On the far shores: what are the guests of Vladivostok treated to?
Vladivostok is gradually becoming one of the most promising destinations for domestic tourism. Travelers are attracted by the natural beauty, diverse activities at sea, historical monuments and cultural attractions. But in recent years, an important gastronomic component has been added to this list. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Vladivostok is a port city, and its whole life is connected with the sea in one way or another. It would seem that fish and seafood should play a major role in the local gastronomic culture. However, this is not entirely true. Historically, locals have eaten much more meat, especially chicken and pork. This tradition dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when the hills along the shores of the Golden Horn Bay were actively inhabited by immigrants from the regions of the Central Chernozem region and Little Russia, and it persists today, which is recognized by many local restaurateurs. Of course, the maritime industry in Vladivostok is at its best, but the catch, as a rule, is not delayed in place, but exported to other regions and neighboring countries. That is why until recently, Mediterranean sea bass, Norwegian salmon, Moroccan octopus or French oysters could easily be found on the menu of local restaurants, but not local products.
However, as Vladivostok began to open up to tourists, the gastronomic landscape of the city began to change. After all, guests specially come from far and wide in the hope of tasting first of all local delicacies — hedgehogs, scallops, crabs, oysters, trepangs, anadara. Demand was followed by supply. The first swallow back in the early 2010s was the Zuma restaurant, deservedly considered one of the best establishments in the country. Today, there are already many establishments in the city that work closely with a wide variety of seafood.
Lords of the Seas
One of the most notable in this row is the More Seafood Bar on Svetlanskaya Street. The establishment cooperates directly with fishing companies, which affects the assortment, quality and prices at the same time.
You can start diving into local mariculture with scallop crudo and Magadan shrimp carpaccio, and continue with spicy sashimi salad and Magadan trumpeter with sea urchin caviar. Next, move on to mussels in cream sauce and a bowl of crab meat, and then focus on flounder with sweet and sour sauce and smoked sockeye salmon with rosemary and hollandaise sauce.
The raw bar and positions with Kamchatka crab deserve special attention. "We don't cook the crab as usual — in lightly salted water, but steamed under pressure, which allows us to preserve the extremely delicate taste of the meat," the restaurant's brand chef, Yuri Kryuchkov, told Izvestia. — And in general, we are in favor of languishing at low temperatures in dishes involving heat treatment of products. In raw, on the contrary, we strive to preserve the maximum purity of natural taste."
By the way, the crab can be cooked whole here, and it looks impressive.
Another good fishing spot is Rakushka, a small and atmospheric seafood bar on Aleutskaya Street, a stone's throw from the Seaport, with wooden tables, fishing cages, ship lanterns and a full—length aquarium. But the main thing is with great food. You can start with the freshest scallop caught from the aquarium and an anadara with a glass of her own blood — in principle, this is enough to recharge with vitamins for the whole day. Next, request a five-minute trepang, a spread of scallop gonads, a salad with kelp, to which you can add a little trumpeter, balls with two fish textures (Far Eastern greetings to the great Nobu Matsuhisa) and mussels in white wine with cream. And for hot dishes — herring with baked onions, stewed pearl barley with local seafood, but best of all — the fish of the day, which is taken from fishermen in the early morning.
The yeast-free fisherman's bread, made according to the 1976 recipe, which is served with spreadings or with whipped butter, deserves special mention. It is kneaded in seawater, seaweed is added to the dough, and baked here in the institution. They come to the Shell for this delicacy on purpose.
Morning joys
The establishment also has breakfast options. Early in the morning, you can eat draniki with sockeye salmon, shakshuka with octopus or pancake with Kamchatka crab. Well, for those who are going to go on a boat trip all day, they offer a "Fisherman's Breakfast" — pasta with scrambled eggs and fried sausage.
In general, breakfasts in Vladivostok are just beginning to become fashionable, but other establishments have already mastered this gastronomic format quite well. So, in the Gusto gastrobar, a kind of St. Petersburg corner in the old courtyard of the local GUM, draniki with crab phalanx and poached egg, toast with avocado and raclette cheese sauce, corn porridge with smoked duck, glaze with truffle, and cheesecakes with sour cream and condensed milk sauce are served. In short, it is quite relevant, fashionable and, most importantly, high-quality food, which can be found in decent gastro bars in different parts of the country.
On a side note. Of course, you can have breakfast in a hurry. And in this case, it is difficult to find a more suitable option than pan-se, a steamed bun made of tender dough with a filling of cabbage, pork, onion and pepper. This Korean fast food is very popular in the city. You can meet him in different places, but the best, as it is believed, has been prepared for many years in a tiny cafe on Admiral Fokin pedestrian street. It is recommended to drink milkis with carbonated milk drink, another Korean specialty that has long become its own in Vladivostok.
Share with a friend
Lunch, unlike breakfast, is much easier. Fortunately, the lion's share of establishments opens around noon. Of the completely new projects, it is worth paying attention to Tiama in Laninsky Lane, the joint brainchild of Anitonio Fresa, a well—known restaurateur in both Russian capitals, and Ilya Sukhoi, a local businessman and creator of the iconic Zuma not only for Vladivostok. It serves Mediterranean cuisine, but with a seaside flavor. The menu includes bruschetta with Kamchatka crab and straccatella, vitello tonnato Roman pizza, gnocchi with trumpeter and porcini mushrooms, kalamarata with whole crab, grilled octopus (of course, Far Eastern) with chichimurri sauce, tom yam ribs with new potatoes, and for dessert creme brulee with tonka beans and absolutely airy pistachio tiramisu.
On foot, each guest is offered a glass of homemade limoncella, including sake.
Meat eaters, and there are many among the locals and guests of the city, should definitely stop by the Cedar House restaurant, located between Vladivostok and the airport. There is a very decent selection of steaks, including long—term dry aging, but the main thing is that they can be cooked properly. There are also dishes from smoker, stroganina, tartare and raisin dumplings, marrow bones, burger with brisket, steak, Wellington, knuckle and other delicacies. However, the restaurant's menu is quite extensive. Therefore, each guest will find something in it to suit their own taste, be it fish, seafood, vegetables or sweets.
On a side note. On Svetlanskaya Street there is a cafe "Don't cry" — a real city landmark with a hundred-year history. Behind a modest sign in the vintage interiors of the Art Nouveau era, you can have a great dinner, quite simple, but satisfying and delicious. The menu includes vinaigrette, Leningrad pickle, chicken chop, potatoes with mushrooms, cabbage pies, dried fruit compote and other delights at very reasonable prices.
Evening exit
As evening falls, a different kind of life begins in the city. If the weather permits, people stroll through the streets, hang out at the Millionth, smoothly flow from bar to bar. There are also suitable formats for this time of day in the city. If you want something simple, affordable and moderately exotic, it's worth taking a look at About My Duck on Border Street, or more precisely the street. A very small and very atmospheric establishment in the former chinatown is made in the format of a traditional Chinese eatery, chifanki, where you can grab a plate of soup and drink beer while snacking on pickled shiitake.
But the main local delicacy, which the institution is deservedly proud of, is Peking duck, and they come here mainly for it. You can order a quarter of the carcass, half or whole, depending on your appetite. In any case, you will not lose. You should add a few different snacks and a bowl of rice to the order.
If you want to spend the evening in a more intimate and leisurely atmosphere, it makes sense to stop by Vinoterra, not the famous and, by the way, very decent wine bar on First Morskaya Street, but the new restaurant on Makovsky Street from the same owners.
This is an institution of a completely different rank and format, a kind of thoroughbred classic with perfectly cooked food and a luxurious wine list, which contains many rare items and old vintages of well-known farms at very reasonable prices.
European and original cuisine is served here, onion soup and mashed potatoes with blue stilton cheese are prepared, scallops are baked on coals, steaks are properly fried, cecina wagyu and ochelli in grappa are served. In short, gourmets will find something to please themselves.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
