Lunch at CAST. Interior First and Foremost

The restaurant opened at "Lenfilm" last August and made it into my roundup of the most aesthetically pleasing interiors of 2023. The design is restored modernism, taking over the space of the filmmakers' restaurant "Akvarium," which operated here in the 70s. In person it's just as striking as in photos, if not for the red roses on the tables — a disheartening pairing. The concept is modern Middle Eastern cuisine by Mark Shah Akbari, a chef with Iranian roots. You can try kebabs, meze, and combinations like salmon with dates. I visited Cast on a Tuesday and turned out to be the only guest.

What did I try?

• Sea bass ceviche with mandarin and ponzu, 790₽ — a graceful portion served in a bowl-style dish. Fresh fish paired with citrus sauce and orange. Not exactly gastronomic, in my view.
• Green salad with warm vegetables, 850₽ — the mix of leaves gets pickled fennel and cucumbers added, topped with a skewer of grilled vegetables in Eastern spices. Not surprising, since the menu leans into Middle Eastern flavors. The combination felt odd, even though the quality of each individual ingredient was decent. 
• Lamb kebab on pita with vegetables, 1200₽ — tender, well-cooked meat served on pita with vegetables: pickled cucumber, cabbage, jalapeño, herbs, and sour cream.  I recommend it — an unusual, even slightly odd combination, but worth trying.

On one hand, the service was sweet and eager to please; on the other, it showed some inexperience and timidity. The elegant interior was meant to be decorated but instead got ruined by red roses. Somewhere in all this, the connection between the design concept and the Middle Eastern menu got lost. There are clearly still questions about the kitchen: chasing original combinations sometimes backfires. I can't give more than a 6 (especially compared to Queens in the Chistyakov era). The place doesn't make it into our restaurant guide yet.

🏴 Kamennoostrovsky Ave., 10A 
📞 +7 (921) 552-22-11