Chaynaya Komnata

"The Tea Room" at "Hon Gil Don," a Korean restaurant on Pятницкая Street

Six varieties of Chinese tea; a porcelain Gaiwan for a first introduction to tea leaves; sake infused with jasmine and apple peel; delicate steamed dim sum and hearty wheat-based gyoza; gin infused with anchang tea – "The Tea Room," a space resembling a lacquered box, has opened at "Hon Gil Don," a Korean restaurant on Pятницкая Street.

Restaurant owner Alexei Avdeev created "The Tea Room" as an extension of the "Hon Gil Don" restaurant, aiming to add sophistication and complexity to the traditional tea ceremony, complementing the restaurant's lively bar atmosphere. Guests can enjoy quiet, imperial-style conversations and a traditional tea experience with a tea master at low tables arranged around sofas with round, embroidered ottomans. The focal point of the space is the bar. It's literally a Chinese antique shop, filled with various, albeit somewhat pointless, authentic trinkets and a vintage vanity with vibrant flowers at the base of the counter. The walls are adorned with silk wallpaper depicting mysterious pagodas and exotic birds. All the furniture in "The Tea Room" is Chinese and antique – Alexei collected it over several years, reasonably believing that "Hon Gil Don" would flourish.

"The Tea Room" is open from Thursday to Saturday, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM as a tea room, and from 8:00 PM until the last guest as a cocktail bar.

Tea master Elizaveta Lebedeva, during the tea ceremony (2000 rubles for 2-6 guests), explains that in China, a traditional 6-color classification of tea based on fermentation is used: white, green, yellow, oolong, black (known as red in Russia), and dark (pu-erh). Tea in "The Tea Room" is served on a chaban – a board with a drip tray, which holds miniature teacups, a Gaiwan (a bowl of a complex shape for introducing tea leaves), a strainer, and a teapot with hot water. From the nine premium teas selected for "The Tea Room," we recommend the black pu-erh "Chen Nian," which is mild and slightly sweet; the oolong "Shuixian," with a taste of bitter chocolate and almond; and the vitamin-rich red "Maofeng."

While tea ceremonies are not typically combined with meals in China, in Moscow, guests cannot be left hungry, so "The Tea Room" offers a compromise with a menu of steamed dim sum and gyoza. Yun Hong, a Chinese woman from Shanghai, makes the delicate rice-flour dim sum.

Yun fills the shrimp dim sum (180 rubles) with shiitake mushrooms, Napa cabbage, and sesame oil; the duck dim sum (140 rubles) includes ginger, garlic, and acacia honey; the chicken dim sum (140 rubles) features dark meat, cilantro, and onion; and the salmon and shrimp dim sum (180 rubles) is complemented with sesame oil and homemade teriyaki sauce. Each portion is served with soy sauce flavored with kimchi, garlic, and ground coriander. There are three types of classic gyoza: with pork and ginger (6 pieces for 400 rubles), with chicken and green onion (6 pieces for 400 rubles), and with shrimp and Napa cabbage (6 pieces for 650 rubles). The gyoza are first steamed and then lightly pan-fried in a cast-iron skillet.

The cocktail menu, created by Danila Varfolomeev, features 7 unique creations with distinctive Asian and tea-inspired flavors. For example, "Fukushima 1" is a reimagined French 75, where the gin is infused with blue anchang tea, sugar is replaced with aloe honey, and the amount of prosecco is reduced. The result is strong and rich. The creamy "Rama XX" combines gin, a syrup made from coconut condensed milk, white chocolate, and a French wine aperitif. The Daiquiri twist, "Sati," is made with rum infused with pandan leaves and mango puree. Each cocktail costs 800 rubles.

Another interesting offering is a selection of infused sake (2000 rubles). Each set includes 8 portions: classic sake, sake infused with raspberry, black currant, and jasmine tea with apple peel. The sake is served chilled, followed by a warmed portion.