Restaurant Cheerem

Cheerem (“fresh green grass” in the Tatar language) is in the Kazan Kremlin, and it’s hard to imagine a more fitting location for a restaurant of contemporary Tatar cuisine. The interiors were designed by Alexander Volkov from the Moscow bureau Volkov Architects. Thanks to him, the whitewashed vaulted walls are covered with base reliefs depicting the plants of Tatarstan’s meadows, there are folding shutters that help escape the bright sun, and wooden shelves with a collection of herbs and teas from around the world. The kitchen is headed by chef de cuisine Artem Laptev who tenaciously apprenticed with his Tatar grandmother before Cheerem’s opening. The result was a menu with traditional but upgraded dishes that equally thrill the tourists and the residents of Kazan. Bread and pastries are prepared in the wood-fired oven.