The general manager of eatery Elephant and party-place Mango, Li Baoqi, exposes the distinction with the baring of skin at the late-night venue Mango - both onstage and on the dance floor. Mango opened in 2010, while Elephant has been a local institution since 1995.

Both staffs are Chinese, but cooks train under Russian chefs, Li says. "It's hard to get visas for Russian chefs," he explains.

The 900-square-meter, three-story establishment also hosts nightly shows, often frequented by nearby Elephant's daytime diners.

"Russians like to dance after dinner," Li explains, echoing Kukharenko.

Performances are of modern songs punctuated with WWII-era anthems, with Russian and Ukrainian singers and dancers wearing less the later it gets.

Mango offers 13 brands of vodka, from Gold Anto at 58 yuan ($9.35) to Kauffman Soft for 1,200 yuan. The liquor list is presented in the menu's front, while other drinks are in the back.

The eatery imports such ingredients as fish and red caviar from Russia, "so we can guarantee authenticity", Li says.

In addition to purely Russian food, Mango nods to nearby nations with Azerbaijani kebabs and Ukrainian beefsteak with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and onions.

Li likens Yabaolu to Chinatown in Russia - in reverse.

"But fewer Russians are coming," Li says. "Many restaurants have closed."

But if Yabaolu's stomach for Russian food seems to be shrinking, much appetite remains.

Perhaps Yabaolu's palate is simply broadening.

If you go

Mango restaurant

6 Ritan Beilu (North Street), Chaoyang district, Beijing.

010-8561-3685.

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