Saray: Dinner Review

Saray is Lucky Group's new project in the Asador style. The concept is built around open fire: hot dishes are cooked over coals, in the oven, or in a tandoor. While working on the project, the team drew inspiration from the Caucasus and the Mediterranean, and the restaurant's brand chef, Dan Miron (Margarita Bistro, Mamie, Niki), even traveled across Northern Spain, studying the local cuisine and the work of the best chefs, picking up experience from restaurants with a similar concept. The result is a menu heavy on meat, fish, seafood, and vegetables: chicken kebab over coals, crushed roasted potatoes from the oven, sea bass cooked in the tandoor. I had dinner at Saray on a Monday, and the restaurant wasn't empty: 30% occupancy is enough not to feel alone in an interior like this. 

Interior 

Natalia Belonogova, together with the team from architectural bureau NB-Studio (Jun, Maya, Grace, Zhirok), designed the restaurant's interior. It also reflects Mediterranean and Caucasian culture: plenty of wood, rough textures, aged surfaces. Details round out the atmosphere: columns, handmade light fixtures, old chairs, hides draped over the chairs.

Heavy wooden beams run across the ceiling, gray cement covers the floor. Set into the brick wall are Saray's main kitchen fixtures: a wood-fired oven, coals, a grill. They managed to recreate the atmosphere of an old barn — maybe too well; it felt to me like they overdid it a bit with the furniture and rough wood. Amid all the rough details, the restaurant's polish seems to get a little lost.

What did I try? 

— Grill salad, 870₽. A great starter, reminiscent of a lighter version of ajapsandali. 
— Hummus, lamb, pickled vegetables, 780₽. The flavor combination seems clear enough on paper, but it didn't come together. For some reason they added sauerkraut to the dish, which felt out of place alongside the hummus and lamb and threw the dish off.

— Roasted peppers, goat cheese, raisins, 780₽. A good choice as a starter: I liked the combination of peppers and raisins, though without any particular excitement.   

— Lamb lyulya, 1100₽. The dish is cooked over coals and served on a large plate. I'd recommend mashing the grilled tomato with a fork — you'll get a great sauce for the meat. 
— Khachapuri, truffle, 1200₽.  The dough is like oven-baked pizza dough, quite unusual. I'd call it a lighter, truffle-flavored take on classic khachapuri. 
— Kharcho, 600₽. Works as a culinary experiment. Another adapted dish — it lacks the familiar signature heat and heartiness. If you're expecting the classic version's flavor, you'll be disappointed. 
— Cabbage, taleggio, truffle, 560₽. A vegetable dish that held its own quite well. I can recommend it as a hot course.

A pleasant place in the Lucky style: fast service, great styling and decor, bold Caucasian cuisine. Though in places, it felt a bit too adapted to me. Saray earns its place in our restaurant guide, but I'd add that there's a similar project in Moscow that does it better.