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Where Indian eggs go for a Siberian toss
Delhi Newsline, India
Aug 21 2005
When Russians in Delhi want to go home they don't have to travel far.
They just head for Bline, a four table restaurant in Anand Niketan
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 20: How many places is one allowed to call home? If
you go by these Russians in Delhi, at least two-and common to both
would definitely be lazy confines, curling kitchen smoke, and dollops
of warm food.
Zhanna, a shy Russian national in Delhi, can't speak much English.
But what she can and does say, simply, is "This is home for me."
Zhanna, along with a bunch of Russian regulars in the city, are
talking about Bline, a Russian restaurant in Anand Niketan and
effective substitute for home.
Bline (Blee-nee, Russian for pancake) is a small four-tabled affair,
where the inexpensive food-including authentic Russian juices, momos,
blines, egg and meat preparations-is just part of the thrill. This
is also a place where one can put up one's feet, smoke a cigarette
and watch Russian movies, long after the meal is over. And there
is always the added attraction of making friends with the friendly
hosts-Elena and Aleksandr Melkinov-who do the cooking themselves.
And they intend to keep it that way. "We get only regular customers
here. We have never advertised because we like to keep our restaurant
small and our customers select. We make only a small profit, but it
is enough!" Aleksandr says.
"When people ask me why I set up this little restaurant three and a
half years ago, I ask them, why not?" Aleksandr laughs. "Though the
eggs are Indian, I toss them in the Siberian way. Everything-including
the beef and pork-is sourced locally. The difference is just that I
make sure everything is clean, and there is service and quality in
all we do," says Aleksandr.
And the hard work has paid off, in very distinctive ways. Zhanna is
not the only single Russian girl in the city who's found a place she
can call home here-Elena gives a tour of her kitchen to anyone who'd
like a look. "For girls who haven't learnt how to cook, I show them
how to make blines," smiles Elena.
Though the restaurant sees its real crowd in the evening, Russian
embassy officials often come in for a hurried lunch in the afternoon.
"Though our place is very small, sometimes we are asked to host
parties here," says Elena. And guests from neighbouring countries
hop in as well.
Says Artem, chief of the counsellor section of the Armenian embassy,
"Bline is special. Though the meat preparations are fabulous, I
cherish my Russian friends in the restaurant. It is a place where I
can simply enjoy."
"When we first came to India, we intended to make this a restaurant for
Indians, but we have become a hub for friends-Russians, especially,"
says Elena. "Come as a friend," she says. Country no bar.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Delhi Newsline, India
Aug 21 2005
When Russians in Delhi want to go home they don't have to travel far.
They just head for Bline, a four table restaurant in Anand Niketan
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 20: How many places is one allowed to call home? If
you go by these Russians in Delhi, at least two-and common to both
would definitely be lazy confines, curling kitchen smoke, and dollops
of warm food.
Zhanna, a shy Russian national in Delhi, can't speak much English.
But what she can and does say, simply, is "This is home for me."
Zhanna, along with a bunch of Russian regulars in the city, are
talking about Bline, a Russian restaurant in Anand Niketan and
effective substitute for home.
Bline (Blee-nee, Russian for pancake) is a small four-tabled affair,
where the inexpensive food-including authentic Russian juices, momos,
blines, egg and meat preparations-is just part of the thrill. This
is also a place where one can put up one's feet, smoke a cigarette
and watch Russian movies, long after the meal is over. And there
is always the added attraction of making friends with the friendly
hosts-Elena and Aleksandr Melkinov-who do the cooking themselves.
And they intend to keep it that way. "We get only regular customers
here. We have never advertised because we like to keep our restaurant
small and our customers select. We make only a small profit, but it
is enough!" Aleksandr says.
"When people ask me why I set up this little restaurant three and a
half years ago, I ask them, why not?" Aleksandr laughs. "Though the
eggs are Indian, I toss them in the Siberian way. Everything-including
the beef and pork-is sourced locally. The difference is just that I
make sure everything is clean, and there is service and quality in
all we do," says Aleksandr.
And the hard work has paid off, in very distinctive ways. Zhanna is
not the only single Russian girl in the city who's found a place she
can call home here-Elena gives a tour of her kitchen to anyone who'd
like a look. "For girls who haven't learnt how to cook, I show them
how to make blines," smiles Elena.
Though the restaurant sees its real crowd in the evening, Russian
embassy officials often come in for a hurried lunch in the afternoon.
"Though our place is very small, sometimes we are asked to host
parties here," says Elena. And guests from neighbouring countries
hop in as well.
Says Artem, chief of the counsellor section of the Armenian embassy,
"Bline is special. Though the meat preparations are fabulous, I
cherish my Russian friends in the restaurant. It is a place where I
can simply enjoy."
"When we first came to India, we intended to make this a restaurant for
Indians, but we have become a hub for friends-Russians, especially,"
says Elena. "Come as a friend," she says. Country no bar.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress