Commons

2022 was a year of change for the restaurant Commons. Anton Abrezov, who had long dreamed of developing his career in Europe, left to open a project in Portugal. Alexander Galuza became the new head chef of Commons, having celebrated his second anniversary with the restaurant in August. Before joining Commons, Alexander Galuza worked with Rustam Tangirov at MadLabBar, with Evgeny Vikentiev at the "Wine Cellar" restaurant, and served as chef de partie and sous chef at the Moscow restaurants "Gorynych" and Mushrooms, under the direction of Artem Losev. He also participated in a joint project with graduates of the London Le Cordon Bleu (Bread&Meet) and worked with chef Sergey Fokin (Four Hands, Eclipse). Even before officially joining Commons, Alexander participated in off-site dinners with Anton at the Moscow restaurants Chef's Table by White Rabbit and Selfie. Alexander worked as the sous chef at Commons, contributing to the development of new dishes. Having joined the team as an experienced chef, he had the opportunity to experiment and grow. The new head chef does not plan to radically change the restaurant's concept or menu. "Anton's philosophy will always be with us. Our team is grateful to the chef for the experience and the time we spent working side-by-side. Farm-fresh products will continue to be the stars of the dishes. You won't find shrimp or avocados on the menu." "I enjoy combining classic French techniques with bright, 'umami' ingredients from Asia. We will continue to work with what is available on the market, and during the season, we will focus on local farmers and their vegetables, fruits, and herbs. I really like the term 'casual dining.' It doesn't require white tablecloths and white gloves, but at the same time, the quality of service, the presentation of the dishes, and the overall visual experience remain at a high level." In January, Alexander Galuza updated the menu. In keeping with the season, root vegetables such as kohlrabi, celery, potatoes, turnips, carrots, as well as persimmons, corn, cherries, pears, and seasonal herbs were added to the dishes. For example, the farm-fresh stracciatella from the "Derevnya" dairy is now served with pear and black garlic cream (590₽), celery is roasted and served as a side dish with cod (890₽), the meat terrine is complemented with persimmon and onion cream (550₽), and marinated pattypan squash enhances the flavor of duck breast (850₽). The new menu makes extensive use of seasonal herbs: marigolds, green sorrel, and mushroom herb are used to create a spicy aioli for the terrine, lovage is used in the green butter for the hollandaise sauce served with cod, and fennel, cilantro, and parsley are used in the Lecce sauce based on whey, served with scallops. Alexander continues the active work with local farms that Anton started. Menu highlights: Zucchini, cherry tomatoes in apricot ponzu, smoked sour cream - 450₽ Scallop, grapes, and kohlrabi - 750₽ French meat terrine, persimmon, and onion cream - 550₽ Cod, hollandaise sauce with lovage, and roasted celery - 890₽ Beef tenderloin, corn cream, and broccoli - 850₽ Commons is a restaurant whose concept is based on the cuisine of small farms. The team supports small Russian farms, most of whose owners they know personally. Many of these farms are located in the Leningrad region. The smaller the production, the more attention is paid to the product, and the higher the quality it is, according to Commons.