Ockam Bistro't

The project comes from the Russian clothing brand Óckam – "Óckam Bistro."

In 2020, a clothing brand emerged in Yekaterinburg, the heart of Russian fashion, bridging the gap between classic styles and runway trends. Finding your style within the Óckam collection wasn't a riddle – it featured elongated coats paired with wool blazers, and eco-leather trench coats alongside basic t-shirts.

*The brand's name is inspired by the principle of the English Franciscan monk William of Ockham, who declared: "Entities should not be multiplied without necessity." In other words, the brand embraced simplicity and a rejection of excess. By reinterpreting these ideas and working on a new collection, the team, led by Kirill Zyranov, decided that Óckam would now be a cozy restaurant on Kazan Street. The style remains recognizable: blazers with a deep V-neck for the waitstaff were designed based on one of the brand's signature pieces, and silver jewelry – a pendant, a mace on a chain, and a cufflink with the Ó symbol – were created in collaboration with 22.77.jewelry. Kirill's travel experiences (he has visited 83 countries) inspired a focus on the regional character of Russian cuisine. The team believes that immersing oneself in cultural codes and a monumental style is the foundation for a collaboration that will generate excitement in the center of St. Petersburg.

The menu features local ingredients presented in new ways: a tartlet with dried venison, lightly salted whitefish, slow-cooked pork cheeks with a parsnip and blackcurrant sauce, echpochmak (a Tatar pastry) with slow-cooked rabbit, and chebureki (a fried pastry) with scallops. For dessert, there's a gingerbread cookie with a crispy topping and chak-chak (a traditional Tatar dessert) with banana. Regional ingredients and flavors from childhood are a timeless trend.

For example, duck is marinated in rice wine with juniper berries and served with buckwheat cooked in kvass (a traditional Slavic beverage) and malt. A nostalgic touch: a cream made from fermented cabbage, cooked in cream. The fish soup is flavored with the taste of a campfire, using birch wood and a splash of vodka. The broth is made from Far Eastern kombu seaweed, vongole clams, and cod. And the chak-chak is entirely handmade, mixed with a mousse of yogurt, mint, and lime, and served with marinated bananas and caramel-flavored hazelnuts.

The interior of Óckam is layered and thoughtful. It features accent chairs from the 1970s by Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot, a leather sofa, and pre-revolutionary Villeroy & Boch tiles that were discovered during the floor renovation. This piece is now displayed on one of the walls of the intimate dining room. You can also find works by Russian artists Vitaly Barabanov, Nikita Morgunov, and Kirill Basalaev.

The cocktail menu blends culture, art, and bartending expertise. For example, the Nanai Negroni is inspired by the shamanism of the Nanai people, who light a sacred tree to dispel negative energy. The aromatic Palo Santo wood is distilled and mixed with red vermouth and artichoke bitters. The PACHA mama cocktail, which translates to "Mother Earth" in the Quechua language, is a symbol of the end of the harvest for Slavic peoples. It features carrot juice, a bread liqueur, and a fermented milk product.

The wine selection boasts an impressive collection of Champagne, Burgundy, and Jura wines. The focus is on small producers and personal relationships with the winemakers. The list includes iconic wines from producers like Frédéric Savart, Eric Rodez, André Besnier, Jean-François Ganevat, Olivier Orio, and others. There are a total of 100 labels. With these wines, any casual occasion can become special, and a few sips can be a refreshing start to a summer evening of bar hopping.