Coco Matilda Shnurovaya restaurant. "Kokoko": restaurant of new Russian cuisine

28.10.2019 Grill menu

Matilda and Sergey Shnurov, was conceived as an honest Russian restaurant with non-trivial cuisine based mainly on local products. At that time, it seems, they did not really think about the interior (and if they did, then within the framework of the modest proposed walls and circumstances): in the basement room on Nekrasov Street, filled with massive tables and mismatched chairs, the restaurant lived as if in temporary exile.

It quickly became clear that it was not in the Russian tradition to ignore the entourage, because the fact that now, in search of a better location, CoCoCo ended up in an expensive and fashionable hotel next to St. Isaac's Cathedral, can be considered a great success. Here everything coincided at once: the marketing story of an honest restaurant turned into an elegant production, a little theatrical, but believable.

The space of the hotel is an almost sacred place and dictates its own rules: no honesty usually lives here. Here's an excellent example, CoCoCo opened on the site of the miX restaurant by Alain Ducasse, a Michelin record holder and one of the world's top chefs. It would seem that there should have been no end of visitors, but in St. Petersburg the institution remained unclaimed. Perhaps it was because of the vaunted French rationality and business acumen, which looked wild in a city where dilapidated facades and ruined buildings are considered almost the main attraction.

This time a professional designer was invited to decorate the interior of the new "Kokoko", although one of her own was Ekaterina Shebunina, the wife of the drummer of the "Leningrad" group. Tiles of the Portuguese brand Boca do Lobo, their mirrors, and also hemp stools covered with gilding and velvet chairs of the American company Brabbu are responsible for the Russian spirit. The elegant interior is diluted with many symbolic trifles, such as a stylized shop in a pseudo-Russian style at the entrance and an image of a black chicken, reminiscent of Chernushka from Pogorelsky's fairy tale. The main dominant is a custom-made screen-panel with forest animals in a millefleur of golden leaves.

Behind this screen, concept chef Igor Grishechkin continues to create his own mythology of the new Russian cuisine. Unlike most of his colleagues, who are seriously talking about the undisclosed possibilities of turnips or beets, he is rather following the path of borrowing and transforming someone else's experience, which is traditional for Russian cuisine.

The chef radically transforms familiar dishes when only the name remains from the original, or, on the contrary, takes a classic foreign hit and skillfully disguises it as something familiar. So, beef tartare (450 rubles) turns into bachelor eggs in a frying pan (the meat disguises goat cheese rolled into a cake, sprinkled on top with black salt and green onions), "Pea jelly" from the menu (210 rubles) on the top turns out to be a relative of hummus and vegetable pate, the traditional Soviet vinaigrette turns into cold soup (270 rubles), and the Vitaminny salad (190 rubles) turns into a product of molecular cuisine with round pieces of vegetables carefully laid out on a plate, each of which is cooked at the optimum temperature for it. There is a moose stew (970 rubles), “Breakfast of a tourist” from pearl barley (550 rubles), desserts “Kroshka potato” (250 rubles) and “Cranberries in sugar for Anna Pavlova” (590 rubles).

Seriously, you shouldn't believe the names of the dishes that caress your ear, there is no more Russian in them than in the opposite facade of the Lobanov-Rostovsky house. So whoever decides that behind all these special effects there really is some homely Russian truth hides, let him take a good look at this very facade, created by the Frenchman Montferrand, remember what city he is in, drink a glass of vodka at the bar and exhale. Vodka in CoCoCo is the most authentic.

Excerpts from the menu

Rolls with the taste of Borodino bread
with sprat mousse
390 rubles

Snack with spiced Baltic sprat, poached egg and cottage cheese cream
450 rubles

Cold Vinaigrette soup and rye buns
with herring oil
270 rubles

Duck breast with pickled apple in caramel and contrasting buckwheat
870 rubles

Elk stew with fire-baked potatoes and pickled vegetable salad
970 rubles

Flan with heather flavor, fresh milk froth and homemade jam
270 rubles

We have opened a new "Cococo" for breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and I can confidently say - everything is fine, the guests are delighted - they are very praised. Despite the fact that the team, including me, was on the nerves until the last moment, the feeling is great. It happens to me - when you prepare a project for a long time (this was the case with the first Cococo and the Isadora ballet school), you assemble them from many small parts, literally by elements, then by the time of launch you are practically boiling. At such a moment, it is very important to exhale, distract yourself and then re-look at everything objectively. I’ll just disappear for a while, I have a trip planned - I’ll relax, calm down, and then I’ll come back and already appreciate it without prejudice, here and now. A restaurant is like a child, you carry it for a long time, and then you need to learn to live with that amazing, new, maybe even incomprehensible, what happened. In general, everyone liked the new Cococo - the country's main culinary blogger and my friend praised it. She really liked the Baltic sprat and the Cranberry in Sugar for Anna Pavlova dessert.

Our staff is extraordinary - they are not so much waiters as bright heads and nice people: in interviews we almost first of all asked what books they read. The entire staff was recruited on February 15, and we hired more than we needed to keep the most worthy. We warned them about this - so that the competition spurs them on to show themselves, to fight. That is, we already took the best of the best, but remained - brilliant. The form - black polka-dot dresses with white collars - was developed by the designer. The entire appearance of the waiters is regulated - what can be lipstick, hair, and so on.

The space of the restaurant is interestingly zoned - there are many different zones, but at the same time there is a feeling of spaciousness. The design was developed by Ekaterina Shebunina, she is not a decorator, but an architect - both by education and by way of thinking. It was she who made ours from an apartment and a country house, and in general she is an outstanding woman and the wife of the permanent drummer of the Leningrad group, Alexander Popov. It is noteworthy that she never fundamentally worked with public interiors, and made an exception only for Cococo. It's no secret that restaurant designers very quickly begin to think in patterns, use the same techniques, and their interiors become similar to each other. And Ekaterina thinks in an unconventional way, and the interior therefore turned out to be impressive, bright and unusual.

We were often asked if we were afraid that the new "Cococo" will turn out to be completely new, not similar to the original project. I answer - they were not afraid. In human affairs, people decide everything. If I crossed, I crossed - with my own taste, vision, ideas and abilities, then the place will definitely be similar. If we made both the first "Cococo" and the second, then both there and there the spirit of "Cococo" will be the same. For those who have nostalgia for the restaurant on Nekrasov Street, there are bar stools and a Louis Vuitton birch bark box in the dressing room - they are from there.

There are already leaders on the menu - black pancakes Black Russian c cuttlefish ink and red caviar, served on a black plate, and a hangover chicken broth with pies. The new restaurant made it possible to build a business in a different way, to change buyers - I set a goal for them to maintain a certain, very loyal price level in the menu, and we plan to keep it.

If you look back at the entire preparation period, then most of all I was shocked that we coped with everything in a month and a half.: restaurateurs say that such work takes at least a year. We are all scared, of course, tired - both psychologically and physically: it is simply impossible to be on our feet so much - pain I am t head, neck, legs. On the day when we opened for breakfast for guests, we did not sleep all night: at 6 in the morning we took off the covers from the furniture, and at 7 the first guests came in - what delight and happiness it was. That night the whole team remained in the restaurant, and before the opening, we allowed the chefs to go out into the hall - everyone wanted to see how the restaurant turned out.

There are many new goals. First, play with the buffet - that is, those typical for a hotel W the breakfasts that we feed his guests. Now we follow the standards, but you can also look for a unique presentation and serving, add something interesting - products, baked goods. Secondly, I still have fromphotographall menus. You need to adapt to the place - where is the light, which dish is better to shoot on which table. Thirdly, we must prepare for the summer: the tourist season, hundreds of guests and the economic forum. And this, of course, is not all.

We worked out the updates of the main menu of the restaurant in advance - in the restaurant on Nekrasov Street: there we tasted everything, edited, developed the presentation and ordered dishes for it. Now all this is being worked out in a new kitchen, new technological maps are being written, calculations are being made - in general, creativity, sampling and selection, in which I took part, are already over.

One of the novelties was invented by Sergey Shnurov - he rarely asks for something, but this time he wanted the menu to include a dish that he himself loves very much - stew with potatoes. Chef Igor Grishechkin and I have long been planning to cook game - salmon or wild boar. For steaks, this meat tastes too specific, and we realized that this is exactly what the stew is ideal from - add juniper, bay leaf, pepper, and other spices. So we got a fragrant stew, which we serve with potatoes in the form of coals - a fantastically tasty and beautiful dish about hunting, forest and hiking. In a cold March, with vodka - perfect.

There will be many more vegetarian positions. It's amazing how actively vegetarians are fighting for their place in society - they always pour out such indignation when it seems to them that their interests are not sufficiently taken into account: we were often left comments that our restaurant without a section with vegetarian dishes will surely lose all visitors. Not only steamed fish salad and lean soup will be added, but also a section with side dishes that you can take for individual dishes each in your own cute plate.

Our great achievement in two weeks is that we have developed breakfast items that will be served on a separate menu. That is, those that you can go in and order, even if you do not live in a hotel: oatmeal, cheese cakes and cereals or pancakes with caviar and champagne - whatever you want. We came up with a lot of incredible things - for example, cheese pancakes made of baked milk or rice porridge with orange zest: it has a New Year's accent in its taste and presentation - it is served with edible confetti and serpentine. Still very tasty potato pancakes with two types of fish. In total, the original serving, with the signature Cococo vision, recipe and serving will be positions 10 - 15. There will also be oatmeal, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs and other familiar dishes - the desire to eat a simple toast for breakfast has not yet been canceled.

We also did an incredible thing - we tasted the entire buffet that should be served for guests for breakfast by agreement with the hotel: there is a huge amount of pastries, cuts of meat and cheeses. Suppliers brought us an infinite number of samples to try, and we chose the right ones. These four days of testing were hard for me, because I had to try so much - too much food, but we managed.

The restaurant has already recruited the entire staff of the hall, they are just now undergoing trainings - for example, they are sorting out a wine list with a sommelier. It will be huge, with a large section of Russian wines.

We have done a lot - for example, we have developed vegetable mixes that will be served for breakfast and not only. We tested them from all seasonal vegetables. Three orange juices - from pumpkin, sea buckthorn and carrots - I even want to leave it that way, without mixing - they are so good: aromatic and sweet. Turnip juice is still cool - it is so tasteless that it is probably very useful. With juices, mixtures of them, it will even make cocktails, for example, adding spices, nutmeg, cayenne pepper or turmeric.

Over the past week, we have come to grips with working out breakfasts and the main menu.Inherited from the restaurant Alain Ducasse we got a kitchen # dream kitchen. One splendid feature of this kitchen is the well-equipped, thoughtful pastry workshop.So we are closely working on breads, rolls, pies, pies. A whole team is working on the creation of baking, led byff-pastry chef Ekaterina Sereda. We taste croissants, snails, bread every day. I even already have my own favorite - bread made from flax flour, I was surprised by the taste of this bread. We will also make gluten-free bread, classic Borodino, white, and we will invent new flavors of Kokoko bread. We will use the new features of the bakery for the main menu: we will bake new burger buns, brioche - kterrine, pies and much more.

The pastry chef is not the only personnel innovation. Back in November, we underwent a serious change: he became a concept chef - that is, now he is responsible for the concept, menu development, new dishes. And the chef ohm responsible for the implementation of all this, one hundred l Alexander Kokurin. He is looking for personnel, equipment, discipline. This system actually works in many famous restaurants.

We work on breakfast in two directions. The first is what will ensure the standards of the Starwood Hotels group.& Resorts oh the hotel belongsW,with regard to breakfasts. We are in a five-star hotel and we must strictly adhere to these requirements. DFor hotel guests, we will have everything that a buffet provides, one might say, world-class - that is, which is available anywhere in the world in hotels Starwood. Let's say there should be oranges and bananas in the morning proposal all year round, which contradicts Cococo's concept of seasonality and locality. Therefore, we are planning to develop a separatethe direction in breakfast a la carte cards - a menu with Russian breakfasts,according to our concept, where our author's transcription and serving will include cheese cakes, porridge, pancakes and other dishes with a Russian character. Such breakfasts a la cartevery comfortableNSfor those who do not live in the hotel and just want to visit us for breakfast - take, for example, only cheese cakes and coffee: they will not have to pay for the buffet.

So far, little has changed visually in the hall - the mainethe work was related to the electrician. Still assembling the bar counter -she hasvery complex shape and non-standard design, only the frame was installed in a week.In general, I think there will be visible changes in the last week, while white walls and a paved floor.

The sensations from work are amazing: about 40 people are working in the kitchen now. Some of them are from the old "Cococo", some are new: everyone's eyes are burning, enthusiasm and a desire to learn. On February 1, we had our first working meeting with the entire kitchen team. Everyone had to introduce themselves and tell a few words about themselves. All unanimously said that they had come to work on a unique concept, to learn from Igor Grishechkin, to gain new knowledge and experience. This is very inspiring. All this is also exciting, of course: for us, the management, when we launch, the main work will just begin - and we are already working all day long. But we still really like it - these are amazing emotions!

February 3rd Xia into it, but do not lose your identity. AND interior will inheritthe image of the old "Cococo",and blend in with the new place. The main thing is that we will preserve our self-irony, a sense of humor, if we do not try to bring down the pathos of the location, then we will definitely not allow it to dominate. The atmosphere of the restaurant on Nekrasov Street was dictated by my feeling of what kind of environment is needed for the new Russian cuisine from the chef Igor Grishechkin. The same thing is happening now - I am shaping an environment in which I think this kitchen will be appropriate in the halo of five stars that surrounds us. Yes, we will become more glamorous, but the humor will remain - Separate objects, objects will transmit irony.

We partially transport the equipment, partially buy it: in the kitchen that was in the hotel W, there is not everything that is needed for those specific requirements of the Cococo team. We also buy in addition because we did not get all the equipment that was. We divided the kitchen with W into two parts: one will serve the terrace miXup and feed to be in the rooms, that is, to do what is calledinroom catering, the other half of the former cuisine is ours - there we will deal with breakfasts and menus a la carte. We are also expanding the Cococo team: the chefs and waiters - we are doubling everything. If in the institution on Nekrasov Street we worked from 12.00 to midnight, now, at W, we will be openfrom 07.00 to 01.00.

Now my working day begins with the analysis of e-mail: there are always a lot of letters - on a variety of issues: dishes, interior design, food, PR, the closure of the old "Cococo" - the content of all can not be remembered, but all must be answered. Then I am engaged in construction - I personally supervise the foremen. WeMarch 1 have to start feeding breakfast and do it. A lot comes from abroad, because of course changes, everything is not always simple, but there should not be any force majeure.

Cococo Restaurant "is an original restaurant where guests can taste traditional Russian cuisine, prepared in accordance with modern culinary trends. This place is also famous for its unique design and author's presentation of food. In addition, all dishes are prepared only from natural products obtained on their own farm. More information about the restaurant, its address, menu, wine list and customer reviews can be found in this article.

Restaurant "Cococo" in St. Petersburg: address

Restaurant patrons know that initially " Cococo "was located in a different place and only in March 2016 moved to the central part of St. Petersburg. It opened in the building of the prestigious hotel W. Thanks to the convenient location, the restaurant can dine not only locals, but also numerous tourists who often spend the whole day. exploring the historical center of the city.Address of the institution: St. Petersburg, Voznesensky Prospect, building 6. Not far from the restaurant there is the Alexander Park and the Peter and Paul Fortress, as well as St. Isaac's Cathedral, which can be seen from the windows of the restaurant.

Since there is a restaurant in the central part of the city " Cococo "(its address is given above), visitors can easily get to it by metro. The nearest station is Admiralteyskaya (350 meters). A little further there are stations" Nevsky Prospekt "and" Sadovaya "(1 km). , you can stroll through the historic city center on your way to the restaurant, or take the bus, and guests arriving by car are provided with a secure private car park where they can park their car for free.

Schedule

Cococo Restaurant "in St. Petersburg it is open every day. It opens at 11:00, so visitors can not only have lunch or dinner here, but also have breakfast. On weekdays, excluding Fridays, the restaurant closes at midnight. The kitchen is open until the last visitor, so order original dishes here you can also before closing. On weekends " Cococo "open until 06:00. Until the morning, guests can enjoy not only drinks and light snacks from the bar, but also gourmet dishes prepared according to the recipes of the local chef. The restaurant may also close earlier or later for any special event. however, management usually notifies their guests in advance.

More about the restaurant

Cococo Restaurant ", a photo of which you can see in this article, opened almost 4 years ago. The popular Russian musician and songwriter Sergei Shnurov and his wife Matilda worked on the creation of the project. The main concept of the restaurant is traditional Russian cuisine, and the dishes are prepared according to non-trivial recipes. the principle was to use only seasonal farm products that are grown by the farms of St. Petersburg. Shnurova , which in the design used original and incompatible elements. For example, at the entrance, guests are greeted by roosters woven from branches, and the halls themselves are distinguished by pompous and luxurious interiors. Numerous shades of gray have been used in the decoration, which is combined here with wood in warm colors. Furniture, bar counter is made of it. The floor is also paved with parquet. Along the walls there are wooden shelves on which fresh flowers, earthenware and other decor are placed, reminiscent of old Russian utensils.

For his restaurant Sergey Shnurov invited the popular chef Igor from Moscow Grishechkina ... Prior to that, he worked in well-known metropolitan institutions " Blogistan "and Ragout. It was he who came up with all the original dishes that guests can try here. In addition, he is often found in the kitchen." Cococo "where he prepares his creations with his own hands. Thus, this establishment can hardly be called budgetary. According to statistics, the average bill, excluding alcoholic beverages, is here about 2000-5000 rubles per person. Therefore, most often the restaurant is visited by wealthy people or those who want to celebrate their holiday in an original way. In addition, free internet is available in the building. The restaurant does not deliver home delivery, but guests can take freshly made takeaway coffee.

Breakfasts at "Cococo"

Cococo Restaurant "in St. Petersburg recently acquired another innovation. Now every day from 07:00 to noon, guests of the establishment can try dishes from the special menu" Russian breakfast ". Classic recipes of Russian cuisine are combined here with the original author's presentation. coming here for breakfast:

hangover chicken broth with green onion patties;
scrambled eggs with fried doctor's sausage and green peas;
rice porridge with condensed milk with vanilla and orange;
dumplings with cottage cheese and cherries;
omelet with a side dish of your choice (bacon, fried sausages, mushrooms, ham, cheese, tomatoes, green onions);
wheat flour pancakes with black sturgeon caviar;
cheesecakes with boiled condensed milk;
potato pancakes with salmon tartare, sour cream, horseradish and herbs;
omelet "Fitness" made from proteins and low-fat yogurt;
sweet croutons, toast from grain bread with butter, croissants.

The main menu of the restaurant "Cococo"

The main menu starts at the restaurant every day from 14:00 until closing. For foreign tourists, it is duplicated in English. The menu includes light snacks, soups, side dishes, pickles, caviar, meat and poultry dishes, desserts and ice cream prepared according to Igor's original recipes Grishechkina ... His cuisine is based on traditional Russian dishes not only in the composition of ingredients, but also in design, which can only be seen in " Cococo ". The restaurant, whose menu includes a huge number of dishes and snacks, offers to try the following original recipes:

"ax porridge": buckwheat porridge with porcini mushrooms and stewed beef cheeks;
stewed beef tongue with potatoes, scrambled eggs and pickled tomatoes;
farm burger and chips from seasonal vegetables with fresh tomato ketchup;
sautéed honey agarics and winter vegetables;
pickle "Leningradsky" with fried chicken hearts;
lazy dumpling with porcini mushrooms and dried beef heart;
bone marrow with pickled vegetables, caviar and rye toast;
cod in onion seaweed with sea-flavored foam;
dessert "Mother's Favorite Flower";
Alaska bread pudding with red berries, ice cream and quick meringue.

Wine list and other drinks

A huge selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is offered to its guests by the restaurant Shnurov "Cococo ". You can order several types of coffee (espresso, americano, latte, cappuccino ), hot chocolate, black and green tea. A special part of the menu is devoted to herbal infusions. So, you can try decoctions of oregano, mint, linden, meadowsweet, Crimean rose. Not only berries are added to freshly squeezed juices, but also spices and herbs. For example, the menu contains mixes from apple, celery, juniper or carrot, sea buckthorn and cardamom. Also, fruit drinks, fruit drinks, jelly or kvass will be prepared for you. The restaurant serves mineral water, soft drinks, energy drinks.

The author's recipe here is hot mulled wine with red and white wine. Strong alcoholic drinks can be ordered either in a glass or in a bottle. Guests are offered a huge selection of sparkling, red, white, rosé and sweet wines from France, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia. You can also order beer and cider, vodka, semi-bar, cognac, mixed and single malt whiskey, rum, tequila, gin, liqueurs. Cigarettes can also be found in the drinks menu.

Shop at the restaurant

It should be noted that the restaurant " Cococo "you can not only come for lunch, but also buy natural products from the best farming enterprises of St. Petersburg. Here you can buy gift certificates for dinner in denominations of 1500, 3000 and 5000 rubles. From desserts, you can buy Russian caramel cockerels on a stick, made from sugar syrup with the addition of vanilla, citrus fruits, cinnamon. Homemade chicken eggs are sold here, gluten free bread, sweet pastries. You can buy poppy seeds, carrots,curd-strawberrypies, chocolate and raspberry cakes. It is worth paying attention to natural buckwheat and flower honey, pine cone jam, homemade fruit drinks and nectars. Dark chocolate with the addition of sea salt, dried raspberries, cones and sunflower seeds is especially popular with customers.

Local events

Cococo Restaurant "holds traditional gastronomic evenings every Thursday with Igor Grishechkin ... At 19:00, all guests can participate by ordering a 12 unique course special dinner. The chef will prepare them for you. The cost of the dinner is 5000 rubles. There are usually no other events in the restaurant. It will also not be possible to rent a hall for a banquet completely. Instead, you can order a large table and personalized service for your celebration.

Restaurant "Cococo": positive reviews

This restaurant is considered one of the most popular establishments in the city. And more often than not, visitors leave good reviews. In them, they point to the following advantages of this institution:

Great location suitable for tourists and amazing views of the sights.
Original serving of dishes.
Large portions for two people.
Calm and quiet atmosphere without noisy and drunk visitors and loud music.
It is possible to book the desired table a few days before the visit.

Negative responses

It is unlikely that now you can find an institution that would not be criticized by guests. A restaurant " Cococo "has a few negative reviews, but they should be taken into account before visiting. Visitors note that the disadvantages of this institution are the following points:

The chef refuses to prepare some dishes from the menu because the necessary ingredients are missing in the kitchen.
Very slow service. In this case, you can stay at the table no longer than 2 hours.
The waiters are poorly versed in wines, so they cannot choose the right drink for the guests.
Hostess at his own discretion he seats the guests. For example, if there are free tables by the window, visitors sit in the corridor.

Should you visit this restaurant?

Visitors definitely recommend to visit the restaurant at least once " Cococo ". Inexpensive prices for an establishment of this level, good service, original presentation of dishes - all this does" Cococo "a pleasant place for a romantic dinner, gatherings with friends or family. Here you can also celebrate a holiday or have a snack after a long walk around St. Petersburg.

Visiting St. Petersburg and not visiting the restaurant of Matilda Shnurova has recently become a bad form. The very restaurant "Cococo" in which Sobchak drank champagne, Belotserkovskaya swayed her hips and celebrated the birthday of His Majesty - Cord. The very same restaurant opened by a woman who curbed the most marginal rebel of the Russian stage.

However, the interest in the business toy of the musician's wife is directly proportional to the criticism that falls on Shnurova on social networks. Another reason for the scandal was the publication of Elena Chekalova on a Facebook page, where the journalist shared her impressions of Matilda's establishment with friends.

In St. Petersburg, friends advised me to visit a trendy restaurant. I called to reserve a place - they said that everything was full. A little surprised: 7 pm, a weekday. Well, I think I'll at least sit in the bar and look at this miracle. I come: an almost empty room. They don't put me in prison anyway: they say, everything is booked. I almost force myself to sit at the bar and watch. After half an hour, the picture does not change. Meanwhile, Lenya is raking up. I went up to the manager again - they put us in prison as a big favor. Like, someone refused. They carry the ordered bottle of wine for half an hour, then it turns out that there is none at all. I don't even want to talk about food. All dishes were returned to the kitchen. When they left, a number of people pulled up, but there were still a lot of empty seats. Apparently, most of them refused)) In Moscow, alas, there are also such popular places. Friends, tell me: in order to go to eat well, you need to know that you can't get into the establishment? - Chekalova writes.

The queen of the St. Petersburg party was enraged by the response of the metropolitan guest. “Be honest. Do not lie!" - wrote Shnurova on her page.

Have all the dishes been returned to the kitchen? You did not return food to the kitchen. You didn't like the burger and didn't finish it. A restaurant manager came up to you and asked what was wrong. You said that you are not satisfied with the frying. You said about the flower that you didn't expect it. But you ate the rest of the dishes. Beetroot with Adyghe cheese mousse, rolls with sprat mousse, smelt ceviche, burger, flower - your order, - Shnurova writes.

The written debate between the two women generated a lot of public interest. “The establishment is fashionable, in fact - they fool people,” some are indignant, “Slander. Everything in the restaurant is delicious and made with soul, ”others retort. In order to determine the winner of this fight, we decided to separate the famous wives in different directions of the ring and go ourselves to the restaurant that made a lot of noise.

For the purity of the experiment, I decided to book a table for two at the same time as Chekalova - at 19.00. The girl on the phone leafed through the book of records for a long time and said that they would only be able to receive us at 19.15, explaining that there were too many reservations and this was the only way to “reduce the flow of service”. What does "reduce the flow of service" mean, I still do not understand. And I came to the institution all the same at seven o'clock in the evening planned by me. In the discreetly luxurious interiors, I was greeted warmly. Without mentioning pre-booking, I asked if I could sit down. Just as during a telephone conversation, the hostess looked at the book for a long time and offered me a table for two by the window, but strictly until 21.00. It should be noted that at that time there were about eight free tables in the restaurant. Then I kind of remembered that I had booked a table at 19.15. The window seat was immediately transferred to us for unlimited use.

At 19.40 we invited a waiter. They decided to order everything that, according to Chekalova, I had not to finish and ask to take it to the kitchen. Rolls with the taste of Borodino bread with sprat mousse, baked beets with Adyghe cheese mousse, smelt ceviche with Antonovka and adjika, farmer's burger with root vegetable chips and pickled tomato ketchup. To select a wine, we asked the waiter for a wine list, which was not served at first. The girl said that now a sommelier would come up to us and help us make a choice.

The specialist was not there. The waiter returned with a bottle and offered to taste the wine recommended by the absent sommelier. The tart drink made a good impression on us, but after asking about its price and making sure that the position was not the most affordable on the list (3800 rubles), I chose a cheaper wine (2200 rubles). We were much more fortunate than Parfenov. If his bottle of wine, according to Chekalova, reached the table for 30 minutes, then ours was poured into glasses already at 19.45, that is, just five minutes later.

Literally 15 minutes later, at 20.00, snacks began to arrive on the table. The first thing that struck was the supply of tubes with sprat mousse (390 rubles). The deep plate was filled with decorative cobblestones on which the straws themselves lay. When trying to cut them, the waffle casing broke, and the mousse spread over the stones - I had to scrape it off with a fork. However, the sprats that broke on the stones turned out to be so tasty that it was worth it. Neither I nor my companion, who shared my delight, would have allowed the dish to be taken to the kitchen.

Beetroot appetizer (410 rubles) was eaten to the last drop of the most delicate Adyghe cheese and hazelnut sauce, which adds astringency to the dish. “I almost swallowed my tongue,” the companion shared with me his impressions. Smelt ceviche (390 rubles) looked in the best traditions of Michelin restaurants: little and incomprehensible. It turned out to taste - not for everybody. But there was no reason to refuse the dish either. Antonovka gave sourness, onions - spicy, and the skeletons of deep-fried smelt, served separately, caused a special delight.

The burger (750 rubles), which demanded a special explanation from the manager from the Parfenovs, seemed divine for us, ordinary food lovers. Medium-rare beef looked underdone due to its bright pink color. To the taste, the “cutlet” turned out to be tasty and juicy, and in combination with pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut, it delighted us at all. Special thanks for the rose petal root vegetable chips.

Dessert time came at 20.43. The disappointment with the taste was inversely proportional to the delight of the serving. My mother's favorite flower, smashed on a tile (450 rubles), turned out to be simply sweet to try. Perhaps this was his only advantage (not counting, of course, the filing). The chocolate is not tender, the mousse did not leave a pleasant aftertaste that this kind of dessert should leave. The feeling that by the end of the dinner the cook had run out of energy or inspiration had disappeared did not leave.

So, dinner for two at the Cococo restaurant in the footsteps of Elena Chekalova cost us 5,090 rubles. It's time to take stock. The feigned excitement and imitation of excessive demand, described by Chekalova, are still present. As for the cuisine, there was not a single objective reason to criticize the taste of dishes, let alone their presentation. And if we were asked to identify the winner of this fight, then for us it would have ended with a score of 1: 1.

Svetlana Danelyan

CoCoCo is a family project of Sergei and Matilda Shnurovs, launched jointly with a farmer's cooperative. For a musician, this is already the second institution in a row; several years ago he opened the Blue Pushkin bar on Kherson. The CoCoCo format is fundamentally different: with a full-fledged restaurant menu, Russian cuisine and an extensive alcoholic list.

The title refers to the last film by Dunya Smirnova. In an interview, Shnurov says that CoKoCo is “ a place where the main characters could meet "... A second interior - Matilda Shnurova. In the project, she left the hackneyed national motives and design cliches. A marble counter in the center, tall solid wood seats and long dining tables were custom made.

Chef Igor Grishechkin recently moved to St. Petersburg from Moscow, where he worked in and ""... After that he joined the team of the St. Petersburg LavkaLavka, and now he is working simultaneously on two projects. For CoKoCo, he rethought the recipes and combinations that are traditional for Russian cuisine. Most of the dishes are based on vegetables, cereals and meat, which are grown and produced by small farms from the Leningrad region and other parts of the country. The farmer's cooperative is engaged in the supply of products, where, by the way, the Shnurovs are regularly purchased. The menu includes spelled noodles, aspen mushrooms, rabbit and special seasonal offers.

Beef tongue, dill potatoes and lightly salted cucumbers - 350 rubles
Borscht - 250 rubles
Borscht - 250 rubles
Borscht - 250 rubles

Duck leg confit with lentils and vegetables - 590 rubles
Homemade lemonade - 160 rubles
Sea buckthorn fruit drink - 100 rubles

Tinctures: spicy, cranberry, horseradish, rosemary-apple, ginger, pear - 150 rubles