When the cocktail business crashed in Riga along with global financial markets, the Latvian celebrity mixologists of Piektdiena closed their Riga hotspot only to reopen it as a posh, yet affordable restaurant specialising in local and international cuisine. The refined menu lists such delicacies as slow roasted pork belly with pearl barley pumpkin risotto and many vegetarian items, like butter-fried asparagus with baby spinach and gorgonzola sauce, which are clearly marked with a carrot symbol. An affordable and filling business lunch can also be had as well as the so-called Market Basket – a dish created with fresh ingredients procured at the Central Market that morning. Naturally, excellent, if expensive, cocktails are also in abundance, not to mention carrot cake!

(5 - 8Ls)