annexed by France. Moscow remembers the First Napoleon, and its kitchens have not yielded to French blandishments, nor are they likely to while the Eagles the Buonaparte left behind in the snow are ranged inside the Kremlin and the captured French cannon are aligned outside the great palace. Moscow has gained celebrity for its cutlets of all kinds, for its divine cold sucking-pig, and for its cold boiled beef, which is almost snow white. The raw material used at the good Moscow restaurants is all the best of its kind, and Russians tell me that no man is so particular as to getting the very best that money can buy as the gadabout sons of the rich merchants who, both the sons and the plutocrats, abound in Moscow. I asked a Russian in Moscow, who was kind enough to tell me something concerning the ways of the city, what the day of a Russian who was going to enjoy himself thoroughly in Moscow would be. I was told that he would lunch, and lunch amply, about noon either at the Ermitage Restaurant, or the Bolskoi Moscovski, or the Slavianski Bazaar ; would dine lightly at five o’clock at the Mavritania, or one of the other restaurants in the Park ; would spend his evening at one of the gardens, the Aquarium Sad or the Ermitage Sad ; and some time after midnight would sup at the Yar or the Golden Anchor while watching and listening to a music-hall performance. In a humble manner I trod in the footsteps of the Russian of fashion. I lunched many times at the Slavianski Bazaar Restaurant, for I stayed in the hotel of which this is a part. The Zakouska counter from which the habitues select a plateful of “ snacks,” pay for them, and then walk about eating them, is a noble collection of “ appetisers ” ; but even more wonderful is the cold menu counter, where on ovals of wood edged with silver are the salmon, veal, boiled beef, sucking- 390 T^he Gourmet’s Guide to Europe pig, giant crayfish, and bowls of cream. Zakouska , Selianka with Rastegai , cold sucking-pig and cream and horse-radish, and an orange salad form a typical lunch at the Slavianski. At dinner-time the soups, chiefly vegetable or fish, and the great variety of fresh- Slavianski water fish, formed the interesting por- Bazaar, Rue tions of the meal. The restaurant Nikolskaia room of the Slavianski is white below and the upper portion is painted in imitation of wood. A curious arrangement of light arches supports the roof instead of pillars. The most interesting room in the Slavianski is the old Russian Hall, painted in glaring and barbaric colours, in which the concerts are given. The waiters at the Slavianski are in dress clothes, and, with the exception of the head waiter, who talks a little English and a little German, speak Russian only. The Ermitage is one of the historic restaurants of the world. It has a tremendous staff of chefs and sous-chefs, its store-rooms for game are a sight worth seeing, and it has a wonderful dinner service of Sevres china which is so precious that an extra charge js made for its use at any dinner party. I asked a The Ermitage, little Part7 °f fellow-travellers to Trubnala ’ lunch with me, and I hope now Plastchad that j was prompted entirely by the

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annexed by France. Moscow remembers the First Napoleon, and its kitchens have not yielded to French blandishments, nor are they likely to while the Eagles the Buonaparte left behind in the snow are ranged inside the Kremlin and the captured French cannon are aligned outside the great palace. Moscow has gained celebrity for its cutlets of all kinds, for its divine cold sucking-pig, and for its cold boiled beef, which is almost snow white. The raw material used at the good Moscow restaurants is all the best of its kind, and Russians tell me that no man is so particular as to getting the very best that money can buy as the gadabout sons of the rich merchants who, both the sons and the plutocrats, abound in Moscow. I asked a Russian in Moscow, who was kind enough to tell me something concerning the ways of the city, what the day of a Russian who was going to enjoy himself thoroughly in Moscow would be. I was told that he would lunch, and lunch amply, about noon either at the Ermitage Restaurant, or the Bolskoi Moscovski, or the Slavianski Bazaar ; would dine lightly at five o’clock at the Mavritania, or one of the other restaurants in the Park ; would spend his evening at one of the gardens, the Aquarium Sad or the Ermitage Sad ; and some time after midnight would sup at the Yar or the Golden Anchor while watching and listening to a music-hall performance. In a humble manner I trod in the footsteps of the Russian of fashion. I lunched many times at the Slavianski Bazaar Restaurant, for I stayed in the hotel of which this is a part. The Zakouska counter from which the habitues select a plateful of “ snacks,” pay for them, and then walk about eating them, is a noble collection of “ appetisers ” ; but even more wonderful is the cold menu counter, where on ovals of wood edged with silver are the salmon, veal, boiled beef, sucking- 390 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe pig, giant crayfish, and bowls of cream. Zakouska , Selianka with Rastegai , cold sucking-pig and cream and horse-radish, and an orange salad form a typical lunch at the Slavianski. At dinner-time the soups, chiefly vegetable or fish, and the great variety of fresh- Slavianski water fish, formed the interesting por- Bazaar, Rue tions of the meal. The restaurant Nikolskaia room of the Slavianski is white below and the upper portion is painted in imitation of wood. A curious arrangement of light arches supports the roof instead of pillars. The most interesting room in the Slavianski is the old Russian Hall, painted in glaring and barbaric colours, in which the concerts are given. The waiters at the Slavianski are in dress clothes, and, with the exception of the head waiter, who talks a little English and a little German, speak Russian only. The Ermitage is one of the historic restaurants of the world. It has a tremendous staff of chefs and sous-chefs, its store-rooms for game are a sight worth seeing, and it has a wonderful dinner service of Sevres china which is so precious that an extra charge js made for its use at any dinner party. I asked a The Ermitage, little Part7 °f fellow-travellers to Trubnala ’ lunch with me, and I hope now Plastchad that j was prompted entirely by the

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