Even back in the time of Peter the Great, St. Petersburg was famed for its restaurants, each of which deserves its own story. But there is one among them that has achieved the distinction of being most extraordinary and impressive - one could say ‘most Russian’ - with the simple title of «Russian Pub No. 1». This has nothing to do with its world-class cuisine - which it undoubtedly has - but with its ‘speciality - the Museum of Russian Vodka. Here you can learn a number of interesting facts from the history of our national drink you might previously not have been aware of: when and where vodka was invented, how it was drunk and from what kind of vessels, what it was made of, where the expression ‘one for the road’ came from and why you shouldn’t set an empty bottle on the table. However, pride of place is not occupied by vodka, as you might think, but the «culture of drinking», as it was called in the 19th century. This is why the restaurant’s chef, along with the host, is preparing the «right» hors d’oeuvres for Russian alcoholic beverage No. 1.

Recipe «Crabs with mushrooms baked in cream»

Recipe «Baked potato with pike caviar»  

Recipe «Russian herring in shuba»

Crabs with mushrooms baked in cream

recipe serves 2 persons; preparation time ~ 20 minutes; cooking time ~ 20 minutes
Ingredients:
100 g. crab meat, 100 g. white mushrooms, 1 onion, cream, salt, black pepper.

Directions:

Prepare basis for baking. Cut crab claws with special scissors. Put out meat. Cut claws into half so that they are «boats».

Prepare stuffing. Cut crab meat and white mushrooms into dices, chop onion finely. Roast mushrooms and onion for 3-5 minutes. Add cream and steam on medium fire. Mix roast mushrooms and onion with crab meat. Salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture into claws halves and bake in oven for 6-7 minutes at 180 degrees. Oil with butter and serve with chopped dill.

Baked potato with pike caviar

recipe serves 2 persons; preparation time ~ 5 minutes; cooking time ~ 1,5 hour
Ingredients:
1 large potato, 30 g. butter, pike caviar.

Directions:

Wash potato and wipe it thoroughly. Wrap into several layers of foil. Bake in oven for at least 1.5 hour.

Butter stuffing. Cut prepared potato into two right in the foil. Clean each part out of pulp so that they are like «boats». Blend potato with butter until mashed and stuff with it the boats in foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees. Oil cooked dish with butter before serving. Serve with pike caviar and freshly-salted cucumbers.

Russian herring in shuba

recipe serves 2 persons; cooking time ~ 5 minutes
Ingredients:
100 g. herring fillet, 1 boiled potato, 1 onion, 2 boiled carrots, 1 boiled beet, 1 sour apple, 3 boiled eggs, mayonnaise.

Directions:

Chop herring fillet, onion and apple finely. Grate other ingredients. Place in different plates. Put them slayer by slayer by coating with mayonnaise in the following sequence:

1. potato
2. herring fillet
3. onion
4. apple (a little bit)
5. carrot
6. beet

Don't coat with mayonnaise the highest layer, but sprinkle with grated eggs. Leave in a fridge for an hour before serving.