The St. Petersburg Times о cafebar "Компот"

Nothing at the evening opening of Kompot last November hinted at the treat that was in store for the city. The opening party was a typical event of its kind, with vaguely glamorous types flitting around the small self-described caf?-bar and smoking slender cigarettes. Four months later, and in the cold light of day, Kompot is barely recognizable. Located at the top of a short iron staircase on the corner of Ulitsa Zhukovskogo and Ulitsa Chekhova, the caf? is light, airy and cheerful. This effect is strongly accentuated by the d?cor — light green walls and tablecloths, bright red stenciled patterns on the windows, ’70s-style brightly-colored lampshades, and some Dali-esque paintings (which are for sale) adorning the walls. The funky, hippy, European student caf? effect is completed by some weird and wonderful furnishings, such as old traveling cases in the windows, an old iron sewing table that has been turned into a coat rail, a crazy lamp made of plastic fruit and vegetables, and clocks in the form of giant bottle tops and records. A beaded curtain leads to a second, equally cozy and quirky, but slightly more private room, with a hammock hanging from the ceiling. This room and the small bar are smoking areas, while the first room is not. Kompot appears to have some advanced ventilation system, however, since all areas of the caf? are unusually smoke-free. The overall effect is in fact most un-Russian. With the quirky background music, vegetarian-friendly menu and cool interior, you could be in a hip U.K. city like Brighton or a cosmopolitan capital like New York — anywhere but Russia. The menu only heightens this feeling, with its wealth of international dishes virtually unknown on the local market, such as hummous, falafel, goat’s cheese, curry, and proper sandwiches — as opposed to Russian buterbrody — as well as a range of smoothies, no less. All these culinary rarities on one menu? And a breakfast menu, available all day long? Whatever next? The rare opportunity to enjoy some hummous (120 rubles, $4) was too tempting to resist. Expectations were high — and they were not disappointed. The dip was fiendishly good — garlicky, fresh and tangy, with a sprinkling of chili powder — and was served on fresh warm pitta bread. Our discreetly helpful waiter went as far as to enquire in the kitchen as to the secret of the hummous, which was in a different league to the shop-bought stuff. He duly reported back to us the recipe and secret herb mix, in case we wished to recreate the magic at home. He also valiantly attempted to dissuade us from ordering a bottle of Spanish Atalaya red wine (750 rubles, $26), which was admittedly dubious upon opening, but improved significantly upon standing for a while. Attraversiamo warm salad (280 rubles, $9.60) was an unusual but delightful summery mix of salad leaves, crunchy red bell pepper, shredded leek, quail eggs and warm, tender beef, and extracted an unusually enthusiastic response from my critically-minded guest. Caucasian buglama soup (250 rubles, $8.50) was a thick concoction, rich with the flavors of mutton, egg plant, tomatoes, baked potatoes and herbs. Despite the wide-ranging menu of Kompot, this dish was better here than at many of the city’s specialist Caucasian restaurants, with the flavor of every ingredient making itself felt. The same could not quite be said of the vegetarian curry (190 rubles, $6.50), which consisted of chickpeas, spinach and other vegetables. Although it didn’t really taste like something served on the subcontinent and initially seemed a little bland due to a lack of spice and sauce, by the time the accompanying orange syrup and yoghurt-and-mint sauce had been added, it was perfectly palatable. The desserts — a dark, decadent chocolate cake (160 rubles, $5.50) that is not for the faint-hearted, and a slightly pastry-centric apple pie (140 rubles, $4.80), both served with ice-cream — topped off an original and extremely enjoyable meal. If the mountain of incentives above, plus freebies — a glass of compot (dried fruit infusion), Wi-Fi and guaranteed good mood — weren’t already enough, Kompot boasts an intriguing “Lunch in 5 minutes for 200 rubles,” which this reviewer, for one, will certainly be back to try.

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