The labyrinth of neo-classical buildings and largely unspoiled streets, tucked away between Zubovsky Bulvar, Kropotkinskaya and the Arbat, is an area where not a great deal happens. At least, this is the image it wants to convey. If you look a bit closer then you can find restaurants, hotels and offices which enjoy the quiet location and discerning clientele. Colonna, on Mansurovsky Pereulok, fits in well to this area and image, offering a high quality and tastefully understated product.
When I went on a Monday lunchtime the feis-control were not exactly rushed off their feet, but present nevertheless and presenting a slightly exclusive image. The foyer is not in itself particularly inviting and does remind you of an up-market club or bar. Sail on through though, and you have a choice of two interiors and themes. Both are based on classical Italian concepts, with the front dining area adapting them and in true Italian style applying a modern twist, and the back area providing a more traditional environment with consummate elegance.
The menu covers the staple pastas, anti-pastas, salads and heavier meat dishes, and aims at the upper end of the middle market, with some special dishes that require either a bit of saving up or a generous dinner date. Cream of spinach and zucchini soup is worth a try, if only for the lurid green color that it comes in. A light frothy texture and a range of embellishing ingredients make this worth its 450 rubles.
Linguini with langoustine and tomato sauce is a good representative of the pasta dishes, and combines strong flavors with panache (850 rubles). Some of the main fish dishes looked very tempting as Colonna boasts that its fish comes in fresh everyday - where it comes from is anyone's guess. At 1,300 rubles for a baked fish (quite what kind was not specified on the menu) with white mushrooms it certainly ought to be fresh.
The meat dishes range from a pork escalope with fries and mushroom sauce at 600 rubles to a meat roll with veal, mozzarella, mushrooms and ham at 850 rubles. Alla Payard turned out to be lean veal steaks, well cooked on a grill and frankly a bit of a disappointment. The meat was watery and rather tasteless. This is quite a stunt for veal and I do not know how they managed it (800 rubles).
Accompanying proceedings was a rare glimpse of Italy, in the form of a free board of foccaccio (flat Italian country bread). Freshly baked in the impressive stainless steel oven with flames leaping out of its mouth, this arrived piping hot and with a good dose of rosemary strewn over it. A truly authentic taste.
Atmospheric in the evening, while a little dead during the day, friendly and (slightly) bilingual staff make Colonna a good place for a secretive meal out in the town. Despite its popularity and capacity it remains off the beaten track, this is really a large part of its charm. On the whole the food is very good and if you look closely at the menu it is possible to stay within affordable limits.
By Tom Washington
