Vision Review
From Moscowiki
| Vision |
Address: Novy Arbat ul., 11
Metro: Chertanovskaya
Tel: 727-3230
Open Thu-Sat from 11:00 until 06:00, Sun-Wed from 11:00 until 02:00.
All major credit cards are accepted.
Hip Replacement
By Neil McGowan
Hip Replacement is the latest thing in Moscow. A quick bit of surgery and some tatty old sovok joint reappears with as much hip as the average consumer is ever likely to need. With new places opening every ten minutes in Moscow these days, the first question is always "Yes, but would you go back" At Vision, I wanted to go back before I'd even left.
Don't shy away from the naff location - the grim concrete bunkers of Novy Arbat, symbol of Moscow's solidly un-swinging Sixties - or an address that also features the Shamrock Bar (a veteran expat watering-hole of another era, and no connection). Vision's on the Upper Level, just one storey above street level, but on an entirely different planet where smiling staff, great service and a fun atmosphere are the norm. The venue makes a feature of the huge street-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, and the fun of being able to look out at the soviet-style gloom outside, from the comfort of a minimalist-chic and stylish venue is an essential part of the experience.
I'll do the menu in a minute - Vision is essentially is a place to go, and you go for the place itself. The space has been cleverly divided up, using suspended art-works and huge-screen video-displays - there's heaps of space and lots of seating capacity, but no sense of being "just another punter" lost in the middle of a huge cavernous sea of customers. The seating is relaxed, the tables are spacious - if you want dining-style tables you can have one, if you want to lounge on huge sofas you can do that too. The feel good factor embraces you at the door, and you know before you even reached your table that you've come to the right place. If you're still a Cocktail Virgin, the great table-staff are informed, helpful, and charming - as well as efficient, and there are plenty of them, so you're never left flapping your hand across a thronging room. The crowd is mostly young professional Russians, dress code is smart-relaxed (there's no face control, but you'd feel a nerk in sportswear here). People are mostly coming here in smaller groups, but there were some couples too, some pairs of girls on their own (and getting no hassle) - it's very relaxed, there's no posing, and the careful lighting scheme is muted enough to leave your clothes out of the limelight, so you don't have to feel self-conscious. The sound-system is sweet, perfectly-planned, and the volume's realistic for having a conversation (you come here to socialize, not to dance) whilst still enough to feel warm and lush. They even have a different track in the high-tech bathroom. The lighting is, on the other hand, a little dark for reading the menu- but since we've mentioned it, let's proceed to the serious business of the evening - the drinks.
"Waiter, bring me Volume Three of the Wine-List, will you?" asked Zaphod Beeblebrox famously in "Hitchhiker". There aren't three volumes at Vision, but when they say they have the most comprehensive cocktail list in town, it's no idle boast. And these aren't just space-fillers like the 27 pages of "wines no-one ever orders" you find in most Moscow eateries. Each cocktail is illustrated (rather similar to the way you get color picks of ice-cream desserts in some restaurants), and the menu's helpfully divided thematically - classic cocktails, shakers for sharing, minty ones, fruity ones, lychee ones - so you can quickly find old favorites or new sensations.
We started with the classics - a Cosmopolitan (150Rbs) and a Mochito (195Rbs). The Cosmo was authentically sour, but if you're used to the softened-off version sold so widely elsewhere, this might come as a surprise. The Mochito is the most delicious in Moscow (and I speak as someone who's put his liver at risk in the search), with acres of fresh mint, heaps of ice, and superbly refreshing. Extra-large shakers for sharing are available if you coincide on choice with your friends. We later moved on to a Medovaya Capirinha (cashassa, honey, cane sugar, lime, 170Rbs) which was a notch up in the sweetness stakes - and on the advice of Grand-Master Barman Alexander Khan, we moved from the Mochito to a Soho Julep (featuring Bacardi, Lime, Cane Sugar amongst others) and this was paradise in a glass.
What was surprising was - the superb food. Bars rarely serve food well, but this wasn't just good - it was great and innovative too. Yeah, yeah, six months in Moscow and you are sick of Sushi, but they've got a new twist on the old favorites here. The California Rolls (350Rbs for six) are huge, fat, and bursting with delicious filling. But have you ever had hot rolls? Unagi Maki (300Rbs for six) comes hot and crispy, with a succulent filling of eel & avocado - sumptuous stuff, and a must-order, trust me on this! Okinawa Maki "breaks the rules" still further, offering a prawn filling with avocado and, errr - cheese? It worked for me, but the Unagi Maki are definitely the star turn on the menu. Super espresso, and Bean Ice Cream (150Rbs - a bit sweet for me, but my partner-in-crime loved it) bring the curtain down to applause.
If you're looking for upscale without pretentiousness, Vision has it perfectly right - there's not a downside, and no allowances need making. The only problem with your evening is readjusting to everyday Moscow realities when negotiating your chastnik-taxi home outside.
02.05.04.
