Linger over a slice of cheesecake and coffee, observing the Primrose Hill yummy mummies in their natural habitat, or tuck into a full meal of well-prepared, inexpensive east European food – take your choice at this decent all-rounder.
A relaxed Mitteleuropa vibe prevails at Trojka, with dark-wood furniture, red decor, and a Chagall-like painting of a horse-drawn sleigh (the trojka) livening things up. Service was friendlier and more attentive than of old; a kindly Latvian waitress tried warning us off our favourite semi-sweet Georgian wine, having previously had customers who didn’t take to it.
The blini are top-notch: light, fluffy and fragrant from the nutty buckwheat flour. Enjoy them with herrings and sour cream, aubergine caviar or smoked trout. Vibrantly beetrooty Polish-style barszcz (clear, served with a floating dumpling) is also recommended. Next, well-stuffed mixed pierogi (filled with pork, cheese and potato, and sauerkraut and wild-mushroom) will certainly warm you after a bracing walk up the hill. To finish, treat yourself to sweet cheese pancakes dusted with icing sugar.
Entertainment is occasionally provided, but the gipsy violinist who appears some evenings isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.