Casual Review
From Moscowiki
| Casual |
Cuisine: European, French
Address: 1st Obydensky per., 3
Metro: Kropotkinskaya
Tel: 775-2310
Web: www.eatout.ru
Open Open from 12:00 until last guest.
All major credit cards accepted.
By Polly Dented
Our hopes were high as Surok and I set off to try a dinner at Casual, located right in the center near Kropotinskaya metro station. While our meal was far from disappointing, on average it was still missing a certain je ne sais quoi. Hmm… or maybe I do sais quoi…
Casual is on the top floor of a four-storey building that would have an excellent view of the Christ the Savior Cathedral if not for all those other buildings in the way. Despite the name of the restaurant, this is purely a white-tablecloth kind of elitny experience. It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into the interior design, as everything looks fresh and put together straight out of a catalogue, except for the inexplicable giant hamster habitrail-like thing along the wall above the windows.
The menu is not large, but it is still fairly difficult to choose, as many of the selections look mouth-watering even on paper. There are several appetizers ranging from 16-37 euro other starters (or entrees, depending on your appetite) ranging from 14-28, two soups at 10 (pumpkin with parmesan and pea soup with dry fish and tomatoes), entrees at 21-42 and desserts from 10 to 25. The wine list is extensive, and I was glad to have Surok with me because she knows her wines. Her verdict was that the by-the-bottle list was excellent (if pricey), but that the by-the-glass selection was a bit disappointing. But for some reason we both got mojitos, which by the way Surok said was possibly the best mojito she’s ever had in Moscow. I did not get beer because my heart sank when I saw that the only two beer choices were Corona or that blasphemous near-beer Clausthaler.
After some deliberation, we made our decisions. Surok chose the mackerel carpaccio (22 EU) and the sea bass (35 EU), while I opted for the asparagus with mousseline sauce (17 EU) and the scallops in a potato veloute with bacon (28 EU). Our food was served with fresh, warm rolls and butter and crisps toasts with creme fraiche.
Before I go on to our impressions, readers should know that not only is Surok a seasoned foody, but she is also an expert, possibly certified, in carpaccio. So it is not to be taken lightly when she says that Casual’s mackerel carpaccio is “really, really, really good” and “the first decent thing I’ve had to eat in months.” There you have it – excellent carpaccio with a tomato sauce to cut the oiliness of the fish. A breathtakingly perfect combination. For my part, I enjoyed the asparagus, which was young and tender, not at all stringy. The only thing was that the sauce was rather a bit blander than I had expected.
Our entrees came soon enough after the starters. While both of us enjoyed our main courses, we had both expected a little something more, maybe a little more burst of flavor. The sea bass was fresh and placed on a pedestal of cooked spinach. My scallops were quite good, very fresh, but again, I had expected more taste. The potato veloute, while obviously meant to be mild, had almost no taste at all. Perhaps the scallops were meant to be enjoyed au natural, but I couldn’t help myself from adding a little salt and pepper. (Even though it may not be the done thing to add seasoning, the salt and pepper grinders on each table - a nice touch - maybe indicate that diners often want additional seasoning?) The dishes were obviously prepared carefully with great attention to detail, nevertheless it felt as though something were missing.
The service was fine overall. To be fair, later in the evening the staff had to deal with a very large party and granted, we did take our sweet time deciding what to order. But it seemed as though our server was around when we didn’t need anything, and then when we did, she was nowhere to be found.
One odd thing about the evening was the kitchen drama that we were able to witness thanks to our table being positioned directly across from the open kitchen door. During the first forty minutes or so, the background noise was constantly peppered with a very annoyed “Pick up! Pick up!” from the chef. Later on, I thought some real hand-to-hand kitchen action might start up when one chef started swearing and yelling at his coworkers. That was interesting. Almost. Another extremely minor annoyance was the music when a lengthy, electro-pop version of “Stairway to Heaven” came on. And here I thought everyone knew the rule: No Stairway.
After all of the kitchen excitement, we were served our desserts. Despite our server’s rave reviews of the apple tart (11 EU), which allegedly takes about 35 minutes to prepare, Surok had decided to try the fresh sorbet (10 EU) – one scoop of raspberry and one scoop of lemon. I chose the strawberry sable with lemon sorbet (12 EU). The raspberry sorbet was excellent, while the lemon sorbet, once again, left us wishing for a more satisfying balance of flavors. The strawberry sable was good enough, although it was clear that Moscow’s short strawberry season had already come to an end. The pastry beneath the strawberries was confusing, and it could easily have been mistaken for store-bought.
All in all, we had a nice dinner and a nice evening out. However I’m not sure if the prices are completely justified. While there was not much that would have actually merited any real complaints, I have this sneaking suspicion that it just might be time for Casual to restock its spice cabinet.
16.08.05.
