Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11am-midnight; ; Pushkinskaya)
Exposed brick walls, wood and wicker furniture, and muted tones ensure that the focus of
the Dzhondzholi dining room is in fact the open kitchen, where the chefs are busy preparing
delicious
dolma
(stuffed vine leaves),
khachapuri
(cheese bread),
kharcho
(rice with beef or
lamb soup) and other authentic favourites. The food is fabulous, and it comes with none of
the kitsch that we've come to expect from Moscow's Georgian restaurants.
Fun fact: food connoisseur and cookbook author Darra Goldstein explains in her book
A
Georgian Feast
that
dzhondzholi
is 'a garlicky long-stemmed green, usually eaten pickled',
that is common in Georgian cuisine. Try it for R190.
RUSSIAN
SISTERS GRIMM
;
Chekhov-
skaya)
Sabrina and Daphne would be right at home in this cosy country cottage, well stocked with
canned fruits and vegetables, books, photos and board games. The menu features 'home-
cooking', Russian-style, with an enticing selection of mulled wine, lemonades and fruity
cocktails to complete the fantasy.
EUROPEAN
COURVOISIER CAFE
R380-550; 24hr; ; Sukharevskaya)
This informal, French-themed cafe is furnished with picnic tables and park benches, evok-
ing an idyllic outdoor setting. (There is outdoor seating too, but fronting the Garden Ring, it
is not so peaceful.) Serving breakfast, soups, pasta and grills, it's a popular spot for break-
fast, happy hour (4pm to 7pm) or a late-night snack.
ITALIAN
TRATTORIA VENEZIA
11am-midnight;
Chekhovskaya)
Pretend that the Boulevard Ring is the Grand Canal. Imagine the cars ensconced in traffic
are really gondolas, and the billboard-plastered facade of the Pushkinsky Cinema is actually
the Ducal Palace. If you're still reading, then the Trattoria Venezia is for you. The long
menu includes more than 25 pasta plates, as well as pizza, risotto, lasagne and Italian-style
meat and fish dishes.
