Dynamic duo pioneer New Russian cuisine’s most exciting dishes

The government’s food embargo introduced in 2014 help foster the rise of New Russian cuisine. For example, the Berezutsky brothers procured the finest ingredients from across Russia, and opened the aptly named restaurant, Twins, to give Muscovites a chance to sample exquisite dishes and gain a sense of pride in their country’s rich culinary traditions.

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Twins was recently rebranded as Twins Garden, and the new name is no accident. Sergey and Ivan grew tired of the constant hunt for quality ingredients, and after teaming up with the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (the country’s most respected), the twins bought a 50-hectare tract of land in the Kaluga Region, considered one of the most ecologically clean areas within a few hours’ drive of Moscow. Now, 70 percent of vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, fish and herbs used to prepare dishes at Twins Garden come from the Kaluga farm, which gives the twins the chance to personally control every ingredient that makes its way to their kitchen. At the moment, no other restaurant in Russia has anything of the sort – this is Russian farm to table at its best. The other 30 percent is the seafood that Sergey and Ivan import from the Russian Far East and only from trusted, long-time partners.

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As Sergey told Russia Beyond, customers really feel the difference in taste, but it’s not just the exceptional quality that makes Twins Garden stand out from the competition. Their daring, experimental approach to cooking means that each and every single dish is a work of art or the result of a brilliant scientific experiment. Russia Beyond brings you seven dishes that are the prime example of New Russian cuisine. 

Cabbage

Different types of cabbage baked in a Russian oven with smoked sulguni cheese sauce

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Arctic bramble

Arctic bramble with baked milk

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Twins’ signature cheeses

Four types of cheeses from the milk of Nubian goats, and four types of cheeses from cow’s milk. Age-wise, the cheeses vary from six months to today’s morning.

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Spring chicken

Salad with fried spring chicken, corn, beans and tomatoes

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Starlet

Steamed starlet with various types of beetroot and fusilli made of viziga (dried spinal chord of cartilaginous fish)

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Tomatoes

Warm pie with different color tomatoes and sea grape

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Crab

Kamchatka crab salad with pomelo and sun-dried yellow tomato

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Next time you’re in Moscow, make sure to visit the Berezutsky twins in their restaurant, and try several of the 40 something dishes or the six-course degustation menu. You can often find them working in the open kitchen – unless they’re cooped up in their laboratory (yes, a laboratory full of scientific equipment!) concocting new mind-blowing recipes.

As for the wine, well, in this area they also have no equal in the CIS. There are more than 1,000 sorts in their wine cellar, many of which you will not be able to find anywhere else in Russia.

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They’ve also opened Twins Wine Space in the St. Regis Moscow on Nikolskaya Street (near Crab & Wine, their crab-focused restaurant). Here you can find more than 500 wines, 80 percent of which are French. So as you can see, the brothers are not only taking the food scene by storm, but are also becoming the Russian capital’s wine titans. 

If a Moscow visit is not in the cards any time soon, you can bring the Berezutsky brothers to your home! Here’s the recipe for their garden salad, perfect for any occasion.

Salad Garden 

Fresh farm vegetable salad

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Ingredients (for one portion)

• Baked (preferably in a Russian oven) parsnip – 10 g
• Zucchini – 15 g
• Broccoli – 15 g
• Marinated tomatoes – 15 g
• Black, red and yellow bell pepper – 30 g
• A slice of golden beetroot – 5 g
• A slice of radish – 2 g
• Kale – 10 g
• Sun-dried yellow tomato – 20 g
• Finely chopped fresh carrot (purple and white) – 5 g
• Fresh lettuce leaves – 15 g
• Herbs – 2 g
• Dressing for the lettuce – 10 g 

Preparation

1. Bake the parsnip in the oven.
2. Chop the zucchini and broccoli, and then fry on the grill.
3. Chop the remaining vegetables.
4. Dress with the juice of the marinated tomatoes.
5. Mix lettuce leaves with the dressing.

Sun-dried tomatoes (to get 50 g):

• Yellow tomatoes – 100 g
• Sugar – 10 g
• Salt – 10 g
• Garlic – 20 g
• Herbs – 5 g
• Olive oil – 30 g

Marinated tomatoes (to get 550 g):

• Ripe red tomatoes – 1 kilo
• Spicy green pepper – 100 g
• Onion – 50 g
• Parsley – 20 g
• Sugar – 20 g
• Salt – 10 g
• Vinegar – 10 g
• Vegetable oil – 20 g

Dressing for the lettuce (to get 300 g)

• Dried and shredded wheat – 100 g
• Wine vinegar – 20 g
• Vegetable oil – 300 g
• Salt, sugar and pepper – according to taste

Read our interview with one of Moscow's most successful chefs, Vladimir Mukhin, who explains why everyone in the USSR used one cookbook, and why coriander is added to Russian bread.

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