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The Soma restaurant, which opened two years ago on Trubnaya, is celebrating its birthday. They plan to celebrate the whole weekend of August 9-11 with a rich program featuring the best DJs. In the meantime, we are getting ready for the party and, together with the team of the establishment, we are finding out why everyone should stop by here at least once.
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ABOUT THE NAME AND IDEOLOGY OF THE PROJECT
The name Soma has two origins. At first I really liked the catfish from Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World: where heroes solved all their problems with its help, it was a remedy for dramas and worries. Digging deeper, we found out that the word was mentioned in Vedic culture as an elixir of happiness, also known as an ethnic ritual drink, with the help of which people got closer to the gods and absolute happiness. “Soma” is about love, joy and the desire to share it, and it is expressed in food, drinks, music and art.
ABOUT THE LEGENDARY LOCATION
We were looking for a suitable premises for about a year and a half and during this time we looked at almost all possible options in the city. The proposal came by chance through architect Gosha Aigunyan. When we first inspected the building on Petrovsky Boulevard, the match did not take place immediately: everything was in a depressing, almost emergency state. But the advantages were greater: a private courtyard, the mansion’s rich history, historical art objects and a promising location next to Trubnaya Square. These features played a decisive role and the team set out to transform the space. It took 13 months.
ABOUT INTERIOR DESIGN
In many ways, Soma turned out this way thanks to the collaboration with the talented architect Gosha Aygunyan. During the design, they decided to emphasize the historical value of the building: in pre-revolutionary Moscow, the famous Hermitage restaurant was located at this address. Religious events took place here: from the birthdays of Turgenev and Dostoevsky to Tchaikovsky’s wedding and Maxim Gorky’s celebration of the premiere of the play “In the Lower Depths”.
The restaurant space was divided into three zones. In the “room of the past” the heritage of the 19th century was carefully preserved in the form of original columns and a vaulted arch from that era. There are also Monier vaults, ancient bricks and an artificial amphitheater. And the “room of the present” is very small and represents a “stage” from which one can look into the open kitchen. In the latter, the “room of the future”, in contrast, a clean and calm cosmic desert was embodied. If in the “room of the past” we collected almost all the furniture from vintage fairs and restored it, then for the “room of the future” we designed everything from scratch: furniture, an arch-portal, a levitating light strip and a mirror-sphere. All these details add personality to the space and create a fresh atmosphere.
ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF THE MENU
Initially, the Soma concept included several directions: in addition to food, wine and cocktails, it also included parties, art projects and educational events. Therefore, we wanted the menu to adapt to a variety of scenarios: meetings with friends, noisy gatherings, parties and visits to exhibitions that periodically take place within our walls.
Chef Artem Chudenko’s dishes are bright, but at the same time comfortable and understandable, evoking warm feelings and sometimes pleasant surprises. The leitmotif of the menu is the mix of culinary styles and the use of local and sometimes even forgotten products. One of the hits, for example, was the beef tongue, served with fried Romano, pepper sauce and sour cream.
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ABOUT THE BEST GASTRONOMIC DELICACIES
You should definitely try the beef tongue! This is the pride of the boss. We also recommend trying dorado with ginger sauce (our version of ceviche with a touch of Russian flavour in the form of horseradish); spicy salad with tomatoes, roasted peppers, romaine lettuce and feta cheese (elegant, fresh and spicy); duck breast with celery puree, apple and mustard sauce (here different flavour profiles intertwine in a bright stream); and honey buns with ice cream and nuts (this dish also has an interactive component: by ordering dessert, you can win a secret Soma cocktail, not on the menu, in takeaway format).
ABOUT SOMA LABORATORY
Soma Lab is a project within a project and almost a fully-fledged independent gastronomic address. The restaurant thus becomes a “taste laboratory”. The main task and goal is to experiment. We want to prove to the guest that not everything has been tried, seen or heard yet. The chef explores unusual products and culinary techniques, discovers new combinations and even approaches the usual limits of taste, sometimes exceeding them. The main rule of Soma Lab is that there are no rules.
We really wanted to dilute the usual agenda of guest dinners, and so the idea of a series of different special menus with non-obvious heroes was born, many of whom can be called artisans. They are connected to the world of catering to varying degrees, but each one is a great specialist and understands his subject like few others in the country.
ABOUT THE ART DIRECTION OF THE RESTAURANT AND EXHIBITIONS
We already have considerable experience in the field of art and we plan to continue to show it within the walls of the restaurant. Last spring we held an exhibition with Deep List, in the fall – with “Unification”. This spring they brought an exhibition with Postrigay Gallery, and until the end of summer you can see a collaboration with 3L Gallery. At the beginning of the year we did another art project: together with art critic Ksyusha Korobeinikova, we held an open call for artists on the creation of a label for Soma sparkling wine. The work of MishMash artists won the competition: they released a limited edition of 100 bottles with new labels. Soon there will be an exhibition at the “Chambers” gallery, which will also include the possibility for visitors to interact with art objects.
Each exhibition is the embodiment of a curatorial concept. Here we rely primarily on the expertise of our exhibition partners and combine it with our vision. It is not only important which kind of art objects fit the restaurant, but we also want to participate in shaping the landscape of modern culture in the city. The artists created some works specifically for the exhibition in Soma.
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ABOUT OUR HAPPY HOLIDAYS
AND CULTURAL PROGRAM
Artistic director Oleg Tsoi is responsible for the sensational parties and the entire cultural programme. Particular attention was paid to the visual solutions in the courtyard: one of the key elements was the custom-made dynamic light bulbs, which were initially inside the project and then appeared outside. If you look closely, their geometry resembles waves. These lamps operate via DMX protocol, which allows each of them to be controlled separately, creating a fascinating effect reminiscent of the movement of a jellyfish.
Each event features a theatrical lighting designer who synchronizes the lights to the music, creating an atmosphere that literally comes to life to the beat of the DJs. For the ideal listening experience, we choose one of the best club sound models: d&b. Thanks to it, we achieve a dense, high-quality sound at all frequencies. All these elements together make our events truly memorable.
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ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULD BE IN SOMA AT LEAST ONCE
Everyone should come to Soma if only for our pike caviar donuts! But if you look deeper, visiting us is a hedonistic experience. We strived to create not just a restaurant, but a unique place, different from everything that already exists in Moscow. The goal was not to add another establishment to the city map – we wanted to offer something completely new, distinguished by its architecture, atmosphere and concept. At Soma, every element, from the cuisine to the design, is carefully considered to ensure that every visit is a special occasion for guests.
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Oleg Tsoi – co-founder, art director.
Pavel Nitsa is co-founder and head of hospitality.
Mikhail Pugachev – co-founder, head waiter.
Vitaly Kuchura – co-founder, investor.
Artem Chudnenko – cook.
Olga Erokhina – sommelier.
Batrbek Olegovich – bar manager.
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