Moscow’s White Rabbit

Located under a glass dome on the sixteenth floor of the Smolenskiy Passage, with stunning views over the city of Moscow, White Rabbit is looking to elevate the status of Russian cuisine.

Outside of Russia, not much is said of cuisine from this vast country, but chef Vladimir Mukhin has done much to change this with his emphatic menu of daring, exciting dishes that use local produce to create flavours that dance on the tongue.

The food will be your second concern upon entering, however, as the locale is something of a spectacle. Located as near as makes no difference at the top floor of the building, White Rabbit is a giant glass dome from which to peer out over the city.

The décor is modern, but with a classical Victorian tinge reminiscent of the grandeur of the Tsars. Plush carpeting dampens the sharp light coming from above, creating an all-round feel of absolute comfort in a strange time warp.

There’s something strangely mystical about the food on offer at White Rabbit, too. Chef Mukhin claims to have borscht running in his veins. The famous beetroot soup certainly flows at White Rabbit. The Russian staple is given a modern makeover, served with beans, fried crucian (carp), sour cream and turnip chips.

The dish is emblematic of Mukhin’s philosophy of re-imagining Russian cuisine using contemporary techniques and international ingredients.

The wide-ranging menu blends traditional Russian produce—from borodinsky black bread to barrel cucumbers—with luxury ingredients such as caviar, truffle and foie gras.

Highlights include buckwheat porridge served with fried duck hearts and reindeer moss sauce; rabbit and mini cabbage rolls in foie gras sauce with potato crisps and truffle juice; and a playful take on veal tongue, which is cooked in the shape of famous Russian ‘Lakomka’ ice cream in a bird cherry dough and served with morel sauce.

Following the meal, it’s worth staying at the venue for a peek at the Gastrobar WR, a project dedicated to food and drink pairing on the first level of the restaurant.