Kiss the Chef: The Haute 5 Chef’s Tables in Moscow

Moscow’s love affair with haute cuisine is a well known fact. So when it comes to fine dining one can do no better than one of the Russian capital’s chef’s tables. Here are Moscow’s top five.

Nedalniy Vostok, dishes prepared by Glen Ballis, executive chef

Formerly of Harrods of London, Glen Ballis was then invited to become the executive chef of Moscow’s restaurant Nedalniy Vostok which was designed by the same architects as Zumo in Knightsbridge. Having catered for some of the most demanding clientele anywhere in the world Nadelniy Vostok is in safe hands, as the Mr Ballis aims to make the food look and taste similar to its British counterparts, though with an Asian-Russian taste thrown into the mix. At the chef’s table he will prepare any dish on the menu including the wonderful Kamchatka Crab.

Nedalniy Vostok, 15, build.2 Tverskoy Bulvar, Moscow, Tel.: +7 495 694 06 41

Balcony and Bono, Chef William Lambretti

William Lambretti is the maestro of these two high-rise restaurants in Lotte Plaza and Radisson Royal Hotel, and the culinary standards are as high as their locations. The famous, if not infamous, Scottish Chef Gordon Ramsay when dining at a Lambretti table went to the chef personally to express his admiration of his buratti cheese. So if it’s good enough for a man who at one time or another has been awarded 11 Michelin Stars then perhaps it is worth a try.

Balcony, Novinsky Blvd., 8, Lotte Plaza, 7 fl., Tel.: +7 495 788 82 98

Bono, http://www.ginzaproject.ru/english/bono/

Pushkin restaurant, Andrey Makhov

Anyone coming to Moscow should keep this name in mind — Andrey Makhov. He has been working as a chef the Pushkin restaurant for 11 years. Since that time his traditional food from that eatery has become as almost as significant a trademark of Russia as the Kremlin or the Bolshoi theatre. Makhov brought Old Russian foods to an absolute perfection. If you have any doubts, get a reservation at the chef’s table and try “Filorett” — meat with an eggplant and tomato baked under a cheese sauce, or cold lobster soup for a main course and prunes stuffed with cream with cloudberry for dessert.

Café Pushkin, http://www.cafe-pushkin.ru/en/

Baccarat Crystal Room

Enjoying the  splendour of the venue at the chef’s table with the Baccarat glass filled with Champagne is a fairy tale experience indeed. This crystal palace has been designed by Philippe Starck. While one marvels at the plethora of the refined paraphernalia, you will be offered grilled scallops and crisp parmesan and caramel-balsamic  and smoked salmon, marinated in orange and flower salt, created by local chef David Hemmerlé .

Baccarat Crystal Room, 19/21 Nickolskay street, 2nd Floor, Tel.: + 7 495 93 333 89

Restaurants Varvary, Grin., Kupol, Anatoly Komm in Barvikha Hotel&Spa by Anatoly Komm

Anatoly Komm is not only the founder and owner of all these restaurants, but also the head chef. He has been making headlines around the world as the lucrative owner of restaurants serving molecular cuisine. Getting a reservation in his restaurant Varvary is a tough task as the waiting list seems to be endless, disregarding that Anatoly is charging around $400 per head (doesn’t include drinks). But if you do manage to get an invitation to his chef’s table, you will be served something as unforgettable as rye bread in pillowy gel form, capsules of borscht and smoked lard submerged in a cloud of sour cream. By the way, Komm is the only Russian chef mentioned in the Red Michelin Guide. He was recognised as the best chef by the Government of Piedmont, Italy. Did I mention already that it is hard to get into his restaurants?

http://anatolykomm.ru/main_eng.htm