After seeing the Chef’s table episode on Netflix about the “White Rabbit” in Moscow, a visit to Chef Vladimir Mukhin’s restaurant was a must. While I did not only learn more about the Russian history in that Netflix episode than I ever did in school, I also learned how much variety Russian cuisine can have. Before I’ll give you an insight to my visit at the White Rabbit, I can say that place #13 at the “50 best restaurant of the world’s” list is very well earned and it’s a visit well worth.
How. Where. When.
If you want to dine at the White Rabbit at the weekend, I can recommend to book at least one month in advance. We booked three weeks in advance and were lucky to get a table for two at 21:15 on a Saturday. But only because you have a reservation doesn’t mean you’ll be seated right away. Expect to wait another 10-20 min before a table opens up and one of the many waitresses and waiters that are especially in charge to seat guests will actually seat you.
The restaurant is located on Smolenskaya Square, on the top floor of a shopping mall. It’s a little tricky to find as you need to enter the shopping mall from Smolenskin Tori. Once in the mall you’ll see a small booth from the restaurant with a beautiful woman directing you to the first of two elevators. After changing elevators you’ll reach the entrance of the restaurant. Where you’ll find a reception and a small waiting area.
Here is a link to the restaurant on Google Maps: White Rabbit
Atmosphere.
Just behind the waiting area is a U-shaped bar where you can have a seat while waiting. At the time we passed the bar, there was actually no one sitting. Next to it are a couple of stairs which lead to the first set of tables and a small outside area. Continuing the stairs upwards, you reach the main seating area. The most mentionable about the sitting area is that the complete roof is a glass dome. It gives an amazing view over Moscow even in the dark. Mostly 4 seats tables are located in 3 rows with another bar in the middle functioning as a divider for the big open room. As chairs, 2-seat sofas were placed on both sides of the table bringing an elegant coziness to the setting.
“You’ll find Moscow’s elite and some Moscow visiting food lovers.”
The other diners were mostly Moscow’s rich and famous as well as a few Moscow visiting foodies like us. Apparently, this is the place to celebrate your birthday if you can afford it. We listened to the waiters singing “С днём рождения тебя” – the Russian Happy Birthday – for four times during our visit. Besides that, I must admit that we were so busy enjoying our food that I didn’t pay much attention to other restaurant visitors.
Now – the food.
Of course we had to have Vladimir Mukhin’s tasting menu, CONTRAST.
Fairytale | Neither fish – nor fowl Coconut And Linden
Starting with an inauguration to Russia, the first course was rye bread with coconut and linden and to drink vodka. The waitress poured a couple of drops of vodka into our hands and asked us to rub our hands and to smell them. I was very surprised to smell rye bread in my hands. It only makes sense as vodka is made from fermented grains still a surprising, pleasant smell. The coconut flavor in the dish was very subtle but combined with the slightly sour rye bread and the dulcet linden flower tasted just delectable.
Texture | Hard-soft Smoked Caviar And Young Almonds
Secondly, hard young almonds, with soft Russian caviar. The almonds revealed to have the strongest nutty taste I ever tried and combined with the salted-cured roe of the caviar a refreshing combination.
Origin | Europe – Asia Scallop, Carrot And Raspberry
Vladimir Mukhin and his team turned the European carrot and raspberry into two different sauces. The carrot sauce had an acidic flavor creating an excellent balance to the sweet tasting viscous raspberry sauce. The two tastes from the sauces were the exciting part about the dish. The Asian scallop was mostly tasteless.
Habitat | Sea – Land Sea Urchin Caviar, Potatoes, Tangerines
This dish was my favorite of the entire menu. The eggs of the sea urchin were placed in a sauce on top of the in coal baked potatoes. The combination of the rather tasteless potatoes with the salty and soft eggs of the sea urchin was absolutely marvelous. The tangerine added a slightly bitter taste, combined with the sea urchin eggs and the potato it created an explosion of tastes in my mouth. I do have to admit that the texture of the sea urchin caviar was a little strange. It was soft and immediately dissolved when it entered my mouth.
Processing | Fire- Water Green Tomatoes, Milk Mushrooms, Borodino Bread
The best about this dish is the slightly sweet tasting, amazingly soft in texture, Borodino Bread. The sweet taste is coming from the molasses that is usually added to the typical Russian, dark brown, sourdough rye bread. The water was represented by the green tomatoes and the milk mushrooms which tasted slightly sour and perfectly accompanied the bread.
Fortune | Poor – Rich Cabbage, Caviar And Champagne
Typical Russian caviar with typical Russian champagne. The Russian caviar was a variation of different sized and different colored eggs and tasted phenomenal with the baked and slightly burned on the outside cabbage. Only the Russian champagne I did not like as it tasted very sour.
Directions | North – South Black Cod, Kvass And Jerusalem Artichoke
The black cod coming from northern Eurasia combined with the south originated artichoke was a great combination. The taste of the traditional Russian fermented beverage, Kvass, which is made from rye bread was a pleasant surprise.
Action | End- Beginning Quail, Egg And Corn
The main dish of this tasting menu was smashed corn with deliciously soft cooked quail. It tasted surprisingly light for poultry and corn. I believe it was the way the quail was cooked. The egg I personally believe did not add much value to the dish besides the fact that it represented the beginning.
Action | Beginning – End Salad With Lettuce, Avocado And Onion
This was a quite interesting combination. I did not enjoy the taste, but the combination of textures. As the smashed avocado was combined with slightly burned lettuce. The onion was used more subtly.
Taste | Bitter – Sweet Beets, Burnt Hazelnuts
The burnt hazelnut was covered in a red beet sauce. The taste is just like the dishes name – bitter and sweet.
Time | Past – Future Birch Bast, Condensed Milk
For this dish we were asked to download a mobile phone application. When the waitress brought the ball with a small cookie like dessert on the top. She asked us to scan the dish with the app. It revealed a beautiful flower. A very creative way of showing the past and the future in one dish from Vladimir Mukhin and his team. The frozen condensed milk inside the birch bast was delightful.
Fashion | Current – Irrelevant Russian Berry
My absolute favorite desert at the white rabbit. The waitress brought very carefully a sheep like wooden figure which had a very small golden ball placed on its antlers. She instructed us to take the ball carefully and eat it in once. The ball was made of white chocolate and contained a very liquid berry syrup. The taste was absolutely marvelous – it was an explosion in my mouth.
The end.
This journey through the Russian history and culinary cuisine broadens one’s horizon. The waitress did a great job explaining us how each dish was made and its origins. It was absolutely amazing what Vladimir Mukhin and his team conjured in this menu creating contrast in every way one can think of.
Bear in mind that the tasting menu takes 2-3h to complete. Especially, after the main course and before the desserts the resting time is quite long. The tasting menu costs 10.000 Russian Rubles. The restaurant offers other dishes which can be chosen other than the tasting menu. Also, the tasting menu changes slightly depending on the season.
It is a must place to visit when you are in Moscow, I can truly recommend the White Rabbit.
Fresh Taiwanese Dumplings – Din Tai Fung