Radio Silence.....

A week in Moscow on business - and the combination of lack of time plus the exorbitant charge of 320 roubles an hour for internet access has led to many days of blog silence. Normal service has now been resumed......

Did I like Moscow? Not much.....It's a mixture of the worst bits of Athens combined with the worst bits of Berlin, and the aggregate traffic problems of both: monolithic concrete urban sprawl, interspersed occasionally with the soaring majesty of a Stalinist palace, or some neoclassical remnant from before the revolution. I'll admit, though, it wasn't all bad. Red Square in the brilliant evening sunshine was quite glorious - entering through the Resurrection Gate was splendidly theatrical, with the breadth of the sky beyond giving way, as you climb the cobbled incline, to the expanse of the square and the domes of St Basil's at the far end. It was most definitely the high point of the visit.

Not much to report on the food and drink front. In part because of the 'corporate' nature of the visit, which necessarily involved consumption of rather characterless international dishes, and a lot of canapes which appeared all to be variations on the same theme, i.e. differently-coloured bland-flavoured creams piped into pastry shells or onto pieces of bread. Food for the eye, possibly, but not for the palate. The champagne was from the Crimea, and was full bodied and quite fruity - so much so that I found myself homesick for the clean freshness of a decent prosecco!. In style, the emphasis in the cuisine is definitely 'food to keep out the cold' - lots of stodgy carbohydrates, and large quantities of things which have been grilled and roasted, and were generally presented in mountainous piles, or else on long metal skewers, by unsmiling staff. The asian influence is clear, and when I bought some meat-filled dumplings from a street-side stall one morning, they reminded me of nothing so much as the wonderful steamed dumplings that used to be served with a vinegar dressing at "I Ching" in the Earls Court Road, twenty years ago.....

Overall, the atmosphere of the place is hard to pin down, but somehow people don't give the impression of being very happy. Although they generally seem well-dressed, and the overall tenor suggests a reasonable living standard, there was something about their demeanour that suggested either incipient depression, or else rabid opportunism - but certainly not a sense of relaxed confidence or contentment. Perhaps the defining image that will remain in my mind is that of the copses of dead pine trees beside the road on the way out of central Moscow, presumably finished off by the deadly pollution that hangs in the atmosphere there. I could feel my spirits lift even as I entered the Alitalia cabin at Sheremtyevo airport, yesterday evening..........

Tonight's Dinner (an easy one......)

Papardelle from the Vettovaglie Pasta Man, with their Crema di Noci.

Branzino, baked in foil for half an hour, then served with an anchovy butter sauce, and braised fennel.

Ricotta Rum Mousse, with the first wild strawberries of the year - sublime!