From Russia with lunch.... Restaurant review: St Petersburgh, Broadway, Peterborough

So in anticipation of the big match I thought I would get an insight into what the nation is all about at Peterborough’s own Russian restaurant - St Petersburgh in Broadway.

It is a great looking place, with a bright, brash but not gaudy bar, pleasant decor set off by a huge mural, a couple of chandeliers and sparkling wall lights plus comfy - if a bit low for the tables - seating.

The website promises the “true taste” of Russia and there are plenty of dishes on the menu that sound like they have come straight from the Eastern Bloc ( I do like the stuffed dumplings). That said you can also take your pick from quite a selection of pizzas, pasta and pancakes, savoury and sweet.

Lunchtime they also do a two-course, quick business lunch for £8; a choice of three starters and a main.

I had tried the cold beetroot soup on a previous visit (an absolute feast of shredded beetroot which tasted surprisingly good) so I opted for the hot version.

This time it was a very tasty indeed bowl of soup, with chunks of beetroot almost an afterthought. More noticeable and mouth-watering were the half-a-dozen or so meatballs lurking beneath the surface and a delicious dollop of sour cream in the middle.

Main course was a very filling beef stroganoff. There were lashings of lovely strips of beef, and the sauce was rich and creamy with onions throughout and nice sprinkling of herbs on top. My only gripe, it was a little salty.

It came with a side serving of fried potatoes (wedges with the skin on), an almost obligatory gherkin, a plain tasting coleslaw and slightly sweet shredded beetroot.

A smashing lunch with service to match, and very reasonable too.

VENUE: St Petersburgh, 52 Broadway, Peterborough. Tel 01733 344 138 or 01733 286 286 www.stpetersburgrussianrestaurant.com

BRAD’S RATING: 8

From the menu:

cold starters

Herring featherbed: Layers of potato, gherkin, beetroot, carrots,peas, & herring, topped with a mayonnaise dressing.

Hussar snack: Entwined Leek, apple & herring with a mayonnaise dressing, topped with caviar.

hot starters

Peas & bacon: Boiled yellow peas, topped with chunks of bacon.

Herring with hot potatoes: Marinated herring, served with either boiled or fried potatoes, marinated onions & sour cream.

mains

Agronomist Dumplings: Dumplings stuffed with potatoes, dressed in sour cream & chunks of bacon.Golden coin: Dumplings stuffed with chicken, dressed with sour cream.

Siberian dumplings: Dumplings stuffed with minced beef, pork &

onions, dressed with sour cream.

Fish Kiev: Fish fillet stuffed with butter & herbs, deep fried & coated in breadcrumbs, with fresh tomatoes & cucumber.

Soviet schnitzel: Pan-fried minced pork & veal, coated in breadcrumbs & béchamel sauce, served with beetroot salad & gherkins.