An Edible Voyage

January 2017 Serving only donuts and filter coffee, Pyshechnaya is somewhat of a St Petersburg institution so don't be surprised to find a queue winding its way out of the door.  Cups of coffee and plates of light, fluffy, sugary doughnuts, hot from the fryer, are served at lightening speed at mind-blowingly cheap prices.  Grab yourself a plate (one each doesn't cut it here!) and huddle at the counter. Find them at Pyshechnaya.

January 2017 Breakfast Russian style.  My first experience of millet porridge, I wasn't sold.  The soft, fluffy texture felt a little sludgy - I prefer a grain with a little bit to it, although the pumpkin seeds did add a crunchy contrast.  The savoury, earthiness of the roast pumpkin meant that for me, the dish was less sweet than I would have preferred for breakfast, and was overall rather bland.

January 2017 Pickled herring with onions, served as an appetiser. Find it at Zoom Cafe, where you can pass the time releasing your inner child by drawing on the paper table cloths with the array of coloured pencils that are provided.

January 2017 Almost bite sized, these meat filled dumplings are served with sour cream and make a great accompaniment to a beer.  Vareniki are similar but filled with potato or cheese, or sweet jam and served as dessert.  Find them on most restaurant menus.  At Pelmenya (6 branches across the city) which serves only dumplings, you can compare pelmeni and vareniki with their Italian (ravioli), Chinese (jiaozi) and Georgian counterparts. (khinkali).

January 2017 Thin like crepes, try blinis 'Russian style' with caviar and sour cream. Find them in Cafe Singer, and enjoy a moment of decadence in the opulent tea room with huge arched windows overlooking Nevsky Prospekt and the impressive Kazansky cathedral.  Then take a wander downstairs to Dom Knigi, the city's famous bookshop which is housed on the ground floor of this stunning building.

January 2017 Solyanka, a soup of meat and pickled vegetables has a piquant, briny flavour.

January 2017 Menus in Russia often include dishes using meats we would never dream of eating in the UK. Bear burgers, a little sweeter than venison but with a very course texture. Beaver sausages, a similar flavour to pork, with a liver-like tang.

January 2017 Crispy wafer rolls filled with whipped cream.  A sinfully delicious accompaniment to a coffee. Find them at cafes and bakeries around the city.