CULTURE

In vino veritas

Wine Bar Grand Cru // 52 Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki, Tel: 363 25 11 // Open daily 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. // Dinner for two with alcohol 4,240 rubles ($143)

By Sasha de Vogel

The St. Petersburg Times

Culinary adventurers, take note: the hottest trend in the restaurant world has arrived in St. Petersburg. Molecular gastronomy — the highly innovative cooking style that uses science to create previously unthinkable flavors and textures — has found a home in the kitchen of Wine Bar Grand Cru on the Fontanka, where the creative cuisine is sure to delight intrepid diners.

At first glance, the brief menu may leave visitors feeling perplexed. Is shrimp carpaccio even possible — especially with orange salt crystals and curry butter (830 rubles, $28?) How would one even make a foie gras scallop (930 rubles, $31,) and why does it arrive under a glass dome filled with smoke?

We took the plunge with the bouillabaisse-cappuccino with lemon powder (500 rubles, $17.) The frothy, pinkish soup had the airy texture of steamed milk and a potent fish flavor, which was a delight for the palate after the initial surprise of the unlikely combination wore off.

The appetizers offer flashy preparations, but when it comes to the main courses, the focus is all on delicate and rich flavors. The slices of breaded turbot, layered with black olive tapenade over tomato pesto, is sauced tableside with a buttery concoction made from manchego cheese (700 rubles, $24.) The mullet with black rice, peas, lime and Merlot sauce (960 rubles, $32) proves that seafood and well-executed, delicate sauces are two of Grand Cru’s specialties.

The “Zemlya” (“Earth”) dessert (380 rubles, $13) provides a playful conclusion to a meal. The powdered spiced nuts mounded over a layer of lime cream, with a sweet and sour scoop of cherry sorbet on top, really did resemble dirt. Thankfully, the dish tastes a lot better than its namesake, with flavors that referenced Middle Eastern cuisine.

Less daring diners need not fear: not every dish is a thrill ride. Try the green salad with tandoori chicken, avocado and coriander yoghurt dressing (500 rubles, $17) — it’s tangy without being spicy — and ponder the restaurant’s d?cor instead of the food. Are the red lights of the ceiling panel meant to resemble a leopard’s spots or a future blood clot? Are the naked girls in the black and white photos on the wall actually making wine, or just checking the quality of the grapes? Diners who struggle to resolve these questions can always take in the beautiful view of the Fontanka.

Though for some the cuisine may steal the show, Grand Cru is really a wine-lover’s fantasy. Diners enter the restaurant through the Grand Cru wine shop, which features a selective library of vintages from all over the world, sure to please connoisseurs, and an expert staff to offer advice to those who know more about a Baltika than a Bordeaux. Visitors are encouraged to select a bottle or two from the shop to accompany their meal, as Grand Cru has no wine card. Those who want to enjoy wine by the glass can check out the bottles displayed in the long rectangular refrigerator that’s featured front and center in the dining room. The apparatus would look equally at home in a scientist’s lab as it does among the sleek wooden curves and leather booths of the small dining room.

Lacking both wine expertise and a wine card, we consulted with our server, who recommended a young, fruity white (300 rubles, $10 per glass) that went nicely with our meal — much to our surprise, since we had no idea what to expect from what we had ordered.

The Grand Cru Wine Bar is the latest in a successful line of boutique wine shops with two outposts in St. Petersburg and six in Moscow. Moscow is also home to the original Grand Cru Wine Bar, which features a similar menu developed by executive chef Adrian Quetglas.

Moscow is ready for molecular cuisine, but is St. Petersburg? In addition to exploring unusual preparations and techniques, many of Quetglas’s dishes highlight unusual flavors that are less commonly found in St. Petersburg cuisine, such as citrus, tropical fruit and exotic spices. The portion sizes, too, may cause the hungry diner some dismay, particularly considering the prices. Our entrees appeared smaller than the appetizers, but it may have been an optical illusion, since the food was piled in the center of a gigantic, mostly empty plate. In any case, Petersburgers who think they can handle the adventure will be justly rewarded with a memorable and mouth-watering meal that will leave them scratching their heads.

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