Misha Amayev, who opened the beautiful kosher restaurant Shallot at the very beginning of HaBarzel - “the main restaurant street of Ramat HaHayal” - was until now well known only to Moscow gourmets. One of his most popular projects is still Village Kitchen on Malaya Bronnaya in Moscow. Here they cook “just like my mother cooked in childhood.” And a very sophisticated Moscow “eater” happily shared this concept with Misha, simply because on this kitchen(the kitchen) very tasty.

However, in Tel Aviv, Misha, who himself adheres to the Jewish tradition, decided to open a restaurant serving kosher cuisine, of which there are surprisingly few in the secular capital, and even with the mark “glat-kosher” - the highest category of kashrut. And gave it to himthe name "Shallot" - the sweetest onion of all existing species.As in Moscow, the famous chef relied on products, choosingfor your menu the best varieties of meat, fish, vegetables. ABOUThe simply mixes them in different versions of a wide variety of culinary traditions - Caucasian, European, Israeli - creating a unique signature cuisine.

The menu turned out to be very varied and not rich in an Israeli way. Here and charcoal-roasted eggplant, served with black or green tahini (45 NIS), veal tongue with garlic sauce (72 shekels), chicken tabaka(125 shekels),fire cutlets, stuffed with mushrooms and herbs, served with Pushkin potatoes (120 NIS), Neapolitan-style tuna steak (108 NIS), thin yeast-free Chudu flatbread with greens, chicken, spinach, etc. (65 NIS, for 2-4 people),homemade belyashi, pancakes with veal, hand-made dumplings andat least 30 more different items: snacks, dough, grill, hot meat and fish dishes, desserts.

Not afraid of the rather strange local stereotype that kosher places are tasteless places, Misha attracted to Shallot both those for whom observing all the traditions of kashrut is important, as well as secular Israelis and his famous Moscow friends - musicians, artists, politicians, diplomats, businessmen.

Shallot is great for banquets and meetings with large groups, because there is something for everyone to choose from (and if at least one guest in your company adheres to the rules of kashrut, then the rest will definitely “not suffer”), for a dinner with “something” then to others”, if you are tired of the same steaks and salads in other restaurants and want to be a little “nostalgic” or, conversely, try something new for yourself. Shallot also organizes delicious catering. And this is where the most delicious pies in Israel are baked.

P.S. When leaving home, I sincerely advise you to take with you a jar of pate and shallot jam, which you can enjoy together or separately, but, unfortunately, not for long, because according to experience, the jar is “licked” clean along the walls in no more than 2 days .

Address: 3 HaBarzel (Ramat ha-Hayal, Tel-Aviv),

We asked Roman Gershuni, owner of Steaks, former chef of the Shafran restaurant and permanent presenter, Mikhail Amayev, owner of the recently opened kosher restaurant Misada, and Borukh Gorin, editor, publisher and regular at kosher restaurants, in hopes understand why Jewish cuisine suddenly became so popular in Moscow and what awaits it in the future.//

There are already a dozen Jewish restaurants in our city. Just a few years ago there were significantly fewer of them: when thinking about where to go for dinner, one could immediately remember only restaurants at synagogues. Independent establishments, of course, opened from time to time, but quickly disappeared. What is happening now and, most importantly, why?

Borukh Gorin

There have certainly been more observant families in Moscow in recent years, but not all of them are as fantastically rich as restaurateurs would like. This segment of the public might be interested not in expensive restaurants, but, for example, in kosher eateries (in Moscow, due to the special economic climate, there are simply no such eateries now), where you can take your children on weekends without much damage to your wallet.

Roman Gershuni:
In my opinion, this is a very significant example of creating a trend out of the blue. A few years ago there was a boom in Japanese restaurants. Next in line are most likely halal. Although... Muslim culture is not very extroverted. This forecast may not come true.

Mikhail Amayev:
In fact, we have been working towards this for many years. Many thanks to Rav Yitzchak Kogan, this man did more than anyone else to ensure that Jews and non-Jews here had the opportunity to eat kosher. I believe that a very important thing has happened over the past 20 years: kosher cuisine has appeared in Russia, so it is not surprising that it is developing.

Tell me, does kosher food really mean healthy? Are those who eat kosher not for religious, but, let’s say, medical reasons, right?

Mikhail Amayev:
Of course, kosher food is the healthiest. After I started keeping kosher, I began to feel better, and even seemed to become less aggressive. ( Laughs.)

Roman Gershuni

Borukh Gorin:
In America, up to 70% of kosher meat is consumed by non-Jews. This, you see, says a lot. Of course, kosher food is, first of all, healthy.

Which of the current Moscow establishments do you like best and what, in your opinion, should an ideal Jewish restaurant be like?

Roman Gershuni:
I was in Tel Aviv (it attracts young people and is trying to create fashion for Jewish cuisine and that is why it is called a bar and not a restaurant) and Chagall when it still existed on the territory of the JCC. I myself do not eat kosher, so it is difficult for me to say which of the current restaurants is the best.

In my opinion, if you set out to create a kosher restaurant, you need to focus not on rabbis and oligarchs or even expats (as, for example, the Misada restaurant in Afimall does), but on ordinary people and rely on narrow-niche cuisine . The location, of course, must be directly connected to a physical Jewish movement (close to a synagogue or community center). In fact, what I miss in Moscow is not restaurants, but fast food - bright, safe and interesting.

Borukh Gorin:
With my family, I most often go to Tel Aviv; it is not just kosher, but a very modern leisure place with excellent cuisine, reasonable prices, live music, very cozy and at the same time European. In Israel, it seems to me, there are no such restaurants. In Odessa there is a wonderful Jewish restaurant “Rozmarin”, but it may very well be that it fascinates not with its service and cuisine, but with Odessa itself. ( Laughs.)

In Moscow, in my opinion, it makes sense to create a restaurant for the not yet “closed” segments of the public, for example, business travelers. Not tourists or expats, but those who come to the capital for a short time and want to eat kosher. They were once served by MEOC, but one place is clearly not enough for Moscow.

Over the past year, about 900 thousand Muscovites visited Israel. Israel itself is a trend in Moscow. Most likely, a restaurant serving Israeli cuisine will also be popular here. On the other hand, it would be possible to open not just a Jewish, but an ultra-Jewish restaurant, for example, in Warsaw - with the appropriate cuisine and atmosphere.

Mikhail Amayev doesn’t like to be photographed, but he loves his restaurant very much

It's no secret that running a kosher restaurant in Moscow is very unprofitable. There are not many suppliers, prices are high, and many products are rejected by the mashgiach. What are the chances of survival for newly opened restaurants? And what do their owners need to do to ensure that the costs are recouped and the business makes a profit?

Roman Gershuni:
In fact, a Jewish restaurant is first and foremost one that makes the most profit. ( Laughs.) For a kosher restaurant to survive in Moscow conditions is not just difficult, but literally impossible. The situation with suppliers is outrageous; prices for Russian kosher meat are sky-high. And its quality is often worse than imported goods.

Mikhail Amayev:
What are you talking about? High prices? Yes, they are funny, because they should be much higher, the products are completely special. In general, I can imagine which of the current restaurants are most likely to close, but I won’t say.

Borukh Gorin:
The problem is not with the suppliers, but with the fact that this kosher boom coincided with the process of market development, and should have happened after it. This is a situation of completely unique economic absurdity. In Russia at this stage there is no expert community; all research is done for some occasion and does not bring any benefit. I would like to hope that the emergence of Jewish restaurants will allow the market to develop faster, and of all the establishments, those that figure out how to attract visitors other than kosher will become profitable and, therefore, continue to exist. After all, kashrut is not a trick. To survive, many restaurants have to find it, because in the civilized world people go to restaurants not because they are kosher, but in spite of them.

What experience did you bring to the restaurant business?

I've been doing it all my life, it's my profession. By profession I am a catering technology engineer, I started in sports, with very good teachers. We developed the menu and prepared for the Olympic reserve base, where the tasks are always very difficult - it is important that the nutrition is balanced and suitable for athletes from different teams and national teams.

How did you start in Moscow?

In the nineties, he opened the restaurant “On Montmartre”, without thinking at all that it would be kosher. We were located in the “French Galleries” passage near Red Square, and after the 1998 crisis we were left alone in this building: about forty boutiques closed in a very short period of time. We began to look for a niche that we could occupy in order to simply survive, and this niche turned out to be kosher cuisine - very labor-intensive, but interesting. At that time we were ranked among the top ten best kosher restaurants in the world. This was a very important experience, because from then on I began to pay great attention to the raw material base.

So you wanted to do something special?

Yes, and this place turned out to be not only unique, but also spiritual. This is very interesting to me, and today I am happy to run a restaurant Misada and, of course, I promote kosher nutrition.
This propaganda is generally extremely important, because there are very few real high-quality raw materials, and not only in Russia, but also in the world. Due to the lack of proper testing, the meat of an animal with a cold in the lungs or a diseased liver enters the kitchens, but this is unacceptable in kashrut, so it is rejected.

Most of those who encountered this in the following years, unfortunately, closed very quickly. Some because they were unable to achieve a certain quality, because the raw materials go through the strictest selection, there is very little of it, it is generally difficult to find, and this significantly increases costs. You also need to pay an employee of the kashrut department, who monitors the kosher of all products. He opens a restaurant, checks all the products brought into it, even to the point of cleaning the greens, sorting out the cereals and the like. After all, if there are traces of an insect on a lettuce leaf, it immediately becomes unusable. In addition, we are closed about 30% of the working time a year, plus supply interruptions, and many things cannot be bought at all - you can only produce them yourself.

Raw materials for preparing kosher dishes undergo the strictest selection; there is very little of it, it is generally difficult to find, and this significantly increases costs

What was the state of the kosher restaurant market at that time, and did it even exist?

At that time there were no kosher restaurants at all, even in synagogues. There were two aunts who were cooking something on the stove, and those who kept kosher were content with this. Visiting religious people carried biscuits in their suitcases...

Are there any special requirements for employees of kosher restaurants?

The employee must understand that he must work within strict limits and follow the rules: it is prohibited to bring non-kosher products into a kosher restaurant. The rest is the same as everywhere else.

Has the situation with raw materials improved recently?

Yes, a lot. There are professional meat processing plants and slaughterhouses that produce kosher meat; the right livestock, healthy ones, have been found. After all, previously, out of a hundred lambs purchased, only 15 could turn out to be kosher, and the rest could be sick. Now this is much easier.

What is the reason for this?

The common titanic efforts of many, many people. However, we still lag behind the rest of the world. In America, for example, the turnover of kosher products last year amounted to $13 billion. This suggests that kosher food is also popular among people who do not adhere to kashrut rules.

Today, Russian passengers, when booking a plane ticket, often automatically order kosher food, although they have no relation to Judaism. Many began to simply read about kashrut, and realized that it was at least harmless, pure and tested many times.

Does Misada have any competitors?

If we talk about business, naturally, this is a restaurant on Bolshaya Bronnaya and a restaurant in Maryina Roshcha, both at synagogues. Misada, as a concept establishment, also has competition, but that’s normal. I was not at all happy that Tel Aviv and Zucker closed, but in terms of business, I didn’t feel anything from the closure of Tel Aviv - it didn’t get any better or worse. Today, the time for risks is, I hope, behind us, the restaurant has become popular and is operating in the black.

Have you ever wanted to make Misada a network project?

Misada cannot be a network project. Firstly, it will not be in demand, and secondly, to provide the network you will need significantly more high-quality products, and it’s already not easy with them.

Why did you locate at Afimall? Do you think this place is good?

The owners of the building are an Israeli company, we have been cooperating with them for a long time and are friends. Most of Misada’s clients are not religious Jews, but employees of neighboring office centers, whose presence saves us on weekdays and during the day: we have a very popular business lunch, it’s not cheap - 650 rubles, but people really like it. Also nearby is a multiplex cinema, which provides an influx of visitors, and the children's club "Cosmik", with which, as a family restaurant, we cooperate - we supply kosher food for children's parties.

You didn’t want to make your other restaurant, Village Kitchen, kosher?

I didn't want to. I have collected here various homemade recipes, traditions, rare products and try not to spoil them. To obtain nelma, wild - not farmed - salmon, and other rare regional specialties, I, of course, use friendly connections in Kamchatka, Yakutia, Naryan-Mar, Arkhangelsk. But I still try to send guests to Misada and introduce them to kosher cuisine.

Where do you collect recipes?

Yes, everywhere I go. I come to the chefs’ kitchen, put on an apron and go! Sometimes I pay money for it (smiles). This is interesting to me, I wanted Village Kitchen to have many different moods and stories. So, the menu includes lobio, babaganoush, hummus, charcoal foie gras and eggnog.

Are you interested in opening restaurants in the future?

I do not only them, but also catering and corporate catering. We provide in-flight meals to business class passengers and supply kosher meals to Aeroflot and Transaero. Small volume - 5000-6000 sets per month, but this is enough to support the business.

What are you working on now?

Above two interesting fast foods. One is American, we will most likely open it as distributors, and the first two points will be in a month. I can’t tell you anything about it yet, except that it’s delicious and sweet. And harmful - because it’s tasty and sweet (smiles).

We come up with the second fast food ourselves, based on the cuisine of Southern Italy.

From your experience in the restaurant business, can you say whether it has become easier to run this business?

The market has become abundant, and this is undoubtedly a big plus. I like it not because I am a great cook, but because it is generally correct. The choice should be as wide as possible, so that there is something for everyone’s budget, taste, and mood.

Many random people began to come into the business who simply out of ambition wanted to have their own restaurant. Many got burned, but many, on the contrary, managed to create successful, interesting and tasty projects. For example, I really like the restaurant “Kak is”, which was created by a married couple - people who are far from the restaurant business, but who have created a very warm and cozy place. And this is perhaps the main indicator of the right attitude towards your business.

A kosher restaurant, Mestechko, has opened on Sytinsky Lane near the Pushkinskaya metro station. The new establishment is another project of restaurateur Mikhail Amayev, who owns the brand « VillageKitchen»: restaurant of the same name with original home cooking and a well-known kosher restaurant "Misada" .

I always go to kosher restaurants, no matter what end of the world it takes me to. I couldn’t refuse the invitation to have lunch at Shtetl. While I was spinning around the alleys of the Presnensky district, I tried to imagine what “Mestechko” would be like. A long chain of associations arose in my head, starting with shtetls - Jewish settlements that once existed on the territory of the Russian Empire, and ending with homemade soups.

As soon as I walked in, I really found myself in the place. But not Jewish, but rather Italian. Immediately I suddenly remembered that my old friend, interior designer Riva Katz, once mentioned between the lines that she was starting to work on a new kosher restaurant. Mikhail Ilyich Amayev saw the future interior of the “Shtetl” as it originally appeared in my fantasy: with wood and stone decoration and an abundance of paraphernalia that sends us back hundreds of years. His wife, on the contrary, immediately sent Riva photographs of family Italian restaurants, where homely furnishings are combined with unique Italian charm, and the food served, prepared with love, as if by grandmother’s hands, is with a sophistication that cannot be confused with anything else. Riva was amazed that the owners of family restaurants choose their own furniture: they look for vintage chairs, antique floor lamps and paintings in attics and flea markets that create a unique home atmosphere. Inspired, Riva helped bring to life a restaurant in the center of Moscow that combined modernity and antiquity: sofas in trendy gray tones, Moroccan chandeliers and an entire library of Jewish literature, from the Torah to writers of recent years.

However, the first thing that caught my eye: not the design in my favorite wood-gray tones, like at home, not the familiar faces sitting at the tables. The first thing I saw were caricatures by a famous Hungarian illustrator on a Jewish theme, drawn on papyrus. Six months ago, during a trip to Budapest, one of the most amazing trips in recent years, I spent a long time walking around the Jewish district of the city, choosing gifts, and constantly came across funny images with Hasidim, newlyweds on a chuppah and Jewish paraphernalia. And here I am sitting, surrounded by wonderful illustrations in the center of Moscow! As it turned out, they were actually specially brought from Hungary to decorate the restaurant. Soon, on the walls between the drawings there will be screens on which favorite films on Jewish themes will be broadcast: “The Adventures of Rabbi Yaakov”, “Ushpizin and others”. They will add even more Jewish warmth and comfort to the Shtetl.

“Mestechko” is a meat restaurant. According to the laws of kashrut, and the restaurant, as mentioned above, is kosher, milk and meat cannot be mixed. Therefore, my guesses that there would be a large selection of fish were confirmed. I was torn between for 10 minutes arctic flounder fillet, pike perch in traditional Moroccan sauce(I looked at the red chandelier hanging over my table) and grilled salmon steak, stopping at the last one. For drinks, I settled on a refreshing homemade lemonade with raspberries and passion fruit.

“You should definitely try the quinoa salad. And kurze with beef. AND…"

“I think that’s enough for now...”– I stopped Rachel at the moment when the waiter entered our hall with my salmon. A plate of impressively sized aromatic steak, warm spinach and cherry tomatoes was placed in front of me.

"The portion is really generous"– Having tasted a piece of salmon, I added: “And the price is justified.”

Jewish food traditionally comes in two types. Or it is simple, tasty and slightly bland (it is no coincidence that stuffed fish is served with horseradish). Or, if we are talking about Israeli cuisine, which is strongly influenced by Middle Eastern Arab countries, it is too spicy. Kosher restaurants often try not to overdo it with seasonings and sauces. Here, not only did the salmon turn out juicy, but the amount of sauce, perfectly calculated and not overpowering the taste of the fish itself, made the dish come alive.

While the quinoa and beef kurze salad was being prepared, the waiter brought some surprising compliments from the chef. You can get enough of them alone.

Rachel and I ate leisurely, talked about the restaurant, website design, discussed the menu, I myself didn’t notice how I left nothing on the plate, and my lips themselves asked the waiter to bring another lemonade, this time berry. The muffled music did not interfere with the conversation; the words of the Torah could be heard from the next table.

In order to monitor kashrut, a special person works in the restaurant, called mashgiach. His presence in the kitchen ensures that all food is thoroughly inspected. Kosher meat is known to be of higher quality and healthier. Vegetables, fruits, cereals and herbs are thoroughly checked for the presence of insects.

I was pleasantly surprised by the prices: for a restaurant located in the very center of Moscow with a wide range of dishes, tasty and kosher food - they are quite acceptable.

Menu really varied. The restaurant's chef, Nikolai Gritskov, worked in Israel for a long time. There are both modern Israeli dishes and names unusual for Muscovites, taken from the traditional cuisine of the Jews of the Caucasus, Iran and Morocco: arabic cube(dumplings made from specially processed wheat grains - burgulia) with tahini sauce and fresh cilantro, Azerbaijani lamb shah-pilaf with chestnuts, prunes and saffron. The main attribute of royal pilaf: the delicious crispy lavash crust in which it is cooked. Georgian chinakhs young lamb with garlic and chili pepper - stew in a pot, shoarma with fresh laffa(Arabic flatbread) with tahini and matbuha sauces, stuffed fish gefilte-fish, Krakow sausage with mustard and green onions and the famous Israeli scrambled eggs shakshuka, homemade desserts: cakes, eclairs, cookies...

“There are three halls in the Shtetl. In the big one you can hold holidays and noisy events. Small is an ideal place for dates and business negotiations,”“Rachel showed me all the nooks and crannies.

As a journalist, I could not agree with her. The atmosphere in the restaurant is conducive not only to relaxation, but also to work. I would safely bring my laptop here, order a salad that would fill me up for the whole day, and write until nightfall.

I’m not a businesswoman, not an economist or a restaurateur, but “Mestechko”, in my opinion, will be a great success. And the owner himself, Mikhail Amayev, is not worried about the future life of his new project.

The simple name reflects not only the Jewish spirit of the establishment. "Place"– really pleasant to meet place in the center of Moscow, where you want to return again and again. This is exactly what I intend to do as soon as possible.

Moscow

Main activity according to OKVED code:

• . Activities of canteens at enterprises and institutions and supply of public catering products;

Additional activities of the company:

• . Bar activities;
• . Activities of restaurants and cafes;

All-Russian classifier of products by type of economic activity:

• . Canteen services at enterprises and institutions and services for the supply of public catering products and servicing of special events (banquets, weddings, receptions, etc.);

LLC "ELYON", registration date - September 28, 2010, registrar - Interdistrict Inspectorate of the Federal Tax Service No. 46 for MOSCOW. Full official name - LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY "ELYON". Legal address: 127473, MOSCOW, st. SELEZNEVSKAYA, 4, apt. 90. The main activity is: “Operation of canteens at enterprises and institutions and supply of public catering products.” The organization is also registered in such categories as: “Activities of bars”, “Activities of restaurants and cafes”. Organizational and legal form (OPF) - limited liability companies. Type of property - private property.

Address and telephone numbers "ELYON"

• Legal address

  127473, MOSCOW, st. SELEZNEVSKAYA, 4, apt. 90

  Founders of the company

  The founders of the company according to Statregister data as of October 2012:
  • . Citizens of Russia (1);
  The founders of the company according to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities as of February 2012:
  • . AMAEV MIKHAIL ILYICH (participation share - 100%);