JUN 25, 19 .. IS IT TRUE .. YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

I know the saying, YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, is an old bit of wisdom but it certainly is correct.

So we decided to share a real-life experience with this bit of wisdom as to the CHIN-CHIN restaurant that Patti and I recently visited.

It is a Trip Advisor attraction and I noted that it was not getting any attention let alone reviews. 

So we decided that the two of us would at least : Visit it, go inside, look it over, and then decide whether or not to stay.

And now for the Rest of The Story.

The CHIN-CHIN Pan Asian Restaurant is located right smack dab in the middle of the Irkutsk Open Air Market.

I did a Post last November on the Open Air Market.

https://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/11/nov-16-18-irkutsk-open-air-market-my.html

If you take a look at the above Post, you will see that we are NOT in the upscale / high end part of Irkutsk.

The CHIN-CHIN Pan Asian Restaurant

We will begin by looking at the cover of our book in question. Have you spotted the CHIN-CHIN in the first photo below?

In the above photo, look at the left edge. In the distant background you can see a large, gray, non-descript, sheet metal building. 

Below are three photos of the area around the above building

The point that we are making is simply that the CHIN-CHIN Restaurant is NOT up-town.

Well, here we are Patti. Let's step inside and take-a-look.

You never ever get a second chance to make a first impression.

It is upstairs on the second floor, but I like this Patti, we can look at the Menu. 

Wow. A very complete Menu indeed. 

Just look at this : English sub-titles.

OK. Let's you and I venture upstairs.

Oh Patti. CHIN-CHIN is elegant. Can you believe this? It is as if we are seeing a beautiful Lotus plant in the middle of the swamp around us outside.

White table cloths. Nice silverware. Interior plants.

The Jury has returned. 

The verdict is unanimous! 

We are staying. 

Have a seat My Dear Patti while I shoot some more photos.

Is this tender? A desk for the children to read books and do some coloring.

There is a smaller room off the main dining room. Nice for a private party.

I am now seated at our table. How nice is this!

Our Menu.

Our dinner.

Pad Thai on the left above and below.

A to-die-for Salad on the right above and below.

Our 'view' out over the surrounding area from our table.

It was one wonderful experience. All because we were willing to be open-minded enought to just take a look and see for ourselves. 

We are NOT talking while the flavor lasts.

Cap and Patti

MAY 12, 19 .. IRKUTSK .. FULLER'S RESTAURANT

We have had a flat here in Irkutsk since last October. Our current flat is just one street over from Gagarina Blvd on 5th Army (УЛ 5-Й АРМИИ) at Sverdlov (СВЕРДЛОВА). Tell me why it has taken me / us some months to visit Fuller's? Fuller's is a neighborhood restaurant! Better late than never.

The other day I said to Patti, "Let's eat at that nice looking restaurant that is on Gagarina Blvd just a few blocks South of the Hotel Irkutsk." We have seen it (Fuller's) countless times as we walk along the Angara River.

Fuller's is patterned after a London, England, restaurant and pub of the same name. It is a classy place yet not stuffy and pretencious. Patti and I sat in a booth in the bar. The booths are quite wide so you are sitting sort of far away (uncomfortably) from the edge of your table. I moved the table close to one of the booth seating benches and sat beside Patti not across from her. Problem solved!

I was hungry for a hamburger and fries. Patti was hungry for a salad. I got my fancy hamburger and we shared two salads; a Chicken Caesar and a Shrimp Vegetable Salad with a basket of black bread. To be honest, the Shrimp Salad was a tad small. You'll see lots of photos of our dinner. Our server worked behind the bar and was just great. We loved our dinner. We loved the ambiance of Fuller's. It was a great visit for us. Our three entrees including a gratuity cost 1,200 Russian Rubles (U.S. $18.46) not bad for a classy place like Fuller's.

Fuller's is in the lower left in the below two photos.

Soon patrons will be enjoying a meal outside.

As we entered, we were greeted by a friendly bartender.

The below photos were taken from our booth.

Classy photos of English Knights.

Time to order some dinner.

Our salads. The one on the right is the Shrimp Vegetable Salad that I noted was a tad small.

Joined by my hamburger with fries.

Patti enjoyed her Chicken Caesar Salad.

Patti also enjoyed her Shrimp Vegetable Salad.

I was pleased with my hamburger.

All of this and more, here in Irkutsk, Russian Siberia, at a restaurant called Fuller's.

We're not talking while the flavor lasts!

Patti and Cap