Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the main character in Ivan Goncharov’s "Oblomov," is an upper-class, refined gentleman, who possesses an excellent education, beautiful estate and bountiful financial resources. He dreams of a beautiful house in the country, while he lounges around his own apartment in Russia’s pre-revolutionary capital, St. Petersburg.

Although going through an early mid-life crisis, Oblomov, is the kind of man who is able to shut out the world around him and think about the thing he reveres most – his love for relaxation. He’s a man with whom most people would love to share a meal.

And what better place to go to than the aptly titled Oblomov restaurant where the atmosphere evokes the spirit of an elite 19th-century mansion, like that described in Goncharov’s novel.

Oblomov consists of five halls, including the sleek "Pizhon" cafe on the ground floor, the two elite dining rooms styled after old palaces and titled after the two leading characters of the novel, "Schtolz" and "Oblomov," on the second floor, an eastern-style lounge (which oozes the comforts of literary Oblomov’s roomy Persian-style dressing gown) with hookahs on the top level and a summer terrace, which is set to open as soon as spring is in full swing.

I arrived with a friend for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by the doorman, who I feigned to be Oblomov’s faithful butler, Zakhar. After hanging our coats, we chose a table on the ground floor. Like the interior design, the menus also stay true to the 19th century, featuring Russian and French dishes that were popular during Oblomov’s time.

After consulting with the friendly staff about what they recommend, I settled on the duck salad with ginger sauce (450 rubles) and salmon marinated in aromatic herbs (680 rubles). My companion ordered the house salad (300 rubles) and the veal chop with fried spinach and pepper sauce (1,200 rubles). As it was the middle of the workday, we forced ourselves to ignore the extensive wine collection and each decided to order a glass of homemade mors (a traditional Russian beverage made of fresh berries).

To accompany our meals, our dutiful waiter brought us a breadbasket featuring mini whole-grain bagets and fresh-baked Russian black bread along with three types of butter – paprika, herb and plain.

After a few delightful minutes of taking in the scenery, the waiter brought out our starters. My salad of marinated slices of tender duck complemented by a delicate mix of greens and tomatoes and drizzled with a fragrant ginger sauce was light, fresh and tasty – a perfect prelude to my salmon. My friend’s house salad was less French and more Russian, as it featured boiled vegetables, duck and bacon served on a crispy lobster pastry and crowned with mayonnaise. Despite my quickness to condemn mayo usage in this country, the salad was good. It had a surprising, yet satisfying smoky flavor stand out.

My salmon came with a helping of greens and a grilled lime on the side. The fish was succulent and flavorful – for the duration of my meal I even forgot that Moscow is landlocked! My companion’s veal was tender and delicious and the presentation of his meal was outstanding.

We finished up our meals and the last sips of our mors, which was excellent, and sat back to digest in the inviting atmosphere. And although the dessert menu looked superb, we decided to go light: I ordered jasmine green tea (220 rubles) and my friend ordered an espresso (140 rubles). I even contemplated staying in Oblomov’s estate an extra couple hours and ordering some lunchtime reading material off of their Book Menu, but put that idea to rest when I remembered a little thing called "work."

After snapping out of my literary daydream, I came to the conclusion that Oblomov is not only a restaurant, but a literary and somewhat theatrical experience, as well. I’ll definitely be back.

Location:

Oblomov
5 1st Monetchikovsky Per.
Metro: Dobrininskaya
Tel: 953-6828