A Russian restaurant in Roppongi
31 Oct
We were in Tokyo for 2 weeks, and as much as I enjoyed Japanese food, and all the great Izakaya, I longed for some variety. Ah, who am i kidding- I wanted Russian food.
When we stumbled upon Baikal in Roppongi, my heart rejoiced. Borscht, “vinegret” and maybe even crepes with red caviar! I had the biggest smile on my face, and very high hopes for this Heaven sent establishment. So we made our way to the third floor in the tiny elevator. A lot of Tokyo restaurants are not street level- they are located on the 2nd or 3rd floors, and are relatively difficult to find, unless you speak/read Japanese. But this particular reaturant sign was in English and in Russian 
The place was small, and warm. Baby blue table cloths, and a wall of “Matryoshkas” , “samovar” and other old world Russian memorabilia. They had one of those Russian soap operas playing on the large flat screen and the waitress seemed to mesmerized with it. So was the kitchen staff- they were watching from the open kitchen. Within 20 minute I found myself enthralled in the soap as well, and making comments about the character’s actions to my husband.
I ordered “uha” – a fisherman’s soup, served with yummy “black” bread and it warmed my soul. Then we got very fresh vinegret- a salad of beets, carrots, potatoes and pickles, and finally crepes with sour cream and caviar. Everything was perfect- just the way I imagined. While in “Baikal” we learned that there are many Russian expats from Baikal in Tokyo, as it is so geographically close. I guess I would not have known that had we not stumbled upon ” Baikal”
"Cheburashka" and alligator "Gena" beloved Russian cartoon characters
I suddenly had a realization that my favorite cuisine in the world is Russian, I miss it so much when I travel. It was so nice to find this slice of “home” in the middle of busy Tokyo.
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