In St Petersburg, it is still difficult to find a restaurant that offers a unique variety of dishes, quality food and a tastefully decorated atmosphere, all wrapped up in one. If you're tired of eating good food in a gaudy, affected restaurant or tolerating mediocre food in an over-priced eatery, take a stroll down to Polonaise for a quiet, enjoyable meal at a very reasonable price.
Located in the basement of the House of Composers, Polonaise is about the coziest restaurant I've found yet in the city. Tables are located in three separate rooms, which are decorated with warm pine and burgundy-colored wallpaper and wood paneling. The innermost room is the quietest, where the low, arched ceiling gives the impression of a Spanish wine cellar.
Even the tableware is something unusual for Russia. Instead of the stock four or five styles of plates and saucers used in most of the local eateries, Polonaise serves its food on dainty, flowered china reminiscent of the Edwardian era. There is live music occasionally, although we were entertained with pop music played quietly from a radio.
The menus we were offered were in both English and Russian, and the waiter immediately inquired as to whether we were in a hurry or preferred a leisurely meal. Variety in the menu was reflected both in selection and price. Depending on your taste and wallet, two people can easily eat here for as little as $30 or as much as...well, that's up to you.
Appetizers included cheese sandwiches (3,000 roubles), caviar sandwiches (13,000 roubles), blini with caviar (31,000 roubles) or shrimp in clear broth (56,000 roubles). There was also herring "pod shuboy" (10,000 roubles) -- herring topped with an interesting mixture of cheese, beets, mayonnaise and garlic. The Italian crab salad (29,000 roubles) -- rice, crab and mayonnaise -- was good, although nothing "unexpected," as my friend said. Best of all were the blinchiki with mushrooms (15,000 roubles). The serving of four was absolutely heavenly, combining the sweetest crepes I have ever tasted with a spicy filling, touched ever-so-slightly with a brilliant hint of garlic. One serving could also easily serve as a light meal.
For soup, you can try the creamed chicken soup (6,000 roubles), which is tasty despite the fact that it resembles something that came out of an instant-soup packet. There is also Ukrainian borscht (23,000 roubles), solyanka donskaya (54,000 roubles), and creamed mushroom soup (11,000 roubles). Even the champagne selection offers you the range of traditional Soviet champagne (24,000 roubles) to finer imported brands (114,800 roubles) for those who want to splurge. Seafood dominated the main course offerings, but the variety again was intriguing. Here one can order a fish salad (30,000 roubles) or giant shrimps with tails (76,000 roubles).
The Dutch salmon (48,000 roubles) was fresh and juicy, served with a garnish of whipped potatoes, green peppers and carrots. It was, unfortunately, smothered by a nondescript yellow sauce, which at least didn't take away from the dish's taste. The steak diplomat (31,000 roubles) was tasty and tender. Like the salmon entree, the steak dish offered a filling portion.
It was only toward the end of the meal when the restaurant and its quaint atmosphere started to slip. As with most restaurants in the city, the dessert listing was uninspiring, offering the usual array of fruit with whipped cream, fresh fruit plates, and ice cream. When we ordered, we were told that even the ice cream was unavailable that day. And while I enjoyed the delicate china, the 3,000 rouble cup of coffee was so tiny that we joked about bringing in a microscope.
All in all, the meal was cozy and satisfying, and for the two of us the bill, including two appetizers apiece, came to a very reasonable 200,000 roubles ($40).