Lunch with a view from the balcony of Nikolsky

What makes a good lunch? A delicious recipe or a good view? I say compensation. When it comes to a busy day with a lot of things running through the mind, there is only one thing that can make things seemingly bearable. A good bite.

On the balcony of Nikoslky mall is the Mammoth restaurant. It is here where the DJ stood and played grooves for the eager crowd on the day of the grand opening of the mall. I was both in a hurry and in the mood for a break. Mammoth was the right call to fit the needs.

An epoxy-break wood table awaited me with a QR code for a menu. Ah, what a time. No one comes to the table with a shabby little gross menu book, who knows how many have touched that with their filthy hands. Instead, I am left alone to my antisocial self to decide what I allow the cooks to put inside of me.

The balcony wasn't a bad call. The weather is cool and the wind is blowing calmly. Hoodie season vibes. The sky is blue and the sun isn't too bright. What will we feast on today?

My appetite was sorry for my loss. The beautiful online menu was carefully divided into an English language section and a local language section. Very delightful, but the options were far too few. It was as if the restaurant was in a mall where they want the guests to leave as quickly as they come. Oh well, it sure was in a mall.

I did not dare venture into the local language menu. I was afraid I would find a lot more options in there, even if the chances were too thin, and I would burst into a free-for-all styled lunch on a busy day where I could not afford a heavy belly and lingering sleep.

The view was splendid, to say the least. Cloudy sky keeping the sun shy. Neo-Renaissance styled buildings crept out of the more clustered and chaotic Soviet styled buildings. A small dash of modernist glass scrapers soaring for the skies. The typical unaligned red brick buildings remind you that this was somewhere in the European continent.

For a weekday within working hours, the restaurant was appropriately empty. A few patrons here and there, not too busy by the looks of it. Even fewer dared sit on the balcony on a cold day. It however seemed like a perfect spot and time for a coffee or flavored tea.

After my cup of lightly roasted coffee, I dove into the meal. Grilled chicken with peppered zucchini. A bowl of baked potatoes with cheese and spring onion. One serving of peasant-style potatoes wedges with garlic.

Man. are those wedges to die for. Think chunks of potato wedges deep-fried into perfect golden on the inside and brown on the outside and dipped in garlic. One bite was more than enough to make me realize that I didn't need anything else except these for lunch.

The chicken really went well with the zucchini. It might not have been on the menu but there seemed to be a pickled flavor to the vegetable. It was one of those grills where the meat kind of falls of from the bone if you jiggle it enough. You know what they say about that, right?

By the time I had my fill of the serene view from Mammoth's balcony I was done with most of my meal. It was time to hurry back to work and I knew I couldn't sit there any longer no matter how charmed I was. The baked potato would have to go in a bag and Mammoth would have to go on my to-do list for some other day.