Arbat, 84 Cowley Road
You’ve probably walked past Arbat countless times when going down Cowley – its hard to miss the pseudo classical façade staring back at you – and laughed that you definitely need to eat there. From my experience, however, it’s a rather expensive joke. The venue is clean, but had less Russian glamour and more Soviet severity with its pleather seats, kitsch décor, and ‘traditional’ folk background-music.
We began our meal with a traditional Russian drink made from fermented rye called kvass, which can only be described as an acquired taste, before promptly switching to water. The food largely consisted of meat, wheat and cream; not ideal then if you’re a vegetarian, celiac, or lactose intolerant. The service was quite good but the food that was brought to us did not really live up to even our low expectations. The ‘home-made’ Siberian pelmeni resembled anaemic ravioli, and after eating a few of the
dubiously unspecified ‘meat’ dumplings, I was very much ready to stop. However, we still had the plov of lamb, rice and carrots to try. While it was edible, it wasn’t worth the money we paid – much the case for most of the dishes at this establishment. Regardless, we thought we’d share a dessert, and after being told that our first choice of honey cake was not available, we settled for a Napoleon layer cake. This came with one scoop of budget vanilla ice cream, and was similarly forced down. Upon leaving, my friend commented that she’d paid £18 to feel as if she’d put on eighteen pounds. I think this sums it up aptly; a rather overpriced and calorific experience that probably wasn’t worth the expense. Perhaps the £9.95 three-course lunch is advisable if, having read this review, you’re still somewhat intrigued by Arbat.
