The Russian Restaurant 15 Manor Row, Bradford BD1 4PB. Tel: 01274 733121 If you haven't been to Russia, how do you imagine it? Most people will probably think of this vast country as cold, with crisp snow underfoot, and people in thick coats and large fur hats, bent forward against the biting winds.

Cities and towns with grand buildings, harbouring bars and restaurants, decked out in rich reds and other warm colours.

Of course, it would be better to see it for yourself. But if you can't afford the fare, or don't want to add to your carbon footprint, head to Manor Row in Bradford, where you will find a little slice of Russia.

Raved about by diners who have sat in its intimate booths to check out its culinary and cultural charms, The Russian Restaurant has the look and atmosphere of an eaterie back in the former Soviet Union.

Traditional dishes include stuffed pancakes, caviar canapes and herring fillet slices for starters; and for the main course, goulash, stroganoff and the famous Georgian meal tchakhohbili. Home-made soups - borsch, solyanka and country chicken - are meaty, thick and filling.

Originally sited behind The Peel Pub in Richmond, the restaurant was opened by Russian-born Vlad Yamin.

Raised in the city of Samara on the banks of the Volga in central Russia, Vlad began cooking as a student. But this was limited to his spare time, while he trained to become a construction engineer. He set up his own business, working across the country.

The collapse of the Soviet Union brought a change of direction. "A British businessman asked me whether I was interested in a joint venture based in the Ukraine, producing soft drinks," he recalls.

He decided to give it a go, and carried on until the Ukrainian economy became unstable and costs spiralled. "It was not the place to be," he says.

Vlad, 52, had made a number of visits to Bradford on business trips. He met his wife, a local woman, on a night out at Napoleon's casino. The couple settled here, but, eight years ago, Vlad's wife died.

Having made friends, he wanted to stay in Bradford, and racked his brains for a unique business idea, a gap in the market. "I wanted to find a niche that was not affected by competition. I put together the multi-cultural nature of Bradford, and the lack of any Eastern European restaurant and this is the outcome."

He adds: "People don't tend to know much about Russia, and if they do know anything it is usually negative, like remnants of the Cold War. So I decided to bring a positive experience of Russia to Bradford."

And he has certainly done that. As the first Russian restaurant in Yorkshire, the venture - which has a bar with a wide selection of world and Eastern European wines, spirits and beers, as well as Eastern European satellite channels and Russian karaoke - is making a name for itself, with favourable reviews in the local and regional Press.

Vlad has a limited involvement in the cooking, leaving it to his talented wife Natallia Cherkasava, a native of Belarus. They met when Vlad advertised on the internet for "a genuine Russian chef".

"I want people to learn about genuine Russian cuisine," he says. Vlad's son Tim, 17, a pupil at Bradford Grammar School, has designed the restaurant website, and his daughter Julia, 28, lends a hand when she visits from Russia.

"We have put a lot of effort into setting up the restaurant and we are building up the business," he says.

The couple work a six-day week, and shop for ingredients on Monday, when they are closed. "We dream about time off," says Vlad, adding, "But we are really enjoying ourselves."