This impression was only reinforced by the news release announcing its opening. Titled "Beauty and the Sea Beast," it devoted four times more space to the salon, Devochki, than to the restaurant itself.
But Restaurant of Sea Creatures, as its name translates, has not only stayed afloat beyond its first birthday, it's also earned some respect.
Rose-hued and feminine, the softly lit interior has a boudoir-like quality, ideal for a romantic date or even a girls' night out.
While the restaurant does not trumpet the name of a superstar chef or flaunt its wares on a bed of ice, the seafood tastes fresh, the menu is varied and the cuisine is light, contemporary and well presented. The choices include both Asian and European dishes.
Among the hot starters are burgundy snails with garlic and basil (240 rubles), shrimp spring rolls (270 rubles) and tempura oysters (780 rubles). Seafood mains include Kamchatka crab in ginger sauce (720 rubles) and baked turbot with vegetable noodles, pepper and asparagus with Dutch sauce and flying fish roe (960 rubles).
For those beauties afraid of sea beasts, there is a wide selection of meat and poultry, as well as a modest range of vegetarian options, including risotto with porcini and zucchini (480 rubles) and tagliatelle with vegetables and tomato sauce (300 rubles).
And there's no need to fear beauticians eyeballing your beastliness: The salon has a separate entrance, and you can easily forget it's there. But if you want a haircut, the starting price is 1,350 rubles.
5 Potapovsky Per., Bldg. 2, 625-9424, noon-last customer (kitchen takes orders until 11:45 p.m.), M. Chistiye Prudy. www.sea-restaurante.com
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