1. You can eat very well in the Russian capital. There is a good choice of all world cuisines , starting from Uzbek and Armenian, finishing with fine French or rustic Italian. (Not to mention countless Japanese fusion restaurants like Nobu, Megu or,my favorite, Nedalny Vostok)

Pork shashlyk at Ararat Park Hyatt Armenian restaurant

2. Going to Moscow on a budget and enjoying it’s best places can be tricky .Great choice, top interior design( e.g. iPad menus) and high quality ingredients (often flown from another part of the world) come with a price. It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world after all.

Fatty tuna sashimi at Megu

Pirozhki stuffed with meat at Asian fusion restaurant Nedalny Vostok

4. Very good and attentive service.

5. Natural (and local)products trend has been picking speed recently. You have Uilliam's trattoria (one of the hottest restaurants in the city at the moment ), where you can have warm hummus dip, fresh garden vegetables with yoghurt sauce or grilled fish, and no sushi for a change..

7. Nostalgia for the past.  You will see  a "Back to the USSR" section on the recently opened The White Rabbit restaurant menu ; you can even have  lunch at a typical Soviet cantine (those,who lived during Soviet times know what I am talking about) called  Stolovaya No. 57  . It is located few steps away from the Red Square, on the third floor of GUM department store.

"Back to the USSR" at the newly opened White Rabbit restaurant

Soviet style cantine Stolovaya No. 57

8. Cheap caviar is no more. Because of the sturgeons fishing restrictions in Russia, black caviar in Moscow cost as much as in Europe or the US. At least officially.

When I blogged about Dinner one year ago, my post received quite mixed comments. Obviously some people are big fans of Dinner and the fact that the restaurant is always full just confirms it's incredible success. Sometimes you can't judge a restaurant having visited it just once, so i started doubting about my  judgement. Maybe i was wrong? Maybe Dinner by  Heston Blumenthal is indeed the best restaurant in the world like the famous food critic Giles Coren once said?

Unfortunately my second time at Dinner was  even more disappointing. I orderded something completely different than one year ago. My starter was "Buttered Crab Loath with Cucumber, Pickled Lemon and Stone Crop" .The date of the recipe (  1714  ) was the only thing interesting about this starter. The crab was served with brioche which has been soaked and  had very soft texture. On the top of that, the pickled lemon overpowered everything. The bitter taste is all what i remember about this dish in fact.

Last time my main course was "Black Foot Pork Chop" which was very simple, but nice. I couldn't say the same about the "Roast Halibut with Dandelion Leaves and Cockle Ketchup" . The fish was ok, but the garnish destroyed everything. Again, it was too bitter and didn't really compliment the fish. If it's that what people used to eat in the 19th century(1830), then I much prefer the modern cuisine. (At least I didn't see any squirrels on the menu, also something our ancestors used to eat!)

The bread and the  dessert( "Taffety Tart, Apple, Rose,Fennel and Blackcurrant sorbet") were the only things that i actually enjoyed. The concept of the restaurant is very appealing, the food not so much...

Finally you can find a burger in Paris as good as in the US. A gourmet food truck called Le Camion Qui Fume has been driving around Paris since one month only, but has already created a serious buzz around the concept and the fantastic burgers you will find nowhere in Paris(and personally, in all Europe). Le Camion Qui Fume doesn't have a fixed location, so you have to look up their website for their daily itinerary. This morning i went to their Porte Maillot location at 11 am and was very happy that went so early(they opened at 11 am) , as already at 11.15 there were people coming and queuing. Such a delicious and juicy burger prepared from  the best ingredients is a little revolution in the Parisian food world. Just go there and check it yourself!

P.S. L'Agapé Substance post coming soon

I found this old Michelin guide at a hotel lounge in Rio de Janeiro. What is interesting that five out of six  3 Michelin starred restaurants in Paris in 1976 are still well and opened after 35 years. (Four of them still have Michelin stars).