Медиа

Russian pride

Chef Mikhail Schetinin, the man in the kitchen at new Russian restaurant Lucien, has the power to make the historically tasteless, smetana-covered salads of Soviet Russia some of the best dishes in town. For the first time, element recommends the Olivier.

It is always Russian girls, sometimes Russian vodka and almost never Russian cuisine. I amtalking of instances when the word “Russian” is usually used in the same sentence with word “good.” Named after French chef Lucien Olivier, known for concocting the Olivier salad — a signature Russian dish — new restaurant Lucien dares to restore the reputation of this creation seriously damaged through the Soviet times along with reinventing views about what Russian cuisine can be.

Such an ambitious plan requires an equally ambitious location and while some might criticize the building on Gilyarovskogo Ul. for being quite far from the center, the mansion that Lucien is nested in leaves no room for doubting the good taste of its owners — the people who brought us Sky Lounge a few years ago. The renovated building, which was originally erected in early years of 20th century, adds a lot to the homey atmosphere of the two-floor restaurant. The bigger hall on the first floor, decorated in creamy beige colors, is the main dining area while the second floor space, finished with classy orange-bordo shade on the walls, is more sophisticated and meant for private parties or long gastronomic extravagances.

Being a smart replica of a nobleman’s house, Lucien happily avoids the kitsch that usually comes along with the experience, while well-trained waiters provide invisible service. The menu sounds like a poem by Pushkin, leaving you with so many tempting choices that you risk “my eyes were bigger than my stomach” situation.

To relax and ease our choice team element started with their in-house special (to avoid overusing the phrase I’ll just say that chef Mikhail Schetinin is obsessed with baking, pickling, marinating and infusing, making pretty much everything served here “in-house special”) birch tree juice cocktail (690 rubles).

The Olivier salads, come in three variations with fish, crayfish or game. The last one for 790 rubles ended up on our table and proved Chef Mikhail not only to be a good cook but an artist too: thin slices of tender meat dressed in a weightless sauce, big chunks of baby carrots and potatoes, and quail eggs, arrived in a basket of salted pretzel sticks. A few green peas added color and a hint of sweetness to the combination. Kholodets, known to some people as aspic (490 rubles) and as a nightmare for any foreigner dining in a Russian restaurant — is another solid step in the direction of restoring Russian food’s reputation. Made of three types of meat, the dish is served with spicy horseradish, strong mustard and a tender cream with garlic sauce — allowing guests to find their favorite combination. An assortment of pickled mushrooms that arrive with thick, even sweet cream and hot potatoes (790 rubles) is the proper compliment for a shot of khrenovukha (210 rubles) — vodka infused with horseradish, that is strong and revitalizing at the same time.

Our mains, rabbit leg (960 rubles) and pike perch (690 rubles), continued the dinner in a very pleasant way. The first comes with refreshing baked apple and beetroot pudding, while fish is complemented with gentle white celery pure.

Be prepared that the meal I have described here will take no less than three hours, and I beg you not turn your trip to Lucien into a hasty dinner — take your time to enjoy the pleasures of Russian cuisine, something you do not come across to often.

Text: Polina Pushkina

Источник: elementmoscow.ru