Third Time’s The Charm!

Festival «Food»

Oh, how I love the Afisha Festival of Food in Gorky Park!  This time marks the third year that the fledgling festival was mounted.  We were not here for its inauguration but we did partake in the second year and now, the third year running.  I certainly hope to visit the fourth year’s festival as well. 

I must say that last year was great and this year was even better.  With the advent of technological advances, I was able to buy my tickets with a virtual wallet and then have them sent directly to a smartphone app, no paperwork required!  Much to my surprise, there was no issue at the door when they scanned the QR code on my phone screen (I have to admit that I was skeptical but I still trusted - hoped? - that everything would go smoothly and according to plan).  Two bracelets issued and quickly secured around our wrists, Mr. U and I joined a few friends and together we proceeded through the obligatory metal detector/bag check and along the embankment where a plethora of gastronomic delights awaited our viewing and tasting pleasure.

Again, like last year, the variety of goods on display was a taste sensation for the eyes as well as the tongue.  Unlike last year, the weather was not quite as warm or sunny.  Cloud cover and chilly temperatures made me glad to be wearing long sleeves and a scarf to stave off the autumn chill.  Thankfully the rain held off long enough for us all to get our fill and then some. 

I’ll let you drool over the sights and delights that caught my attention.  Can you tell that I have a sweet tooth?

beanbag chairs in the form of salad bags

 

Look closely at the ice cream in the globe!

 

Well, hello ladies ...

 

Excuse me?

This table centerpiece has a potato and a baby cabbage tucked into the arrangement.  A potato?!!!

The only item that made it home with me was some German pumpkin seed oil.  I can’t wait to drizzle it over a salad of mixed greens and cherry tomatoes with some sunflower seeds and a few parmesan curls.  YUM!

A Delicious Stroll Through The Park

My favourite season is the Fall for a number of reasons.  One of which is the comfortable climate.  I adore the cool nights (it is heaven to me to be able to snuggle under piles of duvets and blankets and crisp sheets) and the warm, sunny days.  Even though the hours of sunlight are quickly dwindling, the fall means school starts once again (hooray a trip to Staples without having to make up any excuses about why I NEED a new pen) and my birthday is coming up (yes, I’m still excited about birthdays despite now being “a certain age”) and the leaves begin to change colour.  I miss my yearly drive in the Gatineau hills but there are enough leaves that change colour here to satisfy me until we move back to Canada - only just.

I love walking around the city in the Fall.  It is cool enough that you’re comfortable even if you walk at a brisk pace and if you get chilly, there are always cafés close by where you can stop and warm up.  This is simply a perfect, built-in excuse to indulge in a cinnamon-sprinkled cappuccino.

As the weather app (oh, how far we’ve come that I rely on an app rather than a real human being to inform myself about the weather) was predicting a high of 18C and sunny with a few clouds, I predicted that it was a great day to go for a long walk with a girlfriend.  I wasn’t wrong.

Today’s destination of choice was an area of town I have been meaning to get to for, oh, about two years now.  Not long after we moved to this fair city, I was given a lift from I have no idea where back to my home.  On the way, my trusted driver asked if I had a moment as he wanted to share a great bakery and a quaint part of town with me.  Always up for a new adventure, I quickly agreed and we stopped by the Волконский bakery where I purchased a delicious baguette and we then drove past Патриаршие пруды, Patriarshiy Ponds.  He indicated that it is also used as a public skating rink in the winter. 

Ever since that day I have been meaning to get back there and today was that day.

My agenda (and I always have an agenda) was packed with visiting the bakery once again (the memory of that delicious bread still lingers), walking around the pond and park and exploring the surrounding area while looking for a few cafes and restaurants that I had heard about.

What a stroke of luck!  Not only was the walk very easy and direct but the pond area is truly lovely.  I really should have followed the driver’s advice a very long time ago.  I shall have to thank him for the great counsel.  Bronze sculptures showing fables adorn the children’s side of the park and benches line the pond.  There was even a pair of swans swimming about!  Talk about a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city.  I understand that the boat house-turned-restaurant is quite a lovely dining experience as well.  It wasn’t quite open when we arrived this morning so that experience will have to wait for another time.

 

A quick turn to the left and we ducked into the Волконский bakery to buy two baguettes for later and a couple of pastries to go.  As usual, the place was packed even though it was only 11AM.  The bakery is notorious for its lineups but rightfully so.  Their delicious and eye-catching products have earned the bakery that right.  Viennoiseries in hand, strolling along the pond’s edge through the quiet neighbourhood, we could have been in Paris.  No wonder I felt so at home.  All that was missing was an accordionist playing a mournful version of La Vie En Rose.

 

We were about to head out to find the Friends Forever Cafe for a bite to eat when my companion noticed a very bizarre (even by Moscow standards bizarre) sign.  Neither of us understood the iconography and neither of us could decipher the text despite the words seeming very familiar.  There was no way I could retrieve the meaning from the deepest, darkest recesses of my addled mind.

Thankfully the internet saved the day!  If you know anything about Russian literature, you will no doubt have heard of the novel Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.  If, like me, you are aware of it but have not actually read the novel, then you won’t necessarily pick up on the multitude of references to the work all around you.  *Note to self - finish War and Peace and read Master and Margarita ASAP.  The seemingly enigmatic sign is a blatant reference to some of the main characters in Master and Margarita.  The novel’s opening scene unfolds at the very pond where I stood staring at what, at the time, seemed to be a very random (and rare) example of whimsy.  The text below the image warns spectators that it is forbidden to talk to strangers, especially those who would be the retinue of the Devil, himself.  Sage advice, indeed.

One block east of the pond is Friends Forever Café, my new, favourite casual restaurant.  My lunch of grilled shrimp on a bed of greens drizzled with honey dijon dressing and sprinkled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds was pure gastronomic delight.   FFC is one of a group of restaurants based on the concept of introducing the best of America to Moscow.  In the group there is a pub, a dessert place (with cupcakes, cakes, pies, etc like we make back in Canada), an all-day breakfast place that serves nutritious and delicious fare, a pasta and gelato place, a cafe and even a pizza place.  They brew their own beer and roast their own beans as well.  Does it get any better?  I’m very impressed.  It is a little taste of home in Moscow.

Friends Forever

Honestly, this is the kind of concept that I appreciate being imported instead of fast food chains that do not do anything for one’s arteries.  I have to admit a very irrational occasional weakness for McDonald’s fries BUT in my defense, I can absolutely live without them.  I just choose to let common sense take flight every so often.  These restaurants, however, will absolutely quench my thirst for a “taste of home” and keep me satisfied until we move back to North America.  It looks like I don’t have to cross the Atlantic in order to get my fix.  In fact, I barely have to leave my own neighbourhood!  Sorry mom, I’m not coming back for two more years.

I can’t wait to try out the rest of the offerings of the Friends Forever Company with Mr. U and friends.

http://www.friends-forever.ru/

Move Over Hershey, There Is A New Game In Town

Nestled in the urban sprawl of the North-East corner of Moscow is one of the city’s most precious hidden gems - if you’re a chocolate lover, that is.  The Кондитерский концерн Бабаевский (or Confectionery Concern Babayevsky as it has been known since 1922) was established in 1804 and as of 1899 was designated as “Purveyor of Fine Chocolate and Confectionery to His Imperial Majesty’s Court”.  Quite a pedigree for Abrikosov and Sons’ 200 year-old family business, wouldn’t you agree?

 
Behind the bright red walls of a lovely feat of late 18thC architecture hides a small museum detailing the world history of chocolate as well as the history of chocolate and confectionary production and consumption in Russia.  A short film followed by a tour through various displays that showcase the evolution of the tools of the trade educate visitors about the detailed process of chocolate making from bean to bite-sized candy.  Learning about the process makes every subsequent chocolate-tasting experience that much sweeter.  The  labour that goes into each product is astounding.  It is a wonder that the cost of chocolates is not much more dear than it actually is.

Chocolate sculptures

clandestine photos of award-winning chocolate bear

one of the exhibits in the education centre

Although very interesting and informative, the crowning jewel of the visit is the tour through the production floor of the factory.  Hershey’s has nothing on this factory!  Of course, the volume of tourists that cycle through the Hershey factory could never be accommodated here.  We were required to wear lab coats, shoe protection and hair nets before we were even permitted to approach the entryway to the production room floor. 

работники

Very serious warnings about no photography adorned the walls along the way.  From this point on, I complied.  The lure of chocolate at the end of the tunnel was too much for me to break the rules.  Clearly, in this regard, I am NOT my father’s daughter.  Clearly, in this regard, I AM driven by my love of chocolate.  I am a simple creature, really.

Weaving our way through a series of armoured doors, walkways and stairwells, we finally and surprisingly found ourselves directly on the production floor.  The only things separating us from the sweet treats sitting openly and seductively in impossibly enormous piles were the staff and our frontal cortexes.  (The staff being the more influential of the two.)  We were led through narrow pathways and past all manner of machinery and equipment monitored by a small army of staff strategically stationed the length of an impressively long, automated production line.

Like magic, there were chocolate bars of various flavours being produced before our very eyes.  The moulds were prepared, put into place, filled and travelled great lengths along conveyer belts while cooling the poured chocolate enough to hold their shape, be flipped out, wrapped in foil and and then packaged in paper and stacked in boxes for shipping.  All the while, staff were attending to the machinery and products, ensuring quality control every step of the way.

Our tour guide kept us moving along at a brisk pace, stopping every so often to highlight a certain process or product.  At one point in our journey, I caught the eye of a woman who was working the end of the line of large chocolate bar production.  We exchanged a smile and she brought me three large bars to share with the people in my group.  How kind of her.  I’ve got to say, there is nothing that compares to the taste of fresh chocolate!

Not only were they making chocolate bars the day of our tour, but there was a production run of individual chocolates.  As I watched the women manually loading  chocolate box trays, I couldn’t help but think about Lucy and Ethel.  I’m very pleased to report that the staff at the Кондитерский концерн Бабаевский factory didn’t have the same trouble as our two bumbling heroines, bless their sweet souls.

The whole excursion brought a smile to my face, from start to finish - especially since we were each given a sleeve of chocolates as a parting gift at the end of the tour!  Of course, the obligatory trip to the retail shop didn’t hurt, either.  I only invested 406 руб, don’t panic.  It was important, after all, to give a little back, don’t you think?

My kind of chocolate coins!