- Interior
- Architecture & development
Osteria Betulla is the second project of a talented chef Arslan Berdiev, the founder of the sensational restaurant Birch. Both Birch and Betulla are translated into Russian as birch. While Birch is based on pan-European culinary traditions, Betulla focuses on Italian cuisine.
Niet alleen het klassiek Italiaans interieur werd nagebootst maar ook de moderne geest van het land.
The concept of osteria Betulla is based on simple Italian dishes with an emphasis on high quality products. From the beginning, they base themselves on the image of an Italian dining room, but in a minimalist way. At the same time, they wanted not only to imitate a classic Italian interior, but also to bring the modern spirit of Italy to St Petersburg by using traditional colours, shapes and materials.
Guests enter the osteria through an entrance placed in the shade. This leads them into the first dining room, which is dimly lit. The second dining room is flooded with light. In this way, guests move smoothly from shadow to light. The centrepiece of the first room is the metaphorical altar, a large table at which the pasta writer works. All the tables are turned towards him, which creates the effect of a theatrical performance and allows the guests to observe the mystery of pasta making. The second room is brightened up by the pews in the middle. At the same time, the olive tree and the three kiosks are highlighted. A kiot is a niche that traditionally houses icons of saints. Since Italian cuisine has its own holy trinity; wine, olive oil and thyme, they have placed them in the niches. 
The most important architectural tool in working with the interior space was the vaulted ceiling. Not only does it refer to church architecture, but it also erases the boundary between the ceiling and the walls. By using diverging window columns, the light could be let into the hall as much as possible, making it feel more airy.
Arslan Berdiev wanted to create a very pure and minimalist look. Therefore, only three basic materials were used: travertine, which is often found in the paving of Italian streets, wood for the furniture and wall panels, and light-coloured plaster as the main material for the walls. All this helped to convey the image of Italy. And what an image it is! We reserve our table. 
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Photography by Sergey Melnikov