After hopping off the bus in the centre of Irkutsk, we headed to our hostel, Rolling Stones. We had a terrible hostel experience in Beijing and were a bit nervous about staying in a hostel again but Rolling Stones turned out to be a true gem. It was the best! Super comfortable rooms, perfect location, great staff and we enjoyed chatting to the other guests too.
We were in Irkutsk for three days. The train from Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg (our next stop) only runs a couple of times each week so we had to choose between stopping for two days or for five. We chose to stop for five days (three in Irkutsk and then two nights on Olkhon Island) but I was worried we’d be bored. Those worries turned out to be totally unnecessary as Irkutsk / Lake Baikal was my favourite stop along the Trans-Mongolian and there was more than enough to keep us occupied. The food in particular was SO good in Irkutsk.
Our first meal was at Antricot. The food was fine, with a very American vibe, and a funny menu (sausages, burgers, fancy iced teas). It also doubles as a hookah bar? Heading out from Antricot we wandered around the city for a while and stopped to watch people dancing by the river. The city is so charming, full of old wooden buildings that are painted so colourfully and as we were there in high summer it was spectacularly green with flowers blooming everywhere.
After resting for a while, we had an excellent dinner at Bierhaus, one of many Belgian beer spots in Irkutsk. It was great German food, a bit pricier but by no means expensive. Dan tried a Baikal vodka that was infused with pine nut, which was really yummy. We also had excellent fried fish, crispy potato pancakes with local cured fish, dill and onions and grilled vegetables.
We took it easy over the next few days, alternating between going out to eat, reading, making travel plans (so time consuming!) and wandering around Irkutsk, which has a really charming vibe.
We had fantastic coffee at a cafe called White Crow and a wonderful dinner at Rassolnik, which staff at Rolling Stones recommended to us. Highlights included a Georgian wine and a delicious rye and cherry cake. I would really love to find a book about Russian baking, as we have tried so many interesting and delicious cakes and biscuits along the way. We also had crepes and condensed milk for the first time (a Russian staple, it seems) and tried lots of types of Russian dumplings (pelmeni, varenyky and chebureki). We tried a sweet varenyky (recommended to us by a waiter at the local dumpling place) which was stuffed with a cream or cottage cheese and served with sour cream and strawberry sauce.
True to form, I also loved exploring Russian supermarkets. I think honey must be a local speciality as there were rows of different types of honey. There were also lots of different types of grapes and tiny, bright orange apricots. We tried cheesecake bars for the first time (a skinny bar of cheesecake coated in chocolate that is apparently a popular breakfast food). Dan also discovered Zhigulevskoye beer – delicious and cheap at 60 roubles.
So all in all, we had a really chilled and enjoyable time in Irkutsk doing not that much. We left Irkutsk rested and relaxed and looking forward to three days on Olkhon Island.
(Written by Anna)