The Russia Journal

The restaurant Panorama of the Golden Ring Hotel Complex, together with the restaurant Stella, have opened the Days of Mediterranean Cuisine — "Under the Skies of Moscow" — and invite patrons to taste Mediterranean cuisine dishes while enjoying a truly fantastic bird's eye view of the city. From the windows along the perimeter of the Panorama restaurant's Blue Hall located on 23rd floor of the Golden Ring Hotel you can see the White House, Christ the Savior Cathedral, Moscow State University, Kutuzovsky Prospekt and other interesting city landmarks. There is also an open terrace at the St. Gotthard Bar on the 22nd floor ready to serve customers now that the spring weather has arrived.

In addition to the exquisite panorama, the restaurant boasts equally exquisite dishes — a new menu — in which chef Marina Venikova puts her soul and professionalism.

"Our menu is a collection of the best dishes of Mediterranean cuisine, with the Italian and French cuisine represented predominantly. Everything is prepared from fresh products. Fish is supplied in special containers on ice," Venikova said.

For LifeStyle correspondents, Marina prepared a special assorted dish representing the specialties of the new menu. Without any hesitation, I can recommend Duck liver parfait with truffles in port wine sauce and apple juice with green asparagus ($27). Parfait Balls rolled in truffles are a treat and a truly exquisite combination. We also enjoyed a meat appetizer with a delicious tunny sauce and the octopus salad. In addition to that Panorama offers fresh oysters (Creuse de Bretagne $3.50 and Belon $4.50), asparagus with avocado and sauteed fillet of turbot with beetroot sauce with basil and deepfried beetroot julienne.

Of hot meals, we tried Spinach risotto with black truffles ($24) and Fettuccini in a cream sauce with smoked salmon ($18.00).

Risotto is definitely a pride of the chef. Venikova directed our attention to the fact that the sauce is made of white truffles, which give more aroma, while the dish is decorated with black truffles. Abundant spinach adds both to the coloring and vitamin-content of the dish.

Cream sauce in fettuccini is thick and moderately fat, but the essence of the dish is, of course, the tender, slightly smoked salmon. All in all, the dishes give the most pleasant impression. Of pastas, you can also taste the raviolis with veal.

Tempting are the dishes with black caviar - Black caviar on potato snow ($32), Tagliatelle al caviale (with cream sauce and black caviar, $24).

Vegetarian dishes are also available, including lasagna, which is prepared according to a special recipe: instead of pasta and vegetables, there are layers of vegetables and herbs.

Of meat dishes we paid tribute to Lamb chops grilled in red wine sauce with rosemary and thyme ($28) served with vegetables and mashed potatoes.

I think the lovers of seafood will be impressed by sauteed sole fillet with Chablis sauce ($32), garnished with spinach and mashed potatoes.

The most expensive dish in the menu ($42) is Rossini Tournedos US beef fillet with red wine sauce served with goose liver and black truffles.

As we have noticed, truffles are widely exploited and accentuated in a lot of the dishes here.

The cheapest dishes are found in the dessert section, including Italian specialty - Tiramisu cake ($6). Of the desserts we would recommend Warda dessert ($10) — a very light and moderately sweet mix of bananas, dates and nuts - and Home made chocolate mousse ($8). The latter is prepared according to the recipe of Stella restaurant chef Doelf Michel. Marina Venikova told us Michel's recipe includes some very untraditional ingredients. Probably it is to these ingredients that the mousse owes its delicious taste.

PANORAMA
The Golden Ring Hotel
5 Smolenskaya Ul.
Metro: Smolenskaya
Tel: 725-0100
Open from 12 noon until late night