An eatery named after St. Petersburg palace serves French-style dishes with a Russian touch.
As I headed to the TUCC meeting at Petergof on Thursday night, I was intrigued. The place was said to be serving so-called “Russian Tsar” cuisine. And although I could hardly believe it would be an absolutely new cuisine to me – after all there are plenty of Russian dishes present in everyday Ukrainian food – I still wondered.
The first thing I noticed upon entering Petergof was that the place was small in comparison with other eateries I’ve been to together with the Connoisseur Club. The interior of Petergof fully lived up to its name – it really did resemble a room in a palace, with an elaborate red rug covering the floor, heavy chairs with elbow rests, massive chandeliers, a big fireplace, a dramatic clock and candelabra. The huge paintings on the walls were reproductions of famous works depicting famed Russian tsars and tsaritsas – Peter the Great, Katherine the Great, Nikolay the Second and others. To complement the elegant setting, a duo of musicians, a guitarist and a violinist, played famous European and American themes, such as “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” which I really enjoyed listening to. Unfortunately, when the TUCC event officially started, the musicians stopped playing and left, and a CD player was turned on instead.
The dishes were presented by chef Allen Edelev, who, despite his foreign-sounding first name, was clearly Russian and came from St. Petersburg. The first dish was an appetizer called “Anna’s Tenderness,” a salad of mascarpone cheese, salmon and shrimp served with Chardonnay Reserve 2005 from Argentina. It was really enjoyable. The shrimp salad, served on a Parmesan crust, had a yogurt and mascarpone dressing, and was covered with bits of salmon. I found the dish to be a bit too salty, but a few sips of the aromatic white wine easily tamed the saltiness.
The second course, pate of hare dubbed “Potyomkinskiy,” really had something Russian about it – after all, hare has been among the most popular game meats eaten in Russia since ancient times. To make it feel more “royal,” the pate was sprinkled with truffle sauce and stuffed with bits of truffle, creating a pleasant combination that was complimented perfectly by French Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2004.
Because the time gaps between courses were quite considerable, the connoisseurs found other ways of entertaining themselves while waiting for each course. Some made use of the special treat offered that evening: a wine tasting from Olivier Duffor, the owner of wine boutique Vinolyub – Grands Vins de France in Podil. He suggested trying some of his selected wines. Trying to avoid mixing different alcohols (even though all of them were wines), I remained at the table, where the conversation between the ladies turned to food and home cooking. Some of the cooking tips I heard from them, such as soaking chicken in salted milk prior to frying it, or serving salted salmon with orange, instead of lemon, I took a mental note of.
The third dish that was served was “Empress’ Amusement,” which included slices of duck breast lying on top of a cooked apple, with two types of sauces. One of the sauces was made of berries, which went especially well with the tender duck meat. I wasn’t especially impressed with this dish, but it was well prepared and tasty just the same. After that the only dish we were still expecting was dessert.
Meanwhile, some of the guests noted that there were only four courses instead of the usual five, and the portions weren’t very big. Some of us were expecting heartier offerings, as is common in Russia and Ukraine.
However, while complaining about the amount of food, most couldn’t have any complaints about the quality. The chocolate mousse dessert, served in small glasses in layers of black and white, was soft, tender and not too sweet, and was complimented by an original alcohol drink. Pienau Des Charantes wasn’t exactly a wine, but a marriage of grape juice and aged cognac. I found it quite complementary to the dessert, as an alternative to the sweet wines usually offered in such cases. We were told that in France this kind of drink is considered both an appetitive and a digestive, helping your stomach cope with a heavy dinner. Another unusual alcoholic drink, armagnac, followed dessert, served with cigars and coffee. I decided to skip it, since I felt I already had enough to drink, including a couple of wines from Olivier. As I was getting ready to leave, I still wasn’t sure what the royal Russian (or Tsar) cuisine was supposed to mean, although perhaps I would have if I had tried a bigger variety of dishes from the menu, as I had heard the hostess suggest to some of the connoisseurs. One thing was certain – I really did spend an evening at a place that could easily be compared to a Russian Tsar palace, and my next step was to visit the real Petergof, formerly a royal palace, and now a famed museum in St. Petersburg.
Petergof (6 Pylypa Orlyka, 253-7358). Open daily 10 a.m. till 10 p.m.
English menu: Yes
Engish-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 250
To join TUCC go to www.tucc.kiev.ua
