Diner Cochonette: a new place in Gorky Park. Why La boule is leaving Gorky Park and what will we get in return Le boule
Photo by Jan Coomans
We asked Cecile to tell
about how to spend a summer weekend in Moscow in the French, or rather, even Provencal style. To do this, we went to the petanque cafe La Boule in Gorky Park.
La Boule in Gorky Park - one of my favorite places in Moscow. There is always an amazing, very relaxed atmosphere. You can meet people of various professions, statuses, nationalities, both adults and children. Everyone finds something interesting here. In La Boule, if you like, the usual rules of behavior are erased. This venue, open in the warm season, was invented by Daria Zorich, who lived in Paris for a long time, and the “Moscow Frenchwoman” Blanche Nymann, who, even before La Boule, organized petanque sessions in different places and actively developed it. I met them by chance, made friends and one day, due to certain circumstances, I began to arrange DJ sets here at their invitation - on weekends and holidays, concerts and live music often take place in the cafe.
Cecile Pleasure and Daria Zorich (co-founder of La Boule, curator and just the ideological inspirer of this project)
Why petanque? What is petanque? And why in Moscow? Firstly, this is the simplest and at the same time an exciting game that can be played by both adults and children, both men and women. And it is not necessary for this to go to the homeland of petanque, to Provence. All she needs is gravel and balls. Well, good weather is desirable. You don't even need a special room. Secondly, petanque is very easy to play! In a set (and there are also children's ones), there are usually 6 metal balls, and a small wooden ball, called for some reason "koshone" (pig). They throw him on the ground, and he becomes a guide - you need to throw the rest of the balls as close to him as possible or knock him out. In France, there is even an expression familiar to everyone: “I throw or knock out” ... That, in fact, is all!
The simplest game, but entertaining. Especially because you can constantly communicate during the game. And, most importantly, forget about the rush! In France, "balls" are sometimes played for hours: slowly moving around the site, talking with friends and sipping wine or some other attractive drinks. And all this in the fresh air - beauty! I have personally played petanque from time to time since my French childhood. For me, it's like riding a bike.
The La Boule cafe itself is small, but the food here, which is positioned as French, is very tasty, and the portions are quite decent. For me, French food is about taking a natural product and cooking it with minimal effort so as not to spoil it. And the cuisine is built on seasonal vegetables and fruits, the properties of which you just need to skillfully present. In Moscow, this is not enough for me, to be honest. Quality and ... quantity. In a cafe or "French" restaurant, you will often be served tiny portions, the unit of which is an ashtray. Or a huge glass - a la the Grail - with a drop of wine .... The real French cuisine, for the most part, is not the same as it is usually represented here. Of course, we are not talking about haute cuisine and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Since people come to La Boule mainly to play and chat, the lightest and most popular dish is sandwiches. Here they make very tasty bread for them, and this, as you know, is the main thing in a sandwich. And La Boule also has the finest lemonade, which has long been famous, and recently they serve real French sardines, and they have petanquists painted on tin boxes. Blanche recently found these sardines in Provence, bought them in huge quantities and brought them here. Hope the deliveries continue!
In Gorky Park, a playground for petanque, a traditional Provencal game, has officially opened. The first tournaments were held here on City Day and were very popular, so now the petanque ground is open all the time, on Fridays and Sundays. The playing area includes 12 fields and a stall with French snacks La Boule.
Renting a set of balls and a track for an hour costs 150 rubles, you must leave your passport as a deposit. The organizers plan to organize regular tournaments, which will be judged by an accredited referee from the World Pétanque Federation. The next competition will take place this Sunday, September 11th. The venue will also host small parties and concerts. Already today, bright lamps have been installed on the territory to play at night.
Near the fields, a house with French snacks La Boule has opened up: during the break, players can have homemade sandwiches with tea, wine or beer.
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Dasha Zorich, one of the organizers of the La Boule site:“Creating a petanque court was my and Blanche's idea (Blanche Neumann - the second organizer of the La Boule playground. - Approx. ed.). Blanche has been in Moscow for a long time, she often arranged petanque games for friends. And this year I returned after ten years of living from Paris to Moscow, came to her for petanque and offered to create some kind of permanent venue. She liked this idea, we offered it to Gorky Park, they supported us there, and we implemented our idea in just 2 months. The first games were held on the City Day, and the playground was very popular: people stood from 12 o'clock and waited for the balls to be brought, which were delayed. From 4 p.m. to half past nine in the evening, all sites were occupied. If we had had normal lighting that evening, people would have played even longer. Today we installed good lamps, let's see how long they will play now. |
Petanque area for City Day
We didn't have time to leave after "Simachev" and the news about Dizengof99 on Taganka, how about its closing of La boule. Gorky Park is consistently open-air, supplanting the projects that once made it the flagship location of the new Moscow.
“We made this difficult decision because it was difficult and sometimes impossible for us to comply with the new lease agreement and the new rules,” the owners of La boule said on the cafe’s Facebook page.
La boule owners leave 11 petanque fields to new tenants - cafe cochonnet(translated from French. "pig". - Note. ed.), while they are looking for a new home.
Afisha Daily spoke with representatives of both establishments and Gorky Park to find out why we lost another favorite place in Moscow.
Dasha Zorich
Co-owner of La boule
“Blanche Neumann (second co-owner of La boule. - Approx. ed.) decided not to apply for the auction, but this was preceded by a month of daily meetings, correspondence and round-the-clock reflections. It was like solving a Rubik's Cube. It was necessary to consider all possible ways out of the situation. Auction TsPKiO them. M. Gorky is a state autonomous budgetary cultural institution of the city of Moscow. Trading activity on the territory of Gorky Park is regulated by the legislation of the city of Moscow. The provision of non-stationary retail facilities for the provision of relevant services in the park is carried out on the basis of competitive procedures - an auction.- an initiative of the Moscow Department for Competition Policy, not only the park. I know that the administration of Gorky Park has been preparing for it for a long time and understanding how it should be arranged and what the future agreement will be like. For them, it was a big and difficult job.
We have been cooperating with the city's main park for eight years; this is not the same as renting an area in the city from a private owner and working there in our own way. When you rent a pavilion, you obey not only the laws of the country, but also all the rules that exist on its territory. You separately discuss and approve various nuances with the rental department, inform the creative department about your cultural plans, coordinate plans for the season with the director, and support global events that take place in the park. After all, in the end, everyone wants to serve a colossal number of people at the highest level (as few places do) - and this is a lot of work. In this sense, we bow to the entire team of the park and its directors. But this year we felt that they were no longer needed there, and from a place that for many was a home where life was seething, they want to make a public catering. We did not consider ourselves a catering company, we were something more - a kind of cultural institution with various activities: petanque, concerts, free French lessons on weekends, children's workshops, DJs.
The rules of the new treaty have become practically unenforceable for us. For example, no changes in the menu during the season - that is, in April you approve the menu, and until October it should not change, but we have a seasonal cafe - chanterelles, gooseberries and so on. Opening hours for all the same - until 22.00. Previously, we had an additional agreement: if the concert did not end before 23.00, we could turn off the external sound and continue the event inside the house until 1.00. And of course, it was during these hours that we earned the most revenue, which we then invested in the same concerts and master classes.
Evgeny Khrulkov, technical director of La boule, learned about our decision not to participate in the auction. He worked for us for six years and was always actively involved in the fate of the project, he was well known in the park. Unfortunately, he did not see fit to tell us about his plans or offer us some kind of collaboration - or at least listen to our opinion. But I do not presume to judge why he did it - all people are different. He submitted for auction a project with the same concept, with the same menu - just on his behalf. I believe that if you decide to become a tenant in the most central part of Gorky Park for five years, then you have something to offer people from yourself and you take on a great responsibility. And everyone will make the first conclusions for themselves in a few months.
I think people have become attached to us. Yesterday and today after our public announcement came a huge wave of support. Some friends and colleagues are already calling with offers. But I hope that we will not be in a hurry, we will approach everything with intelligence and good planning. It is difficult, of course, to forget eight years of life - we will remember this experience only as positive. Behind us is an army of fans and friends who will definitely be with us in the future. I strive to create a new concept, and since the institution is always a reflection of the team that runs it and its leaders, of course it will retain the spirit and style that could be found in La boule.
Phil Neman
Art Director Cochonnet
“Everything that the former tenants could say, they said on their pages on social networks. At some point, they decided not to participate in the tender for their own reasons - we really don’t know anything about this. Apparently, they have some kind of disagreement with Gorky Park.
Yevgeny Khrulkov decided that it was a pity for such a site to disappear, and applied for a tender. We greatly appreciate the legacy that we have inherited. It would be possible to organize some other entertainment venues at this place - for mini-golf or cricket, for example. But we want to keep everything that the girls have done in these eight years.
You can always understand everyone. If I spent eight years on this site, and then I had to give it to someone, I would probably be offended too. But this is not a question for us, but for the Moscow government. We are the same tenants as everyone else, and we will also have to play by the rules of Gorky Park, which have become tougher this year.
The concept of the site will not change, if only because the rules of Gorky Park do not allow it. Some minor changes, of course, have taken place: we have a different project for the house itself, a slightly different color style, positions have been added in the kitchen, and the range of drinks has expanded. But the global concept of "food and music" has remained the same - we will also organize concerts, performances and invite DJs.
As for the fact that we “squeezed” something from someone: we have all the documents confirming that this is not so. We really waited for the girls to decide to participate in the tender, but since this did not happen, Evgeny offered his project. And already this Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, we have an official opening.
Central Park named after Maxim Gorky
Press service
“The provision of non-stationary retail facilities for the provision of relevant services on the territory of Gorky Park is carried out on the basis of competitive procedures. On January 30, 2019, an auction was held for the right to carry out trading activities in non-stationary retail facility No. 38, the tenant of which until September 30, 2018 was Prostor LLC (La boule cafe). Any legal entity (or several legal entities acting on the side of one participant) that submitted an application for participation in this procedure could take part in it. Prostor did not participate in the auction.
As a result of the auction, another legal entity became the winner (according to reliable sources of the editors, who preferred to remain anonymous, the new tenant registered a legal entity with the same name - "Prostor", - which could affect the course of the auction. - Note. ed.): a new catering establishment, Cochonnet Cafe, will open on the site of La boule cafe. It is already known that the new site will also adhere to the concept of a classic French eatery with a large assortment of takeaway food, and the establishment will retain the petanque playground, which is so beloved by guests of Gorky Park and visitors to La boule. It will be possible to talk about the reaction of the guests of Gorky Park to the new cafe only after its opening - on April 25–26.
Updated (April 24, 14.00): The press service of the Maxim Gorky Central Park of Culture and Culture reported that the name of the legal entity of the new tenant is Cochonnet Cafe - Prostor LLC. The press service also noted that the similar name of legal entities cannot affect the course of the auction, because each legal entity is identified on the basis of clear and unique information (TIN and OGRN).
The cult cafe La Boule, which has been operating for 8 years, has closed in Gorky Park. He was loved not only for the opportunity to play Provencal petanque (throwing balls), but also for the atmosphere. This week it became known that the tenant is changing - on April 25, a new project opens at the same place: a French diner Cochonette. Find out what will change.
Cochonette is a cafe opened by the former technical director of La boule Evgeny Khrulkov. In general terms, the concept of the cafe repeats its predecessor - the same eatery with takeaway food and drinks. The branded paths for petanque were also inherited by the new cafe. By the way, the name is a direct reference to the Provencal sport: сochonette (from French - “pig”) - a small wooden ball for playing.
Despite the obvious similarities between Cochonette and La boule, there are still cardinal differences. The corporate identity has changed: the new site has abandoned bright colors in favor of a mono-palette, now white is a priority. Instead of plastic trim - classic park architecture and simple wooden verandas. The menu has also been retouched: portions are now larger, there are a couple of new positions, for example, pita with salmon and chicken (350 rubles), fruit beer (350 rubles). Otherwise, the assortment is reminiscent of the good old La boule: a lot of vegan dishes, popular salads, cream soups (soup of the day - 200 rubles) and delicious cheeses (a plate - 600 rubles). From drinks: craft beer (300-350 rubles), lemonade (100-200 rubles) and good coffee (100-250 rubles).
The last know-how is a good sound, they installed the Ampersound system, which was assembled by a veteran of Russian sound engineering Vitaly Suprun especially for Cochonette. This is a big plus, especially since all the concerts of the new cafe will be free. Cochonette relies on serious artists: they have already agreed on performances with Miriam Sekhon, Mila Rocket, Key? Tua!”, “Obermanneken”, as well as with Mikhail Luzin. Yes, and Cochonette opens with great fanfare: on April 27 from 19:00 Compass Vrubel, Robert Garaev, Sophie Tronza, Kirill Chernev aka Outside 21 will perform. And the special guest will be the electronic hip-hop duet "Aigel", which just yesterday presented its single at the "16 tons" club.
Phil Neman
art director Cochonnet
We decided to keep some of the details of La Boule because, having inherited the mill, we did not want to make a tire service out of it. In fact, we are very sensitive to the legacy of La Boule. We were offered to replace the petanque courts with something else (for example, mini-golf courses), but we refused precisely out of respect for the atmosphere that reigned here for eight years. We are not trying to “fake” La Boule, it’s just that Evgeny Khrulkov, who worked for six out of eight seasons, felt sorry for the project to give everything away for ordinary catering.
Ksenia Sergienko
Friends, enough time has passed to recover from the abnormal heat, sort out the gigabytes of Irunya Cool photos and remember how we met this summer with you and the Bolotov Dacha team, which has become a mega-model of Gorky Park without borders and horizons. If for some reason you haven’t been there yet, don’t even hesitate and arrange a little detox for yourself from the bustle and rush of the city in the scenery of the endless landscapes of the Wanderers, illustrations from the encyclopedia of birds and plants, and in general a very pleasant, friendly and wildly relaxed atmosphere, which we have been trying to create all the years in La Boule - petanque cafe.
For the whole summer, two petanque lanes have been built by the river near the dacha, where, to the sound of murmuring, the calls of swallows and sets of beloved Cecile Plaige and Ivan Vasiliev, they held a championship with our champion referees Alexander and Lilya Borisov. We drank our signature sangria under the shade of the crowns, which was immediately prepared by Valery Kuleshov, and in the evening, at the largest table in the Tula region, a Provencal dinner (no, dinner!) from Mariya Koin and her team of chefs awaited us: 12 dishes - from our favorite arancini and rhubarb pies to stewed farm rooster in red wine with tarragon. Marina, they called us from Michelin, answer them in a personal!
Many thanks to Lala Vaganova for the children's master class and cardboard hats based on Matisse appliqués! And, of course, we are extremely grateful to the whole Bolotov Dacha team, the curator Olga Mordanova, the all-seeing Sergey and the neighbors of the dacha from the village of Bolotov, who played petanque with us for 2 days in a row and even won the championship!
This summer we will see you again, details - soon and here.
13/06/2019
31/05/2019
The first day of summer. It will always remain our holiday!
We are leaving with the golden team of our team in Bolotov Dacha for the whole weekend (June 1 and 2) - to do simple and amazing things: play pétanque, pretend to be Matisse's assistants, listen to music and dance on the grass, feed everyone with dishes from the south of France, remake the world for an aperitif, watch "Pool" with Alain Delon and Remy Schneider, and enjoy your favorite season of the year!
You still have the opportunity to join us. First on one of two days - Saturday or Sunday. From Moscow to Dvoryaninovo - 1.5 hours by car and 2 hours by train from Kursk railway station to Tarusskaya station.
For participation in the cultural program, the Dacha team asks to pay for a ticket worth 2000 rubles. You can do it right on the spot or follow the link in the comments.
Of course, it includes a variety of food, our signature sangria and wine.
For our friends, there is a promotional code: "bull bul"! Do not forget to drive it in when booking!
We will be very glad to see you any day. Catch up with us, see you soon! :)
15/05/2019
News day. Tonight, our friend Muriel Rousseau-ovtchinnikov will open an exhibition of her paintings and objects. If you have a free evening - run to her for the vernissage.
Among other works, you will see a creation dedicated to La Boule - inspired by the evenings spent with us over the years, Muriel immortalized our house full of friends..on a shirt!
This has never happened to us before! And we are very honored
15/05/2019
Dear friends!
We promised you that we will be visiting friendly projects this summer like a magic big top. Very soon, our first appearance will take place in a place where we ourselves have been visiting for several years as guests, where we warm up bones and souls, restore strength - as everything contributes to this there.
So, on June 1-2, Bolotov Dacha, the grand opening of the petanque zone, is perhaps the only thing that was missing there.
We go to the guys with professional referees from the Pétanque Federation, they will teach beginners, promote beginners, and of course hold a number of tournaments on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
With us, like a real big top, we are taking: the most French DJ from our musical family - Cecile Plaige. Along with her, her musical alter-ego, everyone's favorite Ivan Vasiliev, will be responsible for the music. Let's see in what outfit Vanya will appear in the middle of Russian pastorals - this is always a separate performance.
But that's not all: June 1 is International Children's Day. And in Bolotov Dacha, children are always guests of honor.
Therefore, we asked our most talented friend Lala Vaganova to come with us too. Lyalya illustrates children's books, board games, and also conducts regular classes at Moscow's 91st school, and what they just don't do with children there - draw a burning Notre Dame, imagine what Brodsky's rotunda in Nikola-Lenivets could look like if it is decorated, assemble cardboard synthesizers for themselves, and much more that will never come to our minds or to you. We will take the opportunity, pretend to be children, and take part in the lesson ourselves, and we advise you!
On top of that: from us there will be treats that everyone loves - both in glasses and on plates, we plan to cook a whole La Boule dinner on the evening of June 1, and finish it with watching a French movie. Rich program!
Rather, book rooms and houses that are still on the site.
https://bolotov.life/rooms
For the most nimble - we will give a discount on accommodation, which the Dacha team kindly provided us - write to us in private messages!
The whole program, as well as all the other delights of the Summer Bolotov Dacha - bicycles, badminton, books, games, walks in the forest and in the field, farm products, a pond with swans - are included in the price. And the most delicious breakfast-lunch-dinner according to the schedule - for donation.
Also, you can come and spend a Saturday or Sunday with us, participate in all activities without spending the night, for a fee - 2000 rubles. This includes petanque classes/tournament, and a master class for children, and dinner and fruit, and wine)
Next to the Dacha, there is the "Keil" Bath - where Dacha's friends spend first-class soarings for a very moderate fee, in very cozy rustic, recently rebuilt interiors, and all the products in the bath - of course, from the garden, their own or neighbor's.
22/04/2019
Dear friends!
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A new summer season starts in a few days. Today we have to announce that we stop our work in Gorky Park. We made this difficult decision because it was difficult and sometimes impossible for us to comply with the new lease agreement and new rules.
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In place of La Boule - petanque cafe, a new cafe "Porose" will open. 11 fields for playing petanque remain in the same place. We have nothing to do with this project, do not know what will happen there, and please note that any visual similarities are the decision of the new team, not ours. What kind of menu will be there, what kind of music, what kind of activities are no longer in our area of responsibility.
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Meanwhile, La Boule is looking for a new home! We are preparing for new achievements and experiments. Follow the news carefully. This will take some time, as we put our all into them and want only high quality service and programs, and every detail is important to us.
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We are grateful to everyone who participated in the life of La Boule in Gorky Park! Each of these people is a gem and a talent. We had fantastic employees, a team, friends, referees, musicians, DJs, artists, actors, teachers. We are proud of what cool posters we had, various concerts, fun tournaments, interesting master classes, lectures, and most importantly - what kind of guests we had! How bright and different everyone was, and at the same time - how great they communicated and interacted with each other.
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We appreciate and love every moment spent with you, it was a very happy 8 years, and there are still many acquaintances, stories, experiences, dialogues and communication ahead!
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This summer we will be glad to meet you at the festivals BOSCO FRESH FEST 19 and Afisha Picnic 2019: The Cure, which invited us to visit for the third year in a row. We will also supervise the petanque area in Bolotov Dacha and invite you to spend the weekend with us in honor of its launch on June 1 and 2. There will be our food, drinks, program, music, pleasant surprises and, of course, friendly tournaments. There will be a lot more, but we will inform you about this separately, sharing our plans in detail.
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Dasha and Blanche ❤️
15/10/2018
Every time it seems to us that it can't get any better, Irunya Cool proves otherwise, reminding us that there is no limit to perfection. Each photo of the second day Closing of the season and the 8th anniversary of La Boule / L "été sans fin I want to print, laminate and issue a donation to the collection of some museum named after Moscow or photography. The ubiquitous Ira herself looked like a masterpiece - vintage glasses, a black Parisian beret - as if she had flown to all of us who had flown in a good way from the Champs Elysees!
Our dear Yulia Kuznetsova dressed up our house again, drowned it in colorful pompoms and made our traditional badges this year - pins with a figure eight, which becomes a sign of infinity. Julia literally “encrusted” photo memories of this summer into it and once again reminded everyone that La Boule is not about a few warm months a year, but about infinity!
The baton from a noisy Saturday night was taken by Katya Volkova and Dennis Vsesviatskyi, who, realizing that we, for obvious reasons, alas, missed the big SBHR concert - The Biggest Prime Number on the eve, brought the most important thing from it to the park: African maracas, a toy petting zoo and Kirill Ivanov ❤
Further - more: our regular guests 7+ took autumn sunbaths, wallowing in chestnuts and leaves to the international beat from Ivan Pustovalov. Then a generation of slightly older elementary school students, together with the Sabotage cover band, returned to their childhood, singing the title song “Chip and Dale” in chorus and remembering what love can be in Micah's songs.
In general, it was great to see different companies and generations again, as, for example, it was touching to see how, after their set, Leonid Lipelis and Valera Edinichka supported their young Digidon colleagues.
We will definitely not forget the lezginka under the set of the last ones in the company of the guests of the sunny republics who have come to see us! And why? That's right - La Boule - petanque cafe unites everyone.
The finale, which took us all to Monday, October and the first day of our “holidays” (which we only need to return in the spring with renewed vigor) was the insanely touching Sir Carlos Costello, who brought his best records, so strongly associated with the past summer and all the bright emotions that we shared with you.
Separately, I would like to thank the entire team of La Boule - petanque cafe, who specially, so that not only hearts and eyes, but also other important organs and receptors, were hot, prepared rich fish soup with cream (Vadik Shafakov) and updated our bar menu with truly warming combinations with sea buckthorn, seasonal fruits, pear, mulled wine and hot cider (Sergey Filimonov and his team)
Even though the summer is over and we have several months of wintering ahead of us, but there is one big plus in this - after it we will all meet again, and you yourself know where.
❤ : Ignat Akimov, Sonya Tarasova, Galya Chikiss, Dmitry Karmanovsky
