Lunch at Restaurant Regent

Restaurateur Alexey Pinsky's project (Farang, Abbe Brasserie), recognized by the Michelin guide, occupies the space of the former wine bar at the "Arbat" hotel. Alexey also serves as the restaurant's brand chef, and the menu offers upscale European cuisine with an emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients: seafood, meat dishes, various types of pasta. A mixed impression right from the doorstep: you enter the restaurant through the Soviet-era hotel's entrance, and only then do you find yourself in a modern setting. 

Interior

The restaurant has two rooms with a decent interior by architectural bureau Wowhaus, which looked better in photos. Instead of an intimate, cozy atmosphere, there's a lighting mistake — the room is lit up rather than the tables. Otherwise, what sticks in memory are the orange cabinets and an abundance of art pieces, though nothing stands out specifically. Plenty of mirrored surfaces, a marble floor, wooden inlays of cherry veneer. They tried to soften the overly formal atmosphere and add lightness with bright accents, but in my view it came out pointless and empty — I was nearly the only guest in the room with the panoramic windows. 

What did I try?

— Tomato salad, 750₽ — one of those cases where the tomatoes actually have flavor. The portion is meant for two, with the option to order half. Thanks to the waitress for the timely heads-up. 
— Vitello tonnato, 1850₽ — the meat drowns in sauce; there's so much of it that the balance is lost and the individual flavors become indistinguishable. It looks unconventional, but I didn't appreciate the execution: an option where you could control the amount of sauce would be far more valuable than an excessive attempt to be original. 
— Filet mignon, 3700₽ — instead of medium, it came out medium rare, despite my specifying it and a long wait. The meat is excellent, and I want to highlight that separately. Served with two sauces: a tomato salsa and an Asian one. No alternatives were offered, and neither was a side. 

Regent is a serious restaurant with grown-up prices and a level of service that doesn't come close to matching them. The staff seem off, don't clarify courses, and on top of everything disregard feedback. On the other hand — first-class ingredient quality, undermined by unsuccessful recipes. The ratio between menu prices and the quality of the experience clearly doesn't allow for including the place in the guide. If it were 30-40% cheaper, I could give it a 7. At a premium level of ambition — only a 6.

I suspect the atmosphere at the restaurant is much more pleasant on a Friday evening. The service was maybe just bad luck this time, so there's a desire to come back in a couple of months and give the place a second chance. I'll check the service again with the help of my secret guests, of which there are only two left in Moscow. Unfortunately, I had to part ways with one of them — he stopped being genuinely secret.