If you really want to escape from Moscow, but the budget does not allow you to fly on the first flight abroad (in new realities this is almost impossible), buy a ticket for Sapsan and go to St. in St. Petersburg. Believe me, the city on the Neva is a great detox for the soul.
Especially since the May holidays are only a few days away. And even though we don’t have a 10-day vacation this year, we decided not to despair and thought of a whole plan on how to make the most of the weekend.
In this article, we bring you the real St. Petersburg, where to stay, where to try the most delicious breakfasts, and most importantly, where to visit St. Petersburg. We tell you where to drink culturally in St. Petersburg.
Where do you live
Hotel Helvetia
We recommend staying at the five-star Helvetia Hotel. The building in which it is located was formerly a rental house and is now under state protection as an architectural heritage object. Historical mosaics have been preserved in all buildings, and the gypsum plasters on the walls of the corridors have been carefully restored.
Helvetia also has an incredibly cozy patio with a patio where you can get away from the bustle of the city and relax.
Rooms feature luxurious large (and very soft) beds and lots of mirrors (where you can take traditional hotel selfies with a white coat). The hotel currently has 85 rooms in nine different categories, including three executive suites. There are also two very tasty restaurants in the area, Cafe Claret and Marius, but we will talk about them a little later.
Address: Maratha, 11
where?
Excellent breakfasts in Flor
We recommend you to start the day at Flor Restaurant, where you can enjoy the writer’s breakfasts with a Portuguese character. The menu is quite small, but all items are worth trying. Personally, we fell in love with the buckwheat jamon and airy Parmesan mousse and the spinach crispy fritters, poached egg and shrimp.
But in our opinion, the main “star” of the restaurant is the cinnamon roll with vanilla sauce. Gastronomic orgasm is 100% guaranteed! Well, we almost forgot about the traditional Portuguese sweets pasteis de nata, brought directly from the Portuguese embassy to Flor.
Address: Rubinshteina, 14
The most delicious pies and chebureks in Marius
After such a breakfast, your favorite St. Petersburg, go to the incredibly cozy bookstore “Subscription Editions” and take a few pictures on the banks of the Neva. Then head to the hotel and start mentally preparing for dinner at the classic pub Marius. Why is preparation necessary? Because you definitely can’t limit yourself to one meal.
Among the most popular gastronomic hits are ground beef with Calvados, New York steak, a large piece of house-style pork with potatoes, crispy eggplant salad, tempura shrimp with Asian sauce, crab balls with mango pickles, a large homemade patty with mashed potatoes, and smoked toothfish steak. But our favorites are the tomato salsa mini donuts and the meat pie. Even thinking about these makes me want to drop everything and buy a ticket for the next Sapsan.
Now about the beer. If you are a fan of this drink, Marius is a must for you. The bar list includes several dozen positions on draft and bottled beer from breweries in Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, the USA, Belgium and Russia.
Address: Marata, 11
Late dinner at Kuznyahouse smoothly flows into a party
For a long time St. Even if you haven’t been to St. Petersburg, you’ve probably heard of Forge. Under Peter I there was a real forge here, and today there is a restaurant and the best parties. Maintaining its historic layout, the room was divided into three parts: the main hall with a bar and stage, a tea room with large sofas and bookshelves, and a secret room with a Saferoom bar (more on that later). And in the summer, a large terrace opens up overlooking the island’s herb garden.
We hope you still have the energy for dinner, because there are so many dishes to try in Forge. First, order a truffle savory cheesecake, as a starter, veal tartare with black chanterelles (I assure you, you haven’t tried it yet), and for a warm meal, try the pumpkin ravioli.
Address: Admiralteisky Canal Set, 2
Secret Bar Safe Room
More recently, another “secret room” appeared in the Kuznyahouse restaurant. After Hidden, a secret bar with a lamp atmosphere is arranged here. The bar makes cocktails, infusions, and other alcoholic delights reported on the Saferoom telegram channel. Bartenders mix open and trendy highball and LOW-ABV drinks and add seasonality and locality to the map using some preparations in the kitchen.
By the way, if you are a fan of the White Russian cocktail, ask the bartender to prepare the author’s version with pistachio for you. Looks a lot like Snickers.
Address: Admiralteisky Canal Set, 2
Parisian Romance at Cafe Claret
Cafe Claret is the second restaurant of the Helvetia Hotel and opposite Marius. Cafe Claret is a restaurant about wine and food at its best. The menu features classic European cuisine from the brand chef Alexander Bogdanov. By the way, it has recently updated the menu.
Now you can order snacks such as truffle and soft cheese buns, squid with smoked sour cream and miso, crab corn dessert, wild boar and truffle dumplings. For a hot meal, we recommend you to try venison with root cream and grape olives, duck with ramiro peppers and chicken legs with confit vegetables and jus sauce.
And of course, let’s not forget Cafe Claret’s signature tiramisu. Thin cake dipped in incredibly delicate cream and coffee – this is a match made in heaven. By the way, we recommend that you arrive early because Claret’s regulars break up very quickly.
Address: Marata, 11
Journey to the real jungle with Chang
A modern Asian restaurant, Chang greets guests with the atmosphere of the Jumanji adventure movie: plenty of lush vegetation and the hand-sculpted silhouette of an elephant growing just outside the wall.
There’s a special take on the cuisine here – the Chang team, headed by chef Denis Prokhorov, sings the sauces and even the noodles. Among the hits of the institution are Peking duck, tom yum, smoked eel, salad with eggplant and sweet pepper sauce, shrimp with wasabi sauce with mango and avocado, samosa with chicken and yogurt with chutney, pad thai with shrimp and crispy chicken.
For dessert, we recommend ordering mango and passion fruit mochi. Believe me, they’re the tastiest (and not only) in town at Chang.
Address: Moskovsky hope, 186
The most delicious sushi at Kiku Izakaya
In Kiku Izakaya, which opened less than a month ago on the Petrograd side, St. We propose to wrap up the St. Petersburg weekend. And despite this, the landing has already been completed. That’s why we recommend making a reservation in advance.
Kiku Izakaya harmoniously combines several aspects. During the day, people come here for fragrant hearty ebi ramen in fish broth with shrimp and miso paste, and relax at sunset with friends and colleagues who appreciate traditional Japanese cuisine and fresh seafood. In the evening, the izakaya bar welcomes its guests with original snacks and cocktails.
The menu includes Japanese seafood dishes with the author’s sauce: assorted sashimi, tuna tartare marinated with sake in soy sauce with avocado; Japanese pancakes – okonomiyaki with crab and fruit sauce; gedza with shrimp, citrus sauce and truffle ponzu; beef tataki with shichimi sauce and marinated wasabi stem; Duck breast with yuzu and black bean sauce.
Address: Maly Prospekt 60 on the Petrograd side
Source: People Talk
