But the story entered the building as “Saigon.”
the Most controversial institution in the era of stagnation, where until 1989, going from 17 to 21 hours all the unofficial Leningrad.
the Cafe was not supposed to official names. Therefore, the people of Leningrad came up with the popular. In the folk version, once in the room – stuffy, dark, overcrowded specific audience – came a policeman and grabbed his head: “Horror, just like in Saigon!” The name stuck…
the Leader of group “Aquarium” Boris Grebenshchikov recalled: “Saigon” was different at different times of the day. A distinct morning or occasional visitors, or people like me with a wild hangover, but never pohmelya, came just for coffee… “Saigon” after 12. Since the mid 70-ies it was filled with book speculators, who modestly had Breakfast, by my count, three, eating two sandwiches with red caviar, more than anything, the cake was added, washed down with a Cup of coffee or even take another glass of juice… Then “Saigon” was filled with mimousa public that drinking coffee, up to four hours. Then there was a sanitary break. The Bedlam began after five, when amid the mundane and the casual audience was the so-called regulars…”
the interior of “Saigon” was nothing special: a long counter, grey round tables-stands, roosters on the walls. On the pantry rack was placed five coffee makers. At their service there was astounding competition among the Leningrad.
More or less civilized audience sat close to the entrance. Others have progressed to the coffee machines. Drank coffee standing up. Those who came for a long time, rescued wide window sills.
In the center of the room was the cooking of the restaurant: rice with chicken, kebab and Pozharsky cutlets, camel strips and baskets. But “Saigon” almost nobody ate the price was through the roof. To eat, ran to the corner of Rubinstein with the speaker called “Gastritis”. There was a very popular brand Solyanka with lemon and sausages with stewed cabbage.
as for the coffee… In Vietnam were drinking sweet milk. And in Leningrad “Saigon” offered “simple”, “small double”, “big double” and “a great quadruple”. “Small simple” cost 14 kopecks., and take it was not prestigious. “Large double”, which was added condensed milk, was considered the top foppery. And drink included in the history of the institution, was a “small double” in 28 COP – that he drank self-respecting and not a very creative person.
To prepare the “small double” had to put the horn 12 g of ground coffee. The caveat was that cofetaria always served selectively. If she was good to the client that it received 11 grams, if it is bad – 5. And all took it for granted.
During the existence of the “Saigon” it was visited by musicians Viktor Tsoi, B��Fig Grebenshchikov, Konstantin Kinchev, Yuri Shevchuk, Alexander Vasiliev, Mike Naumenko, the poet Yevgeny rein, the actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky, artists, Mikhail Shemyakin, and Evgeny Mikhnov and many others. Writer Sergei Dovlatov said: “the Dingy cafe in the heart of Peter with a strange Bohemian-criminal public, where they met, drank coffee and port wine, swap stories, read poems… random visitor could see only that. But for her, dedicated to “Saigon” has been continuously perpetrated by the legend, the symbol second paragraph of this culture…”
Theater critic Boris Sharov reasoned: “There were some very interesting people over coffee. Go. If you have your right hand raised up, ready to give five friends, and so go with a raised hand to the bar, greeting. Came to the bar, show two fingers – double coffee. Words are almost never called…”
Generally, “Saigon” was not about the food. And not even about coffee. “Saigon” was about poetry, paintings, records, home exhibitions, lectures and concerts about the opportunity to be heard.
“We met you in “Saigon” a year ago”, – sang the leader of the group Zoopark Mike Naumenko.
“It takes me a coffee in “Saigon”, and she doesn’t care what happens to me” – echoed Boris Grebenshchikov.
“In the “Saigon” drinking coffee retired pilot Stocks” – from the song of group “CHajf” “the city of three revolutions”.
a Real anthem for the already restricted “Saigon” was the song of the group “Umka and the armored car” “Small double”, was established in 1999
Cold St. Petersburg in the spring
You walked down the street through
Soaked, chilled, went to the “Saigon”
And took the next
Small double.
In 1987, the screens out the film Director Valery Ogorodnikova “Cracker” with Konstantin Kincheva (the leader of group “Alisa”) in the title role. Simple plot and raw acting is more than compensated by the time signs and symbols of the era, including featured, of course, “Saigon”. The frontman of the group “Auktyon” Oleg Garkusha recalled: “According to the script I was supposed to get from “Saigon” to the police… the Camera was then installed in the cinema theatre “Titan”, and while they were tuned, the assistant Director began to pick up for real. To save us was only the Director of the picture, which showed all available documents…”
“Saigon” will always remain a kind of the “era of stagnation”. Literary critic and a veteran of “Saigon” Eugene Belodubrovsky said: “When I think of “Saigon”, with all the storm of conflicting emotions occurs first of all a feeling of warmth… from the people who would hear, cheer, give, how much to eat, cents, find the night…”
“Saigon” left of Leningrad for English-without saying goodbye. In March 1989, the regulars came to drink “your next little FebInoi” and found that the café is closed for “scheduled maintenance”. Closed, as it turned out, forever. That this place was once “Saigon” today, reports only a commemorative plaque.
Ingredients: coffee machine, freshly ground coffee (Arabica) medium or fine grinding – 14 g water – 30 ml.
Recipe: “small double” coffee in taste is more reminiscent of today’s double ristretto. To prepare a double ristretto should you put coffee in the holder and compress tempera. To install the holder to the maker. Install the cap with the heated bottom tray for collecting drops. Cook 12 to 15 seconds. If you use the grain is very finely ground, about 20 seconds.
Ingredients: press-filter coffee in Vietnamese, glass Cup, ground Vietnamese coffee medium grind, ice and condensed milk with sugar.
Recipe: pour in a glass a little condensed milk. To set the container above a Cup, fill it no more than 4 teaspoons of coffee. Pour on top of the boiling water to “steam” coffee. Then press the coffee press. Add boiling water and wait 4 minutes. To remove a press-filter and it is good to mix coffee with condensed milk. Put in a Cup of coffee 3-4 ice cubes. Mix well.
Ingredients: for the dough: flour – 330 g sugar – 130 g butter – 200 g; egg – 1 PC. vanilla sugar – 1/4 tsp.; soda, slaked vinegar – 1/2 tsp For a layer: Apple jam – 250 g. For sweets: egg – 1 PC salt – a pinch; sugar powder – 230 g; lemon juice – 1 tsp; butter – 1 tsp (heaped).
Recipe: dough: mix egg, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl combine and beat well with a mixer. Then pour the sifted flour and soda, slightly beat with a mixer until the state of dry crumbs. Add the softened butter, a little stir, then put on the table and knead the dough, it’s okay to gather into a ball, slightly sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic bag and put into the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. To get the dough. On a work surface spread out the parchment, slightly sprinkle with flour and roll it the dough into a rectangle the thickness to 3-4 mm. cut the Dough into two equal parts, and together with the parchment paper to transfer to baking sheet. Bake 15-18 minutes until slightly Golden brown.
Meanwhile, slightly heat the Apple jelly to make it easier to spread on the cake. Shortcake is ready to get to shift on the table along with the parchment. The surface of a uniformly lubricated with jam and leave to cool. Cake with jam cover with the second cake and slightly press.
Prepare the fondants: melt the butter and cool. Protein with a pinch of salt beat until light foam. Still whisking, add the powdered sugar. Beat until a shiny mass. In the end, add limony juice, mix well. Add butter and whip. Upper Korzh cover with fondant and let it dry. Cut into portions of the stripes.
