Spring is delicious: what to try in the capital during the holidays
This year, Moscow has again become one of the priority destinations for Russians to spend the May holidays. One of the main arguments in favor of this choice is the vibrant and diverse gastronomic life of the Russian capital. It is not surprising, because this spring the restaurateurs were marked by a series of openings of new projects. The most interesting and memorable of them are in the traditional Izvestia material.
The dappled horses
The Savras restaurant, which opened in the Egyptian House on Bolshaya Dmitrovka in mid-April, relied on Russian-French gastronomy with Asian accents. The name of the project directly refers to perhaps the most famous horse color in Russia – the very "savraski", without which it is impossible to imagine Russian literature of the 19th century. The same theme plays out in the interior, with a white—brown palette of walls and furniture, saddles, candlesticks made of stirrups, and even dressing rooms with tiny bells.
Dumplings with crab and bisque sauce
Chef Alexander Lebedev, known for his work at Bosco Café and Skolkovo Restaurant & bar, is responsible for the kitchen. He has put together a relatively small menu — about forty items — but a carefully calibrated and well-balanced menu in which everyone will find something interesting for themselves. For example, scallop tartare is served with white peach sauce, and beef tartare is served with bright Tuscan olive oil. Caesar salad is kneaded directly in front of the guests. Crab dumplings are seasoned with bisque sauce, and a drop of foie gras and cream sauce is added to the galantine. Lightly fried Sakhalin scallop is served on celery brunoise, and mushroom saute and empanados with oxtails are served with perfectly cooked Kalbi ribs.
Farm chicken galantine with celery and porcini mushrooms
The "cake library" deserves special mention — by the way, this is the first thing that guests see when entering the restaurant. Currently, the assortment includes chocolate, pistachio, carrot, poppy seeds with vanilla cream, raspberry sundae and cheesecake with yuzu. To add to this beauty, another library is offered — the tea room, which has more than fifty varieties, including very exotic items.
Deep-sea shrimp Crudo
I would also like to highlight the assorted poultry dishes — small, elegantly executed appetizers in the form of tartlets, eclairs, gougeres and pasta with different fillings (riate, foie gras, gorgonzola, caviar, etc.), which are pleasant to accompany a glass of wine or an aperitif cocktail. Such small joys of life are not often found in Moscow restaurants, which is a pity.
Playing with fire
It seems that the talk about a mass exodus of gastronomic projects from the Patriarch's Ponds area turned out to be somewhat premature. The prestigious location is still in high demand, and new establishments will soon appear in the vacated premises. One of the most recent examples is the K—BBQ Korean barbecue restaurant opened on Malaya Bronnaya, dedicated to the modern gastronomy of Seoul and the culture of eating together.
Panchana snacks
The creator of the project, restaurateur Jeanne Kim, decided to bring not only Korean cuisine to Moscow, but also the atmosphere of trendy Seoul places. The gray walls of the space, illuminated by round lamps and neon signs, look unusually ascetic for Patriks. But this emphasized simplicity has its own explanation — guests simply won't have time to look at the interiors, as all the most interesting things here unfold at tables equipped with built-in mini-grills and copper hoods resembling industrial lamps.
Marbled beef for grilling
Brand chef Lia No from South Korea is responsible for the project's cuisine. She launched the current small menu and will continue to adjust and supplement it with new items. The main focus of the project is on marbled beef, which the guests will cook themselves on the grills, sitting at the tables. They have conveniently prepared ribs and striploins and ribai marinated in original spice mixes at their disposal.
The meat is served with several types of moderately hot sauces and appetizers-panchans (fern with perilla oil and wild sesame seeds, crushed cucumbers with wood mushrooms in a sour marinade, daikon salad, kimchi cabbage and tofu with pickled seaweed), as well as lollo rosso salad with soy sauce and sesame seeds and wild garlic arrows with cilantro.
The second direction of the cuisine is hearty and hot soups: spicy with kimchi and tofu and non—spicy with noodles, cooked in collagen daily broth. They are poured from tureens into small metal bowls and served with bowls of boiled rice.
As a pre-dessert, you will also be offered a cool drink with cinnamon and persimmon, and then you will be treated to exemplary mochi presented in a wide range.
Intergalactic cuisine
As you know, May is a special month for all fans of the fantastic movie epic "Star Wars". They are all waiting for the fourth day to greet each other with the catch phrase "May the Force be with you", which, when pronounced in English, takes on a second meaning and refers to the fourth of May. Recently, this fan group, which unites a wide variety of people, has its own iconic place on Petrovka Street — the Tatooine restaurant, which reproduces in detail the spirit and aesthetics of the cantina from the star saga.
The idea of creating a restaurant in the image of an interplanetary bar on a lost planet belongs to restaurateur Eduard Karapetyan. It took him almost three years to implement it. The space resembles underground sand galleries and consists of a main hall with a breakfast bar and an additional room at the back of the room. The arches of the entrances are decorated with curly columns made of white clay, the textured walls are covered with mysterious runes, and oriental lanterns made of colored glass and futuristic "honeycombs" of glowing tubes hang from the ceiling. All these details create an interesting symbiosis of styles from different fantasy films. In addition to "Star Wars", you can also find quotes from "Dune" and even from "Kin-dza-dza".
The restaurant staff is dressed up in stylized robes, so the boys here look like Padawans, and the girls look like Bene Gesserit priestesses. All dishes are served theatrically in dishes made in a characteristic, slightly crude thematic design, and accompanied by their own legend. The menu and especially the Tatooine bar menu are reminiscent of ancient manuscripts, which are not very easy to understand without the help of waiters.
Biso Chechenov, president of the Association of Culinary Specialists of the Caucasus, who is also the brand chef of the family restaurant FO'X in Fili Park, is responsible for the gastronomic part of the project. In his menu, he develops the idea of nomadic cuisine, which focuses on traditional dishes of the North Caucasus, mainly Kabardino-Balkarian. It is no exaggeration to say that you will not find such an interesting interpretation of the Caucasian culinary tradition as Chef Biso's in the capital anywhere else. And it's not about creative presentation, but about a very subtle, expert study of all the products in the dishes.
It's worth starting your acquaintance with the cuisine with luxurious hichins. Balkar is made from yeast-free dough with a filling of white cheese and herbs with butter. Karachai khichins are open juicy meat pies with minced lamb or veal and are cooked in an oven.
Bedouin soup
At first, you should definitely try the thick and rich "Bedouin soup" with chickpeas, chestnuts and prunes. It is served with herbs and lamb meat on a bone. Before use, it is recommended to flavor it with the juice of a slightly scorched lemon, and after a few spoonfuls, wash it down with a bitter drink made from horse sorrel, which balances the fat content of the dish well. One should not ignore the delicate tholma with wagyu in grape leaves. Cabbage rolls are served with fresh pomegranate seeds, for extra juiciness they are filled with beef broth and, according to the classics, accompanied by matzoni with fresh herbs.
Tolma with wagyu
Perfectly cooked dishes from the fire occupy a special section in the menu. There are juicy ribs of Karachai lamb, lamb tongues marinated in adjika with garlic sauce, and lamb liver in a fatty mesh.
The fermented cheek of Karuka deserves special mention — this is what the restaurant calls the rare Balkan national dish tuzlangan bash, which is prepared from meat from the cheekbones of bulls or buffaloes. The cleaned heads of animals are pre-soaked for two weeks in whey, so that they absorb the creamy taste, and then boiled in large vats for 7 to 10 hours. Next, the cheeks are cut into thin strips, placed in pots with brine and spices, the lids are covered with clay and the containers are buried underground for a month. It is impossible to repeat this process in a metropolitan restaurant, so guests are offered ready-made delicacies brought from Kabardino-Balkaria, where they have been produced by a married couple for many years. And as a side dish to the dish, the chef chose baked mini potatoes, which perfectly balances the salty-milky taste of the meat.
Fermented Karuka Cheek
Fantasy desserts work most actively for the legend of the restaurant. The Rusty Time honey cake is made on the basis of buckwheat honey cakes and complemented with a cool yogurt sorbet to add a temperature contrast. The dessert "Heat from the campfire" is made from chocolate cheesecake with oreo ice cream, a delicate shu bun and a cherry filling, symbolizing the flame of the campfire.
The northern course
Anatoly Kazakov, the brand chef of the Selfie restaurant, traditionally entered the new season with a new set. This time he focused on the gastronomic traditions of the inhabitants of the Russian North, especially those who live on the harsh shores of the White and Barents Seas. That's why I named it "Pomory". The set is based on regional products — fish, sea snakes, venison, berries, mushrooms, nuts, herbs, even seaweed – as well as the most basic dishes of local cuisine prepared from them, of course, thoroughly processed to fit the haute cuisine format, but quite recognizable.
Deer heart with jerusalem artichoke and cedar porridge
The set opens with tartare from a smoked deer, accompanied by a cup of hot mushroom tea, so thick, fragrant and rich that it itself is quite suitable for a separate serving. It is replaced by a delicate scallop with cod liver, as well as a deer heart with cedar porridge.
Scallop with cod liver and persimmon
Next comes through the pomakuhi. In the original, we are talking about the most common stew of fresh or salted fish, in which flour is added for satiety and density, and eaten by dipping pieces of bread into a broth that looks more like a sauce. Kazakov also prepared a crab and sea urchin pomakuha, and supplemented it with brioche. The shell, of course, also went into business — it turned out to be a rich broth with a pronounced chitinous taste, like bouillabaisse. As a result, the fishermen's simple food turned into a real delicacy. To my taste, this is perhaps the most striking position in the set.
Porcini mushroom and juniper marshmallows
Then, in the main courses section, delicate White Sea smelt with borage, salted cod fish soup with scallop and deer fillet with cloudberry and mushroom honeycomb replace each other. The fish soup is supplemented with seaweed broth to give the dish a light marine flavor. And the tenderloin is covered with a transparent slice of fat to add juiciness to the meat.
Lingonberry ice cream with cloudberries and rye roes
An airy porcini mushroom pastille and lingonberry ice cream with cloudberries and rye roes are served at the end.
The second youth
Paris tartare, fennel and zucchini salad with mint and walnuts, fried artichokes with ricotta and gremolata, papardelle with duck and sun-dried tomatoes. These and many other items appeared in the updated menu of the Tilda restaurant, located in Sytinsky cul-de-sac. More recently, the restaurant's kitchen, which turns nine this year, was headed by Alexander Shuba, who managed to work with Carlo Cracco and Emanuele Pollini, as well as launch Mamie and Niki. The experienced chef took a thorough approach to the matter. Conceptually, he kept the general direction with a focus on relatively simple food for every day, which, however, does not negate the careful study of every detail, invisible to the guest.
Pan con tomato, prosciutto spec
So he makes pan con tomate from garlic-grated tartine and grated Uzbek tomatoes, and instead of jamon he serves lightly smoked prosciutto, arancini is stuffed with four types of cheese and seasoned with morne sauce, crudo from Argentine shrimp is complemented with tomato ponzu, olive oil and lemon zest, and a burger with a mighty beef patty is assembled with caramelized onions, spicy pickles and cachocavallo cheese on toasted potato bun.
Arancini "four cheeses" with morne sauce
Among the most unusual items are tonnato tomatoes, where slices of the same juicy and fragrant Uzbek tomatoes act as an original vegetarian alternative to the usual slices of meat. It turns out to be a light dish with a fresh, bright and delicately spicy taste.
The wonderful Amalfi lemon sorbet, which is also served inside a lemon, definitely claims to be a favorite among desserts. I tasted a spoonful and it was as if I was transported somewhere to the warm seaside with pine trees and olive trees.
French chicks
Mama Roasta Corner, which opened at the Three Stations food mall. Depot" is experimenting with a new rotisserie format in a new way for the capital. The concept of the place is based on working with the French version of the rotisserie grill, where meat is fried over a fire or in the oven, slowly turning on a spit. The corner's signature product is organic farm chicken, which is complemented by authentic French dishes.
Farm Chicken
It is worth telling about the selected bird separately, since its quality is of key importance for the project. Chickens are fattened with corn-based feeds according to a strictly calibrated system, only during the day, and in recent weeks dairy products have been added to their diet, which gives the meat additional tenderness and depth of taste. At the same time, chickens move freely and grow at a natural pace for 60-70 days, which also allows for a special meat texture that differs favorably from that formed by commercially raised birds.
Dishes at Mama Roasta
The main hit of the corner is very juicy and tender chickens cooked in rotisserie with a little salt and rosemary. They can be taken as a whole, or in halves, or limited to a leg. As a side dish, a generous vegetable ratatouille or gratin dauphinois and parmentier casserole, which are practically reference in terms of the balance of ingredients, are perfect for them. Nuggets and specialty burgers with chicken in crispy cornflake breading are a little dry in texture, so stock up on arancata lemonade right away. Well, caesar salad should be taken only if you really want to crunch salad greens — against the background of excellent chickens, it is unlikely to be remembered for anything.
Burger Roast
Considering that the corner is located near three railway stations at once, we can say that those who travel by train now have a great opportunity to stock up on a first-class road chicken lunch in the best Russian traditions. No dining car will offer you such luxury.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
