Our taxi driver got us as far as the "Chicago Prime Steakhouse" but had trouble locating the exact location of the restaurant (it was actually right behind the Steakhouse). But luckily with the help from a few pedestrians, the mission was finally accomplished.
Varvary is located in a rather unusual venue for a fine dining restaurant. The low-rise building with minimal decoration has commercial written all over it. The formal dining room is situated on the 5th floor of the building if my memory serves me correctly while a more relaxed brasserie is located right upstairs.
As expected, the dining room is a classical design with modern touch. That is so fitting, provided that the cuisine being served here also matches that theme perfectly.
We began with a medley of small nibbles as amuse bouche. There was a salad with pickled herring that was dressed like a sushi. They chose to serve it with a red beetroot sauce rather than the usual wasabi soy sauce. That was very clever and unique. The rest included a small rye bread and minced beetroot topped with a capsule of organic sunflower oil, a Jerusalem artichoke soup with cheese ice-cream and lastly, a yellowish roll made of sea buckthorn berry with cottage cheese.
The herring sushi was the highlight of the amuse bouche. The remainder did not impress enough to register any high marks (5/10).
Borscht with foie gras and pampushki, 6/10
The gastronomic show started with the house's specialty, the Borsch soup with caramelized foie gras and Russian salad. Our server slowly poured the warm borscht soup onto the bowl where the frozen sour cream sphere melted instantly by the heat.
It was a nice cross-over between French and Russian recipes but the taste was not as compelling as its appearance would suggest.
Soup with langoustines, squid essence and crawfish, 6/10
My starter was a couple of langoustines, one raw and one cooked, served in a squid consomme along with a buttery roe mousse. The strong squid essence was a good complement to the langoustines although the texture was a bit questionable.
Dumplings with Kamchatka crab and sour cream snow with herbs, 7/10
These were ravioli-style dumplings stuffed with kamchatka king crab meat and topped with salmon roes. The addition of sour-cream snow and herbs provided a nice balance to go with the sweetness of the soup and crab meat.
Quail and eggplant with strawberries, 4/10
Another main course was the quail and eggplant. Our server poured in a honey garlic type of sauce and after the smoke has cleared, I was left speechless from the presentation (of this dish). It looked as if there had been an explosion.
The dish was a mix of quail breast which were grilled and quail legs which were slow-cooked and roasted. Trust me, they tasted a little better than they looked.
Underneath that flashy performance was a haute cuisine by Anatoly Komm that was unique, refreshing and exciting. The herring sushi was ingenious and the Borscht with foie gras was unparallelled with a special Russian-French connection. However, while the originality was there, there was still room for improvement.
Russian haute cuisine with French cooking techniques at this caliber certainly came with a premium but at least, the bill came in a very nice box.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: €€€€€
Address: 107031, 8A, Strastnoy Boulevard, Moscow, Russia
Closest Metro Station: Chekhovskaya
Tel: +7 495 229-2800
Tel: +7 495 229-2800
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