When the man and I set out to try Kolbasoff’s newest location near metro Oktyabrskoye Polye, I was more or less expecting to have an experience similar to what we found at the Kolbasoff location at metro Taganskaya. And as far as some aspects were concerned, there were indeed similarities. But this time around I left feeling much more optimistic about Kolbasoff and the possibilities therein.

This newer Kolbasoff venue is not in a central location, but rather in an area in north(-western) Moscow that has seen quite a few new developments over the past couple of years. Kolbasoff is about a ten minute (or less) walk from the metro (or about a 10 minute marshrutka ride from Sokol) on the third floor of the Fifth Avenue shopping center. The lower floor of the restaurant includes a long bar and a large room with tables, while the smaller upstairs is mostly equipped with booths. The design is very modern, using predominantly black and white, and before the game came on Mr. Polly was treated to at least one hour of Fashion TV.

We’re not sure if the menu has changed at all at the Taganskaya location, but we much preferred the menu at Oktyabrskoye Polye. For one, at least at this location, there is more than just sausage on the menu. There are salads with actual leafy green lettuces, such as ruccolla; there are salads with just vegetables in them for our non-meat-eating friends. There are steaks and cuts of meat that have not been turned into sausage, there are two fish entr?e selections and there is one mushroom and potato entr?e, again for the vegetarians. Granted, the first two pages of the menu are mainly cured meat appetizers, and some of the soups do feature sausage, but it is a sausage-themed restaurant after all. Let there be meat.

The back of the menu includes three pages of beer selections, and most of the draught beer choices can be served in small (0.33L), medium (0.5L) or large (1L) glasses. Beer prices ranged from average to pretty steep (120-upwards of 300Rbs). As I have already mentioned, I was very pleasantly surprised to find Newcastle on the menu – the first time I personally have seen this beer in Moscow (210Rbs for half liter). Another interesting beer option was Spirit of Hemp, which I tried for the first time. (It smells a little skunky, but basically tastes like your average light beer.)

For starters, I ordered a ruccolla and frisee salad with shrimp and mushrooms (310Rbs) and beef carpaccio (180Rbs), while Mr. Polly decided to try the Kolbasoff soup (180Rbs) and the boiled beer shrimp (180Rbs). I really enjoyed the salad, although I did wish it had a bit more mushrooms in it (they were excellent). The shrimp with the salad were succulent and brushed with a nice garlicky pesto sauce. Upon tasting his soup, the ingredients of which include soft cheese, white sausage (a little spicy!), pepper and tomatoes, Mr. Polly informed me that he wanted me to write that he loves Kolbasoff 2. I tried a spoonful, and agreed. It was thick, filling, and had a nice flavor and just the right amount of spice. Although he was slightly disappointed with the Spaten beer (95Rbs for a 0.33L), I was thoroughly savoring my rare Newcastle.

My beef carpaccio was served with raw mushrooms and celery, slice of lemon and lime and nice thin strips of fresh parmesan with some stray ruccolla leaves. I quite liked the meat itself, which I found delicate but flavorful. However, it did seem as though some of the slices had soaked in a little too much balsamic. Meanwhile, Mr. Polly commented on his beer shrimp, which he said were good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, Mr. Polly tried a glass of Velvet beer (150Rbs for 0.4L and 290 for 1L), which he spoke highly of, and later Hoffbrau (120-0.33 / 180-1L). I toyed with the idea of trying a bottle of First Lady (290 Rbs – 0.33L), mainly because it was allegedly a beer made expressly for women, but then decided against it and got a Krusovice instead (105Rbs –0.33L / 170 0.5L).

We had a tough time decided on our entrees – we were wavering between the turkey sausage (320Rbs) and the ostrich sausage (450Rbs) or a steak. Kolbasoff 2’s menu offers both their own special Kolbasoff steak (580Rbs) and Angus steak (540Rbs). In the end, since we were in a sausage place, we decided we should eat the sausages. I ordered the turkey sausage and Mr. Polly ordered the ostrich sausage plate. Both were served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes (served, funnily enough, as a little face: the sausage is the smile, the mashed potatoes have two gherkins for eyes and there is a stewed tomato in the sauerkraut for a nose).

Both of our sausages were fresh and juicy – my turkey sausage was a bit too juicy, almost kind of watery. This did not lend the best flavor to the turkey, which had not been cooked with any spices or onions or anything at all. A touch of anything would have really picked the dish up. Mr. Polly’s ostrich sausage, however, had a very nice flavor and was mixed with a touch of scallions. We were both ostrich virgins prior to this and were pleased with the freshness and the taste. He cleaned his plate, but I only ate about half of my sausage, if that much.

Mr. Polly decided to try the tiramisu for dessert (170Rbs), which was really a beauty of a piece of cake – really nicely presented. I only got to try a bit before Mr. Polly inhaled it all (which means it was very good).

The service was simply superb. Our waiter was efficient and completely non-intrusive, always there at the right time. What’s more, when we left I was careless enough to have left my cell phone on the table. I didn’t realize this until the next morning, but when we called to ask if it was there – it was! They had taken care to set it aside, which is a lot more than can be said for many Moscow establishments.

We had a very nice evening and although the prices seemed to be a little steeper from what we remembered from the Kolbasoff restaurant at Taganskaya, we will definitely consider going back again.

31.08.05