raking it in
Grabli is leading the race against Moscow’s other low-budget cafeterias by offering a winning combo of cheap eats and kooky decor. The chain owned by Roman Rozhnikovsky opens its fourth location in the food court of Yevropeisky Mall.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GRABLI / TEXT ZITA WHALLEY feedback
If you read Russian worse than you speak, and you’ve just mastered the phrase “one, please,” cafeteria-style restaurants provide relief from the arduous task of menu reading. Fortunately, these cafeterias are scattered throughout the city and provide good, no-frills eats, often in an elaborate setting. The food is more or less the same in all these eateries, prompting the question: what separates one cafeteria from the next? The outrageousness of the decor, of course. Yevropeisky mall is the fourth location of the successful chain Grabli (Russian for “rake”), owned by restaurateur Roman Rozhnikovsky. If the fluorescent lighting of the food court doesn’t exactly get your saliva flowing, you can bypass the mall completely by taking the elevator straight to Grabli from the entrance near the globe. Opened in December last year, this spacious cafeteria is already heaving with hungry Moscovites, who are lured in by the tried and tested Grabli formula: hearty Russian grub at extremely affordable prices. The average meal works out at around 250-300 rubles. The decor, however, seems to contradict the simplicity of the menu. Grabli at Yevropeisky is a mish-mash of styles that is supposed to evoke a Spanish orchard, or a European tearoom, depending on where you’re sitting. A lot of detail has gone into the design, which is more off-beat than Yolki-Palki, more detailed than Moo-Moo and very in-your-face. Rozhnikovsky, so I’m told, designed the decor himself, dividing the space into three zones — the food service area and two main dining rooms. The first dining area sees customers eating underneath artificial orange trees on a fake lawn; the second is covered in “antique” clocks, against epilepsy-inducing wallpaper. A fake grass wall connects the two. The ceilings are papered with enlarged photos of shamrock and, in the bathrooms, rosettes. All this conjures up images of a mad hatter’s tea party from Alice in Wonderland, which clashes spectacularly with the menu of meat and potatoes. But nothing can explain the peasant garb and unfortunate straw hats the workers have to endure. Poor sods. Although the menu is unimaginative, it is extensive. It has all the Russian standards you would expect, plus all the variations. There are no culinary surprises or innovations, just simple and reliable Russian food. When we visited, Grabli was still in the process of obtaining a liquor license, which it has now got. The only alcoholic drink on offer at the time was beer, and at 55 rubles for a half-liter of Stary Melnik. The good news for vegetarians is that the wide range of food allows you to fill up on more than just potato and cabbage. Grabli also has a “healthy option” range, consisting mainly of various types of fish and lean meat cooked in broth, if you don’t feel like stodgy, heavy flesh. Piling food onto a tray rather than a plate encourages over-eating, and with portion sizes that vary from big to whoa, you always pile on too much, no matter how hard you try not to. I tucked into a hefty meal of duck breast (210 rubles), crab salad (35 rubles), vegetables in a mushroom cream sauce (85 rubles), the salad bar (55 rubles per plate), a meat bun (25 rubles) and a big glass of strawberry compote (33 rubles). I couldn’t get through half of it. The crab salad was good and without mayonnaise or dill, and the duck was duck. It’s never as good as you think it’s going to be, which I don’t think is really the chef’s fault — it’s just the animal’s revenge. My friend’s starter of cod under a pickled cabbage marinade (65 rubles) was tasty, as was her sea bass in broth (230 rubles), if you don’t count the bones in every mouthful. My side of vegetables was a concoction, reminiscent of university days when you would mix whatever was left in the fridge. The mix of carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms and brussel sprouts was covered in a thick cream and will probably be given a miss next time. My friend’s mixed Asian vegetables (85 rubles) was a much better choice, complete with shitake mushrooms. My strawberry compote was just as delicious as my friend’s cherry flavored one (30 rubles). From the plethora of sugar-loaded desserts, I chose the raspberry one (45 rubles). I don’t know why, as it was as cloyingly sweet as it looked. It consisted of raspberry syrup under a mountain of thick whipped vanilla cream that I’m sure had never been anywhere near a cow. To be stuffed to the gills, for two, came to the grand total of 978 rubles. Ha! Combine this with the convenience of an elevator and the immediacy of the food, and the decision to dine here is a no-brainer. |
