La Bottega

May 2, 2012 Leave a comment


La Bottega

La Bottega

La Bottega is a new wine bar located on the White Square near Belorusskaya. I had above-average expectations about this place based on the number of reviews in Internet and press. I am not saying these reviews are fake, but my idea of a good wine bar is completely different to what I have experienced in La Bottega.

The location is very good, lots of offices in the neighbourhood alongside with a couple of fancy restaurants which are always fully booked.  Bottega’s interior is very typical and reflects the common Moscow misconception that wine bar should be dark, posh and full of leather seats. The TV shows muted Le Notti di Cabiria underlining the Russian stereotype about the Italian style.

As usually ¾ of the wines by glass in the wine list are not available. Of course the suppliers are to blame, still it doesn’t mean that waitress should not inform the clients before they are trying to order. As a result you have to play a famous “guess what do we have left” game to get your glass of wine. From the 25 wines mentioned in the list they had only seven were available and these were not the cheapest. The price per glass is the same as everywhere else in Moscow: from 300 to 1200 RUB. A glass of Tignanello 2008 will set you back 1450 RUB (37 EUR). To be fair I have to admit that Tignanello prices jumped through the roof after the Chinese wine connoisseurs fell in love with Super Tuscans, but it would be great if the Bottega’s sommelier could manage to find some less prominent wines not to keep the prices in the stratosphere.

Parma salad with sheep ricotta, almond and vincotto sauceDespite the fact that there wasn’t too packed it made no effect on the waiting staff whatsoever. They were slow and not really helpful. As for food we tried the Potato and Octopus salad (goes well with your Gavi di Gavi), Parma salad with sheep ricotta, almond and vincotto sauce was also fine. The Parma sandwich with mozarella and pesto looked more like panini. We also tried Veal medallions with marsala sauce which tasted too similar to vincotto sauce from the salad. So I had an impression that I’ve ordered the same meal twice. The meat was nicely done, tender and juicy.

Bottom line: if you happen to be thirsty and hungry near Belorusskaya La Bottega is one of the places you might want to visit. If you really would like to enjoy your glass of wine with your friends try to find a proper wine place.

Website: http://www.labottega.ru/

Location: Lesnaya ulitsa, 5, Moscow, Russia, (495) 213-30-88.

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Gitnaya 10

March 30, 2012 Leave a comment


Very nice place in every way. Location is good – right on the Garden Ring which makes it easy to find if you’re in your car and it takes only few minutes to get there from the Okyabrskaya metro station. The waiting staff is welcome and sweet. But not too much, at least they were not irritating. Your child will be taken care of: they have a menu for kids and provide some toys for entertainment. No high chairs though.

The design is pretty pleasant, they have a separate area for non-smokers with a cozy sofas. It’s really nice inside and people sitting nearby don’t bother you at all. I find this place suitable to visit with a family at the weekend or spend an evening chatting with a friend. The atmosphere is probably too relaxed for a business lunch, but if you really want to try something of Russian cuisine this is certainly the place to go.

The food is good. They serve Russian and French cuisine as I can tell from the menu, but there is also pasta and steaks available. The veal steam cutlets were a bit plain. The fried parsley sauce did moisturize it a little bit but the balance of salt and pepper wasn’t fixed. It comes with nicely done vegetables, I especially enjoyed the broccoli. The lamb soup with estragon was very savory, but after you eat all the lamb the broth is not something extraordinary.

I absolutely loved the pickled herring with an alder tree smoke and black bread toasts as a starter! I know that few foreigners would even think of pickled herring at all, but I do recommend to try it here – it wouldn’t be too salty, just the way it should be – perfect. Pickled herring is common in Russian cuisine, where it can be served as simple as just cut into pieces seasoned with sunflower oil and onions. Don’t say you know the real taste of Russia if you have not tried it, even if you can paint matryoshka yourself while playing balalaika and having a vodka shot at the same time. It will be served in a glass jar and it’s emitting the fantastic odor of alder and smells so yummy… By the way the jar contains more fish than you’ll be expecting to have as a starter, so it will be enough for two.

The menu is well arranged: you can choose depending on the amount you’re planning to spend and still won’t end up hungry. The price range is pretty wide.

Wine list by glass is a disaster, but at the end of the day you should have a shot or two of Beluga vodka with your herring.

Website: http://gitnaya10.ru/

Location: Zhitnaya ulitsa, 10, Moscow. 8(499)238-11-07, 8(499) 238-30-10

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Les Menus par Pierre Gagnaire

March 27, 2012 Leave a comment


Les Menus par Pierre Gagnaire is a new addition to the Moscow restaurant scene. Yet it is probably the brightest star on the sky. Pierre Gagnaire holds three stars for his Paris restaurant, he is head chef at London’s Sketch (just the one star, but a top 20 placing by Restaurant Magazine, a top 50 from Time Out and so on) and has relatively recently opened up in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Dubai. Les Menus is hidden on the first floor of the Lotte Hotel. As of today Lotte Hotel Moscow is Ranked #1 of 219 hotels 

in Moscow. Everything is brand-new and shiny so your credit card gets a bit worried. The design of the restaurant is very smart and reassuringly expensive. Good news for cigar aficionados: Les Menus have three private rooms of various sizes where you can enjoy your Gurkha or Cohiba. There is a smallish bar next to the entrance to sip a glass of Roederer while waiting for your friend to arrive.

And so down to dinner. We decided to go for the Spirit of Pierre Gagnaire six course tasting menu (€200 per person). They have “wine pairing” option of the same menu for €325 and Petit Pierre reduced four course menus are waiting for you too. Wine is reasonably priced (by

Moscow standards). We selected Ch Lanessan and Donnafugata Tancredi (€130 & €145) to accompany our dinner. It starts with Duck Foie Terrine marbled with smoked duck, dry fruit and saffron marmalade, split pea soup, corn ice-cream, salpicon of Scallop and shrimp scented with green curry. Very subtle and refined combination followed by unpretentious but lovely Pan Fried Squid. Next was my personal favourite – Sea Bass poached in sweet butter with steamed brioche of seaweed. It was probably the lemon and passion fruit sauce which gave the sea bass the amazingly amazing taste. Beef Fillet was tender and went very good with fondue of cabbage and Paille potato. And then multiple desserts occupied our table but we were probably too tired to appreciate the variety of choice.

Service was above average, no arrogant waiting staff; hope theу will gain some elegance in the nearest future. Our two person dinner hyped to €750. Another gourmet experience in your life: Priceless. Will be back to try the Waghu Beef and Roasted Halibut.

Website: http://www.lottehotel.ru/restraunt/pierregagnaire.asp

Address: Novinskiy bul’var, 8, Moscow, Russia. +7-495-287-0515

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Varvary

February 19, 2012 4 Comments


All about HoneyVARVARY (BARBARIANS) is conveniently located on the Strastnoy blvd not far from Tverskaya on the top floor of the building. It gives you a nice view and they have a spacious terrace for alfresco dining as it gets warm enough in Moscow. The interior is as posh as you would expect in a top class Moscow fine dining restaurant. No surprises here – all black-and-red-and-shiny design.

But the main reason to visit VARVARY was the fact that Anatoly Komm has made it to the S.Pellegrino 2011 World’s 50 Best Restaurants List (#48) which is a good achievement as there are only two more Russian restaurants on the whole Top 100 (Semifredo is #83, Chaika is #99). What could possibly go wrong? But I really feel sorry that this award happened to the restaurant, it killed all the fun. I remember once I’ve been here before it became a local pride, it was a nice, happy place, which made me feel Christmassy in a rainy Russia, but the golden star has occurred. Let’s commence on a positive note. We started the dinner early and there were only two of us in the whole room for the entire length of our food fest. Possibly because it was a weekday or too cold outside or was it just a coincidence? Anyway, I don’t mind to dine in an empty room at all.

We settled for a nine-course tasting menu modestly named Gastronomic Show “Moscow Winter 2011” (215 EUR per person). The meal was marvelous. Top notch Chef’s compliment (Jerusalem artichoke soup with cheese ice-cream, sea buckthorn with cottage cheese and veal liver pate with tomato tartar) sets the bar high right from the beginning.  I particularly enjoyed the langoustine soup and Chatka crab dumpling. Potato with dill sauce and red caviar was less interesting from my point of view. I did not like the Honey pudding at all. But 6 out 9 in a tasting menu is a very good score. And they give you a courtesy shot of vodka after the starter; you are in Russia after all. Level of service is pretty average, no fuckups, no pleasant surprises. Oh, wait, they don’t speak English. I had to interprete to my friend myself and no wonder I didn’t want to leave any tip at all, because I had to do waiter’s job. But  guess what, I was reminded that tip is not included into the receipt. Which is preposterous thing to do in that kind of place!

Potato with dill sauce and red caviar

Now comes the bitter part. Let’s get the record straight, I like my wines and I do believe there is nothing wrong with spending 200-300 EUR for a bottle of a fine wine in an upmarket restaurant. And Moscow is well known for its outrageous wine prices.  But it will not save you from a heart attack as you see the BARBARIAN wine list. One way or another, bottle of Tignanello 2008 should not cost € 380. The day before dinner friend of mine has seen the same Tignanello in the not-so-cheap Moscow restaurant for € 190. Overpriced like hell, but still half of the BARBARIAN price. I have noticed that many Moscow restaurants actively discourage wine drinking among their customers. What I don’t get is the reason(s) behind such behaviour.  BILLECART-SALMON Grande Cuvee 1996 in NOBU London will set you back 180 quid. Guess what, in Varvary the same wine costs 800 (eight hundred) quid. BILLECART 1996 is one my favourite wines, but for £800 I will fly to Reims, stay overnight and drink a case of BILLECART. Yes, they have Komm branded Laguiole steak knives (although you can clearly see it is a legacy of another Anatoly’s project Khizhina (which passed away some time ago).  And the location is very good. Food is excellent. But seriously, do something with the right side of your wine list, please.

Website: http://www.anatolykomm.ru/

Location: Strastnoy Blvd, 8А, +7(495) 229-28-00, +7(495) 694-32-57.

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Corner Burger

January 30, 2012 Leave a comment


CBBG 76 (Corner Burger Bloshaya Gruzinskaya 76) is a relatively new burger bar place in Moscow, another baby in the IconFood family (Correa’s, UDC and Black Market). CBBG design is not catchy at all to the extent of somewhat impersonal.  Location is very good so there is no doubt they will have some audience and survive in a foreseeable future. We tried The Corner burger and Fried chicken burger. Both burgers were good, not too pricy, but not outstanding by any standards. Service was pretty Moscow style too – you would not remember was it a boy or girl who served your food. We did not have any expectations so there was nothing to exceed or fall below. But equally there is no good reason to return to CBBG, unless you live next door or happen to be at Belorusskay and very tired of Ragout and Toro Grill.

Website: http://www.cornerburger.ru

Location: Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ulitsa, 76, Moscow, Russia +7 495 926 83 98.

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Poll

January 13, 2012 4 Comments


What restaurant in Moscow do you want me to review?

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William Bass

November 29, 2011 Leave a comment


William Bass is named after the famous brewer and prominent due to a huge variety of beer they’re serving on tap, but I like it also for a very delicious food. Try baked halibut with bulgur risotto with corn and lollo rosso salad – it’s fantastic. Well, may be chef was in a particularly  good mood, but I loved this meal very much. This one was from the Chef’s special section. Also we tried beef saltado with vegetables – tender meat, hot pan, nicely done and warm salad of seabass fillet and mango – impressive combination.

First time I’ve been here I tried some sausages and sandwiches  and it was nothing special at all, the usual pub stuff. So try to go deeper in the menu, I’m totally positive that you’ll got something to surprise you.

The interior looks pretty dusty and on the first glance it looks like something should brake down or crash, but never mind, it’s still cozy and nice. Smokers are free to do their thing everywhere, but sometimes you can breathe deeper on the second floor. There is also the special room for kids, full with toys, cartoons etc. which is great. The prices are ok, but don’t get too excited, it’s still located in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Service is not something you’ll be specially happy about, but you can live with it. This place definitely shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover and worth a visit.

Website: http://www.rmcom.ru/page-william-bass

Location: ulitsa Mal. Yakimanka, 9, Moscow, Russia. +7 (495) 778-18-74

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Lemoncello

September 25, 2011 1 Comment


Asparagus and cheeseVery nice and cozy place famous for it’s Italian home-made food. I have to say it tastes good. The place is quite pricy, but ok for Moscow standards. You can easily spend several hours here without noticing how long you’ve been here. As an example I can say, that we were going just to have small bite, but eventually ate two courses and desert, and even the bill wasn’t able to scare us. They cook delicious focaccia bread, try it with balsamico and olive oil. Meals are usually not large but you can left your microscope at home for sure.

Orange paradise

They have Beeline wi-fi spot and quite large non-smoking area. Suitable for business meetings, hanging out with friends and quiet romantic evening.

It would be a perfect Moscow restaurant if it wouldn’t be that pricy. On the other hand it’s not too busy because of the prices. And you can bring your kids there as well, the non-smoking area is big enough.

The selection of wines is excellent, mostly Italian, French and surprise-surprise Portuguese. The price range is various enough to make a good choice. Coffee is very good, and don’t forget to try treir self-made Limoncello liquor.

Service is not too annoying, I’d say it’s playful ) As you relax and start to think that the waiter is reading your mind the whole staff is vanished, leaving you in an atmosphere of the slight uncertainty.

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Banderoll

September 19, 2011 Leave a comment


Perfect hangout place for freelancers and other people working from home (it has wi-fi and food 24/7 as well as power sockets close to the tables). It’s also suites fr a business meetings.
I personally prefer meat over fish at this particular venue but the menu is pretty diverse. Try the ratatouille as a side – it’s truly delicious,it’s not some kind of vegetable mash but nicely done meal, where every ingredient cooked exactly to the right point.  As for deserts I enjoyed crepes with mascarpone and berries, pannacota is also delicious. Very good coffee and it’s a rare case in Moscow where you get a glass of water along with your espresso without asking a waiter to bring one.

A wine list isn’t large but completed with a good taste: they do have Pinot Noire and Savignon Blanc by Villa Maria, Sicilian Cataratto-Chardonnay by Rapitala and Cotes Du Rhone, Belleruches M.Chapoutier, you’ll also find a couple of Chianti and Bordeaux and and cold Prosecco, of course.

I don’t like the non-smoking area, which is almost none. Formally there are separated zones, but people smoke everywhere which might be annoying. The place is very clean, and the size of the restroom is just astonishing.

They aso have a piano, which i haven’t seen in action but there are rumors among the waitstaff that on Saturdays sometimes it plays!

Website: http://www.banderoll.ru/

Location: Prospekt Mira, 51, Moscow, Russia. (495) 681-8534.

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Starlite Diner

September 16, 2011 1 Comment


The Really Big Shawn BurgerWhile Guinness is not as good as in Dublin both classic blue cheese and lamb burger in pita bred are delicious, service is pretty efficient and you have some free parking space right next to this Starlite. Beeline wi-fi and Passport magazine will keep you entertained until your Guinness arrives.

This place is pretty famous among the expats in Moscow. It doesn’t have anything peculiar when you visit it for a first time, but in a while you notice that your legs just walk there by themselves and you already ordering your favourite milkshake. The design is american 60s style, red plastic seats and so on. Music – old songs by Madonna. There are pretty big non-smoking area, so this also a nice place to come with your kids. The prices is quite reasonable, especially when you consider their location.

As for faults I don’t like the local coffee at all and they also can mix up your table reservation, make sure they understood what you want clearly.

Website: http://www.starlite.ru/

Location: Ulitsa Koroviy Val, 7, Moscow, Russia. 7(495)959-8919

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