Mari Vanna

Following the success of sister restaurants in St Petersburg, Moscow and New York, upmarket Russian restaurant Mari Vanna opens in London in December 2011. Dmitry Sergeyev and Vadim Lapin founders of the Ginza Project chain - a group which owns more than 70 restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg - have teamed up with and Luca Del Bono, a co-founder of Quintessentially, to bring us Mari Vanna in Knightsbridge. It's a nostalgic take on Russia and the restaurant is filled with ironic touches including traditional nesting dolls, trinkets and kitsch knicknacks. The food may be home cooked and the atmosphere cosy but the high ceilings adorned with elaborate chandeliers, not to mention the glamourous Russian model clientele, make Mari Vanna a luxurious place to eat. The menu includes traditional dishes such as Pelmeni, Russian veal dumplings with a herb sauce, and Mari Vanna's signature dish - Borsch with Pampushka (beetroot soup with beef). There are Georgian and Ukrainian influences evident in dishes like Harcho, a rich Georgian lamb soup with rice, and Galubtzi, spiced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves. And, as you'd expect, there's a vast range of vodka and cocktails made from vodka jars infused with horseradish, pineapple, cucumber, oat and honey - used in Mari Vanna's version of the Moscow Mojito.