“One dish is not enough to understand philosophy”: Chef Artyom Estafiev on Michelin stars and small portions

- How did you and your team receive the news about two Michelin stars?

- I was at a distance and was ill.

And the guys were here, worked as usual and watched everything that happened through a phone, a tablet, even at the time of service - not missing the opportunity to watch the ceremony.

Well, and when it all happened ... you can find a video on Instagram of how the guys here poured champagne over everything!

In general, the emotion was over the edge.

I, respectively, also at home.

My wife was crying, I was screaming.

In general, everything is like here - stormy.

- I hope this helped you recover as soon as possible.

- Unfortunately, it didn’t help.

It is a pity that it happened that I could not be at the ceremony, be with the team for a very long time.

But now we are fully tuned in, in combat strength.

I'm at the helm.

And everything is cool.

- Have you tried to correct some points in your activity in order to get into the guide?

Was there such a desire at all?

- I think everyone has a desire.

Even those who absolutely cannot claim it.

Dining room: The chef would like to receive a Michelin star, 100%.

Is it possible?

I don't think in the dining room.

And some cafe-restaurant, nevertheless, could compete.

If for this, I do not know ... he showed himself.

He did not do something, but showed himself real and was faithful to his principles.

And the team would be nearby, follow clear instructions, would not retreat a step to the left or to the right.

It's still very hard work.

- Why do you think Michelin has just come to Russia?

- Everything was decided at the government level.

And this question, as far as I remember, has been since 2005.

Not to me.

You can ask how the dish is prepared, I will tell you.

And what steps need to be taken for a guide to come to any country, and then also walk through specific cities ... then it's hard, I guess.

- You, as a creator, stay away from politics.

- Yes.

But as?

I am always at work.

- You are called the most mysterious chef of Novikov's restaurants.

Is it marketing or your personal wish?

- That's what I am.

- The third Michelin star recognizes and equates the skill of the chef with art.

Want a third star?

- Well, again, any chef would like to have one ... twig there, I don't know, any symbol associated with the Michelin guide.

All in our hands.

- What is missing?

- Yes, nothing is missing.

It would be strange at all to see restaurants that have received three stars, even, in fact, without approving one, not confirming two.

This does not happen.

To get three, you need to be a confident one hundred percent team, not deviating from their principles and, perhaps, improving not only art.

It's not about art.

In many other aspects.

Well, in general, let's wait and see.

- In December of this year, it is planned to consider a law according to which it will be possible to enter restaurants only by QR codes.

How will this affect the restaurant business in general, in your opinion?

And will your restaurant be affected, given that it will be in a new status?

- And why are we worse than others, or better? 

Well, that doesn't change anything.

What, someone is allowed, but someone is not allowed?

- In any case, you will always have a line of visitors

.

- We already have it on pre-order!

Hardly anyone comes in from the street, they say: “Let me come in!”.

We have too impassable street.

I think, as citizens of Russia, everyone will comply with the same law, the requirement of the government.

QR code means QR code.

I guess this is not a problem.

- That is, at some point, after all, the population will be reorganized, adjusted.

- I don't see any problem in this at all.

QR code is not a problem.

The problem is in the head.

- In 2018, Le Suquet restaurant owner Sebastian Brae turned down the star.

He stated that he did not want to work under pressure from inspectors anymore.

Aren't you afraid of this pressure?

- Yes, everything is just beginning with us.

That there is still pressure, hardly anyone could feel fully.

This is just some kind of confirmation of your efforts, your work.

If, so to speak, you cannot work at the same pace and rhythm, mode, according to the same rules that you have established for yourself, then, probably, something is wrong.

Well, maybe you're tired.

Maybe it's time for you to leave.

Of course, you can work 100% on barking: come and drink coffee, not stand by, so to speak, at the machine ... year.

- At some point you decided to focus on achieving one goal - to become the best chef.

Do you now have time for other hobbies and interests?

Or do you completely, 100%, give yourself to the restaurant?

- Completely.

And thoughts at the very beginning had to be driven away.

Now I’m already set up, well, right, not to go back and do it.

With the guys, we only try, if possible, to get out.

And now, according to plan, Sergei is here, and football should be on Friday.

Yes, Sergei?

Sergey:

 Yes.

Football will be.

- Here.

Therefore, we rest like this.

• RT

So, we are now assembling one of the a la carte menu items, which is presented in the fireplace room.

This is Karelian trout tartare.

We serve it in Jerusalem artichoke crust.

The first layer is Jerusalem artichoke ice cream.

The second layer is berblan, a creamy sauce, for example, based on the yolks, our celery vinegar.

And the trout itself is now stacked on top.

After that, a few drops of cucumber gel will be applied around the perimeter.

A little artichoke cream.

And these triangles are blackened lacto-gooseberries.

First, it is lacto-fermented.

This takes approximately five days.

Fermentation, in fact, in salt - gooseberries in salt.

Then he goes into a 60-degree chamber and only after that, after three months, these triangles are made, which become part of the tartar.

Here, now there is a cucumber gel, after that there will be an artichoke cream.

Then triangles and nasturtium leaves.

- I understand correctly that all these ingredients, celery vinegar and so on, you cook here, in a restaurant, in a laboratory?

- One of the most important tasks, conceptual tasks, our philosophy is that we create products inside the restaurant that can be bought on store shelves, this is normal.

But no one asks the question of how, of what it is made, because we live in a world of consumption.

But we make very complex sauces.

The difficulty lies in the fact that you need to be able to wait.

And wait, as a rule, from three months, six months and a year.

And only then does it become part of our dish.

Each dish has a piece of what we have worked on during this period.

A year before the opening, it all began.

Within the walls of this restaurant, on the ground floor.

I will definitely show you what kind of room it is.

This is where the magic of creating ingredients takes place.

Seemingly simple: soy sauces, vinegars, garums, misopastes, their own oils, urbechi, lactofermentation, blackening products.

And in each of the listed names there are a dozen varieties, about 30 (if we talk about vinegars, then more than 30 varieties).

This is all from seasonal local ingredients, very bright, intense.

And what will transmit our energy, our philosophy.

- It happened that a person came and did not understand what they brought him, could not at all perceive this kitchen in any way?

Have you ever encountered this?

- There are different people, again.

I probably cannot speak for everyone.

But in our case, even if a person comes from the street, our staff will fully and completely tell and will be able to convey the philosophy and concept to the person.

And it will become a little clearer to him what this place is, why it looks like this.

After that, he will leave with completely different emotions.

And, perhaps, this will also charge him with something.

- It looks more like a work of art than food.

Looking at this, such a question does not arise at all.

But when they talk about Michelin cuisine, people ask: why such small portions?

- To know or understand philosophy, one dish is not enough.

And for this there are these small - let's call them so - feeds: to try more, and to catch new flavors.

After all, they come here to discover something new, and not the usual dishes that a person often eats every day in cool restaurants with high quality products.

These are dishes that are already familiar.

And here you need to come to get a new experience.

To do this, you can take several courses and already understand the new ingredients.

There are basic snacks that are slightly larger.

There are main dishes, of which I will not say that there are too many.

But, I don’t know, three courses are enough for a person to fully leave this place full.

In my opinion, this is more than enough: try the appetizer, try the main thing, try the dessert.

And you are happy.

Everything.