Pursuit of pure tastes, a passionate play with textures, clear combinations in spectacular forms and attention to every detail — is all that defines a philosophy of BOURGEOIS BOHEMIANS.
Located in St. Petersburg BOBO, how the creators shortly call the restaurant, is a joint project of Chef Artyom Grebenshchikov and his brother, Pastry Chef Alexey Grebenshchikov.
BOURGEOIS BOHEMIANS meaning “bohemian bourgeoisie” — a neologism that was invented in 2000 by the American sociologist and journalist David Brooks to denote a new creative class — people, on the one hand, knowledgeable enough to appreciate the subtle nuances, and on the other, — unacceptable unnecessary formalities and luxury.
The restaurant is decorated in accordance with this term: an elegant dining room with a fully open kitchen looks bright and noble.
The interior is dominated by milky white and emerald colors, there is almost no traditional decor, just simple furniture and a lot of greenery — willows in pots and flower arrangements.
But with a closer look, everything is not so simple. The windowsills and the counter are made of natural Baltic granite, the main decoration of the open kitchen is the tiles, made according to old techniques by St. Petersburg restorers who participated in the ceramics reconstruction of the Catherine Palace, the Cathedral Mosque and the gates of the Mikhailovsky Garden.
Most of the dishes are handmade and have the most bizarre shapes and colors, sometimes reminiscent of stones, sometimes porcelain, or even architectural models of the Bauhaus. Designer cutlery is made of black steel, wine is served in glasses from Gabriel Glass and Riedel, tea and coffee — in the famous Imperial porcelain.
All these details add up to the major picture, setting the visitor in the right mood and promising something intriguing and unexpected. You can catch the brothers’ Grebenshchikov ideas already from the À la carte menu of five sections, including desserts, which are arranged in order of increasing intensity of taste — from delicate and mild to strong and intensive. Or, even better with tasting special Chef’s sets: BOBO’s Signature of 11 courses and BOBO’s Classic of 9 courses.
“Love for gastronomy originated in childhood. Our mother cooks very well, we learned a lot from her, — says Artyom. – Before I became a chef, I tried myself in many areas, but none of my occupations brought me pleasure, so I quickly gave up one and took on another. Nurturing the idea of becoming a chef, I joined various chef groups, guilds, and wherever I was I always cooked. At the age of 20, I became a chef and realized that this is my vocation, this is the profession that brings me true pleasure and satisfaction”.
“Like my brother, I loved to cook since childhood, — Alexey continues the conversation, — As Artyom said, many skills were passed on from our mother, at home my brother and I loved to experiment with something together and were very happy with the results. But before I realized that the kitchen is my passion, I changed a lot of places, where I hadn’t stayed for more than a year, because I quickly got tired of the unloved business. Since childhood, I loved exact sciences like mathematics, physics, so the choice of confectionery was obvious to me. Pastry art is a delicate jewelry work that does not tolerate errors. Even in preparing main dishes the situation could almost always be corrected by adding spices, salt or something else, it’s totally unacceptable in the confectionery industry. Well, the most important argument is that I am a big sweet tooth (smiles)”.
BOURGEOIS BOHEMIANS has developed a wine list by their sommelier Anton Belochkin. He made an extended selection of classic European wines and terroir wines from small family farms. Anton created a specially designed wine accompaniment to BOBO’s Signature set, which is served in the evening from 18.00.
The tasting of the BOBO’s Signature begins with an amuse bush, represented by two compliments: Yellow beetroot tartlet with duck liver pate, black truffle and apple and
a Tartlet of red beets marinated in black currants, goat cheese and pistachio.
Both compliments are designed for one bite and between them the sommelier recommends taking a sip of Adrien Renoir Extra Brut Champagne Grand Cru “Verzy”, France.
The next moment is Bread, baked from yeast-free sourdough, with whipped butter and two types of salt, smoked black and white.
The main part of the set is divided into two courses: first comes light and fresh Jellied tomato water, fresh scallop and daikon stewed with oil and tarragon emulsion.
To this dish — white Italian wine Andrea Felici Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore 2018.
The second one — Sorrel soup with salmon, lightly salted cucumber, pickled broccoli and fresh herb consommé. Very aromatic and refreshing, reminiscent of the summer flavors.
A great pair to this appetizer is White wine Clair Obscur Alias from Bourgogne, France.
Before main courses, one more compliment from the Chef — Eel tartlet with unagi sauce, onion cream and apple. Garnished with green onions and lemon verbena leaves.
“The principle of our work is to select unique combinations of our cuisine with wines from small producers. Our menu is alive, it is constantly changing, as well as the wine accompaniment, — says Artyom Grebenshchikov. — We are in constant search of the highest quality and most interesting products to translate them into our little masterpieces. We only work with small farms that make terroir wines that characterize the place where the grapes were grown. Our happiness is to find an ideal match of food and wine”.
The second part of the set starts with Beets roasted to the texture of prunes with sherry and Japanese vanilla, served with warm foie gras mousse and cold sour berry sorbet.
To highlight the beauty and originality of the combination, it is served in the heaviest plate in the collection of handmade plates, which was created within a month.
And a glass of red wine Ami le Gaminot Vin de France, 2019 especially harmonizes with this dish.
In comparison to the previous rich in colors and textures dish, the following looks more minimalistic but tastes not less tangy — Medium cooked Venison fillet with light celery mousse, baked potatoes and sauce based on honey, red wine and juniper oil. Decorated with parsley oil, nasturtium leaves and smoked almonds.
Here the sommelier examines the red wine Matassa Ace of Spades Les Myrs from Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2019.
The tasting ends with a sweet course of three desserts: Sorbet of apple marinated in bergamot and fennel syrup with vanilla cream;
Wine pairing — Eric Bordelet Cider Poiré Authentique N.V., Loire Valley, France.
In the Photo: Porcini mushroom ice cream with coffee cream and salted caramel, garnished with cauliflower chips.
A final chocolate Set of five different chocolate types made in St. Petersburg from cocoa beans brought from different regions. Alexey recommends starting the tasting with a more intense dark chocolate, gradually approaching softer and sweeter ones, moving from the center to the sides. A small parchment note placed on a platter contains the name and description of each chocolate.
A glass of Coume del Mas, Banyuls Rouge, France will perfectly reveal all the chocolate notes.
Artem & Alexey Grebenshchikov: “Our main value is to create food that is adequate for the time and place, which we ourselves understand, love and feel and wish to convey these feelings to our guests.
It’s a great feeling when people appreciate your work. When you see their emotions, recognition and respect, you understand that the path in your life is chosen correctly”.
Awards and recognitions:
- Artem Grebenshchikov: Best Chef 2018 and 2019 by Where To Eat Restaurant Awards
- Artem Grebenshchikov: GQ Best Chef 2018
- Artem Grebenshchikov: The best chef of 2017 and 2018 according to the “Top-100 restaurants of St. Petersburg” award
- Bourgeois Bohemians: The best restaurant in 2018 and 2019 according to the “Top-100 restaurants of St. Petersburg” award
- Bourgeois Bohemians: 2nd place in the Top 50 best restaurants in St. Petersburg according to the WHERETOEAT 2018-2019 award
- Bourgeois Bohemians: Finalist of the Palm Branch 2019
- Bourgeois Bohemians: The best restaurant in St. Petersburg in 2019 according to the Laurel List restaurant award
- Anton Belochkin: Best Sommelier 2020 by Where To Eat Restaurant Awards
Signature BOBO 11 dishes — 3900 rub.; Wine pairing — 3500 rub;
BOBO’s Classic 9 dishes — 3300
rub.
Bourgeois Bohemians
Address: Vilensky Lane, 15, St-Petersburg, Russia
Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 13.00 – 23.00; Friday-Saturday 13.00 – 00.00; Sets are served from 18.00.
Contacts: hello@bobospb.ru; +7 911 149 17 70
Instagram: @bourgeoisbohemians
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Text Writer: Marina Timoshevskaya
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Photos: EATWEEK GUIDE
