Mansarda: modern dining with a historic vista in St Petersburg
Atmosphere: Contemporary urban setting with a spectacular view of the St Isaac’s cathedral golden cupola create fresh atmosphere and modern vibe. The restaurant is located on the top of a modern office building, therefore there is glass everywhere. Built by PiuArch (+ARCH) studio famous for their collaboration with Dolce&Gabanna fashion brand, it is a trendy place to dine at. The fashionable open kitchen concept separated just by a glass wall lets curious diners to peak on the chef’s working room. The service is professional and most of them speak English very well.
Food: Tiny modern portions on larger plates in which Italian, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines blend. As a part of the Ginza project restaurant group owning most of the good restaurants in town, Mansarda attracts with an international fare that is attractively presented. The freshest ingredients such as seafood and vegetables are the core of the dining concept. Everything from the delicious Salmon tartare to grilled fish and lobster pasta is prepared in a light fashion for modern diners.
The salmon tartare is served with healthful rye bread, mango shavings and thick sweet balsamic vineigarette. The fish is of a superb quality and the bread was slightly toasted fitting perfectly with the oily fish. I only had a lunch there so did not try many deities, but from what we had we were markedly impressed. The desserts looked tempting, yet we were saving some space for a sweet treat after our dinner, so we resisted (very unsual for me, so I must thank my friend for supporting me).
Cuisine: Modern international
Visit: May 2013
Price: Very high (fancy place in St Petersburg located in the building of Gazprom offices is naturally expensive).
Drinks: A good selection of wines by the glass and pricey European wines feature on the list. From France, through Italy and Germany you will find a good selection of mostly European top wines. During a lunchtime on a hot day we felt like a crisp and fresh white wine so we went for a half-bottle of Pinot Grigio from one of my favourite producers of this Italian white wine Livio Felluga. Served cool in the right temperature and maintained in an ice bucket, it was the best think we could dream about on a summer temperature stricken city like that.
Address: 3 Pochtamtskaya st., St Petersburg, Russia.
Contact: Tel: +7 (812) 946 43 03
Opening hours: Mon- Sun: 12pm – 1am