Restaurant
in the Fish Village.
Madam Bushe

Have you ever wanted to bring back memorable, pleasant moments? The means can be favourite music, pleasant aromas or a midweek visit to a favourite cafe.

The French restaurant “Madam Bushe” is on the Fish Village embankment in the Lighthouse observation tower, not far from Kant Island and the Museum of the World Ocean, and occupies 2 floors of the tower, while on the embankment side there is a covered glazed veranda.

In the hall of the building there is a souvenir shop, and on the top floor an observation deck with a gorgeous view of the city. To get to the restaurant itself you have to climb a narrow spiral staircase.

I decided to book a table in advance. Getting into the restaurants in the Fish Village off the street is something beyond the realm of fantasy. So if you are planning an event or want to have dinner on a weekend, I recommend taking care of a reservation in advance. And there is one more nuance — a time limit: as a rule, guests are given a table for dinner for 2 hours.

The administrator asked me over the phone about the purpose and time of the visit and offered a table on the 3rd floor. I will say right away that this part of the restaurant is in the section of the tower with no windows. A slightly Gothic atmosphere: candles and semi-darkness, stone walls. A special flair.

The second floor is a hall with vaulted windows, light and airy. It also has an exit to the open terrace. Cosy tables surrounded by greenery and a gorgeous view of the Cathedral and the embankment. In the evening a magical panorama opens up of the illumination of the Honey Bridge and the park, the pleasure boats cruising along the Pregolya and the embankment by the Museum of the World Ocean.

The interior of the restaurant is that of a French apartment: a restrained, muted colour palette, antique objects, wooden beams and ornate heavy furniture, crystal chandeliers and, of course, fresh flowers.

Although there were many guests, the order was brought fairly quickly.
So what did I decide to try this time? Wild salmon tartare as a starter and — drum roll — onion soup. Where else to taste this national delicacy if not in a French restaurant? To drink — raspberry tea with rosemary.

Salmon tartare (truly wild) with avocado purée and chimichurri sauce. The dish is served with a warm French croissant. The tenderest salmon fillet and avocado, seasoned with lemon juice, with a bright and fragrant sauce. A culinary delight.

And my gastronomic experiment — French onion soup. By the classic recipe the onion is slowly cooked in a generous amount of butter until sweet and caramelised, then simmered in a rich broth until the mass is homogeneous. Finally toasted bread is added, and Gruyère cheese is generously melted on top. The soup is pleasantly thick and very rich, with the sweet taste of onion and tart thyme, and the viscous, stretchy, slightly sweet cheese with pieces of crispy baguette is the benchmark of flavour combinations.

Dinner at this place cost me almost 2,000 ₽ including the tip.
“Madam Bushe” is one of the restaurants in the Fish Village worth visiting, especially to sit on its summer terrace