A snap decision on a typical St Petersburg cold and windy autumn evening led us to the Staroye Kafe and a meal that left us glowing with happiness for days.
My dining partner and I will be going back to the Staroye Kafe (Old Cafe) again and again because we felt completely at home from the moment we walked in the door. The inside of the cafe is small enough to be intimate while large enough to allow privacy. It is decorated so that the interior looks old but clean.
Varnished but not quite fully-finished tables, shelves and service bar were elegantly complimented by old-style jugs, decanters and coffee servers lining the walls. We felt like we were dining in a close approximation to a classy 19th century cafe (if there ever was such a thing). You can order at the bar -- and wait there if need be for a table -- or at the table from a menu full of wholesome and reasonably-priced homestyle cooking.
The single waitress was a model of friendly politeness, who added to the cozy and welcoming atmosphere of the cafe.
Starters consist of a range of cold snacks and salads. All of the latter are fresh and overflowing with taste. After contemplating the stolichny (ham, potato, peas and vegetables) salad, 15,000 roubles, I settled for the carrot salad and my partner went for the beetroot, 5,000 roubles each.
Both our salads were freshly made, with grated egg and mayonnaise on top. They vanished in seconds.
The cold, dark night had inspired us to order soup as an appetizer. Faced with a choice of fish solyanka, 20,000 roubles or meat solyanka, 15,000 roubles, or chicken bouillon for an amazingly low 6,000 roubles. I chose the meat solyanka. My partner, after ascertaining that the bouillon was indeed fresh and not from a cube, went for the chicken soup.
Both were inspired choices. The chicken portions were massively generous, a medium-size bowl of salty, tasty soup, containing rice and a large piece of chicken.
And the solyanka was by far the best of its kind I have ever been offered. Plenty of meat, no fat rings floating on the top. Delicately spiced and deliciously nourishing.
As we waited for our main course to arrive we took in the charming decor and drank an excellent beer or two. The Staroye Kafe offers a small range of excellent beers for 7-8,000 roubles for a 0.33 liter bottle -- Molson, Grolsch, Heineken and Elephant beer.
When the main course arrived we wolfed it down in no time at all. From a wide variety of pork and fish dishes, best eaten with the 6,000-rouble garnish of fried potatoes and assorted salad, I had requested the pork Klyara, 24,000 roubles and my partner went for the fried beluga (podzhareniye ryba) for 28,000.
My pork Klyara consisted of lean pork fillets in batter, accompanied by a moderately spicy tomato and garlic sauce. Like my partner's fish course it was perfectly done, tender and juicy. The beluga was fresh and wholesome, with a tartare-style sauce on the side.
We finished the evening listening to the resident piano man, drinking the excellent coffee, 3,500 roubles and leisurely consuming chocolate coated gingerbread cookies, 7,500 roubles that melted in the mouth.
The only problem with stepping into the Staroye Kafe is the overwhelming reluctance to step out again.