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(From The Moscow Times)
Nothing heralds the arrival of spring in St. Petersburg more surely than the appearance of smelt on the Northern capital's menus. It is a tradition to ring in the new season with a large helping of these fine fish. Now Muscovites have the chance to partake in this tradition, as local restaurant SPB is flying in fresh St. Petersburg smelt daily.
The smelt may be a humble guest on the menu, but SPB is definitely not a modest eatery. The restaurant, named after a common abbreviation for St. Petersburg, is designed in a thoroughly aristocratic style, as if to evoke the grandeur of the old imperial capital. Besides an over-the-top rococo interior with more gilding than the Hermitage, the restaurant is also enormous, with four floors and nine separate halls.
Besides the smelt (360 rubles), which come fried in a feather-light batter, SPB serves a mix of classical French and other European dishes, all, naturally, at hefty prices. Cold appetizers include iberico ham with goat cheese (830 rubles), mille-feuille with giant prawns (830 rubles), ...