The Bellevue Brasserie on the ninth floor at the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 offers guests a panoramic view of Saint Petersburg, Russia and a relaxing, casual ambience where they can enjoy lunch, dinner, or cocktails.

Imagine sitting at a small round table in the Bellevue Brasserie next to walls of windows overlooking Saint Petersburg, the city lights sparkling in the night with magnificent views of Palace Square, the State Hermitage, Moika River, and the colorful onion domes of the Cathedral on the Spilled Blood. This was the setting that awaited us, when Edward F. Nesta and I had dinner at the restaurant in November 2006.

The Bellevue Brasserie offers guests prime real estate views of Saint Petersburg with brasserie cuisine as well as a few Russian favorites on the menu. The restaurant features an intimate, casual setting with an atrium ceiling, marble floors with navy carpeting, small round tables draped with white linens, with tall white tapers burning in hurricane globes on the tables, and comfortable beige club chairs. It is the type of place where you want to relax and enjoy the views.

We began with a first course of a bowl of steaming hot Crème de Champignons de Paris a l'ancienne aromatisée à l'essence de Truffle Noire (Old fashion style mushroom cream soup scented with black truffle extract), which was perfect on a snowy, chilly evening.

For his second course, Edward selected traditional Russian fare, Boeuf Stroganoff à la Russe avec riz Basmati (Beef Stroganoff Russian style with Basmati rice). This hearty and plentiful dish was a taste of old Russia and consisted of tender beef strips browned and braised in a rich sauce laden with sliced mushrooms, garnished with julienne zucchini, and accompanied with aromatic Basmati rice.

I selected the Penne et sa julienne de legumes au Pestou (Penne pasta with julienne vegetables and basil pestou), which was a large deep bowl of penne pasta tossed with julienne vegetables and a flavorful pestou, topped with gratinated cheese, and garnished with a tomato "flower" and a sprig of thyme.

Although the views inside the restaurant are spectacular, after dinner when we stepped outside, the views from the terrace were simply breathtaking. Imagine what it would be like to watch fireworks for New Year's Eve from the Bellevue Brasserie. When we could finally tear our eyes away from the views, we returned to the restaurant, and this being Russia, we chatted with the barmen Anton and Matvey regarding the Bellevue Brasserie's large selection of excellent Russian vodkas, which they serve icy cold.

Russian vodka or champagne paired with a selection of caviar, the Bellevue Brasserie is the perfect place for lunch, to begin an evening, have dinner and spend the evening, or end an evening on the town with a nightcap in the bar.

Read about the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 in the Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants and Chefs' Recipes sections.

  
Bellevue Brasserie
Kempinski Hotel Moika 22
Moika River Embankment
191186 Saint Petersburg
Russian Federation
Telephone:      +7 812 335-9111
Toll-Free:         00 800 426 313-55 (Europe)
Toll-Free:         1 800 426-3135 (North America)
Fax:                 +7 812 335-9190 
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   
www.Kempinski-St-Petersburg.com  
www.Kempinski.com  

Read other articles on Saint Petersburg and Russia in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Spas sections.

For information on Russia, please visit the website: www.VisitRussia.com.

© April 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.