The old center of Moscow is unique in its atmosphere. Every tourist tries to walk out all the streets and alleys on foot. So, turning to the Patriarch's Ponds, you can easily be where the Champagne Life restaurant is located.
Spiridonovka street, 25/20 - a place very close to the large highway, which is hidden in the silence of houses around the corner. Each traveler, having glanced here, will appear in the real France. It is unfortunate that this restaurant did not live up to the owner’s expectations and it was closed, but it’s so nice to remember everything that was possible there.
Comfort and warmth
The interior is made in the Provence style, a little embellished with gilding and silver. Cozy small tables and chairs, balconies and terraces - everything resembles a French province. What is your country associated with? Of course, with the wines! A variety of them (sparkling, white, red, aged and young) can turn your head, and tasting will pleasantly relax and distract from worldly concerns. The whole atmosphere is perfectly complemented by French and author's cuisine, whose dishes are served in accordance with all the rules of the presentation.
To call Champagne Life (a restaurant in Moscow) and reserve a table means to have an excellent business conversation, a romantic date in silence and comfort, or just to meet friends and have a nice chat. Indeed, in the present tense, the entire HoReCa is supersaturated with multimedia, loud sounds, why you already want to find a secluded place where you can sit in silence and enjoy talking “about nothing”.
And where is the waiter?
Seeing a young guy who comes up to you should not be mistaken for a waiter. Champagne Life (restaurant in Moscow) does not hire waiters. Dishes and wines are served only by the sommelier. Surprised? Yes, it is the sommelier who will be able to choose the right wine (depending on your mood, desire or the ordered dish).
If you are a person who is already sophisticated in the wine industry, you can pleasantly chat with the sommelier. You will probably learn something new, because the history of sparkling wines is part of the great science of wine in general. And if you doubt the choice of this or that kind of wine for your dish, then you will be instructed in great detail.
Who thought of this?
The very idea of creating such an institution as Champagne Life (a restaurant in Moscow), visited the bright head of the famous sommelier Anton Panasenka. Despite the fact that nearby there are already gourmet restaurants with a very impressive wine list, he decided to make a unique project where you can enjoy champagne as an art, because it is reliably known that there are not so many such establishments even in France itself.
Did you know that the bulk of sparkling wines popular in their native country are completely untwisted abroad, for example, here in Russia. Therefore, Mr. Panasenko wished to realize his dream and create an institution where champagne is presented not as an aperitif, but as a full-fledged dinner drink.
And how many types of champagne?
The entire wine list consisted of about two hundred types of wine, 150 of which are sparkling. Champagne Life (a restaurant in Moscow) put on the menu a significant part (about a hundred) of the very unpopular in France drinks made by Alsace and Loire. Also included here were Bruts from Lombardy (Italy), South Africa and Slovenia.
All other varieties are the so-called "not brutus". By the way, the French consider the use of such wine to be bad form. But among them there are drinks that deliciously complement salty dishes, for example, with sea fish. Therefore, Champagne Life (a restaurant in Moscow) offers a very modest menu, and the portions, by some standards, are “tiny”.
You will ask why?" The answer is simple - a gourmet dish goes well with sparkling wine and saturates the gourmets with its taste. Venison tartar or escalope with fried foie gras, foam with shrimp and zucchini, as well as much more “help” to prepare the imagination of chef Valentin Polikarpov.
Did you know that ...
Some scenes of the series "Kitchen" were shot exactly in "Champagne Life". And "Claude Monet" is a fictitious name. For greater realism, the set was also copied from a champagne boutique.
The institution was opened when there was no official ban on smoking in public places and in the main hall it was forbidden to smoke, and smoke lovers could go into a separate room with a sofa. Champagne Life (restaurant in Moscow) received positive reviews for this (not counting cuisine and wine).
Sometimes negative opinions could slip through. And all because young sommeliers could not have the material thoroughly, as visitors expected. Perhaps, due to the fact that the Russian people are not used to the culture of sparkling wine, the boutique was not in great demand among Muscovites and guests of the capital, so Mr. Panasenko was forced to close Champagne Life (a restaurant in Moscow).
Several restaurants have already been replaced at this place, but still, those who appreciated this extraordinary institution, do not lose hope that a champagne wine boutique will ever open again.
What do you think? Would you like to get into Champagne Life - a restaurant reminiscent of true France?