Russian

Sounded pretty good on paper, this "traditional Russian pie" with an epicentre of salmon, incubated with layers of rice and mushrooms – it's almost like a Russian salmon Wellington, but in shortcrust pastry. The filling was tasty, but needed a sauce of some kind to lubricate it, while the pretty "braided" pastry was too hard. I would have preferred something lighter and flakier as an outer shell.

Thin slices of beef, tender as perfectly cooked shabu-shabu beef, with chunks of mushrooms and dollops of luxuriously creamy mashed potato, doused in a rich cream sauce. This is just ace.

Three creamy dishes, same same but different. • Beef Stroganoff: I expected this to come in a brown sauce instead of cream, but no matter, it was quite yummy anyway with fries on the side. The meat was too tough, though. • Double Fish: Like a gratin of sorts, with fillets of salmon and dory flanked by thinly sliced potatoes and baked in cream and cheese. The salmon was especially gorgeous – moist, pink, and not at all fishy. • Pork Julienne: Probably my favourite main of the day, with cubes of sautéed potatoes and toothsome pork imparting their smokiness to the cream sauce, making it even more flavourful.

Sick in bed today and lemming for these homely Russian dumplings of minced pork swathed in soft yet chewy skins. A bit of dill and sour cream brighten the combination.

Cuisine-exploring with @ccher brought us to this homely, authentic Russian diner helmed by Uzbec chef Rinat. Started dinner off with this gorgeous rosy pink broth imbued with the sweetness of beetroot, tomatoes, cabbage, potato, and just a hint of meatiness from minced pork. Really yummy and good for sharing among three to four pax.