There was a little café half a block from the Astoria where I used to get great pelmini. It was on the opposite side of the street towards the Nevsky Prospect. One of those hole in the wall spots a few steps below street level. They didn’t speak English, but I don’t remember having any trouble getting food, so they might have had English menus. The only thing I could order in Russian was 100 ml of Russian Standard vodka or Baltica Seven beer. It was an astonishingly useful phrase though, so I didn’t complain much.
Bill Door, thanks for the info- was it on the river side or canal (the street). We have found a few places which are really great and all seemed to be in cellars.
We went back to the Hermitage this mornig but really just to attack the gift shop. We couldn’t decide what Faberge replica to buy so we blew the budget and got both. We went to the Faberge Museum this afternoon but we either had to buy a group ticket and wait an hour until the tour started or come back after 6 pm which was a bit late for us. We didn’t know much about it- Lonely Planet doesn’t even mention it- but I understand there are Faberge eggs worth about $100 million there. I can understand the security.
We did drop into a lovely little bar and grill- Romanov’s- which (naturally) was in a cellar. Great place and cheap beer. Came out and it was snowing again. Something surreal about wandering around when it is snowing in St Petersburg on a Saturday night. The weather we never experience at home and we never imagined we would be here. The streets were really buzzing with a happy crowd. Although we were home quite early it seems like a lively place. The ladies make me wish I was 40 years younger- then again, my aching legs make me wish that as well.
The more I see of the place the more I like it.
Okay we’re out of here tomorrow. We’ll exchange the cold of here for the tropics.
Wait- we are going to Lapland- that may be a little less than sweltering.
Thanks for the tips everyone- we loved our time here.