Roland Trettl meets Anatoly Komm

Roland Trettl in Moscow

Connoisseurs may be surprised to learn that they can now eat extremely well in Moscow. A physicist with taste has made it possible.

I visited the Russian Embassy at least five times before I finally had an entry visa in my hands. All this effort for a dish of borscht in Anatoly Komm's restaurant, "Varvary" in the centre of Moscow, I hear you ask? A reasonable question and one which can be answered with a resounding "yes".
Russia in general, and Moscow in particular, really has no hot spots to offer international foodies.

For decades, eating there has been primarily a matter of replenishing one's calorie intake; power food was for the comrades and for the greater glory of socialism. And the country continues to suffer from this culinary collateral damage even today.

Anatoly Komm knows the justifiable reservations people have about Russian cuisine. But he also appreciates the nature of the task ahead of him and where to make changes. Not for nothing has he self-deprecatingly named his restaurant "Varvary" meaning barbarian. And indeed, to date, fine dining is rather under-represented even in the vibrant capital.

Anatoly studied physics, has been a fashion designer and is deeply interested in classical music and ballet. Perhaps it is this pronounced intellectual combination that makes him lean towards the very refined world of molecular cuisine. Whatever the answer, the self-taught chef with his 11-course menus is considered to be Russia’s very best.

When Anatoly prepares a salad of watermelon, algae, strawberries and clams and drizzles the whole creation with a vinaigrette of orange, lemon and soya, you can see he is serious. Oysters are no exception, either. Instead of pouring the using combination of vinegar and shallots over it, he "sours" them in green apple marinated in lemon juice, pours over a hot sepia consommé and complements the ingenious composition with a nitrogen-iced champagne espuma.

This Muscovite wants to achieve international standards with his art and is equally keen to use local products in his cuisine. Komm's favourite ingredients are beetroot, buckwheat, potatoes, herring, eggs and pearl barley. And his pièce de résistance is the borscht mentioned at the beginning. For the main course there is braised veal, topped with caramelised foie gras, alongside which is presented a large scoop of iced crème fraîche with herbs. On a second plate futo maki slices, thick filled rolls with root vegetables, finely chopped eggs, mackerel and beetroot jelly. These are not rolled in algae leaves but in a paper-like covering made of beetroot. A beetroot mayonnaise is served as a dip and a hot beetroot juice is poured over scoops of ice cream. Very creative, very witty and seriously delicious. And this is why Hangar-7 is looking forward so much to the arrival of the self-assured Anatoly. There is another bonus for Icarus guests: they can experience the finest in Russian cuisine – entirely without visa-associated stress.