Hurry up if you want to catch a glimpse of this restaurant where the decor has not changed since it opened - in 1972. In a year or so, renovation is sure to kill the dark wooden panels framing the room, and the light fixtures that look like metal shavings are also likely to go." Well, if you ignored this advice from the fifth edition of G!O in April last year then don’t say you weren’t warned - Akademicheskaya Hotel Restaurant has been transformed into a slick, minimalist mix of chrome and recessed blue lighting. The establishment is now divided off into two rooms. The back dining room is Spartan, devoid of windows and so sterile that it is hard to imagine anyone other than the hotel’s guests choosing to dine in it. However, the front bar has large, floor-to-ceiling windows stretching across one side, which greatly improves the ambience and is an improvement over the old windows that were curtained off. There is a reasonable range of mixed drinks offered, with beer being an inexpensive option starting at 60 rubles for a half-liter of Sibirskaya Korona. The new design may lack the former incarnation’s kitschy Soviet charm, but it could still appeal to those looking for a modern, low-key place to have a quiet drink at a reasonable price. Best to hurry though, before it turns into a sushi bar. Go-magazine