THE DISH: Clean Plates Society

Clean Plates Society//13 Gorokhovaya Ulitsa//Tel: 934 9764//www.cleanplates.ru//Open 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. (to 6 a.m. at weekends)//Menu in English and Russian//Meal for two including alcohol 1,360 rubles ($41)

By Ciara Bartlam

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: July 11, 2012 (Issue # 1717)

Hipster hub

Being hip in St. Petersburg is easy: All you need are oversized specs, burgundy pants, a fittingly funky playlist, and, of course, the right venue. With a host of modish cafés and restaurants popping up all over the city, St. Petersburg is fast beginning to trend as a hipster city. In less than 18 months, it’s gained Mishka bar and PirO.G.I on the Fontanka, 22:13 on Konyushennaya Ploshchad, and Rada & K on Gorokhovaya Ulitsa, to name but a few. A new addition to this ever-extending list is Obshchestvo Chistykh Tarelok (Clean Plates Society), on the same street as Rada & K and Zoom, two well-established hipster hubs.

Reasonably priced with no-frills food and relaxed atmospheres to match, it’s no wonder that these latter two cafes are popular among young Petersburgers — so popular in fact that it is almost impossible to get a table at either during peak feeding times, which inevitably only leads to long lines, hunger pains and the exhaustion that comes after half an hour of mentally urging people to stop enjoying themselves, eat up, end that riveting conversation and get out so that you can be seated before the kitchen closes.

Luckily for people looking to eat out on Gorokhovaya Ulitsa, there is now another option, created by the owners of Mishka bar. With the same chilled atmosphere as Zoom, and an interior that only differs from an Ikea showroom in that the central feature is a bar, not a bed, Clean Plates Society offers an immediately comfortable environment adorned with lampshades and smiling faces. Guests are greeted warmly and invited to complimentary bread and water — already a nice touch.

The menu offers a range of dishes from teriyaki chicken (260 rubles, $7.90) to kebab (240 rubles, $7.30), includes a good vegetarian selection, and is certainly not a weight on the wallet. At first glance, the choice available does look like an awkward mix, but all it seems to say is that difference is welcome. The menu comprises an array of dishes catering to every taste, which, judging by the variation between guests in age and style is no bad thing.

The veal bruschetta (170 rubles, $5) is an Italian favorite made into a beer snack. It was simple, flavorsome (if a bit heavy on the cheese) and totally unexpected. The Camembert salad (280 rubles, $8.50) was a more impressive start, however. Fresh apples, warm potatoes, smooth cheese and a sweet cowberry sauce coupled with a portion as big as any entrée made this dish an immediate winner.

The salmon (280 rubles, $8.50) and chicken breast (250 rubles, $7.60), both served with a choice of rice or vegetables, are just right for a warm summer’s day. The dishes were perfectly balanced and light, and the mango sauce served with the chicken was another item to add to the list of pleasant surprises.

However, one thing that became apparent during the main course was that we had inadvertently begun to live out the neighboring couple’s relationship crisis because the tables were just too close together. For a party not opposed to people-watching, it was something of an intrigue to start with, but the novelty soon wore off. Worse still, conversation on our own table became limited when faced with the prospect of being overheard, plus there’s an added issue: Having a stranger’s derriere on your table as they wriggle out to the toilet is just not nice. On the upside, the restaurant, probably due to its compact size, is non-smoking everywhere except the bar, so at least that’s one problem that guests don’t have to face.

Overall, the dining experience at Clean Plates Society is a pleasant one. The room is light and airy and the atmosphere inviting. It is a fresh face on the ever-growing hipster scene and a good option for anybody looking for decent food at a reasonable price and a trendy environment in which to enjoy it.