Samson Bistro, St. Petersburg

Part of a chain of bistro cafes, Samson is nearly always a reliable place to go for filling meals and does better than others of its type by ensuring that decent portions are not incompatible with some of the best prices in the city. It doesn't stray too far from its core menu but the lemon chicken and pike perch, typical features in most cafes or restaurants here, rarely disappoint. You can wash it down with a half-litre of Baltika, which at 23R, competes very well with the opposition.