Moscow’s old Frunze Central Aerodrome may have been long decommissioned, but its proximity to the city centre has encouraged developers to create a new residential neighbourhood around it, whilst inspiring New York-based design studio Asthetique to inject an appropriately aeronautical spin into the décor of Café Polet.
From every angle, the interiors are head-turning cinematic set-pieces that are equal parts Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’, and David Lynch’s ‘Dune’, the retro-futuristic mood set by convex porthole windows, Martian winged goddesses rendered in six-metre-high stainless steel, flying saucers reimagined as lamps, and alien landscapes cut as wall panels.
Little wonder that head chef Aleksandr Airapetyan has to work hard to stand out from the fabulist background, the St. Petersburg native working a menu of European and Georgian standards. Recent standouts have included a salad of grilled squid, smoked baby potatoes and truffle mayonnaise, finished with a dessert of crisp biscuits sweetened with chocolate and vanilla cream. §
