Considered one of the planet’s most dynamic capitals, Moscow has a hospitality scene to match, and it’s one that becomes even more sophisticated every season. The Russian capital is already home to a wide range of fine dining spots which exclusively cater to the well-heeled, but a new generation of restaurants and bars has emerged with an approach that’s more democratic, but just as high on style. In the latter category falls Wine Happens, a sleek new restaurant by hospitality entrepreneurs Timur Abuzyarov and Roman Vorotnikov. Occupying a 100 sqm. (1,076 sq.ft) ground floor unit of a modern building – mind you, it previously accommodated the duo’s Bao + Noodle eatery which moved to the Basmanniy area of town – in a leafy pocket of the city’s Presnenskiy neighbourhood. Architects Evgeniy Shchetinkin and Elizaveta Semionova of local practice V12 Architects created a contemporary interior design, featuring an open kitchen along one side of the premises that allows guests to steal peeks at the kitchen staff’s action. The area is demarcated by an elongated bar clad in marble and with brass detailing. Directly opposite, the dining area is situated which seats 48 guests, furnished with soft banquette benches and comfy chairs, and all against a backdrop of walls covered in reclaimed wood – on one side adorned by an artsy mosaic of mirrors – that was polished, tinted and treated with special solutions and wax. Interestingly, the purpose of a wooden layer was to lower the visual plane of the room and radically change the perception and feel of the space. Additional furnishings include eye-catching saucer-shaped light fixtures in shiny brass, and a floor-to-ceiling cabinet and wine rack rolled into one. Wine Happens presents a largely seafood-inspired menu of cosmopolitan snacks, salads and main dishes, but as its name already implies, there’s also a special focus on fine wines.
Wine Happens
Sadrovaya-Kudrinskaya Ulitsa 32 (Presnenskiy)
123001 Moscow
Telephone: +7 499 3473001
Mon-Thu 12pm-12am
Fri-Sat 12pm-2am
Sun 12pm-12am
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
