Romance Russian Restaurant: 14 Course dining deal for 2 for $69, Kingsford (1 Oct 2011)

36-38 Gardeners Road, Kingsford NSW 2032
http://www.romancerest.com.au

A one-stop Russian experience

Thanks to Ricky Chong from Food Morning for providing me two deal vouchers to sample the 14 course dining experience deal ($69 for 2 people) at the Romance Russian Restaurant. The deal roughly saves you 50% and includes a glass of wine for each person. I wanted to try this place more out of curiosity because I remember when it used to be an Italian restaurant many years ago under the same name. It's still a bit kitsch and has a very nostalgic atmosphere, especially when you hear the live pianist upon entering. Red clothed seating reminds me of a wedding room and there's plenty of Russian decor around to spot. The first dishes are brought out pretty quickly since they're all cold starters and I noticed some of the larger tables already had them in place. You don't have to wait long to start eating which is a good thing. Our Traditional Russian black bread with butter never appeared at the start of our meal so I had to ask for it when I noticed it on other tables during our mains.

The Salad “Olivier” of classic potato salad with chicken and vegetables and other cold dishes got a bit of a nod from our fellow Russian diner who said it reminded him of his grandma's christmas dinner. The Salmon Platter included some salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings which I learnt was something to eat after a shot of vodka to help neutralise the alcohol taste. The Eggplant Rolls looked interesting but I was hoping for more flavour in them. The Bliny (crepes) with mushrooms were interesting and ended up being a bit of a table pleaser. I think I would have preferred the filling to be a bit more creamy and cheesy to make it even more tasty for me. The main hot dishes of Fish with mash potato and Beef Stroganoff were quite hearty meals. The fish dish tasted better than it was presented and was a bit of a comfort meal with familiar tastes that worked together. At first I didn't even know there was fish under all the mash and white sauce. The Beef Stroganoff was OK but perhaps could have had a bit more depth of flavour and a slice or two of bread on the side would have been appreciated to soak up the gravy sauce.

If you've come here for the tea or coffee then I think you'd be sadly disappointed. After being served an empty tea cup we waited 18 minutes before service finally brought some tea around to fill it. Unfortunately it was pretty lukewarm. For straight black coffee it was a 32 minute wait before we actually had the empty cup filled. Although it was pretty hot it was also a bit rough around the edges and definitely needed some sugar to smooth it out and make it more drinkable. There was no sign of dessert which was ashame. On the website menu it mentioned 'mouth-watering honey cakes' which I never saw. Natasha Morozova's singing is the main entertainment for the night and if the right crowd is in the audience be prepared to see the dance floor come alive. On the night I visited there was a large table booking of Russians and another table for a hens night. The combination of both of them wanting to party certainly created a fun atmosphere. Natasha's singing was actually pretty good and quite infectious. If I had drunk a bit more (vodka) and was with a larger group I think I definitely would have joined the dance floor that night. All-in-all it actually turned out to be quite a fun night, mostly due to the entertainment and fun-loving vibe of the customers who enjoyed dancing to the live music.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Dinner and live entertainment in one place so it becomes a complete night of entertainment, Friendly natured service staff, You can buy a carafe of 250 ml of vodka, Menu apparently changes regularly although what you see on their website might not be what you get, Plenty of street parking in the area

CONS: Service was a bit absent at times — especially when it came to filling table water and tea & coffee, Didn't seem to get any dessert, They only serve black tea and coffee which wasn't particularly good and had to wait a long time for it, Limited drinks menu including no Russian beers

MUST TRY: Eating the salted Russian herring after a shot of vodka

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Cold Meat Platter - Chicken-roll and roast-beef

Marinated mushrooms with garlic and dill

Russian style crisp pickled gherkins

Eggplant Rolls - Tomato wrapped in slices of lightly fried eggplant

Salmon Platter - Smoked Tasmanian Salmon, salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings bliny (crepes) with savoury filling

Waldorf salad

Salad “Olivier” - Classic potato salad with chicken and vegetables

Green Salad

Cabbage rolls with sauce

Bliny (crepes) with mushrooms

Traditional Russian black bread with butter — wasn't served at the beginning and had to ask for it due to being forgotten

Fish with mash potato and white cream sauce — tasted better than it looked

Beef Stroganoff

Tea cup received 9.51 pm but no tea or coffee to be seen

Tea filled 10.09 pm - 18 minute wait

Coffee filled 10.23 pm - 32 minute wait

Table water, although service didn't replenish until being asked

Rawson's Retreat Chardonnay, a shot of vodka following by a salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings to help neutralise the alcohol taste

Limited beer menu — no Russian beers to be had

Pianist to start the night off

Natasha Morozova singing to the audience

Seating

Dancefloor popular

Decor details

Trading hours Friday and Saturday 7 pm - 12 am

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