Why would a sworn vegetarian even consider setting foot in an establishment called Okhotnik (Hunter)? Well, let me tell you a little secret. Restaurant reviewers are like superheroes; they have two distinct personalities: One is meek and cowardly; the other is fearless and community-minded. In my capacity as LifeStyle’s intrepid restaurant reviewer, I routinely put aside personal beliefs and put Your needs first.
My adventure began before I even arrived at the restaurant. Okhotnik is in the far north of the city, so I had a long voyage to Vodny Stadium, the second to last station on the green line. The fact that the green line had closed for nine hours that very day because a train had derailed made my journey extra exciting. When our train stopped dead in the tunnel. I realized that although I would miss the chance to wolf down squirrel steaks, after a couple of hours in the wagon when everyone was fainting with asphyxia, I could go all out and dine on my fellow passengers.
Luckily for them the train started back up again after a minute. Okhotnik is very close to the metro, and after a short walk from the station I was standing outside a large building decorated with pictures and a relief of various wild animals. "Russian, Armenian and Caucasian cooking," said the sandwich board. Peeking inside, I caught a glimpse of various stuffed animals and started to have second thoughts. But it was a long way back to town and I was famished, so I stepped inside to meet the meat.
The interior looked like a huge hunter’s cabin or courtyard. The walls and furniture were all wood, there was a stone floor and bunches of realistic plastic leaves creating the impression of a summer forest. The front door was wide open, but even if it had been shut there would have been an airy feel to the place. To my surprise, no one came to give me a menu. In fact I couldn’t see any waiters at all. So I went up to the bar and talked broken Russian to the bartender, who introduced himself as Murad.
Murad showed me the menu and obligingly talked me through it. The restaurant’s specialty seems to be Armenian cooking but it offers many Russian and European dishes, as well. There is a large selection of hot and cold snacks, 18 different kinds of shashlik, several soups, a reasonable choice of meat, lots of fish and a smattering of sweets. Though I’d heard that there were all sorts of weird creatures on offer, most of the dishes seemed of the usual kind. The most remarkable thing about the menu was the very low cost of almost every dish. The shashlik ranged in price from 90-180 rubles and many dishes were only 50 rubles.
As I explored Okhotnik my first thought was that its large size, cheap prices and musical facilities would make it great for parties. In fact, the restaurant does advertise itself as a venue for weddings and banquets and there is even a special banquet menu. There are three separate dining halls to choose from, the two downstairs are both equipped with bars and one has a stage. The dining room upstairs, where I finally ate, is very comfortable and quiet.
A waitress in semi-ethnic jacket and skirt arrived to take my order. I asked for fresh orange juice and got blackcurrant juice instead. This was cold, good and cheap (35 rubles). For my first course I found a vegetarian cold snack: roast eggplant and pepper with nuts and coriander (90 rubles). This tasted very fresh and garlicky and was less oily than similar dishes I have had in Moscow. For my second course I chose borsch (70 rubles), a tomato based broth with a dollop of sour cream and chunks of vegetables. The complimentary lavash was light and fresh and went well with the tasty soup. When I drained the bowl I found one cube of meat at the bottom. Yes, I ate it and was pleased to find that I didn’t like it at all. So, nicely full with only a small dent in my pocket I left the restaurant with my vegetarianism intact.