Strolling along Petrovsky Boulevard, we came across a cosy restaurant that took us back to St. Petersburg. How? Let's find out.

Saviv is a gastronomic project from St. Petersburg’s Fresa's Restaurant Group, where everyone becomes good friends, a restaurant where the aromas of freshly baked flatbread and fried seafood mingle with the sounds of clinking utensils and glasses of sparkling wine.

Having settled down near the open kitchen, we immediately started to look at the menu, the smells making our stomachs grumble. For starters, we chose hummus with prawns, beef tartare with truffle aioli and Tulum cheese espuma, and fritto misto with labneh and salted lemons. Salted lemons are one of the establishment’s specialities, homemade and aged for several months.

Next came the mains, which were perfect for the company: baked lamb shoulder with baharat spices and salted lemons, and Murmansk cod with eggplant cream. The meat was tender, the fish perfectly cooked, and, again, there was the perfectly fitting note of lemons.

The desserts soon became my favourites. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth matzo napoleon with garden cherries, oriental baklava cheesecake, and the most popular crème brûlée with tonka beans.

This atmosphere, interior, and service brought us back to the cultural capital of our country.