Friday 12th June 2009
Linda Clarke and Bob Thompson
On a hot June day we arrived in the Moscow's Leningradskaya station at 08.30 off of the overnight train from Helsinki in Finland. Our hotel was just one street from the station in one of "Stalin's Cathedrals", huge wedding cake-shaped towers; Moscow has seven.
A couple of hours later we were on an exploration of the capital's brewpubs and bought a ten journey ticket at the metro station.
I enquired of the babushka at the barrier whether it was all right for two travellers and she said yes, and so it proved to be. You touched the pad to let the first person through, then again to get yourself through. Do not try this with an Oyster card!
First stop was PIATYR OKIEAN / ПЯТЫЙ ОКЕАН at ulica Marksistskaya 20. It means Fifth Ocean; four surround Russia; is this the fifth? We started at Komsomol Metro station and travelled on the Moscow equivalent of the circle line, number 5 (brown), two stops to Marksiskaya station.
The brewpub was less than ten minutes walking distance from the station along one of the impossibly wide Moscow boulevards. On a sunny day the outside terrace beckoned and we settled. Inside there were large rooms on the ground and first floors, with the brewery directly in front after entering.
What caught our attention on the terrace were the draught beer pumps on each table with a meter that recorded quantity of consumption. This system wasn't in operation on our visit; in fact there were only two other customers, so normal waiter service was the norm.
Just two beers were offered, a light (Светое) and a dark (Темное). Both were quite good but the consensus fell the way of the dark, the light wasn't very bitter.
Important Information:
Piatyj Okiean / Пятый Океан, ul. Marksistskaya 20, Moskva, RU-109044
Tel: +7 (495) 912 9652
Open: Exact hours of opening are not known but it is at least 12.00-24.00
The pub is around ten minutes walk from Marksiskaya / МАРСИСТСКАЯ metro station which is served by lines 5 (brown) and 8 (yellow). It is about the same distance from Taganskaya / ТАГАНСКАЯ station on line 7 (purple). The two stations are connected underground but have separate entrances at street level.
