The Near East

“Near East” is a completely new restaurant format for Moscow. Combining the latest trends of the restaurant world, it personifies everything fashionable and popular that is in the most famous restaurants in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. The direction of cuisine is panasian, which unites the cuisines of the Asian continent. Products of high quality, the simplest methods of cooking (wok, grill, tappan, oven) maximally preserve the natural taste of the original ingredients and their useful qualities. Almost the main role in the menu is played by Kamchatka crab, which comes from Sakhalin - it is prepared on a wok and served with different sauces, used in the preparation of salads, cold and hot snacks, rolls and soups. There is a section on porridge in the menu: pea porridge is prepared with lamb, pearl porridge with veal, buckwheat with a duck leg, millet porridge with Chilean sibas. The section “New Asian Sushi” also deserves attention – it presents fashionable sushi cooked in an unconventional way. The role usually played by seafood in the "New Asian Sushi" is given to roasted foie gras, pork brisket and lamb saddle. The interior of the "Near East" - also know how for Moscow. This is the first restaurant in the capital, the design of which from “A” to “Z” was carried out by professional Japanese designers of the company “Superpotato”. The same architectural and design bureau designed London restaurants "Zuma" and "Roka". In the middle of the room is an open kitchen. Sitting at any table, you can watch a real show kitchen in real time. The meaning of the name of the restaurant is explained as follows: The Far East is not so far away - the products are familiar to everyone, the local cuisine is clear, and the borders with Japan are not so noticeable. Chef Glen Ballis on the cuisine of the "Near East": "The restaurant "Near East" has a fresh, light menu with new tastes, aromas and textures. I am sure that it will not leave guests indifferent. I see that Moscow gourmets have already formed a good taste, which continues to develop. They already have a very clear sense of the quality of products, know how to enjoy the taste and are not afraid to try new things.” Chef pastry chef Kobayashi Katsuhiko about the desserts of the Near East: The dessert menu feels the heart and soul of Asia. We never forget that we are working in Moscow. And this is, firstly, the capital of Russia, and secondly, it is a city of experts – people who are very well versed in food go to restaurants. I really liked purely Russian products, Russian berries - cloudberries, lingonberries, sea buckthorn. I tried to make the most of them when designing the dessert card.” In the design of the "Near East" were used only natural materials. Understandable and familiar to both eyes and hands, they create an original space - in Japanese practical, at the same time warm and stylish. Tables made of solid wood with natural cracks, a wall consisting of dense stacks of pieces of fabric, glass racks filled with smooth rows of crystal vases, bottles of vegetable oil and glass jars with multi-colored water. A transparent glass wall, the space behind which from floor to ceiling is filled with cinnamon sticks, pasta bows, dry chili pepper and bay leaf. The open kitchen is specially located on a step below the floor of the main hall. Visitors to the restaurant are on a par with the chefs and can watch their every move. On the ice window in front of the kitchen are laid oysters and mussels, vongola and lobsters, and, of course, the phalanxes of the Kamchatka crab. Live crabs swim in a large aquarium. The kitchen was designed by the technical designers of the famous company Creative Kitchen Planners (this company, among other things, designs kitchens for the hotel chain Hyatt). The lighting of the restaurant was done by the Japanese-Singapore company Lightening Technology. A 100-dimmer lighting system was created here, which allows you to change the brightness of the light in the hall depending on the time of day and the weather outside the window.