Coba

A small, American-Japanese style sushi bistro – with hand rolls as the star of the menu, and many allusions in the name.

The highest quality fish and seafood, premium rice, and crispy Japanese nori – a new Japanese bistro from Anna and Nikita Tataev ("Djagilev," "Kadril," "Tkemali") has opened on New Square, with hand rolls as the star of the menu. The name of this new American-Japanese style sushi bistro has many allusions, from the name of a Japanese accordionist to the name of an ancient Mayan city, but there is no single, definitive meaning. The tiny space (35 seats) is decorated in the style of classic sushi bistros: wooden structures, red lacquer, lamps resembling paper lanterns, and black concrete, which unmistakably hints at its Japanese roots. The interior is decorated with drawings made with ink in the sumi-e technique, created by Japanese aesthetics specialist Anna Semida.

The main dish is hand rolls. These are usually homemade, cone-shaped temaki, but here they are rolled into a tube to evenly distribute the filling. The combination of warm and cold, neutral and salty, crispy and soft – the contrasts of ingredients and flavors create the magic of this dish.

The chefs, led by head chef Oleg Shina (Tokyo Sushi, Modus, Buba by Sumosan, Cutfish), focus on precision of movement and process optimization: speed is crucial in the short lifespan of a hand roll. A hand roll should be eaten no later than 30 seconds after it is prepared, otherwise the crispy nori, with its rich seafood flavor, becomes soggy from the warm akita kama rice and the freshly cut fish, losing its texture. Sit directly at the open kitchen counter to not miss a second, and also take a free master class on how to make hand rolls.

Hand rolls can be ordered with your favorite filling (salmon, scallop, sweet shrimp, tuna toro, bluefin, bigeye, yellowtail, eel, crab, avocado, cucumber) individually or as a set (sets range from 3 to 6 hand rolls). However, even the rolls in a set will be served one at a time to preserve the purity of their flavor.

A focus on the product, not hidden by sauces, is a priority at Coba. However, especially for those who love rich flavors and bold combinations, the "Split" section features familiar fillings (California, Philadelphia, Canada) with original variations – eel with beetroot sauce and foie gras, scallop with truffle, tuna toro, black caviar, and truffle. Noble ingredients, such as truffle and black caviar, can be added to any dish upon request. When cut into pieces, hand rolls become cut rolls. They can be taken with you in special boxes, like a Japanese lunch box (bento), to have lunch in the park or at work, or ordered for delivery.

In addition to hand rolls, Coba serves sashimi, prepares various types of miso soup (with mushrooms, crab, or salmon), and also a fish broth with seaweed, shrimp, scallop, and enoki mushrooms. The appetizer section includes spicy and sea salt edamame, and kaiso seaweed (a cashew-based nut sauce for the salad is made in-house), including with eel, plump shrimp in a spicy tom yum sauce or with sweet wasabi, poke with eel, salmon, and tuna. High-quality, premium ingredients are the basis for comfortable dishes at an affordable price.

The drink menu features Japanese Asahi and Sapporo beer, craft beer from Dreamteam Brew, and lemonades with exotic flavors of guava, kalpis, lychee, and peach with yuzu. The alcohol selection includes a curated selection of sake and a concise wine list.

The creators of the project hope that Coba on New Square will become a pilot location for a mini-chain of sushi bars in a new format in Moscow.