Michelin Guide Russia: happiness, surprises, disappointments.
Russia becomes the 33rd country in the world to welcome the Michelin guide. So many revelations, so many surprises and even disappointments. What happened at the awards ceremony and why was it the right time for the guide to finally arrive in Russia.
Speaking with Vladimir Mukhin after the event, he says: “Michelin said that for them the 5 factors were important for their work - product quality, technique, harmony in the dish, creativity of the chef and stability. I think the guide has come to us now because we are ready and we have something to show the inspectors. "
And he is right.
If the technique and creativity of the chefs were never lacking and harmony in the dish will always remain subjective, after the political and food crisis - embargo, of 2015, the quality and variety of Russian products could finally attract the French. This is also confirmed by Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Red guide, saying that "Moscow was never as gastronomically attractive as it is now".
Yes, Moscow, not the whole of Russia, because this year's edition will only cover the city of Moscow. This was also allowed by the government, the Moscow tourism office and the capital's mayor - Sergey Sobyanin, who in recent years have helped a lot to bring the guide to the city as soon as possible.
"We are really grateful to our politicians, mayor and tourism office for allowing us to have Michelin in Moscow so soon," - confirms Mukhin, not hiding that the arrival of Michelin in the Russian capital marks a new beginning.
Beginning that finally brings attention to gastronomic Russia which has so much to reveal. Which, in part, the Michelin guide tried to showcase and surprised us. The 2022 edition of the Michelin guide for Moscow awarded a total of 69 restaurants in the capital, of which 45 were "selected by Michelin", 15 received the Bib Gourmand award (average bill about 25 euros) and another 9 received stars, one or two.
If the star for Andrei Shmakov's Savva restaurant - a true icon of Russian Fine Dining, was predictable enough, like that of chef Evgeny Vikentiev of Beluga restaurant - a brave young chef who doesn't like the term "combination of incongruous", the surprise reserves us the star of Ekaterina Alekhina and her "Biologie", opened only in the month of March of 2021.
No one expected that this young woman of a thousand talents (restoration of antique objects and furniture, diving, beekeeping, Japanese language) could have the star for her sustainable project already in the first edition, taking into account that she has been cooking professionally only since the month of March of the current year.
“For me, apart from being happy and grateful, this recognition gives great hope that I have taken the right path despite everything,” confesses Ekaterina. The only woman in the guide to receive the star, she is also awarded with the green star (released for ecological and sustainable commitment in the restaurant) together with Twins Garden by brothers Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy and Best Young Chef of the year also chosen by Michelin in the same evening - Nikita Poderyagin, Bjorn restaurant.
