Other excellent specialities are filet la Minsk and Minsk cutlet. Regional cooking is often based on potatoes with mushrooms and berries as favourite side dishes. Local dishes well worth trying are dracheny , a tasty potato dish with mushrooms, and draniki which is served with pickled berries. Mochanka is a thick soup mixed with lard accompanied by hot pancakes. There is also a good selection of international and Russian specialities available.
Coffee is generally available with meals and in caf s, although standards vary.
Soft drinks, fruit juices and mineral waters are widely available. Beer and vodka can be bought round the clock from all-night kiosks and food shops. Some bars are open until the early hours of the morning, while some close around 2100. A thriving cultural scene with opera, ballet, theatre, circus and puppet theatre can be found in Minsk. Brest also has a renowned puppet theatre.