Cauliflower, meatballs and carrots: fake dishes in Moscow restaurants

Not everything that glitters is gold, and not everything that acts like it is meatballs. It turns out that in the modern world you can not trust not only tubes and hits, but also what you see on your own plate in a restaurant.

With the light hands of confectioners, carrots and broccoli cease to be a healthy lifestyle, and meatballs immediately become something that requires ketchup. And if no one believes the boxing glove on the plate, then you can safely send an apple core to your nutritionist and claim that you are eating right.

The Fashion Vibes columnist and TimeOut editor Anya Baturina learned not to believe her eyes in Moscow restaurants and compiled a list of 9 desserts that are not at all what they seem. Get your phone camera ready!

Anya Baturina, author of the Telegram channel “Gastrology”

“Pythagoras”

Pythagoras’ dessert menu has been updated and future social media star carrot cake has been discovered. Pastry chef Nikita Gavrilenko seemed to go through the beds and pull out the most beautiful carrots. The dessert looks extremely natural due to a thin layer of “carrot” velvet, and inside there is a traditional sponge cake and delicate cream cheese with walnuts.

Address: Trubnaya square, 2.

Sartoria Lamberti

People are divided into two: Those who eat cheese for dessert (with wine) and those who prefer dessert (with tea). Both will be lucky at Sartoria Lamberti because they have the upside-down “Not Camembert” dish. First, it smells like Camembert (before serving, supplemented with an authentically flavored perfume spray). Secondly, it resembles French cheese. The third is served in a traditional box. But there is a surprise inside; mousse, citrus jelly and almond sable.

Address: st. Tverskaya 3.

To touch

Do you know the saying among people losing weight: “If you don’t want an apple, you don’t want to eat it”? Everyone will definitely want an apple like the one in Touch! Chef Nikita Kuzmenko, as always, came up with a masterpiece and brought it to life: apple core-shaped apple sorbet with toffee sauce, spicy apple ganache, pickled walnuts and cinnamon toffee. I covered it with thin slices of spicy apple cream.

Address: Sadovnicheskaya embankment, 7.

Lumicino

In Italy it is like a lemon in summer, in Russia it is like a mushroom in autumn, so “it has it all.” At Lumicino restaurant, they make amazing limoncello, decorate the entrance area with it and serve it as dessert. But to eat it, you first have to find it on a plate full of real lemons. The imposter is made with madeleine sponge cake, whipped limoncello ganache and black pepper lemon puree confit.

Address: B. Nikitskaya, 58.

narnia

Imagine the situation. Nothing strange happens during an ordinary lunch or dinner in Narnia. You keep your face up and eat healthy sushi with white asparagus instead of rice, but it’s time for dessert and suddenly a head of cauliflower is brought to your table, much to the nutritionist’s delight. But no, it’s actually a delicate cheesecake placed atop a bed of floral clusters, mascarpone and strawberries.

Address: st. Bolshaya Bronnaya 2/6.

loona

There is a lot of debate about ravioli: Some consider them an unaesthetic food, while others adore them and list them as one of their guilty pleasures. And in Loona they made a dessert out of them to stop this strife once and for all. The soft rice-almond dough with salted caramel, boiled condensed milk and raspberries resembles a real serving of homemade dumplings and is served with ice cream instead of sour cream.

Address: Tverskoy Boulevard 24, building 1.

Ava

Imagine cooking your favorite home-cooked meal since childhood without thinking twice? According to statistics, every third person dreams of sausage and peas. They became breakfast at Ava. The “sausages” disguise themselves as a curd soufflé in light milk chocolate. The garnish is sweet pistachios with almond flour. It looks like you can’t tell them apart from real sausages (at least in the photo), but in essence they are like curd cheese.

Address: st. Malaya Bronnaya 21/13с2.

“Matryoshka”

A slightly sprouted potato tuber, lightly sprinkled with soil, looks natural on an elegant shiny plate, only the eye is missing. In fact, the ingredients include biscuits, cocoa, butter, condensed milk, cognac, rum, vanilla – all this turns into the “potato cake”, a favorite delicacy from childhood.

Address: Kutuzovsky Prospekt, 2/1с6.

“Coffee madness”

For dessert – “Coffeemania” dessert, which can be mixed with an alcoholic cocktail on the side table. It’s especially funny that this homemade yogurt, filled with ripe strawberries and raspberries pureed with sugar, is on the breakfast menu. Some people drink Bellini in the morning, while others drink yogurt that looks like a cocktail.

See the addresses here.