Closed spay club. Spy: Seafood at cost, entry by invitation

It is easy to find in the very center of Moscow: since 2016, large doors with a small sign have been opening right in front of the famous swing at the Satire Theater. Becoming a member of a club with strict face control, your own lobster and oyster tank and a chef from Canada is not so easy - for this you need to get to know the Spy agents and pass their verification, but you can always sign up for a guest visit.

Chef

Linton Novak

I divided the menu because of the design features of our club - there is a restaurant downstairs where people come to have dinner, they can order salads and hot dishes. On the ground floor there is a lounge area, where the atmosphere is less intimate. I decided to move away from classic finger food and dilute the menu with Japanese sushi, rolls and sashimi. In Moscow, they love this very much - you come with a girl on a date, order a cocktail, chat, and a juicy steak is languishing on the table. No, this will not happen here: a set of different rolls, decorated with ginger, is better.

We bring fresh seafood and store it in a separate aquarium: sea urchins, langoustines, scallops, oysters and crabs. Guests can choose a marine reptile, before their eyes we will catch it from the aquarium and serve it in any form: ceviche, carpaccio, tartare, baked or on ice. On Saturdays we sell seafood at cost price.

We are constantly changing the menu, removing the old and trying to add something new. I have a lot of experience, and I try not to repeat dishes that I have already made. Moscow is not yet ready for some products: for example, we recently made a dish with goat's root. The guests saw this name and refused to even try it, so we removed it.

In Moscow, they love this very much - you come with a girl on a date, order a cocktail, chat, and a juicy steak is languishing on the table. No, this will not happen here: better is a set of different rolls, decorated with ginger

In Russia there is a problem with products. It always seemed to me that in six months or a year after the announcement of sanctions, they will learn how to make good cheese here, but you can still buy only Russian cheese on the shelves. He's not bad, of course, but he's still the only one. Also, I don’t understand what is the problem in growing normal meat in Russia, opening farms and greenhouses for vegetables. It turns out that good vegetables can only be bought in the summer, and then they will be brought from neighboring Asia. Norway, Finland and Canada have a very similar climate, but they somehow managed to cope with it. Moreover, there is clearly a demand, but no offers. Almost every day I go to the market to my, one might say, friends, I choose products for a long time, monitor the quality and select each tomato.

I have a team of 12 people working with me in the kitchen, all of them from Russia. I never stop teaching them, and before I give the dish to the waiter, I personally check it. Sometimes visitors call me because they are unhappy with something. One gentleman quarreled with the waiter for a long time, then with the manager, then he called me, and we talked about hockey for 20 minutes. He immediately forgot about his claims. It's hard to find a person who wants to be in a bad mood, but sometimes your day can be spoiled by some details. I really do not want my food to become such a detail. Therefore, I always try to do everything at the highest level.

Cannelloni

1 500 rubles

Stuffed with crab and shrimp, with cream of sea urchin and red caviar. “Despite the fact that this is a relatively simple dish, it is one of my favorites. Pasta goes well with the fresh taste of crab,
and the sauce of sea urchin and red caviar adds an unusual touch to the dish.

lamb saddle

1 600 rubles

With butternut squash puree with caramelized pecans. “We make this meat especially tender, you can eat it with a spoon. Some people think that I serve it raw.
Actually we make it sous vide (cooking in a vacuum. - Approx. ed.),
and then I just lightly add color with a light roast.

baked vegetables

800 rubles

With goat cheese mousse in blueberry glaze. “Moscow has a big problem with vegetables. Even if you pay double the price, this does not guarantee that they will be of good quality. Half of my working day is spent on the selection of worthy products. I don't understand why you can't make greenhouses and grow tomatoes
with taste and texture of tomatoes,
not watery red balls.

The material was prepared with the support

Closed clubs are the oldest tradition in the United Kingdom. Entrance there is carried out exclusively for full members of the club or by recommendation. Whether the club will open its doors to a potential member will be decided by the committee - the owners and top managers of the establishment: sometimes you can wait several months for an answer. Once upon a time, London clubs were the prerogative of exclusively men, but times are changing, and with them the rules of the clubs. Many of the closed private clubs now admit both men and women. As a rule, these are people from art, business and politics. So, for example, even Queen Elizabeth spent time in one of the most famous private clubs in London Annabel's.

English club: continuation of traditions in Moscow

Mikhail Spektor, Sergey Solyakin

For Moscow, a closed club is not a new idea. But most often clubs are associated with noisy parties and go-go dancers. Sergey Solyakin and Mikhail Spektor started from the opposite: SPY Moscow is a completely different understanding of the word “club”. The club's team won the Night2day award in December 2017 as "the best concept of the year". “Before the advent of SPY, there was not a single truly closed club in Moscow, where there is no casual audience, where all guests behave appropriately: politely and intelligently, where the dress code is always observed and where interesting evenings are held, to live accompaniment, with good food and pleasant atmosphere. Our mission is to introduce people to intellectual and intelligent recreation, to a different understanding of the word “club”. Even the name SPY stands for special, private, yours,” says the director of the SPY club Sergei Solyakin.

“In August last year, I met with Sergei and representatives of the committee, which meets in London. Together we, inspired by closed communities in England, decided to focus on this in Moscow as well: we thought over the strategy very quickly, in just a few days. At the same time, an interesting communication tool appeared - these are special SPY agents. They are not promoters in the traditional sense of the word, they are brand ambassadors who help guests feel comfortable in the club and create a special atmosphere, ”said the author of the SPY promotion strategy, managing partner of Marketing partners, about the opening of the club. Mikhail Spektor.

Mikhail Spektor Photo provided by the press service

How to become a club member?

You can become the owner of a club card only on the recommendation of full members and by filling out an application form: the committee, which is based in London, can consider the application for several weeks. There can be no "random" people in the club - high social status and wealth do not guarantee the approval of the committee. The creators of SPY Moscow have decided that the quality of the guests is more important for them than the quantity. These words are confirmed by the fact that for non-compliance with the rules of the club, an exception follows. For example, the entrance to the club is closed to people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Mikhail Spektor: “Who is already a member of the club? We do not disclose information about the members of the club, as this is a closed community.

Despite the fact that absolutely anyone can become a member of the club (on the recommendation of the current member of the club), there is a practice of fees here. “Many people have a question: “Why should I pay this fee?” I answer: we strive to make SPY Moscow a second home for guests - a place where club members enjoy spending time, relaxing and communicating with each other. The club maintains itself through the membership fee. That is, guests become participants in every event in the club: renovation, repair, and so on. Take London's Annabel's as an example. In the interior hang original works of art, paintings. And I understand: this is mine, I have contributed. And that is why these works of art are here,” says Mikhail Spektor.

Today, membership in SPY Moscow is a privilege, and the committee regularly receives applications from those who wish to be part of this unique community. Of course, the chance to become a member of SPY Moscow is much higher if there is a recommendation from a current member of the club and you accept the rules of the club. One of them is strict observance of the dress code: cocktail, black tie. At the same time, guests of the institution can always rent a jacket in the club, for example, in case they did not have time to change clothes before the evening.

Sergei Solyakin, Mikhail Spektor Photo provided by the press service

Members-only club SPY

Address: Triumphalnaya Square, 24

What is a SPY club and why is it called a closed club?

This is a unique space in the center of Moscow, open to its own people. Once inside, you will not worry that someone will interfere with your comfortable rest - there are only friends and friends of friends around. You can relax, even leave your phone on the bar and go to the next room - when you return, it will remain in the same place.

In addition, you can enjoy personalized service. The food and drink menu, for example, is revised every week here, adjusting to the tastes of regulars. If you love something, is it already or is it in SPY, or coming soon. And each of the waiters will tell you about a detailed wine or bar list in detail, as a certified sommelier should.

How to become a member of a closed club?

You need a membership card. Cards come in only one type, inside SPY everyone is equal.

How to get it?

You need to apply to the concierge service of the club. Recommendations from other members of the club or agents (about them - below) will be a big plus. If the decision is positive, it will be delivered to you soon. And from now on, you are a welcome guest in the walls SPY.

By the way, why "SPY"? Is it about spies?

In a sense, yes. Firstly, the place is inspired by the spy movie aesthetic of the golden era of Hollywood, with its sophisticated outfits and a good sparkling wine in a tall glass. Secondly, on SPY there are several agents - brand ambassadors of the institution. You can meet them anywhere - from sports clubs to big premiers, get to know and talk to them - and maybe get a recommendation from them that will make it easier to get a membership card.

SPY club team

Oh yes, still in SPY there is a selfie room where you can take pictures with James Bond.

What is going on within the walls of SPY?

Guests have fun, attend themed evenings - for example, cigar or wine tastings, get to know each other and find useful connections, try new dishes, listen to live performances of their favorite artists, and sometimes sing karaoke themselves.

The club is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 18:00 until the last guest.