Deep-fried pork croquettes. [Photo provided to China Daily]

But this version is no mere standard－it's a triumph. Redolent with beets and cabbage, it also sported nuggets of tender beef snuggled under a drizzle of sour cream. The result is delicately sweet with a fine, tart edge, a bit like your sassiest Russian grandmamma. Almost nothing else we ordered impressed as much.

And we ordered－and liked－a lot of things. Baked cod in cream sauce served Russian style was a delicate delight. The beautifully presented baked trout with mushrooms, tasted even better. Deep-fried pork croquettes had a fine crust around meat that was tender and flavorful.

The deep-fried chicken roll, known as Chicken Kiev at many Russian eateries, was nice and tender, too, and exploded with butter when pierced with a knife. The garlic we eagerly expect to be swimming in that lovely butter was AWOL here, making this dish a little disappointing. The promised side of "potato silk", gleaming on the menu like a little haystack of julienned vegetable, didn't materialize either－a dry wedge of fried potato was a dismal substitute. Tucked on the plate, however, was a tiny pie of sweet peas and cream, such a yummy little thing that the potato flagrante was quickly forgotten.