My first clue should have been the AMG Mercedes roadster (http://www.mercedes-amg.com/#/slsgtroadster-overview) and the Lamborghini (http://www.lamborghini.com/en/models/) that were parked outside. The second clue should have been the two doormen and the third clue -the two waifs that greeted us upon entry to sweep us to our table. Still, I was just happy to be out with Mr. U for a dinner à deux.
Since we were planning an early meal, there was no issue booking a reservation for two. It seems that the dinner crowd arrives much later in the evening. It made for a quiet and intimate setting. It was nice to step into the tranquil atmosphere and escape the hustle and bustle of Moscow. Welcome to Nedalniy Vostok.
http://novikovgroup.ru/en/2/56/477/
A quick glance at the drink menu and I was immediately reminded of why we are not regulars at this restaurant. Mr. U's Asahi beer cost руб 380 (or $11.80 CAD) which is actually a reasonable price for Moscow, believe it or not. A Bellini -champagne and peach purée- was priced at руб 1200 (at an exchange of $1 CAD/руб 32.22, the math adds up to $37.24 CAD per drink) and I couldn't in good conscience go down that route so I opted for a Сёка instead. At the bargain basement price of руб 970, our very sweet server brought me a martini glass full of what can only be called "a mouthful of delicious". The nectar of the gods contained within was just the right proportion of vodka, crushed raspberries and cranberry juice aromatized with a subtle hint of kumquat.
I had two.
Since he had been to the restaurant before, Mr. U ordered a few appetizers that he knew I'd enjoy. Wasabi prawns and calamari tempura arrived quickly and did not disappoint. The prawns were cooked to perfection and smothered in a subtle wasabi sauce that provided a small amount of heat and delivered a huge amount of flavour. The calamari was tender and delicious as well.
Our main courses were equally as satisfying, with my salmon steak tender and flaky and Mr. U's kasha and duck confit hot pot filling the rest of our bellies with pure sunshine.
A trip to the loo between courses took longer than expected as the trek through the restaurant and down a flight of stairs led me into a designer space in which to freshen up. I was very surprised to note there was more square footage in there than in my apartment! The only thing missing was dental floss, I was sad to note. L1 can attest to that being the measure of a fine restaurant.
This was obviously meant as a hang out place as well as a place to freshen up. The floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall mirror in the entryway is irresistible to the Russian "Fashionista" crowd.
Dessert was a paper-thin apple tart and vanilla bean ice cream, both bursting with flavour. I paired it with my traditional end of meal espresso that drives Mr. U crazy for some reason.
Our server must have taken pity on us because when it came time for the счет, she gave us the Early Bird 20% discount. It seems that we can buy a year's discount card which would give us 10% off the bill at any of the restaurants in the Novikov Group (of which this is a part) as well as 15% off at Глобус Гурмет, an imported goods grocery store. We rarely leave there with a bill under руб 6 000 so we don't shop at Глобус Гурмет too often but at least I can always find what I'm looking for. For the low price of руб 10 000 we could start saving money... Wait, what? I need to pay to save? How does that work itself out?
At any rate, after dinner we decided to cab it home instead of fighting our way through the rush hour metro commute. Our taxi driver was sketchy to say the least but he seemed to know where he was headed. He fell asleep at one point when the traffic was stopped for more than 30 seconds and he seemed to not really want to take our fare at first but eventually, reluctantly agreed. Pуб 400 is better than no руб at all, I guess. The taxi ride was interesting as we were flanked on one side by a pristine, black Rolls Royce and on the other a dove-grey Bentley.
Ahhh...so this is how the other half lives.
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