Oct 15

Oct 15 They Eat... Northern Siberian Cuisine at Chum in Tyumen

As we looked at the potential Trans-Siberian itinerary, we noticed that we would be on the train on Ian’s Birthday. We decided to get off the train for 48 hours in Tyumen to find the best restaurant in town to celebrate.

Chum is famous for serving cuisine from Northern Siberia which means interesting meat such as Reindeer and Bear. We booked to have our dinner inside a “ger tent” - basically a smaller version of what people in Northern Siberian live in (we lived in many of these when we went to Mongolia a few years back). In the main restaurant area, a musician plays on a string instrument - so no matter where you sit, the ambience is comfy and a bit romantic. The place sang for Ian and even gave him a little statue as a present!

The Menu is incredibly extensive. We tried to pick items we have never seen anywhere else. Imagine eating raw reindeer and whitefish! This is called Stroganina. It comes on a block of ice and the raw meat is frozen. The native Siberians usually eat this with shots of vodka. The stewed bear meat came on an adorable plate shaped like a bear. The meat tasted similar to ox stew and I honestly wouldn’t have known it was bear if no one told me. We also had roast deer covered in a gravy sauce - i would say this was a cross between beef and duck. Every dish was amazing. We finished our meal with a blueberry cake and homemade fruit vodkas.

We highly recommend you stop in Tyumen and book a table at Chum. The restaurant is also a museum showing artifacts and photos from Northern Siberia. The place does not come off as a tourist trap at all. In fact, if you do go, please message us and we will meet you there!