Swan Lake, Stow Hill, Newport

10:56am Friday 18th April 2008

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THE Swan Lake is a truly unique and exotic dining experience.

Situated above the Six Bells pub in Stow Hill, Newport, the Russian-themed restaurant is a first for the city and indeed Wales.

Never having tasted Russian food before I didn't know what to expect, so my visit was an exciting foray into new culinary ground.

The welcoming shot of traditional Russian vodka certainly helped set the mood, as did the Russian outfit our waitress wore, the themed decor and the ornate table decorations.

To start I ordered the salad olivye, a mixed chicken salad with grated vegetables, gherkins, eggs and homemade mayonnaise.

I can best describe it as like a potato salad on a tartlet base, not what I was expecting, but delicious nonetheless.

My partner ordered kharcho, a classic Georgian lamb soup with rice and pickled cucumber, served in a traditional hand-crafted wooden "khokhloma" bowl.

For the main course we both opted for Georgian dishes.

I ordered chakhokhbili, a succulent spicy chicken breast in a tomato and onion sauce with port, served with mashed potatoes.

My partner had chanaky, a slightly-spiced lamb stew with potatoes, served in a traditional pot with a pie crust on top.

Both dishes were filling and the unfamiliar flavours had our tastebuds tingling.

For dessert I had traditional Russian pancakes, bliny, with caramel and fresh fruit, while my partner had traditional Russian apple tart.

Both dishes were excellent and rounded off the meal superbly.

With drinks the bill came to £62.20.

If you are into new culinary adventures, I would strongly recommend a visit to Swan Lake - there really is nothing like it anywhere else in Gwent.