Been a couple of times after The Stanislavsky & Bolshoi and really rated Zhivago's on the corner of the hotel you stayed in.
because of the collapse in the price of oil and sanctions & counter sanctions on EU food due to their military adventurism in their closest neighbours; many Russian chefs and restaurants have had to go back to refining Russian classics rather than apeing generic international cuisines. (I once saw in Kazan many menus in Russian composed entirely of well worn int'l classics ...scallops with Cauliflower puree, Nobu's Black Cod, a Ramsey Beef Weelington with Robuchon's pomme puree.... Sticky Toffee Pudding etc, etc, you wouldn't know you where in Tartarstan except for the bracing blast of the Kazanka & Volga rivers).
Zhivago's for me, is the best example of this newly refound confidence...
http://www.drzhivago.ru/en/gallery/91-food-2
I even like Moo-Moo
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moo_Moo_Restaurant
