Let it never be said that Moscow, despite its cold climate, knows nothing of the deserts (or desserts) of the Middle East.

Cleopatra, a Middle Eastern restaurant that still has a distinctly Russian flavor, is living proof to the contrary. Owned and operated by a pair of Syrian and Russian restauranteurs, this venue represents a not-half-bad attempt to bring the food of the Near Orient to Moscow.

The restaurant, a bit of opulence smack-dab in the middle of the Marina Roshe district, offers an eclectic mixture of Middle Eastern, Russian and international cuisine. In the eyes of purists, the fact that it has borsch on the menu might compromise its Middle Eastern credentials – but I, for one, was not in the least upset.

The restaurant is upscale, but not horrendously snobbish – it is perfectly possible for someone who is neither a visiting GM executive or a New Russian to eat here, without overly diminishing the amount of money in one's bank account.

The layout is what one would expect from such a venue: Empire-style and rococo furniture, with gold-on-white being the central motif both for furnishings and general decor and a bit of Middle Eastern stylization to reinforce the restaurant's theme. In the summer, the restaurant's management says, the veranda is opened to customers and is popular among people looking for a place to host parties or banquets.

This journalist and his compatriot started off with plain humus at 110 rubles – de rigueur in a Middle Eastern restaurant – and humus with meat (that is lamb, the Middle Eastern staple) at 150 rubles. Very tasty, though of course it's difficult to go wrong with something as basic as humus.

We followed it up with mushroom soup (another 150 rubles) and the standard Arabian snack sambuski (lamb, cheese and spinach wrapped in a roll, with four for 200 rubles). The sambuski were on the small side and not exceptional but, all in all, were not bad. The crispness of the wrapping contrasted nicely with the smooth texture and taste of the filling.

Afterwards, I had "fruits of the sea" (translated into non-restaurantese, this means "a selection of seafood") which costs 390 rubles. Nicely done, with bite-sized portions placed in a bed of spinach in a clam-shaped crisp bread shell. My compatriot, for his part, had the "Arabian fillet" (strips of beef wrapped in garlic and lemon sauce with sides of vegetables and mashed potatoes, for 220 rubles). Very tender and not bad at all for the price.

Not sampled, but also on the menu, are a great variety of Middle Eastern foods, including tabuli (a salad with mint and tomatoes), berdganam (lamb unmentionables in garlic and lemon sauce) and dolma (beef and mutton wrapped up with rice in grape leaves), all for under 300 rubles. However, as this is a restaurant with upscale pretensions, a nod must of course be made toward France, with frogs' legs and quail on offer for 350 rubles and 300 rubles, respectively.

Those whose taste for the exotic goes beyond Middle Eastern cuisine, and enjoy the occasional smoke might want to try the "Kalyan." These are cigars flavored with unusual tastes – apple, strawberry or red wine. Be wary, however, as they are not cheap – ranging between 690-900 rubles for a single cigar.

The wine list is extensive and offers well over a dozen different French wines for the discriminating palate, as well as a modicum of Italian, Spanish, Lebanese and even Japanese wines. Cocktails are reasonably priced, averaging at about 160 rubles. There is also a special non-alcoholic Cleopatra cocktail for 150 rubles, containing orange and pineapple juice, cream and grenadine. Children might like the "Cheetah," a faux-cocktail containing milk, banana milk and ice cream, for 90 rubles. Champagne is equally well-represented on the wine list, with the infamously budget-destroying Dom Perignon topping the list at a paltry 8,995 rubles.

Dining pleasure is obtained not just through the palate, but through the ears and eyes as well. And Cleopatra holds up well on both counts. The evening's entertainment began with aural entertainment by a quintet of musicians playing musical classics – Gershwin and adapted works by the Beatles among them – followed by that classic of the Near East, belly dancing. Not only was the dancing well done but, importantly for a heterosexual male reporter like Yours Truly, the girls were beautiful and the style was tasteful, unlike the tactlessly lewd goings-on one so often encounters. The dancing, according to the establishment, takes place every day except Sunday.

CLEOPATRA
Olimpiskii Prospekt, 26
Metro: Rizhskaya
Tel: 281-1800