My first dinner in St. Petersburg was solo (not unusual at all for me).
After many different variations on Russian cuisine, I was interested in branching out and trying some of the bordering foods. Georgian was one of these and I had read a lot about a restaurant closeby to my hostel Soul Kitchen Junior (which has to be the best hostel I've ever seen in the world). This restaurant was also 24 hour (not that it mattered to me) and a nice relaxing lounge feel.
The specialty (from the name of the restaurant) is kharcho - a traditional Georgian meat soup. This one was cooked with veal meat, rice, vegetables and spices and was lovely and warming.
I also couldn't resist Aunt Elisa's khachapuri (stuffed with Suluguni cheese) which was essentially a thick crusted delicious cheese pizza. It was fantastic and huge but unfortunately I could only eat a few slices before leaving the rest for the restaurant staff.
One of the downsides of eating alone - I don't like waste but sometimes my greed and enthusiasm means I have to stuff myself or sacrifice. In hindsight I probably should've taken the rest away.
Of all the places I ate in Moscow, the Golden Ring and St. Petersburg on this trip, Khochu Kharcho is the one I look most forward to returning to. A great meal and then exploring the city under the White Nights.