Located in a mixed-use building in the bustling district of Minami, this restaurant run by a Russian female owner offers home-cooked Russian cuisine. I visited with a friend who loves Russian food on a Sunday night after 11 PM. It was convenient that they stay open until 5 AM on weekends, as many places tend to have an early last order. They had some rare Russian wines available, but only by the bottle, so we decided to pass this time due to the slightly higher price. We ordered a Russian beer, Baltika 9, and a few dishes. The borscht, pelmeni, and crepes with sour cream were reasonably priced. The borscht came in a large bowl, perfect for sharing between the two of us. The pelmeni, Russian-style dumplings, were a first for me, but they had a familiar and friendly taste. Overall, the dishes had a comforting and gentle flavor, which even I, someone who usually prefers stronger flavors, found surprisingly delicious. Maybe a borscht as a final dish instead of miso soup once in a while could be a good idea. Since there wasn't anything on the drink menu that caught our eye, we ended the night with a shot of tequila before heading home.

Traveling around the world in Minami with friends! The first stop is Russia! We went to a restaurant called Papawanya. We tried dishes like chicken stew, borscht, and Russian salad. The owner of the restaurant is a famous person who has appeared on TV. He even did a commercial for Kincho. The atmosphere was cozy and the conversations were enjoyable. It seems like a great place for small private parties. However, it's best to check their business hours as the owner may be away in their home country at times.

While drinking at the Korean restaurant Hyonbune on Shimono-uchi, a group of Russian women came to the restaurant. The owner kindly arranged for us to sit at the same table and drink together (laughs). A Russian friend mentioned that they came here because they have a friend who runs a shop in Minami. It used to be in the Nippo Night Building on Mitsutera Street, where there was a Korean restaurant called Hanpatei. Yes, it used to be there. But surprisingly, Hanpatei is no longer there... It seems like they couldn't survive the recession. We went to the 3rd floor of the building, and after opening a door that was not easily accessible to passersby, we found a small counter and a few table seats. There was also a karaoke machine. It seemed like the owner, a cute lady, was running the place alone. Oh, her face is cute... but her lower body is like mine (laughs). A common type among Russian women, right!? We settled at a table and looked at the menu. Draft beer and chu-hai are 600 yen. It may seem expensive for an izakaya, but for a bar like this, it could be considered reasonable. Since I don't know the average price of Russian cuisine, the dishes also seemed reasonably priced! Many dishes were around 600-700 yen. We started with a toast! We ordered a few random dishes. It's nice to have women around! They shared various dishes with us. New dishes that we had never eaten before kept coming out. Since we were not used to them, we ate while telling ourselves that this must be how this dish is supposed to taste. But surprisingly, it was good! When we were feeling a bit tipsy, karaoke started! There were other customers, but we sang standing up (laughs). Sing and dance! We had eaten and drank a lot at the Korean restaurant Hyonbune, so we just had a light meal and drinks here. I think the total bill was a little over 20,000 yen...!? There were 7 of us, so maybe it was cheap? But unlike the traditional Japanese culture of splitting the bill, the men ended up paying... excluding the owner of Hyonbune, the bill was split between another Korean customer and me, and it was a little over 10,000 yen. Men always end up spending money (laughs). Overall rating: 6. Food/Taste: 6. Service: 6. Atmosphere: 6. Value for money: 5. Drinks: 5. - Restaurant Name: Russia Dining Bar PapaVania - Genre: Dining Bar, Russian Cuisine - Phone: 06-6213-5633 - Address: 2-6-13 Higashi Shinsaibashi, Osaka, Nippo Night Building 3F - Access: 440m from Nipponbashi Station - Business Hours: 18:00-5:00 - Closed: No regular holidays