00:10    |    05/11/2009

“Rich” Russian cuisine in a setting with noble touches

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Location: Puskin restaurant opened inside Villa Cornelia(www.vila-cornelia.com), situated near Carol Park, in a withdrawn, discrete location, recommended to those who want to spend a quiet evening in a private environment, where the setting, the menu and the atmosphere transpose in the world and time of the Russian poet and play writer Aleksandr Puskin. The restaurant, opened in 2005 by a Russian investor is the the only one with Russian cuisine in Bucharest, but the menu also includes Romanian dishes. “The building was expanded later for accommodation also and it includes eight single and double rooms and two apartments, as well as very hot Russian sauna, cold swimming pool and jacuzzi.” says Alina Nita, director at Vila Cornelia.

Setting: The architecture and the design of the restaurant launch the invitation, even if only by suggestion, in a sophisticated world, with limited access, a small circle frequented exclusively by the 19th century nobles, to which the author of “Evgheni Onehin” also belonged.

The decorations framing the ceiling, the paintings with golden thin paper portraying Puskin and the members of his family or various images of his residence, all the ornamental details, render the atmosphere specific to the opulent palaces built during the Great Russian Empire. Although loaded of significations and details, it is not an overwhelming atmosphere, as the balance is created with the help of the simple furniture- tables, chairs and sofas in modern style.

“The restaurant is divided into a large salon, with a capacity of 50 to 60 people, for non- smokers and a salon for smokers, where 10 people can have lunch or dinner. There is also a terrace, in front of the hotel, that can be used during summer.” according to Alina Nita.

Russian cuisine & menu: Far from offering refined, sophisticated dishes, the Russian cuisine is rather characterized through consistent dishes, dominated by meat, soups and vegetables. “Russians eat a lot of soup. “Soleanca”, a soup with smoked meat, “rasolnic”, a soup made of pork bones, boiled oat, pickles and potatoes and the “Russian borch” made of red beet or “okrosca”- cabbage soup with cold meat, are always present in the menu. They also like lamb ribs, sea fruits and crabs. Most of our foreign customers are Russians and come here after 17 hours, for dinners.” says Alina Nita.

There is also a “samovar” in the restaurant, a large vessel put on hot coal, in which the Russians make the tea they drink in the morning. “The tea can be kept hot in the samovar for three hours. The Russians drink a lot of black tea, especially in the morning, at breakfast, with sandwiches and sour cherry pies or pies with other fillings. They usually drink coffee at the office.” says Ion Muntean, the restaurant’s chef, a Moldovan with a lot of experience in the restaurants in Russia and in the Republic of Moldova, but he also worked in German, Mexican and Italian restaurants.  

Lunch and dinner usually begin with a salad with mayonnaise. The Suba salad with many vegetables and mayonnaise or the Russian “Olivier” salad (chicken breast, potatoes, pickled cucumbers, green peas, boiled eggs and  mayonnaise) are two of the most requested salads. There are also salads from the international cuisine in the menu: egg plant salad, tuna salad or salmon salad. But the salads can also be replaced by hot appetisers: pancakes with chicken liver, vareniki with potatoes or cheese or roasted ring sliced squid.   

“The main course is almost obligatory based on meat: beef, pork cotlet, lamb or fish cooked in the oven or grilled. The Russian cuisine is trying to exclude the fried dishes. In Moscow especially, people eat a lot of horse meat. But the chicken is not very present in the menu.” the chef Ion Muntean explains. In the menu of the Puskin restaurant can also be found rabbit in vegetable sauce, lamb in vegetable sauce, Russian chicken or salmon fillet in cucumber sauce a la Caucaz. The vegetable garnishes usually contain potatoes boiled or cooked in the oven, never fried, mushrooms, rice, pasta or boiled buckwheat.  

The bread is cooked in the restaurant’s kitchen and it contains dry plumps, sun flower seeds or peanuts.

The food is splashed with vodka in abundance, wine or cognac. The vodka goes very well with pickled cucumbers or bacon with garlic.  

The deserts are simple but very tasty. The specialty of the house is a cake called “Cusma lui Guguta”. “It is a cake made of pancakes laid one on top of the other, with sour cherries in own juice, chocolate and whipped cream.  We also offer stuffed plums with nuts and whipped cream or ice- cream with honey and chocolate.” says the chef.

Puskin Restaurant
Address: Str Cornelia Nr 26
Tel: 021 336 57 98; 0758 017 410.
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



Puskin- bucatarie ruseasca “bogata”, intr-un décor cu aer nobiliar

Locatie: Restaurantul Puskin a fost deschis in interiorul Vilei Cornelia (www.vila-cornelia.com ), amplasata in apropierea Parcului Carol, o locatie retrasa, discreta, recomandata celor care vor sa petreaca o seara linistita intr-un cadru intim, in care décorul, meniul si atmosfera, transpun in lumea si timpul poetului si dramaturgului clasic rus Aleksandr Puskin. Restaurantul, deschis in 2005 de un investitor rus, este singurul cu specific rusesc din Capitala, dar meniul include si preparate bin bucataria romaneasca. “Ulterior cladirea a fost extinsa si pentru functiuni de cazare si include 8 camere single si double si 2 apartamente, precum si sauna ruseasca foarte fierbite, piscina rece si jacuzzi.” spune Alina Nita, director Vila Cornelia.

Ambient: Arhitectura si design-ul restaurantului lanseaza invitatia, fie si numai la modul sugestiv, intr-o lume sofisticata, cu acces limitat, un cerc restrans frecventat exclusiv de nobilimea rusa a secolului al XIX-lea, caruia ii apartinea si autorul lui “Evgheni Onehin”.

Stucaturile care incadreaza tavanul, picturile cu foita de aur, care il infatiseaza pe Puskin si pe membrii familiei sale, sau diverse imagini din resedinta  acestuia, toate detaliile ornamentale, redau atmosfera specifica opulentelor palate construite in perioada marelui imperiu rus. Desi incarcata de semnificatii si detalii, nu este o atmosfera apasatoare, intrucat echilibrul este creat cu ajutorul mobilierului simplu, mese, scaune si canapele in stil modern.

“Restaurantul este impartit intr-un salon mare, cu o capacitate de 50- 60 de persoane, pentru nefumatori si un salon pentru fumatori, unde pot lua masa 10 persoane. Exista si o terasa, in fata hotelului, care poate fi folosita vara.” potrivit Alinei Nita.

Bucatarie ruseasca & meniu: Departe de a oferi feluri de mancare rafinate si sofisticate, bucataria ruseasca este mai degraba caracterizata prin consistenta preparatelor, dominata de carne, ciorbe si legume. “Rusii mananca foarte multe ciorbe si supe. "Soleanca", o supa cu carne afumata, rasolnicul, o ciorba din ciolane de porc, orz fiert, castraveti murati si cartofi si "borsul rusesc" facut din sfecla rosie si taitei sau "okrosca"- ciorba de varza cu mezeluri reci, sunt nelipsite din meniu. Le plac si coastele de berbec, fructele de mare si crabii. Majoritatea clientilor straini pe care ii avem sunt rusi si vin aici dupa ora 17, pentru cina.” spune Alina Nita.

In restaurant exista si un samovar, un vas mare care se pune pe carbuni incinsi, in care rusii prepara ceaiul, pe care il beau dimineata. “Ceaiul se pastreaza cald in samovar, trei ore. Rusii beau mult ceai negru, de obicei dimineata, la micul dejun, alaturi de sandwich-uri si pateruri cu visine sau cu alte umpluturi. Cafeaua o beau de obicei cand ajung la birou.” spune Ion Muntean, bucatarul restaurantului, un moldovean get- beget, cu o indelunga experienta in restaurantele din Rusia si din Republica Moldova, dar a lucrat si in restaurante cu specific german, mexican si italian.

Masa de pranz si cina incep de obicei cu o salata cu maioneza. Salata Suba cu multe cruditati si maioneza sau salata ruseasca “Olivier” (piept de pui, castraveti murati, mazare, ou fiert si maioneza) sunt doua dintre salatele cele mai solicitate salate. Alaturi de ele, in meniu, se gasesc si salate cu specific international: salata de vinete, salata din tot, sau salata de somon.  Salata poate fi inlocuita insa cu o gustare calda: clatite cu ficat de pui, coltunasi cu cartofi sau branza sau calamar pane.

“Felul principal este aproape obligatoriu pe baza de carne: muschi de vita, cotlet sau frigarui de porc la gratar, miel sau peste, gatite la gratar sau la cuptor. Bucataria ruseasca incearca sa excluda prajelile. In Moscova, in special, se consuma foarte multa carne de cal. In schimb carnea de pui este mai putin intalnita in meniu” explica bucatarul Ion Muntean. In meniul restaurantului Puskin se gasesc iepure cu legume, miel in sos de legume, coaste de porc la tigaie, pui rusesc sau file de somon in sos de castraveti ca la Caucaz. Garniturile din legume contin in general cartofi natur sau la cuptor, niciodata prajiti, ciuperci, orez, paste sau hrisca.

Paine se prepara in bucatarie din faina alba sau neagra si contine prune uscate, seminte de floarea soarelui sau alune.

Mancarea este stropita cu vodka din belsug, vin sau cognac. Vodka merge foarte bine si cu castraveti murati sau cu slanina cu usturoi.

Deserturile sunt simple, dar savuroase. Specialitatea casei este tortul Cusma lui Guguta. “Este un tort din clatite suprapuse, cu visine in suc propriu, ciocolata si frisca. Servim si prune umplute cu nuci si frisca, mere coapte cu miere si nuci sau inghetata asortata cu miere si ciocolata.” spune bucatarul.

Restaurant Puskin

Adresa: Str Cornelia Nr 26
Tel: 021 336 57 98; 0758 017 410.
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it