Regular phalanxes of Mercedes Benz, BMWs and the odd Lincoln regularly parked outside the Bella Leone had always led me to assume that the restaurant's prices would be high and the clientele not really my mob, so to speak.
But the cars' owners must work in a nearby building, because they were nowhere to be seen in the Bella Leone. And aside from a sprinkling of $225 bottles of Krug Grande Cuvee Brut champagne and the like, the prices turned out to be very reasonable.
Inside the Bella Leone one discovers a cozy corner of a Mediterranean lifestyle: a white interior with arches, coach-lamps, a small bar, just 10-12 tables arranged in a series of nooks and crannies. A selection of abstract and tasteful female nudes adorn the walls.
It's one of those restaurants where the waiters give the man the menu with the prices and the woman a menu without. My female companion had never experienced that one before: "That's so wise!" she exclaimed. What price feminism.
Starters range from $5-18 and come in hot and cold varieties, Russian or western. Black Russian caviar vies with Russian fish soup and Russian beef rolls ("home stile" the menu tells us). More standard items include Caesar and Greek salads and a seafood cocktail.
Being a New Zealander, I thought the New Zealand mussels with asparagus and lemon ($12) would be a great opportunity to sample a home-grown treat while scoffing at what I assumed would be a tired and pallid version of this classic New Zealand dish.
Actually the mussels were perfectly prepared, large, on the shell, and felt like they had going peacefully about their business in the Pacific Ocean just a few hours before. They had that musky sullen taste of a fresh mussel -- the taste of resentment.
My dining companion experimented gingerly with her garlic snails with herbs. The half-dozen snails, laid out on a specially designed snail-plate, were delicately cooked with just the right amount of butter oozing out of them.
We moved right on to the lobster soup ($5) which was brilliant orange, rich and heavenly. It came complete with shrimps and caviar mixed in, and with a lightly frothed cream sauce on top.
Pauses between courses can be filled by examining the photos of celebrities snapped while dining in the Bella Leone, and reading the comments they have scrawled on a celebrity wall. Guests have included Michael Caine, Mikhail Gorbachov and Russian rock legends Alla Pugacheva and Filip Kirkorov.
Mains run from $14-$34. Meat and poultry dishes include veal a la diplomat ($19), Schnitzel Vienna style, and fried breast of duck with red currant sauce ($19). Among the fish on offer is a fish shashlik with shrimp sauce ($19) and fried soul.
With unerring accuracy my dining companion pinpointed and ordered the most expensive dish on her price-less version of the menu, the Lobster Fricassee sauce Pernod ($34). It comprised a very credible shredded lobster on a bed of rice. A complete miniature lobster atop the dish added effect.
My own Norwegian salmon grill poached in white wine with tartar and lobster sauce ($19) was first class. Large, tender and tasty, it was accompanied by asparagus garnishing and swirls of creamy mashed potatoes. The dish's piece de resistance was the juxtaposition of the hot tartar sauce on which the fish sat, with a cold lobster and caviar sauce poured over the top.
The Norwegian salmon was going down to the accompaniment of Beethoven's moonlight sonata. Piano music had greeted us as we entered the restaurant. The pianist, on a white upright, ranged from Stevie Wonder and Cats through Gershwin to classical.
On each table lies a request card so that guests can order their favorite tunes. We decided to test his repertoire by requesting a Brahms' Hungarian dance -- specifically #17. No problem. A few minutes later the sounds of the Danube basin were echoing around us.
The limited range of deserts are priced from $4-$6. The Danish ice cream with hot berries ad fruits looked tempting, but we finally shared a nut parfait with chocolate sauce. It was delicate mixture, topped with fresh kiwifruit, peach, grapes and small pieces of pomegranate.
Alcohol on offer matches every palate and wallet, ranging from the already mentioned Brut champagne (or the more modestly priced $200 Dom Perignon) to Russian champagne at $15. Whites, reds and rose wines go for $12-35 a bottle; cognac's and brandies start with the "Armenian" at $4 and climb up to the Hennesy Paradis at $60 a glass.
Liqueurs, cocktails, vodkas, whiskies and ports feature between $3 and $6. Heineken and Carlsberg sell for $3, and the heinously misrepresented "Guiness from England" for $4.50. Cappuccinos seemed reasonable at $2.
The Bella Leone is a wonderful hidden pleasure that deserves to be remembered once in a while. The atmosphere was pleasant, the service was good, the flowers and candle on the table appreciated.
The restaurant's prices are structured so that you could have a quiet dinner for two in a little luxury without breaking the bank -- or if in fact you've spent the day breaking banks and have a mafia mole and 14 bodyguards to impress you could splash on the Brut and sink thousands of dollars into the place.