Hello.
Once upon a time, somewhere I came across a phrase that megacities fall out of the fabric of their states and are more similar to each other than to other cities in their country. There is definitely some truth in this observation, since the largest cities on the planet have a different rhythm of life, and the national flavor is not erased, but becomes muted. In Russia, only one city can definitely be considered such a metropolis of modern times, and that is Moscow. After some time, St. Petersburg will catch up with it, but today the cities differ so much that it is difficult to compare them in this aspect. Rather, St. Petersburg is on the same level with Paris, and to some extent with London, Madrid and Barcelona – the capitals of the old world, and not with Tokyo, Shanghai, New York, Dubai or Hong Kong. The division is exclusively mine and very conditional, stemming from my experience of visiting different countries and the sensations from them.
In Russia, a stereotype has arisen that St. Petersburg is the culinary capital of the country; the idea is pleasant for the residents of St. Petersburg, but does not stand up to the real test of going to restaurants. The number and variety of Moscow establishments is incalculable – for every taste, color, and budget. St. Petersburg looks intimate compared to the backdrop of Moscow and the scale of many restaurant groups. Species diversity, as in the evolutionary process, pushes to the surface formats that move away from the simple task of feeding and add elements of show. From more or less understandable gatherings at the table, when food is prepared in front of you and they explain what exactly is happening in the hands of the chef, to real performances that combine a show and dinner. It is impossible to say that a theater performance combined with dinner is something new. Any visitor to European cabarets will be surprised that for us this format can represent something new; for more than a hundred years it was widespread in Europe, then it made its way to the New World, changed and returned back to Asia. Eating and watching a show has become the norm, much like consuming food with the TV blaring in the kitchen.
In Japan they went a little further and combined performance with technical advances, when pictures from projectors are shown on your table. Fishes swim, certain familiar games appear that you can play. Interactivity, unusual format – all together captured people’s attention. Moreover, it should be noted that you can find very different establishments, with different average checks, and these are not necessarily exclusively expensive restaurants.
In Moscow, one of the restaurants that offer theatrical performances is a place called Krasota, it is part of the White Rabbit Family chain. I won’t list all the other establishments, there are many of them, I’ll only mention Selfie, Mushrooms, Chefs Table and, in fact, White Rabbit. In the same place Krasota there are several thematic shows, they differ in both food and design, are quite expensive and at the same time have no direct competitors in our country. Having visited the production, and we need to say exactly the same as in the theater, this is a production and nothing else, under the name “Imaginary Future”, I want to share with you my impressions. The abbreviation of the show is IF, from the English Imaginary Future.
Currently, Krasota is available in Moscow on Romanov Lane or in Dubai. There are more shows in Moscow; there are only two in Dubai. There are almost no differences in the content of the productions. The price in Dubai is about 500 dollars per set per person, wine accompaniment is not included in this money, in Moscow the payment is more lenient – 25-30 thousand rubles, depending on the chosen day and time.
The set of dishes was designed by Vladimir Mukhin (chef of White Rabbit), and each dish tells its own story. But let’s start with the theater buffet, because you come to it and wait for the bell to ring for the show.
Once you get to Krasota from the street, you undress and go into a small hall where guests gather. Some people sit at a small bar counter, others choose separate tables. You can order a cocktail or other drinks while you wait to start, and they will bring you some snacks.
Before visiting the restaurant, they will contact you and find out under what name you will be present; this is a necessary element of recognition, since everyone has their own place at the large round table.
For every two visitors there is one waiter, there are ten of them in total, and there are, accordingly, twenty seats at the table. A round table, a projection is superimposed on the walls in a circle, it also shines on the table. The marking is such that dishes are placed in specially designated places to achieve maximum visual effect.
From a technical point of view, we are not facing the most complicated story: projectors and various animations are created by different teams around the world, there are plenty of successful artists, among them there are many Russian names, which is gratifying. To be honest, I thought that I didn’t know those who created the beauty in Krasota, the names of the designers of the videos were unknown, the emphasis was on the culinary component. I went to look at the project website, there was also silence there.
Perhaps the technical component in Krasota is a little less than ideal, forgive me for my grumbling. I define this by analogy with other establishments of this kind, primarily Japanese ones. This is the reaction time to touching the table and controls in games, the dissimilarity of the picture for those sitting in different parts of the table. The best places are right at the entrance, since they offer the most complete picture, and those opposite see less. I had the best seat possible, so I can’t complain. Oh, I probably should have noted at the very beginning that the trip to Krasota is in no way connected with WRF, it is an exclusively personal event, which rather stems from my work in telecom. I thought it would be interesting to talk about this restaurant format, especially since there is a technological component.
Sound is a weak point for Russian projects; we do not have a strong school in this aspect. And the same Japanese here are harassing not only us, but everyone without exception. The sound system is clear and loud enough, but nothing more. No directional sound sources, reverberation, separate sound cones, etc. It’s like listening to music on a good home system or getting into a specially equipped room with studio equipment. The sound in Krasota is homely, good from all points of view, but simple. Another thing is that many people’s taste in the field of sound is simply not developed; it’s not something you can touch and say whether you like it or not. There is huge room for improvement, especially in the area of the restaurant business; today no one pays enough attention to this; they put standard solutions without regard to the design of sound chambers, how the tables are located, and so on.
The lyrical digression has gone on for a long time, let’s go back to the hall and look at the menu. Each course may be accompanied by certain wines; the choice is yours. By the way, you can choose a vegetarian menu or indicate if you are allergic to some foods, and they will adapt to you. The usual set of pleasures includes three cocktails, you can order water separately, you may need it.
When changing dishes, the waiters change outfits, there are a lot of LEDs, each time it is something different.
Serving dishes in different plates, changing cutlery, and this is also an element of the show. For example, they bring you candies laid out on a cube that shimmers in different colors depending on your point of view. I twisted the cube in different directions and took pictures, it’s a great thing.
Or an egg that hides food.
The plates can be illuminated on the table, creating the feeling that there is a painting in front of you.
The combination of food and visuals is always interesting. The waiter explains the components of each dish, as well as what is happening around now, which is what the video that runs non-stop is dedicated to. In the “Imaginary Future” show, all the stories are about how and where we will live, the visuals are interesting, and the themes are AI, eternal life, growing food on plantations and protecting them from the boys who are trying to get there.
Describing every course of food and visuals is a thankless task, in the same way as humming “Moonlight Sonata” to give you an idea of what it is. I note that the show looks interesting, curiosity can be satisfied.
Almost from the very beginning you are offered to play Space Invaders on the table. The winner with the most points receives a book as a gift (I expected it to be a new book by Boris Zarkov, but no, just a book about business), as well as a dance from the waiter, which can be called a victory dance.
As you can see, there is interactivity here that engages people in conversation with strangers on the other side of the table. Although the story sags, there is no opportunity to meet someone, exchange opinions, and so on. Rather, the place is quite intimate and you only communicate with those sitting next to you, shouting through everyone is so pointless.
I heard the opinion that Krasota is a place for dates. It seems that in our world people choose very different places for dating, this is not the most interesting place for communication, it’s more like a theater or something similar. We actually had some kind of corporate party at the table, at least partially, so any stereotypes don’t work well here.
For a metropolis, a place like Krasota is the development of the entertainment industry, where each company does its part, the restaurant talks about the world through food and taste components. And, as for me, it’s cool that such places exist and provide species diversity. Without a doubt, the place is expensive, not for everyone, but it pushes others to look for new forms of self-expression, other projects appear that want to attract people through an unusual format.
One more thing, okay, a couple of lyrical digressions. I posted photos from Krasota in Telegram stories, my friends bombarded me with questions: “Well, how? Is it worth going? Did you like it? I caught myself thinking that I was calm about the place and the show, there was no puppyish delight, since I had already seen something similar and it did not have the effect of novelty for me. But remembering my first visits to such shows, I can say that they always look strong and make an impression. To paraphrase, I will say that I am somewhat jaded and therefore cannot be a reference point. Interesting and curious, it definitely won’t disappoint, which is already a lot at the present time.
Another digression. When I started writing the text, I jotted down the title “Krasota is in the eye of the beholder,” then I decided to test myself for originality; it turns out that a text with that title had already appeared a year ago. We are the same in stereotypes and cultural code, which is already good and unites us. I like what the guys at WRF are doing in terms of variety of formats, as well as reasonable prices (compare prices in Selfie and Coffeemania, in the first they are not higher, if not even lower).
It doesn’t matter at all whether you want to go to Krasota or any other place of that kind. I wanted to tell you that there are restaurant-theater formats in the world where technology is intertwined with fairly conservative business. My opinion is that the broader your horizons, the better and more accurately you can choose what suits you. And yes, such restaurants are also technology, and high technology at that, because, whatever one may say, creating such a show in all its components is not so easy.
Source: mobile-review.com
