Never having been to a Jewish cuisine restaurant before, I approached St Petersburg's Zhemchuzhina (Pearl) restaurant with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation -- and was welcomed with open arms by a little piece of paradise.
Much like the object it is named after, Zhemchuzhina is tucked away inside a grey and somewhat forbidding exterior of the building at Shkipersky Protok, 2, on the city's Vasilevsky Ostrov.
But once you penetrate this shell, you discover a warm and elegantly decorated haven.
You also discover a menu brimming with tasty delights that are similar enough to standard Russian fare to seem familiar, while different enough to feel exotic.
We also found that the quality of the fare offered was exceptional, especially for a restaurant whose most expensive dish is 70,000 roubles ($15).
My partner and I dined at Zhemchuzhina early one windy mid-winter Tuesday evening. After leaving our coats in the separate cloakroom, we discovered that the tables in the restaurant were of two types, depending on their placement.
On one side of the restaurant, the tables were in the open by the large, curtained window.
The other tables were tucked in underneath the wooden staircase and balcony where the upstairs bar was situated, giving them an earthy, intimate feel.
These tables also had a plethora of old photos of 19th century Jews and other Jewish paraphernalia that emphasized Judaism's lengthy and at times troubled presence in Russia.
The service was excellently attentive, without being overbearing and pushy, and the waitress was keen to let us know what were the best dishes the house had to offer.
After much considered thought, we decided to begin our meal with a selection of cold starters and a salad on the side.
My partner was in a fishy mood, and plumped for the herring pate (15,000 roubles), while I went for the smoked turkey (21,000 roubles).
Feeling peckish as we were, we also decided to grab a serving of the minced pike perch (31,000 roubles) to ensure us against starvation.
And for the salad, we chose a beetroot salad with prunes, (15,000 roubles).
This last was the most superb beetroot salad it has ever been my good fortune to savor.
Served in a classy-looking green bowl, with crushed nuts on top, it had a magnificent smoky taste to it that was strong enough to give bite to the dish's flavor, but subtle enough to allow the texture and taste of the beetroot itself to shine through.
My partner's pate was also a revelation. I regained some of my earlier trepidation at seeing this minced-up fish creation.
It didn't look unappetizing, just potentially dangerous. It wasn't.
Instead it was smoothly delicious, bringing out the full flavor of the fish.
Unfortunately the pike perch, while grandiosely presented with red jelly, was disappointingly bland.
The turkey was excellent, especially accompanied as it was by some fiery fresh horseradish.
We washed this feast down with a bottle of Allegro Italian white wine (66,000), whose clear sweetness proved the perfect counterpoint to our meal.
As we polished off the starters we were hoping that the main courses we had ordered would prove to be exquisite enough to tempt palates and stomachs in danger of becoming overwhelmed by our improvident ordering.
They were.
Passing by the grilled beluga (70,000), the beef "Karmen" (50,000) -- beef with cheese, peppers and salted cucumbers -- I chose the veal with prunes (50,000), while my dining companion opted for the pike perch with mayonnaise and nuts (45,000).
Both were succulent and delicious. The veal was slightly stringy, but wholesome and rich.
The pike perch was nothing short of a triumph, and was polished off to the very last morsel.
After a suitable pause to allow our stomachs to recover, we treated ourselves to an ice cream "Surprise" (14,500) -- a range of different ice creams, with chocolate sauce and jam served in attractive and sturdy goblets, plus coffee (4,500) and tea (2,500).
Our meal done, we staggered off home with bulging bellies, sated palates, and a determination that this would not be our last visit to Zhemchuzhina.