trout, sturgeon, carp, cat fish and others are kept in separate reservoirs and are available depending on season. And no worries - it is highly unthinkable that due to bad fishing luck you would stay without dinner. A plump fish is cooked at once and according to your taste, yet, smoked seems to be the best choice. In that case it is instantly taken to a smoking shed from alder-tree. After about 20 minutes a meal is ready and served on a silver plate - hot, aromatic, with baked potatoes, fresh butter and slices of lemon... Nothing sophisticated, even a bit primitive - yet what a flavor! Moreover, the catch is so big that surely will make a meal for four. Modesty and hearty service is trademark of Russkaya Rybalka - Mom's style, so to say...
Next to the small dining room, seating about 60 gourmets, restaurant features a large complex that seems somewhat familiar to guests from Riga. And, indeed, the owner admits that he has driven inspiration from Lido Mills restaurant complex of the capital of Latvia.
Certainly, no dress code there, as jeans and sport shoes are the very best for this occasion. And who would ever think of fishing in ones Sunday best! Russkaya Rybalka offers special products for sale, too. Mushrooms, canned in small jars, look exactly as coming from granny's larder...
Address: Крестовский остров (Krestovsky Island)
Южная дорога 11 (11 Yuzhnaya Doroga)
Phone: 8 (812) 323-98-13
E-mail: russian-fishing@mail.ru
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