米尔餐厅丨Evdokimov.Design Studio

What it is

Georgian Restaurant-House is located in the building of the oldest grain-processing enterprise.

Total area: 670 sq. m.Number of places: 170Project implementation: 2020-2021

Concept

It is bread and wine that can be named both the basis of Georgian cuisine and the heart of this Restaurant-House. This is the place where you can relax both mentally and physically, find tasty food and delicious wines, amazing people who are singing, dancing and are always glad to see you. The idea of the restaurant is fully rhymed with the history of the Mill and is intertwined everywhere: from interior to cuisine.

Evdokimov.Design Studio found the way to present this story to its visitors. On the ground floor of the restaurant there are replicated windmill elements of the pre-industrial period: millstones, oak hoppers, a huge mill shaft. They are the elements of a beautiful but almost lost culture. Rich greening space is a part of a concept to commemorate the first greenhouse. To emphasize it even more we created a ”wild wood” atmosphere.

The title of the biggest Georgian restaurant is not an exaggeration: several halls and an all-season terrace occupy two spacious floors. It represents such a Georgian house – wealthy, purebred, with paintings, wooden elements, carpets and capes for furniture.

Process

Total area: 670 sq.m.Implementation: 2021

When the builders started the reconstruction, they found the “remnants” of the neighboring buildings – piles of vintage bricks. It was decided to use such a precious material; the bricks were cut and laid on the floor of the restaurant. If you take a closer look at them, you will notice that all the bricks are different since each of them is hand-made. You can literally touch the history. Despite the fact that these bricks are the only authentic element in the interior of the Mill, we still managed to reconstruct the traditions. The team went on an expedition across Georgia to furnish the restaurant.

Design

The concept of the restaurant is seen in every tiny detail. We preserved the authentic brick walls and didn’t hide them with paint and plaster, and used copies of windmill parts as décor elements. The thick bush located around the staircase, on the walls and ceiling is intended to create the natural atmosphere and freshness of a wild Georgian Colchis forest.

The restaurant has two floors: the ground floor represents "Old Windmill'' - here you can observe parts of windmill which were used hundreds of years ago: oak mill hoppers placed on millstones are used as basins, window shutters are made of windmill blades, and there is a huge wooden windmill shaft next to the staircase.​​​​​​​

The main hall on the first floor where green marble staircase leads up is called “Bread and Wine”. We insisted on the open kitchen space so that each guest can be fully involved into the process of creating an authentic meal. Sabre shaped bread is baked in the Georgian oven called Tone and to the left there are tables to roll dough. The guests can observe the whole process as if they are at a colourful Georgian feast. A huge cabinet full of wines from different regions of Sakartvelo is behind the back curtain of the Wine Hall called “Marani''. We tried to preserve this warm and open atmosphere to create the Restaurant-House.

Furniture

Wooden tables are set in a row in front of the open kitchen space where cooks make Kharcho, roast Tapaka chickens, make barbeque (kebab) and other dishes. The most remarkable table is to the left from the entrance, it has a big round white felt lampshade which looks either like Khinkali or as a big warm hat. You can also sit in the XIX century rocking chair under the marble staircase. It was also found somewhere in the very heart of Georgia. The colour of the upholstery of sofas and pillows was inspired by the grape variety Saperavi

Details

Décor of the restaurant also has its history. One of the carpets with two gracious lions depicted on it was brought from the very heart of Georgia. Basins and lamps are smaller versions of hoppers which were used to pour the grain, there is a windmill shaft which hangs on the wall and windmill blades which are used as window shutters.

The most expensive décor in the restaurant is the painting by Konstantin Totibadze who is a third generation painter, and Tbilisi State Academy of arts is named after his grandfather. The vase depicted on this canvas has the shade of “Tiflis Turquoise” and it determined the colour scheme of the interior. ​​​​​​​

The frescoes (murals)  “Peacock”, “Snow leopard”,  “Bouquet”  painted on concrete walls are made in Merab Abramishvili style. You can organise your private celebration or presentation in a Small Hall called “Patara” where two majestic lamps with melted wax and carpet hanging on the wall create a unique atmosphere of this Restaurant-House