Private cuisine café for old Russian families
Take you back to the old days of Harbin
Wentu/Ice City Xinzi
Walking into the family café on the second floor of the old Russian overseas Chinese private dish, the white curtain flowing through the high window, the big pull table placed in the middle of the room, the wide floor with thick paint, the crochet tablecloth covered on the coffee table, and most importantly, the smell flowing out of the old house, as if I had passed through the tunnel of time and returned to the old time in Harbin.
Although I only came to Harbin in the 1990s to settle down, my hometown is on the Binzhou line of the Middle East Railway, and the life of Russian overseas Chinese has left me with deep memories. My father's cousin, my great uncle, married a Soviet woman, who lived in the old Soviet house in Hailar, where they ate big leba, drank red cabbage soup, the high wall skirt, the beautiful flower cup, all kinds of hook curtains and flower arrangements, which became a yearning for beauty buried in my young soul.
After coming to Harbin, I listened to the stories of countless old buildings and yellow houses, and I liked to find the past in the depths of the city's history. Over the years, every time you go to a place, you can feel the history there, the most direct is to walk into the old houses, such as Nanluoguxiang in Beijing, Tianzifang in Shanghai, and Gulangyu Island in Xiamen.
Harbin Central Street, the restoration and renovation of old buildings over the years, so that the old street blooms with ancient charm, Matier, Lucia, Tadaosi and other characteristic pavilions and shops waft out of the long-lasting fragrance of old Harbin.
In recent years, some people who pay attention to the protection and utilization of old buildings, with a sense of feelings, have worked hard to create such as the riverside restaurant in Stalin Park, the old chef's private house at No. 78 Company Street, and the old Russian house shop at No. 15 Brick Street, which perfectly replicates the environmental atmosphere of the elegant life in Harbin in those years, so that people can have the opportunity to experience the charm of the old Harbin that is gradually drifting away.
Recently, a friend opened an old Russian overseas Chinese private restaurant, asking me to taste the pure flavor of the old Russian family. Although I am not interested in food, I have heard that there are old Russian overseas Chinese family cafes, the most important thing is that the old Russian overseas Chinese home I see from the circle of friends is too attractive to me.
One sunny day in late autumn, I came to the two-story building at the intersection of Duanjie Street and Central Avenue, which is a nearly 100-year-old building, and the feeling of walking in is to travel through decades of time at once, with a familiar taste, and more than I expected a thicker surprise.
It is not just a small restaurant, but a colorful bloom of the old Russian and overseas Chinese cultural complex. It created Harbin three firsts, one of the most:
The first family Russian restaurant in Harbin
The first Russian family café
The first street history museum
The smallest old book house in Harbin
Natasha's three generations of family heirloom Russian overseas Chinese private dishes
100 years ago, with the construction and operation of the Middle East Railway, hundreds of thousands of expatriates from all over the world poured into Harbin and spent a long time here.
In 1927, Aunt Natasha's grandmother Lukvinova followed her Chinese grandfather from Vladivostok to Harbin, and in 1957 returned to the Soviet Union to settle down, passing on the family's private dishes to her daughter. In the early 1950s, Aunt Natasha's mother, Lena, became a cook at the Soviet Consulate General in Harbin, and her family skills were highly recognized by the consulate.
Aunt Natasha was born in Harbin in 1951 and has inherited the cooking skills of her grandmother and mother. After years of ups and downs, the daily diet of Russian overseas Chinese has been integrated into the habits of Harbin people, and the practice of Russian food is also slowly changing in line with the characteristic tastes of Harbin's Chinese and foreign fusion. For decades, Aunt Natasha has used her family to pass on her cooking skills, continuing the nostalgia of the old Kazakh and Russian overseas Chinese for the taste of Harbin nostalgia. With the departure of generations of Russian overseas Chinese, in this city, the only one who still masters these old Kazakh-Russian Western-style family practices is probably Aunt Natasha, a descendant of Russian overseas Chinese.
At the old Russian private restaurant, you can eat Natasha's own fried buns and 100-year-old braised roasted geese.
Family photo of Aunt Natasha, a Russian private house dish heir
The third generation of Aunt Natasha
There are currently more than a dozen Russian overseas Chinese family dishes, a few yuan to thirty yuan, good quality and low price, the boss said that it is to make the people can also afford to eat family Western food.
Harbin Duanjie Historical Museum
Walking from the first floor into the backyard, I was pleasantly surprised by the street history museum that also hides The End Street! This is the first street history museum in Harbin, and for me, it was the first time to walk into the street history museum.
Duanjie, which began in 1902 with a total length of 240 meters, is called a short street because the street is very short, and is one of the shortest streets in the history of Harbin. The Russian street name "Короткая", transliterated as "Trotkaya", also known as foreign BadaoJie, was renamed Duanjie in 1925 from the harmonic sound of short streets. In 1902, the Duanjie plot began to be leased, and a total of 18 plot numbers were divided.
The earliest recorded building of this street is the house built by the Russian Andreyev Sinetsky on lot 954. The earliest buildings were the two-story building where the Harbin office of the Yokohama Shokin Bank, which was completed before 1912. The Chunhua Zhai Dim Sum Shop, which opened in the same year, is the earliest Chinese business name recorded in Duanjie. In 1916, the Far East Newspaper moved to the intersection. From 1920 to the 1930s, Chinese and foreign firms such as Jieli Foreign Firm, Daoli Pharmacy, Fushun Sung Shop, Huibin Spring Bath, Christian Wesleyan Church, Asia Hotel, Kinseong Bank, fujiyoshi Milk Coffee Shop and so on were opened in Duanjie. It can be seen that this street was prosperous at that time.
The most surprising and admirable thing is that the history of Duanjie Street was discovered and sorted out by song Xingwen, the owner of the restaurant, from his collection of historical materials, thus building this street museum. After reading these precious collections and historical introductions, you feel that this street and this old house are completely different.
The museum also exhibits many drawings of the buildings on this street. This is the earliest architectural drawing of the street that year, a general plan of a House built in 1902 by a Russian, Andreyev Sinetsky, on Lot 954 of End Street, approved and signed by Duke Silkov, the head of the ninth section of the Middle East Railway Engineering Bureau. The circle on the drawing is called the "Ussemark furnace", which was a popular heating method in Russia at that time, and is still well preserved in the old house of the café on the second floor.
This is the drawing of the Ussemark stove, which has a stove door in both rooms and corridors, which has been used in the past in the home.
The tatami mats of that year were used by a friend when his parents got married. In the picture frame next to it is a tatami shop from that year.
Christmas has only been prevalent in the last twenty years, but in Harbin, it began a hundred years ago. On the left is the home of the expatriates of that year, and on the right is the Christmas advertisement of Qiulin that year.
Harbin people's fashion has a long history, this black and white photo is a scene of the central street in that year, which is also very fashionable now.
This "bread stone" comes from harbin's first stone road, Lot Street. Lot Street began in 1899 and was called Lot Street because the Ninth Construction Section of the Middle East Railway Engineering Bureau was stationed here. In 1915, Duke Silkov, then deputy director of the Middle East Railway Administration, was promoted to the post of general director of the Russian Black Sea Railway Company, and because he had served as the head of the ninth section, he renamed "Lot Street" to "Sirkov Street", and in 1927, changed back to the name of "Lot Street".
The paving of the stone pavement of Duanjie Street began in 1926, and on July 13, the 28th meeting of the Harbin Autonomous Provisional Committee decided to bid for the renovation of short streets and other roads, and Petryov won the bid to undertake the repair.
Hundreds of years ago, there was a photo studio in Harbin, and these photos were taken by the photo studio in Harbin that year.
Harbin's first Chinese newspaper, Far East Daily, was located in Duanjie More than 90 years ago.
Very valuable is that the museum also displays the red history of the end street.
The most famous is Jiang Chunfang's experience in doing underground party joint work in Duanjie. Mr. Jiang Chunfang is a famous red translator and writer, who came to Kazakhstan in 1928, joined the Communist Youth League in 1931, joined the Party the following year, served as the director of the Propaganda Department of the Harbin Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League and the Provincial Committee of the Manchurian Youth League, and participated in the founding of left-wing groups such as the "Star Theater Troupe" and the "Harmonica Society".
He became acquainted with Zhang Haiyun, the pastor of the Christian Wessley At 31 Duanjie, and in 1930 he helped the church set up a newspaper reading room and sent the translated Russian evening newspaper to the reading room for the faithful to read. In 1935, he married Zhang Haiyun's sister Zhang Anying.
During this period, the chapel at 31 End Street became an underground party joint and a place for transmitting information, sometimes sandwiching information in the Bible, sometimes in the church's newspaper reading room joint, and sometimes using prayer to secretly deliver letters. In June 1936, Jiang Chunfang was arrested for the Case of Dabei New Newspaper Pictorial, and Zhang Haiyun actively tried to rescue him, and eventually released him on bail.
Song Xingwen, a member of the Harbin Historical and Cultural Research Association and a collector of urban history and cultural relics, introduced the history of this street to me like a family treasure, his research on the history and culture of Harbin was in-depth and meticulous, and he collected a large number of materials and objects, had a deep affection for the city, and invested a lot of painstaking efforts.
Cozy and dreamlike old Russian family café
Walking through the museum, down a spiral staircase to the second floor, you come to the typical old Ha family - the old Russian overseas Chinese family café, which is also the first Russian overseas Chinese family café in Harbin. As the name suggests, walking into the family café is like coming to the russian overseas Chinese family of that year. A long corridor with a large living room and a small suite, a middle living room, a small living room, as well as a bread, coffee room, and toilet.
High shelves, oil-yellow doors and windows, flowing window screens, pull tables, coffee tables, cabinets, oil paintings, vases, table lamps, crochet tablecloths, coffee cups, old record players, etc., are so familiar, the sweaters and large shawls placed on the sofa are placed at hand, as if the owner is in a hurry to leave, and the seeming mess is permeated with a carefully arranged ingenuity.
You can feel the breath of time in the photographs, sculptures, flowers, handkerchiefs, tea trays, cups of all kinds, and even the embroidery hanging from an old hanger from the past. Exquisite lifestyle, warm attitude to life, romantic style of life, dreamlike scene of the life of the old Russian expatriate family.
In fact, the way of life of the old Russian overseas Chinese subtly affected the Harbin people of that era, and many of the living habits and ways of the Harbin people now have the imprint of the life of Russian overseas Chinese.
At the end of the corridor is also a warm little world
Main living room
This handsome young man is called Alyosha, a Russian from Tacheng, Xinjiang, which is the largest gathering place of Russian ethnic groups in Xinjiang. He went to university in St. Petersburg, Russia, and because of the epidemic, he stayed in Harbin, met the old Russian café, and fell in love with the city. He was only in his early twenties, he could sing, asked him when he started learning, he said that he didn't seem to have learned, and the influence of his family would be all over.
On this day, I spent almost a day in the old Russian overseas Chinese coffee, met several old friends, sitting here drinking coffee and chatting about the endless topics in our city, it was very pleasant.
Old Russian ancient method of brewing coffee:
The century-old Russian Bridge traditional coffee pot is brewed, using the same boutique Santos coffee beans from the famous Santos coffee factory in Harbin history, with fresh milk directly sold by dairy farmers, the most fragrant coffee, the most mellow milk, and a cup of centennial fragrance. A pot of 38 yuan, you can sit for an afternoon, very worth it.
Song Xingwen, founder of the old Russian overseas Chinese private cuisine café:
Although he was younger than me, I used to call him Old Song. He is a native of Harbin, living in Daowai since childhood, and initially he liked to study the food culture of Harbin, we met at the old chef's house, and the old chef's restaurant museum and the design of various restaurants have his contribution. From the study of Harbin's catering culture to the study of urban history and culture, he is not only a researcher of catering history and culture, but also a practitioner of catering culture and a disseminator of history and culture.
In recent years, he has paid attention to the protection and utilization of old buildings, and has participated in the revitalization of a number of historical buildings, the famous ones are the Stalin Park Riverside Restaurant in Harbin City, the Middle East Railway Association Office Hall at No. 78 Company Street, Nangang District, Harbin City, and the Residence of the Middle East Railway Escort Army Officer at No. 100 Zhenxing Road, Hengdao Hezi Town, Hailin City, etc. These recovered historical buildings and contents have become the characteristic Internet celebrities of Harbin and Heilongjiang.
His philosophy is to respect the archetypes of history, and on the basis of conservation and utilization, creation must also strive to be close to the original authenticity. The building has been shelved for ten years, the damage is very large, they are on the basis of repairing the old as much as possible to restore the original appearance, so that this century-old building has regained its former style.
Don't look at the appearance of old Song is a typical northeast man, simple and generous look, but the fashion and refinement in his bones are unreachable to ordinary people. Restaurants, museums and coffee houses are all planned, designed and arranged by himself, even the vases, tablecloths, perfumes, and all the furnishings are arranged by him. Many of the objects are in his collection for many years.
Coffee for couples, enough for a lifetime:
This super large cup of coffee is called "one cup is enough". Listening to the name, there is a story, and Old Song said that this coffee came from this big coffee cup in his collection. This is produced by the famous Russian porcelain factory Kuzkuznetsov during the Tsarist period, and the Russian довольно и одной on the cup means that one cup is enough. He said that this was very philosophical, and he liked this cup very much, so he went to Jingdezhen to refine a batch as it was.
According to this sentence on the coffee cup, a specially customized original coffee "oil tea latte", which is the legendary coffee of the old Kazuoqiao legend, the mysterious recipe comes from the traditional oil tea noodles in the old northeast, "one cup is enough" is a true combination of Chinese and Western.
This coffee also has a name called "Couples Coffee". Because this cup is very large, one person can certainly not drink, just two people suitable for couples to drink together, you drink a sip I drink a sip, sweet and sweet. There is also a subtext after "one cup is enough", that is, "what do you want in your life", the 58 yuan super cup is worth the price, right?
The old objects here all come from the collection of the old Song Dynasty over the years, and these collections come from home and abroad. For example, the Shandong and Hebei people who broke into the Guandong in Harbin at that time, when they returned to their hometowns, took many of the daily necessities used by Russian overseas Chinese at that time, and he entrusted people to help collect them locally, so that the price of old goods in Harbin in the local flea market was higher than in other places. Lao Song not only collected, but also studied its history, excavated its story, and extended its life.
Don't underestimate these brags hanging on the wall, they are at least sixty or seventy years old. It highlights the fashion of the city at that time, and also tells the romantic past of the past.
Old Song said that the royal blue sky was particularly beautiful in the evening, so I sat here until dusk. Indoor goose yellow warm lights, and outdoor royal blue sky reflection, there is a beautiful woman standing on the balcony drinking coffee, looking at the street scene, a beautiful and romantic picture.
Thank you to your friend @ Ale JinBa Jie should be on the scene, drinking tea on this small balcony facing the street, reading books and looking at the scenery, it is more appropriate.
From this angle, it is the central street, the Palmili bakery, which is the "hundred gardens" familiar to the people of old Harbin, and the old flower cellar in the past.
Duanjie Leisure Plaza.
Old Song said that this family coffee house is to let friends feel the mood of the Russian overseas Chinese family here, which is the life of the old Harbin people, and it is also the background of the life of the people in this city.
In a corner of the living room, this sofa should be transformed from the iron bed of the past, right? This bedside is too cooked. Sitting here on the Internet, it was quiet.
On the other side is a small book corner, what a warm place
The dark and dark tone exudes an indescribable warmth.
This is the second living room, and it is another style, considering the needs of the guests, there are three groups of seats. That little TV, so has a sense of age.
lunch.
So generous yo, made a table, are delicious Russian family dishes.
Red cabbage soup, canned beef, canned shrimp, shallot meatballs, meatloaf, vegetable rolls, grilled milk sauce, crispy tenderloin, family salad, fried cakes, old Russian overseas Chinese, etc., and also tasted several new dishes.
Tasted the big dish: the old Russian overseas Chinese private banquet dish - a century-old braised roast goose. This one needs to be marinated with Russian spices for 24 hours and baked with the fruit for three hours before it can be served. Freshly baked, the color is golden red, the aroma is fragrant, and the meat is tender and delicious. It must be served with goose oil sauce to be perfect.
The dining here is a lot of original. Take, for example, I L0VE MAJINHA.
100 years ago, Russian overseas Chinese brought beautiful little nuts - MAJINHA, you are my sweet little marlin, ancient songs sing sweet love. The selection of Marin fruit (commonly known as "tray", also known as raspberry) from the Russian style town of HengdaoHezi is fermented with coffee beans to brew a fruity coffee with a unique aroma of marlin fruit, which is sweet and sour. This is the drink of the small marlin series.
Russia is also called "Cranberry Blossom", and the famous song "Cranberry Blossom" should be sung, right?
Alyosha cooks many kinds of bread snacks, which are delicious, and his second aunt is famous for making bread in Tacheng.
When it first gets dark, what will it feel like to sit here listening to old records, with the blue outside the window, drinking a cup of coffee?
This slender little living room has a different taste. It is equivalent to a small study at home, writing and reading.
The morning sun on this side is very good, and it shines softly through the curtain, making the whole room glow.
At that time, the People of Harbin did not have this hook flower tablecloth, I would know this hook flower since I was a child, and I was influenced by the Soviet family. This crochet tablecloth has a different feeling from the cloth, and the romantic style of the impenetrable pattern, I recently bought several decoration homes, and I really like this return.
The other corner is a three-person café with a different kind of coffee in the morning.
How about the evening at this angle, it feels a little different, right?
Loft Bookstore: The smallest old bookhouse in Harbin
In the attic on the third floor, there is also a book house, which is the smallest old book house in Harbin. Although it is only a few square meters, the fragrance of books is still there. There is a coffee exchange event for old books, and interested friends can bring a book about history, art, etc. to share, so it is very meaningful to make it a member of the bookstore.
The attic bookstore is very quiet, with a cup of coffee in hand, a book in hand, a fireplace to accompany, and you can also see the crowded streets through the window.
Everywhere there is the fragrance of bell orchids
If you look closely, you will find that there is a trace of a small white flower in various places in the store. It turns out that this small white flower, which resembles a small lantern, is called the bell orchid, which is a very popular flower of Russians, and can be seen everywhere in the forest trails. The musician Tchaikovsky had a soft spot for Suzuran and called it "the King of a Hundred Flowers".
Suzuran is also known as Junying grass, valley lily, and bluebell grass. The smell is sweet and the whole plant is poisonous. The flowering period is from May to July.
Suzu orchid language: Happy return, and the symbolic meaning of hope, purity, tenderness and chastity, it is no wonder that the flowers held by the brides often use the suzu orchid.
Elegant and simple Suzuran, with a mysterious and romantic beauty, it is loved by the French by nature, and may 1 every year is the "Suzuran Festival" in France. In Britain, it is known as the "Tears of a Lady".
“
Lizuran perfume
The Suzuran Tumbler Cup is so cute
From morning to evening, I spent a pleasant time in the old Russian café. Time passes quickly, and it gets dark after a meal and a chat; time passes very slowly, as if time has flown back to childhood.
You can't come here only once, you need to observe and feel slowly and carefully. Here is different from the folk customs created in the later period, the wall, the door, the window, the table, the chair, the cup, are from the middle of the last century or so, and there are too many stories engraved on them.
The russian food of the old Russian overseas Chinese has been passed down for hundreds of years, and the continuation is the emotional temperature of the Russian flavor into the countryside, the temperament interpretation of the exclusive Russian overseas Chinese family after precipitation, and the nostalgia and consolation of the old Kazakh and Russian overseas Chinese left over after the longitude and latitude of politics and history and the circulation of a hundred years of style.
The old Russian overseas Chinese private house restaurant is another work of the revitalization of the old building in Harbin, and is a specimen of the transformation of Harbin's "Shikumen". How I hope that harbin will have more and more such old buildings transformed for today's use, for the past to retain. If you can resurrect the past Asia Hotel and build a real Russian overseas Chinese homestay, it will definitely become another highlight of the Central Avenue area and even the domestic characteristic homestay.
Let the history and culture come alive, let the charm of the old house bloom, and let the old taste last forever. What is revived is the foreign atmosphere and elegance of the city, and what you can taste is the past and present life of the city of Harbin.
Casually photographed the price of some of the meals of the old Russian overseas Chinese, you can first understand.
Location: No. 4 DuanJie, Daoli District, Harbin (junction with Central Avenue)
Phone: 18346085396
Ice City Xinzi,
Walking into the coffee house of the old Russian overseas Chinese private restaurant in Harbin is like walking into the old Harbin family of the last century. Located at No. 4 Duan Street, the Old Russian Qiao Lai Pavilion, a place where you can see The Central Avenue. #哈尔滨旅游
The video number