A Russian Cafe : Buffet

Slava Gussar, the Coffeeman at Buffet, chatting with Irina Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
The cafe culture has really taken hold in modern Russia. Not that it was non-existent in the soviet times, but it was a pale shadow of what you can find today, and the 8%-growth prosperity has brought to life an intense progression in the nightlife, partying and cafe businesses to satisfy all the tastes. Even when coming from supposedly free-market nations like we Western Europeans do, some developments here are beyond ordinary, like these 24-hours (24 часа) theme restaurants and cafes that you can even find outside Moscow.
Buffet is not open 24 hours (yet) but it is among this new generation of bars who try to appeal to modern art and post-industrial, post-soviet esthetism to generate conviviality with refinement and relaxness at the same time. Designed by Evgueni Dolienko, its lighting, fixtures and decor have the feel of both and old neighborhood cafe and of a derelict industrial building.Beware : Girls Drinking Champagne Together... There's a very important word in the Russian culture that you need to know if you want to understand the soul of this country : бместе (Vmiestie), which means "together", or "being together". This is a very central thing in the Russian culture and way of life. As Cafes were not so many in the past, or not affordable for their means, the Russians enjoyed this "togetherness" either at home or by going together in public places, if possible in front of a beautiful landscape in their home town, and shared a bottle together. They still do it today but their new wealth allows more outings in these cafes and restaurants that sprout everywhere. Buffet for example, has become a magnet here for the cafe-society young crowd and while couples also come here, it's not uncommon to see girls sharing a bottle at the end of the day, like on the picture above (here, a Russian Champagne).

Slava (in the foreground above, and on top picture) is an expert here for turkish coffee and no picture can translate the magic preparation of the grounded coffee that he reapeatedly performs for each cup. Some people come here just for his coffee, which costs 60 Rbls a cup if I remember, and is considered the best in town. He uses 30 ingredients like chicory and cardamon depending of the day. The guy has had many lives, travelled a lot and will chat with you like a friend, don't miss him. He is also said to see through people like in a book. He is a personality in the gourmet scene in town and magazine articles like this one speak in length about his work at Buffet.The intriguing Ceiling at BuffetThe cafe plays an active role in the Art and Culture scene of Nizhny Novgorod : Pictural (Photo and Paintings) exhibitions are always going on here and Poetry lectures gather dozens of people of all age. Here is a page on Buffet with pictures of such cultural events. By coincidence I happened to have had myself an exhibition of my own photographic work a few years ago, just 50 meters from there, but the bar didn't exist then. Is there some sort of cultural magnetism in the ground around here ?... Lucia, Behind the BarLucia, who is often in service here, is not an ordinary waitress. She is a fashion model who has already a good experience in this field and here the waitresses have always this something special in their attitude and dress. Overall, the staff fits well with the underlying atmosphere and profile of the place, casual, alternative and refined (when I re-read this, I wonder, where are all the free drinks that I deserve?...).
Speaking of drinks, I tried both beer and wine here. The Russian Champagne is probably the cheapest bottle available here, although I didn't remember exactly its price tag. French wine by the bottle begins at 450 Rbls (12,8 Euro) and wines by the glass begin at a mere 60 Rbls (1,7 Euro) for 100 grams (the Russian measure) of Chile white (or red), which is fairly priced as a bottle of this Casa Del Toro goes for 191 Rbls (5,5 Euro) on the russian market. A pint of beer like an Okskoye, one of the beers made locally by the Volga brewery (which by the way was bought by Heineken), goes for 60 or 70 Rbls if I remember. Apart from the main room, the bar has a couple of side rooms adorned with the same strange intemporal design mixing both soviet and outdated industrial items. There's a 1984 or Brazil (the movies) touch in this place, and in this regard Slava and Liucia make the perfect casting. Speaking of the Terry-Gilliam movie Brazil, if you're looking for your Kim Greist, this seems the right place, there was quite a number of smart Russian girls each time I went in here. If you find your right match you shouldn't have problems to find a quiet corner in this bar among the soviet memorabilia...Buffet Awakes when the Sun Goes Down...This is the door to Buffet, and it goes through a huge buffet into dimly-lit stairs down to the basement...
The red wall in the background with the trees is where I had a personal Photo exhibition a few years ago with the help of my friends Liuba, Assia and Jeanna, the two later having been at the origin of the start of this Bufet Cafe. I hardly recognize the place, some of the other walls there have been torn down and new, high buildings have sprung up, like the one that you can barely see behind the trees. Russia is moving fast...

Comments

[tuyth]

cafe looks too russian