Mari Vanna Russian restaurant to open in Knightsbridge

New Russian restaurant Mari Vanna has announced it will open in London's Knightsbridge at the start of next month.

Serving a menu of 'babushka cooking' - traditional homely fare - the Russian dishes will be served with influences from Armenia, Georgia and Uzbekistan and with a contemporary presentation.

Mari Vanna is co-owned by Vadim Lapin and Dmitry Sergeyev, founders of restaurant and hospitality holding company Ginza Project, and Luca Del Bono, who has operated in the hospitality industry for over 15 years.

Ginza Project is an established player in the world of Russian dining, with in excess of 70 restaurants between Moscow, St Petersburg, Rostov on Don, New York and now London.

Located near One Hyde Park and the Bulgari hotel, the restaurant's interior has been designed to feel like a retro-style Russian home, with shelves laden with matryoshka dolls, trinkets and tchotchke. A traditional Russian Pechka oven features in the dining room, set against a backdrop of high ceilings and elaborate chandeliers.

Included on the menu are traditional dishes such as Pelmeni (Russian veal dumplings with a light herb sauce) and Borsch with Pampushka (a beetroot soup with smoked beef), as well as Harcho (a rich Georgian lamb soup with rice), Adjika (a spicy tomato sauce) and Ukrainian Galubtzi (meat and rice encased in cabbage leaves).

The bar will stock a wide variety of vodkas and the Mari Vanna cocktail menu will aim to modernise old classics with Russian inspiration.

Launched initially in St Petersburg, Mari Vanna has sister restaurants in Moscow, St Petersburg and New York. Similar to these outposts, regular visitors will receive the mysterious 'Mari Vanna Key' which unlocks every restaurant from Russia to London to New York City on Mondays.

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By Janie Manzoori-Stamford

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