Sparrow Hills (Vorobyovy Gory), Central Russia, Russia

5Nigel W 5:00 PM Apr 4, 2018

Fine views
We walked up the icy hill steps and along the road to enjoy this fine view over Mockba from in front of the splendid University building. View wasn’t quite as good as it might have been on the previous sunnier day, but it was impressive nevertheless. It’s one of the few spots from which you can see all Seven Sisters at once!

4Bruce G 5:00 PM Dec 1, 2018

This time… Chews, not Views!!!
My prior review was to encourage people to visit this rather special view of part of the city! But yesterday's visit was to sample the fare and not the landscape! Vorobyovy Gory Restaurant is really a Hidden Gem, as titles in my previous review! This is because the restaurant is out of view unless you actually stop and gaze over the parapet to see a White 'Soft-roofed' building clinging to the hillside, with a spectacular view from its many windows overlooking the Moscow River, the fairly newly sculptured skyline and the bulk of the older city surrounding the new "Center" or "Центр" as it is referred to! There, many architects defied tradition, seemingly had a few nights 'OFF THE WAGON', and played with ideas that many an internationally experienced architects might cringe at or laughingly agree with expecting chaos! There is also a terrific view of Luznikhi Stadium. Well, in spite of the decision to build "A NEW CITY CENTRE" Moscow did exactly that! Far more courageously, than the new German city centre of Berlin, a few years ago! They did it with business in mind, as far as I understand… Moscow did it with uniqueness and shock value! None-the-less, the achieved results are pretty awesome and in my opinion, well-worth viewing, first, from here, Vorobyovy Gory Restaurant, before eating and then exploring the closer proximities of the centre. Now to the food! I was not too hungry, but needed something to eat and I usually try for something that I do not make at home. I am a finicky person, with complete families of food stuffs that I find distasteful. My wife will eat almost anything… I don't like sweet bell-pepper… any colour, nor the entire gourd/pumkin/eggplant/marrow group of foods. There are many other things that I care not for, e.g. barley in soups! Don't get me wrong… barley has its uses, but not in soups for me… use vermicelli and your home free! I settled on a spaghetti with shrimps and sun dried tomatoes. I was not able to tell them to 'hold' the баклажан (or eggplant) nor the кабачок (sliced fried marrow)! To me, they are unpalatable! BUT… the dish that came was a reasonably sized portion of properly cooked (al dente) spaghetti, that was coated in a sun-dried tomato flavoured film with a few good-sized shrimps (almost prawn-sized). The баклажан & кабачок were buried beneath the main ingredients. I enjoyed the dish very much, passing my dislikes to my wife who devoured them with relish! The food was not too long being prepared (about 12 minutes), served pleasantly, with a smiling waitress and clean, well-sized cutlery for the job! I have to compliment the staff… they were recovering from a Christmas-style party, with scores of termites… sorry, young children and toddlers running all over the place, dragging balloons, ribbons, party hats and presents with most of the parents attempting to reclaim the miscreants, with smiled apologies to all and sundry, who were trying to consume calories and sate appetites! My wife and succeeded, with me declining desert (no room) and enjoying a rather large carafe of black tea, fresh lemon and 'rock' white and brown sugar served on the table with baby tongs… a nice touch! This restaurant is really worth a visit, as it is not one of the pretentious restaurants dotting the Moscow scene, but one with seemingly a good chef and staff, producing a very tasty meal (my wife had Roasted duck with potato pancakes decorated with cranberry sweet sauce). She also thoroughly enjoyed hers pushing me to prepare a similar meal at home, some time. The restaurant prices are really very comfortable for the quality of venue, food and view! It is also great for children Naturally, I said, "Of course!" For those of you who live in Moscow, you probably know where to park, but for visitors who own cars, ask the staff and they will advise you. It was free for us on Saturday, December 1st 2018. Below, the question is asked, "What sort of visit was this?" The correct answer is ALL, Couples; Family with either/and/or youngsters, teens, both; Friends; Business and Solo (add groups!)