Gastronomic travel in Russia is becoming more and more popular. The second after Peter is of course Sochi. And although it’s about four hours to fly there, a long weekend at sea is well worth it. And during this time you may have time to watch Harry Potter, eat and even get some sleep.
The Fashion Vibes columnist Anya Baturina went to the Black Sea for a tanned skin, rapans and red beans, delicious cocktails, sparkling nights at the beach and a new life. Write down the best places for a romantic dinner and a hangover breakfast. The weather is getting colder in Moscow and the velvet season is in full swing in Sochi.
Anya Baturina, columnist for The Fashion Vibes, author of the Gastrology Telegram channel
Breakfast
With Jamon – in “Barceloneta”
Going to the sea before breakfast is a smart idea: you can have time to take beach photos and then without hesitation you can try all the croissants and waffles in Barceloneta. If the main menu of the restaurant is full of the gastronomic traditions of the Catalan capital, and this is where the place is named, then the breakfast offer is quite universal: cereals, pancakes, bruschettas, pate, pancakes, omelets and cheesecakes. The morning menu is available from 8am to 4pm so you can sit for a long time, watch the Harbor and people rushing from the window to and from work and never know where else. Well, now that it’s a weekend to enjoy life, you certainly can’t sparkle.
In the meantime, you should head back for lunch for jamon (served with traditional Spanish bread and tomatoes and tears of happiness), empanada pies, and paella (don’t go home without learning the difference between Catalan and Valencian).
Address: st. Nesebar, 6
Welcoming – in Khmeli & Suneli
Undress, come in, meet: Khmeli & Suneli restaurant offers modern Sochi cuisine. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s even more interesting. This is the author’s mixture of culinary traditions of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Abkhazia, Ukraine and Russia. The taste is felt even at breakfast (and it’s better to eat it in the morning: remember the saying “eat breakfast yourself” and then you definitely will not get fat).
The duet of chefs Dmitry Gavrilov and Garik Manukyan worked hard to develop a menu that will surprise even the most metropolitan guest and delight everyone. Prepare to eat a lot and don’t delay lunch for a few hours. A lush omelet “Pulyar” with spinach and dry-cured neck, shakshuka in Sochi style (not classic at all), stracciatella fritters from egg, cheese and spinach yoka and suluguni (yes, that’s not a typo, but don’t tell Italians), peaches are good here and dry neck. You will definitely be treated to a glass of sparkling wine or a cup of Americano for breakfast.
By the way, until September 18, Khmeli & Suneli is hosting the grilled sausage festival: here they are cooked themselves, and the flavors are enhanced by the invited sausage expert Andrey Kuspits (oh, we are doing something wrong in life).
Address: st. Rose, 57
Dinner
Photogenic – in Rezzo
Lunch, breakfast and dinner in Sochi should only be with a sea view. You’ve only been here for a few days, so don’t take your attention away from your original purpose for a moment. On the most beautiful beach of the city – “Riviera” – there is a panoramic restaurant of Caucasian cuisine Rezzo.
Chef Dmitry Gavrilov gathered the polyphony of the cuisines of Caucasian peoples in one menu and took a bright mix of kharcho, chikhirtma, khinkali, satsivi, dolma, Ossetian pies, lamajo and the legendary XXL cheburek (you can choose the filling – from classic beef / pork to cheese, tomatoes and greens) until). Get your camera ready on your phone, because you’ll have to “blow” and twist the giant cheburek before taking a bite. A great tip: reverse a video before posting it on social networks, so it will look more effective. And the Rezzo patio has a full hanger with a black and white hat at the entrance, they can also be used as supports for your railings.
Address: Riviera beach, per. riviera
Fast – “Riviera” on the beach
Along the Riviera beach, which is part of the Rezzo restaurant complex, there are several small cafes where you can grab a bite to eat for a quick lunch or enjoy in a wet swimsuit on the sun lounger. Among them is a cafe with sweets, a place with pizza, pastries, khinkali, mussels and foamy Abrau-Dyurso. It seems that no one is capricious enough to go hungry.
They say that watching the storms in the Black Sea is the best coffee house. The waves reach up to the panoramic walls and this view takes your breath away for a few seconds. The main thing is that it does not come to tachycardia.
Address: Riviera beach, per. riviera
Sea – In the Sea Region
The Sea Zone summer fish restaurant (with a special rooftop for sunset kisses) is only open in season, so hurry to buy tickets to save time to try what chef Dmitry Lesnoy has brought to life on the updated menu. Black Sea rapana, garfish (put two fish together and you get a heart), flounder and Adler trout, fried mussels and sauces – what do you want to eat when the sea splashes at your feet. They also offer a unique beer in beautiful white matte bottles, brewed exclusively for the restaurants of the LRG holding – you can bring home as a souvenir instead of church halva.
Hang on a little longer to go up to the roof for lunch: it opens immediately at 16:00 and stays open until morning. From here they watch the sunset, hold hands romantically, drink specialty cocktails and dance to the evening DJ sets.
Address: Primorskaya street, 17
Dinner (continued)
Romance – “Pavlov’s Sea”
While walking along the embankment in the harbor area, you will get tired of saying “no” to the barkers who offer to take a boat tour and watch the sunrise/sunset/dolphins/horizon/swimsuit buddies (underline if appropriate), but do not discount the yacht trip at all. Barceloneta restaurant recently started their journey with Chef Alexei Pavlov, whose wonderful name is “Pavlov’s Sea”. Before leaving, a beautiful boat is equipped with a kitchen so that the chef can prepare a meal in front of you on the high seas. Dinner consists of six courses for you and your friends (maximum of six) accompanied by wine and sparkling wine. And if your trip to Sochi is romantic (and not at all friendly), it is better to rehearse on land how to answer “yes” to the main sentence of your life.
At sunset, just before dessert, try to repeat a dangerous trick (the editors almost lost their bravest writer) – jump into the water, grab a glass and take epic photos right in the water. But be prepared that standing on the open sea on the waves and not spilling sparkling wine from the glass is an almost impossible task. So was the challenge accepted?
Address: st. Nesebar, 6
Yummy drunk – in “London”
In the name “Restaurant. Cocktail Lab, but let’s get it right. You must eat first. The menu in London is Euro-Asian: juxtaposed with Asian noodles, tataki, sashimi, straightforward Italian gastronomy, steak, ribs and sea raw bar. By the way, vegetables – tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower – are specially grown for the restaurant on a farm 150 km from the city. During the day, gastronomic sets are served, and in the evening it is worth canceling all work to linger on dinner, which, with a white tablecloth, will smoothly flow from the table to the bar and turn into a cocktail tasting.
The restaurant’s “cocktail lab” is a high-tech platform where bartenders experiment like real alchemists and extract completely new flavors and even textures from familiar products. So, believe me, the cocktail menu here is so unique that it’s better to try it once (or even several times) than reread it a million times. The bar also has an impressive whiskey collection and separate cells for guests’ alcohol (here’s a new sign: You can leave a bottle to return and don’t throw a coin overboard).
Address: st. Nesebar, 6
Source: People Talk
