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Moscow Restaurants: A Match Made in Heaven at Wine & Crab

Wine & Crab / Facebook

How many varieties of crab do you know? We’ll wager two, maybe three if you’re a true foodie. Either way, you’re in for a culinary adventure at Wine & Crab, the latest buzz restaurant offering an ode to the regal crustacean.

The new terrace eatery holds court on Tretyakovsky Proezd, an exclusive pedestrianized alleyway framed by a stunning medieval-inspired archway. Its cobbles, fragrant decorative plants and domineering architecture provide the ideal amphitheater for the kitchen’s crab creations.

The Berezutsky brothers are no strangers to the elite gastronomic scene. Ivan won the Chef of the Year prize at St. Petersburg’s Where to Eat awards for his innovative use of squid ink to recreate Malevich’s Black Square, while Sergei took home the San Pellegrino Cooking Cup in 2014. Hot on the heels of the pairs debut restaurant “Twins,” Wine & Crab places the emphasis on provenance, with much of the seafood on the menu imported from Russia’s far East to ensure the highest quality.

But back to the crab, of which there are seven varieties. Snow, Kamchatkan King, Murmansk King, Helmet, Spanner, Blue King and Hanasaki crab meat can be ordered as a side or main (from 250 rubles per 100 grams). Less confident when it comes to shellfish? Start with the Kamchatka crab salad packed with citrus, fresh leaves and creamy avocado or the playful crab churros (340 rubles). The King crab phalanx with mushrooms and kimchi sauce (760 rubles) may sound and look intimidating — you’re presented with a platter bearing nothing but two prehistoric, 60 cm legs — but the meat is light, sweet and perfectly tender.

Other dishes nod to traditional Russian recipes — spicy adjika crab (1200 rubles) and kasha with King crab and melon (560 rubles). The Pacific scallops with cabbage puree and warm spinach melt in your mouth and for anyone who didn’t realize they were booking to eat at a seafood restaurant there’s a ubiquitous — but no doubt delicious — rib-eye steak on offer.

As for the wine, suffice to say the choice is so monumental that Wine & Crabs opted for a tablet over a drinks list. If you’re overwhelmed — which is highly likely — expert sommelier Sergei Antonov will hold your hand through the process.  

+ 7 (495) 621 7329

winecrab.ru

19-21 Nikolskaya Ulitsa

Metro Lubyanka, Kuznetsky Most

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