A few weeks ago, I wrote about the “fishier” options on menus you can find around Nizhny Novgorod’s many restaurants and fast-food joints. As a Turk, it is rather interesting for me to see that though fish does have a place in some menus, shrimps make an appearance more often. Shrimps are, for the most part, a luxury, and a rather rare element in Turkish cuisine for the majority of the people. Interestingly, price wise, it is not really much more expensive than fish here. Especially when it comes to their use in wraps and burgers, prices become quite reasonable, at least compared to similar dishes around the world. This meant that more often than not, I opted for the shrimp option on any menu if there was one, it simply made sense to me financially and of course taste-wise. The following is a list of four quite affordable and rather tasty shrimpy treats that you can find in Nizhny Novgorod if you too want to savour some of them delicious crustaceans yourself.
Vkusno i Tochka
As is traditional in these types of lists so far, let us start with the “Russian McDonalds” once again. They have an amazing shrimp wrap which is pretty much the most expensive item on the menu barring a few over the top burgers with a tad too many patties. However, it is truly something quite tasty and is worth going to Vkusno for on its own. The wrap itself is pretty basic, with a garlicky sauce, some crispy lettuce, and four pieces of juicy fried shrimp. Sauce is really on point though, wrapper itself is often fresh, and shrimps are always well-fried. It gets the job done and leaves you asking for more.
Burger King
Well, if Vkusno sells one, how can Burger King not rise up to the challenge? Burger King in Russia also offers a shrimp wrap, though to be perfectly honest with you all, there is no reason to choose that one over what Vkusno has. BK’s wrap is simply smaller, less saucy, and shrimps are of a lower quality. It is expensive as well, much like the one in Vkusno. There really is not a reason to go for this one, especially considering the fact that Vkusno’s fries are simply much better in every way as well, and they do complement a shrimp wrap quite well. I suppose you can keep this in mind the next time you have to go BK, so you can look forward to trying something new but other than that, it is not worth the hassle.
Brat Burgers – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKZQDewA
Shrimp burgers/wraps do not have to be all “unhealthy.” That is what Brat Burgers seemed to have in mind when they created their own shrimp burger, with what appears to be pan seared shrimps instead of the more common deep-fried ones. The shrimps themselves are bigger here and tastier if I may say so myself. The way they are cooked is not the only difference by the way. The “other” ingredients change quite wildly as well. More greens such as arugula find their way into your burger, which is a hit and miss depending on the patron. Their sauce game however is undoubtedly weaker. You cannot really taste it at all. I would say that this is just a low calorie take on all the other items on this list, whilst also being the most expensive one coming at well over 400 roubles. I suppose it deserves a chance, at least to see how versatile shrimps can be as a type of protein, but I would prefer my unhealthier and saucier options any time of day.
Soul Kitchen – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKZQDvTA
Speaking of preferring stuff, the shrimp burger in Soul Kitchen is what I would prefer over anything else on this list, and beyond. It is, simply put, amazing. They do every ingredient justice. Their brioche bun was good, though admittedly it could be fresher. Their sauce is extremely tasty, being a garlicky ranch sauce. The lettuce was crispy and fresh, though it certainly had nothing over the crispiness of the perfectly battered and fried plumb shrimps. Those were the real deal, and for only 355 roubles with some fries on the side, I seriously do not know any other deal in town that can beat this beauty. Though I must warn you that this fine establishment is very far away from the city centre, and is take-out only, meaning that you will be chowing down on these burgers on some pavement unless you are living around the area. I only wish that it was closer to the centre, so that I could enjoy their food every week and not once every two months…
