A life-sized cutout of Dmitry Nagiyev dressed in traditional Chinese clothing greets you on entry to this oriental eatery. The odd adornment — while questionable tastewise — makes more sense if you know that the star of the popular television comedy “Fizruk” (Gym Teacher), co-founded the restaurant together with the Bulldozer Group. Owned by Alexander Orlov and Denis Gusev, the restaurant chain has already opened several restaurants in Moscow and further afield, including in Dubai and Hong Kong.
Although Nagiyev himself was not seen on the premises, another celebrity was running amok in the restaurant — Husha, the miniature pig. Utterly huggable, Husha is not that easy to catch, but totally worth it for the wealth of Instagram opportunities a four-hoofed friend can afford you.
Natalya Belonogova — the mind behind Mendeleev’s interior — is responsible for the design. This is immediately apparent from her trademark concrete and iron minimalism, with huge metal lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Heading up the kitchen is Yevgeny Kuznetsov, who spent two months in Hong Kong perfecting the menu for the restaurant. The restaurant propounds the use of fresh, seasonal products from farmers. Accordingly several items on the menu will be off the cards at any one time.
Start your culinary travels by snacking on some century eggs, a Chinese delicacy in which eggs are preserved for several weeks or longer through a complex procedure traditionally involving salt, lime and ash (390 rubles). Alternatively try the more conventional but nevertheless excellent veal in oyster sauce (650 rubles). Other highlights include Taipei-style shrimps (690 rubles) and the sweet and sour carp (750 rubles).
The dim sum and dumplings are the masterful handiwork of An Yaoyao, previously of the upmarket Turandot restaurant. Flavor combinations include duck and leek (420 rubles) or eggplant and shrimp (430 rubles).
The tea menu is bound to impress any connoisseur. Sample the fragrant smoked red tea (410 rubles) or order a traditional tea ceremony to your table. For desert tuck into the ubiquitous caramelized fruit desert (390 rubles) or the Japanese mochi — ice cream inside pounded sticky rice.
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