Falling into steppe
Is it time to ditch broth for borscht? Bronwen Livingstone investigates Argyle Street's Russian Revolution
ntering (‘afe Bayan. your eye is drawn
to an enormous. mauve-toned mural
depicting Scottish and Rtlssian luminaries. In the Scots corner. Burns: in the Rtissian corner. l’ushkin and 'I'chaikovsky; and. floating incongruously between the two. a tiny depiction of the New York Dolls.
It‘s a curiously fitting image in this culture- blending newcomer. ()pened to generate funds for the Scotland-Rtissia Trust. a charity involved with economic regeneration in Russia and at home. (‘afe Bayan focuses on food and presentation of genuine quality.
But. really - Russian food'.’ ‘What most people understand as Russian food is actually Soviet food.‘ says Anna Dyer. chair of the trust. 'l’re-Revolution. the chefs in the grand hotel restaurants were all lirench.‘
As communism arrived. the chefs left and the nation‘s food reverted to peasant fodder. Dyer remembers her first experiences eating in Russia with a grimace. ‘It was absolutely dreadful. They were just lilling people up with whatever they had — things like meatballs and macaroni for breakfast. Horrible.‘
Iinter Paul ()‘Malley. a young chef trained at ('ameron House and ()loroso. keen to run his own kitchen. He immersed himself in the food history of liastern liurope for three months. allowing him and his brother (‘hris to recreate the RllSSti-I‘lCIIL‘Il style of cooking. with a little Scottish flair thrown in.
He reworks Scotch egg as ‘l'krainian egg' ~— with conlit egg yolk. Kovbasa sausage and a
beetroot relish e sets pelmeni dumplings of
salmon and crayfish swimming in a lobster broth. and fills flaky. crescent-shaped pirozhki pastries with winning combinations such as beetroot and goat's cheese. Soups are particularly strong: he gives pea and barley a lift by adding baby broad beans. lardons and pea shoots. and lets horseradish and roast roots work their magic on traditional borscht.
WITH EVERY ITEM COMING IN UNDER THE £5 MARK IT'S
JUST IFIABLY POPULAR
There is a tapas-style menu day and night and. with every item coming in under £5. it‘s
justifiably popular. He adds new dishes every
week. many suggested by his fellow workers from Russia. Bulgaria. Poland and Hungary.
In the six months since opening. poets. writers. emigres and Russian conversation groups have found a welcome. bringing to mind romantic images of the intellectual revolutionary huddles of the Soviet era. Cafe Bayan‘s approach is rather more jolly. however
CAFE BAYAN 1125 Argyle Street, Glasgow, 0141 248 7109
Food served: Sun—Thu noon—2pm. 5.30—9pm; Fri/Sat noon—2pm. 6-10pm
Bar open: Mon—Thu 11am—11pm; Fri/Sat Ham-midnight; Sun 12.30—11pm
— the projector screen was recently pressed into service for a Russian karaoke night and in March a group of Kazakhs celebrated a national holiday with a banquet. Dyer has more themed evenings planned. including an old Soviet night. Although. even then. it's doubtful that macaroni and meatballs will make it onto the menu.
SIDE DISHES News to nibble on
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