WORDS
LIZ GRANIRER, ANISHA PATEL
PRICES ARE PER PERSON WITHOUT DRINKS
1 1 1
Conservatory
Lounge &
Terrace Bar
Moscow
|
Armenian
|
€75
it’s worth knowing
that the ground floor
of the Ararat Park Hyatt hotel was the
home of a famed Soviet-era Armenian
restaurant in the 1960s. This explains
how the flavoursome influence of Russia’s
southern neighbour – think garlic and
paprika-based marinades, and bursts of
tarragon or cumin – and its meaty
preferences, have become the main
focus for this expansive, covered terrace
restaurant up on the hotel’s tenth level.
The star of the restaurant’s show is
the charcoal grill, which churns out juicy
crayfish kebabs and meat skewers as
tasty accompaniments to the skilfully
prepared European and Russian side
dishes. That’s not the Conservatory’s
only trick either: killer views across
Red Square are making it as popular as
its downstairs predecessor.
4 Neglinnaya Street, +7 495 783 1234,
moscow.park.hyatt.com
Ø Restaurant
Berlin
|
Modern German
|
€35
the name may be danish
, but Ø (which means ‘island’ in the
Scandinavian tongue) is undeniably German. Its salvaged
furniture includes ceiling lights from the former Ministry of
Construction and a staircase from the old State Opera – not
to mention a menu heavy on local produce. If anything, the
only Scandi influence found at this rising Kreuzberg star
comes in the reverence held for ingredients, which borders
on New Nordic.
As far as possible, everything come from countryside just
beyond the city limits: vegetables from Uckermar and venison
from Fürstenberg, both towns less than 100km away.
This focus on fresh, often organic foods means that every
plate arrives at the table with its flavours still intact: the
tomatoes in the buffalo-milk ricotta starter were garden fresh;
venison sausages intensely flavoured and hearty; and the
spinach and curd-cheese dumplings with fried chanterelles,
chervil and shallots all kept their subtle flavours. Roasted
onion and tomato ketchup might not sound exciting, but its
taste was utterly sublime.
It all just goes to prove that if the basics are right, you
don’t need do a whole lot to create a cracking feast.
80 Mehringdamm, +49 (0)30 7732 6213,
oeberlin.de
R E S T A U R A N T
R E V I E W S
V I E W P O I N T S
01
On a sunny day, this
terrace is a great
option for alfresco
dining
02
Furniture has been
salvaged from
old East German
buildings
02
01
