Kake/Reviews/Arbat
Kake's review of Arbat, March 2012:
The restaurant was empty when I arrived a little before 7pm on a Sunday, but a couple of other parties turned up while I was there. Pop music (Russian?) was playing, not too loud.
Seledka pod shuboi (£5.30) photo was in the salad section of the menu, but my waiter advised me that it would be fine to have as a starter. Described on the menu as "layers of herring fillet, finely chopped onions, carrots, grated potatoes and beetroot with mayonnaise", it was served cold and was really quite nice. The herring was chopped, which I hadn't been expecting (I'm not familiar with the dish), but that worked well. The mayonnaise wasn't cloying, and the finely-minced egg yolk scattered on top looked quite pretty against the red of the beetroot.
Golubtsy (£10.20) photo consisted of large cabbage leaves stuffed with a surprisingly light mixture of rice and minced beef. A thinnish tomato sauce gave added moisture, and the generous dollop of sour cream on top gave it a welcome tanginess.
The portions of both starter and main were large, though not disproportionately so given the price. I certainly didn't need a side dish. Along with two glasses of house wine, I paid £25 including a tip of approximately 10% (this wasn't auto-added to the bill).