Moscow continued.....

more foodie finds

HomeMade Cafe
tucked away in a side street off Main st,was this fab cafe 2 level cafe,smoking section upstairs non smoking lower level,fortunately they have a few english menus,the menu gets changed daily but below seem to stay on as favourites
we tried the Bortsch soup (beetroot)
Pelmeni dumplings-boiled beef dumplings served with a side of sourcream
Beef stroganoff
home made lemonade
all was rather nice,waiteress really tried to converse with us in broken english as she was genuinely enthused when we told her we were from Australia

X and Co (Bread and Co)
a chain of retail bakeries this one all white,with ikea lampshades,benches,table and chairs with synthetic plants in pots the overall look looked fab
everything on display looked fantastic from bread,cakes and chocolates,was a little tricky as everything labeled in russian and staff didnt know any english other than do you want an american coffee?
we tried a little pastry full of beef similar to a pastie (piroshki)and an apple and berry mousse slice, both were delish.....

Mari Vanna
this little Gem was my favourite on trip thus far,with french oak parquetry on floor and overall theme french shabby chic although i believe it was meant to be like having dinner at someones home with dog and cat in tow....staff were great all had a smattering of english and serving great russian food
the menus were cute cheese boards with Brown paper attached (they have only 2 in english)
i find it interesting that all meals i have seen go out in venues around Moscow are accompanied with a bowl of sourcream,the Russians seem to love the stuff,and yet they all seem to be slender but smoke like chimneys....maybe thats the key....
we tried the blinis with sourcream and red caviar,salted herring and potatoes,zuchini fritters with salmon and sour cream ,beetroot salad and Napolean cake which is a Russian favourite, many layers of fine pastry with cream














Gypsy Taxis
Nearly all cars in Moscow seem to be unofficial taxis,(suppliments their income)all you do is stick your hand out as if you were a hitch-hiker but you pay the driver. i found this quite scary i wouldnt reccomend unless you are with someone who speaks russian and they normally negoitate the fare before getting in, we were lucky to have Lisa do this, even so i still found this quite unnerving.........

School is back
Today is the 1st of September and the first day back at school from summer holidays,and it's traditional for every student to get dressed up in their best suit or dress and take flowers to their teacher.