The legendary Savva restaurant in the heart of Moscow opened its doors after a two-year renovation on International Chef's Day, October 20. The restaurant, named after the famous patron of the arts Savva Mamontov, is located in the Metropol Hotel, on the opposite side of the Bolshoi Theatre. The masterminds and protagonists of the project are restaurateur Arkady Novikov and chef Andrey Shmakov.
The restaurant's menu consists of 8 chef’s “stories” (or sections). Each of them has its own name and style. The "Welcome to Estonia" section features the main flavours of Baltic cuisine: eel, wild boar, black chanterelles and "kiluvürts" (sprats for sprat). The “North” section is about dishes of muksun, reindeer fillets, pine nuts and porcini mushrooms. “Kamchatka” tells a gastronomic story for seafood lovers: the dishes include crab, scallop, coal cod and sea buckthorn. The "Russian" section will be appreciated by lovers of Russian classics: buckwheat pancakes, borscht with duck, tongue with horseradish and traditional farina wheat pie are put in the limelight. In addition, the menu features seasonal story ("November"), vegetarian ("Vegetables"), farmer ("Farm") and a special set from Andrey Shmakov ("From the Chef"). Each section contains 4 dishes. If guests do not want to “travel” through the stories, they can choose individual items from the “Natura” section. The menu will be updated every season.
The chef's table on the second floor deserves special attention in the newly refurbished restaurant. Here, Andrey Shmakov has come up with another story: guests can feel as if they have dropped into the chef's home: the atmosphere is relaxed, comfortable and friendly.
The Savva restaurant also boasts an extensive wine list of 250 wines (16 of which are available by the glass). Guests will be able to enjoy both time-honoured classics (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany) and trendy biodynamics. In addition to the dry and semi-dry varieties, dessert and liqueur wines are also on the menu. At the restaurant you can try Arkady Novikov's favourite wine, “Lodovico”: no more than 100 bottles a year are supplied to Russia, so it is a rare treat. Chef-sommelier Yanina Martyniuk and her team will help guests choose the wine that will perfectly pair with their dishes.
The extensive refurbishment of the restaurant resulted in a completely renovated interior, which is the responsibility of a talented team of architects and designers including Irina Glik. The creative team managed to visually lighten it up with the right accents. The overall tone is a light grey, while the focus remains on the magnificent painted ceiling and marble columns with gilded capitals, carefully preserved by the pan-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical Monuments.
The restaurant has two floors. The first one, the grand and social floor, is suitable for special meetings and festive occasions, as well as for thoughtful tastings. The second floor is more intimate: it resembles a private club with a fireplace, carpets and cosy armchairs. It is the ideal place for business dinners and romantic rendezvous.