贝图拉 “餐厅是天才厨师阿尔斯兰-贝尔迪耶夫的第二个项目，他是轰动一时的 “桦树 “餐厅的创始人。Birch “和 “Betulla “在俄语中都被翻译为 “白桦树”。但’Birch’是基于泛欧烹饪传统，而’Betulla’则侧重于意大利美食。贝图拉餐厅的概念依赖于原汁原味的简单意大利食品，强调产品的高质量。阿斯兰所有项目的一个重要特点是完美主义和出乎意料的菜肴供应，其方式让客人感到惊讶，这也反映在餐厅的菜肴中。

Osteria ‘Betulla’ is the second project of a talented chéf Arslan Berdiev, the founder of the sensational restaurant Birch. Both ‘Birch’ and ‘Betulla’ are translated into Russian as “a birch”. But whereas ‘Birch’ is based on pan-European culinary traditions, ‘Betulla’ focuses on the Italian cuisine. The concept of osteria Betulla relies on simple Italian food in the original version with an emphasis on high quality of products. An important feature of all Arslan’s projects is perfectionism and unexpected serving of dishes, in a manner surprising for the guests, which is reflected in the osteria’s cuisine.

从一开始，我们就以 “意大利餐厅 “的形象为导向，但以一种非常简约和纯粹的方式。我们知道餐厅团队对他们的工作有多么神圣，所以我们想把这种感觉转化为一个视觉形象。这就是我们如何得出某个 “食物殿堂 “的想法–一个类似于一个不乱的、简约的欧洲小教堂的地方，充斥着光线。

From the very beginning, we were orientated at the image of an “Italian dining hall”, but in a very minimalistic and pure manner. We knew how sacred the restaurant team felt about their work, so we wanted to translate that feeling into a visual image. This is how we came to the idea of a certain “food temple” – a place resembling an uncluttered, minimalistic European chapel flooded with light.

同时，我们希望不只是重现一个古典的意大利室内环境，而是利用传统的颜色、形状和材料，将意大利的现代精神带到圣彼得堡。在这个项目的工作中，我们使用了传统教堂特有的建筑戏剧性手法。客人们通过一个渐变的包围式的遮阳入口进入空间。他们进入第一个昏暗的小厅，然后进一步进入第二个充满光线的大厅。这样一来，客人就可以顺利地从阴影中走到光明中。

At the same time, we wanted not just to recreate a classical Italian interior, but to bring the modern spirit of Italy to St. Petersburg, using traditional colours, shapes and materials. In working over this project, we used the architectural dramaturgy characteristic of traditional churches. The guests get into the space through a tapering ensconced, shaded entrance. They enter into the first, dimly-lit small hall, and further – into the second hall flooded with light. This way the guests proceed smoothly from shadow to light.

我们拓宽了大厅（位于地下室，低于地面）的所有窗户开口，并将它们降低到座位水平，以便大厅更好地暴露在光线下，而不是被认为是一个地下拱顶。我们几乎在所有地方都放置了参考天主教美学的元素。第一个大厅的中心是隐喻的祭坛–一张大桌子，意大利面厨师在那里工作。所有的桌子都朝向他，这创造了戏剧表演的效果，使客人可以看到意大利面的神秘制作过程。
第二个大厅的亮点是中央的教堂座椅。同时，重点是橄榄树和三个基奥特（基奥特是传统上存放圣徒图标的壁龛）。由于意大利菜有自己的神圣三位一体–葡萄酒、橄榄油和百里香–我们把它们放在壁龛里。饮水机，在意大利城市中很常见，采取了第一个大厅的酒柜和休息区的水槽的形式。由于意大利以其葡萄酒而闻名，我们不能没有酒窖，它被有效地安置在楼梯下的空间。由于浅色调和墙壁上的镜子，我们能够在视觉上使酒窖的几何形状变得扁平。

We widened all window openings in the hall (which is located in the basement, below the ground level) and lowered them to the seating level, for the hall to be better exposed to light and not be perceived as an underground vault. We placed the elements referring to Catholic aesthetics practically everywhere. The centrepiece of the first hall is the metaphorical altar – a large table where the pasta chéf works. All the tables are turned towards him, which creates the effect of theatrical performance and allows the guests to watch the pasta making mystery.
The zest of the second hall is the church pews in the centre. At the same time, the accents are made on the olive tree and the three kiots (a kiot is a niche traditionally housing icons of saints). Since the Italian cuisine has its own holy trinity – wine, olive oil and thyme – we placed them in the niches. The drinking fountains, common in Italian cities, took the form of a wine cooler in the first hall and a sink in the rest room area. Since Italy is famous for its wines, we couldn’t do without the wine cellar which is effectually positioned in the under-staircase space. Owing to the light colour play and the mirrors on the walls, we were able to visually flatten the geometry of the cellar.

除了引入意大利风格外，主要目标之一是将地下室现有的黑暗空间转变为一个光线充足的通风空间，不至于让访客感到压抑。这项任务似乎非常困难，甚至在某些时候是不可能的。处理内部空间的主要建筑装置是拱形天花板。它不仅使人联想到教堂建筑，而且消除了天花板和墙壁之间的界限，同时最大程度地保持了大厅的高度。同时，穹顶隐藏了大量的工程网络。通过应用分歧的窗框，我们能够让尽可能多的光线进入大厅，使其更加通风。这种技术在传统上被用于教堂。

In addition to introducing the Italian flair, one of the main objectives was to transform the existing dark space of the basement into a well-lit airy space that would not oppress the visitor. The task seemed very difficult, even impossible at some point. The main architectural device in working with the interior space was the vaulted ceiling. Not only it refers one to church architecture, but erases the boundary between the ceiling and the walls, while maintaining the height of the hall to a maximum extent. At the same time, the domed ceiling hides a large number of engineering networks. By applying divergence of window jambs, we were able to let as much light into the hall as possible, make it more airy. This technique is traditionally used in churches.

我们想创造一个非常纯粹和简约的外观，在最轻微的程度上使用表现性媒体。这就是为什么我们只使用了三种基本材料：意大利街道铺装中经常出现的洞石，家具和墙板使用的木材，以及浅色石膏作为墙壁的主要材料。所有这些都有助于我们传达意大利的形象。入口区的开发是一个单独的项目。我们能够想出一个有趣的形状和纹理。它是一种由单块岩石制成的沙井，让人联想到最初的隐士洞穴和罗马式教堂。一个值得注意的元素，深受所有客人的喜爱，是一面深深凹陷在支撑墙上的弧形镜子。这是我们无声的女主人，欢迎并欢送你。

We wanted to create a very pure and minimalistic look, using expressive media to the slightest extent. This is why we used only three basic materials: travertine, which is often found in paving of Italian streets, wood for the furniture and wall panels, and light-colour plaster as the main material for the walls. All this helped us to convey the image of Italy. The development of the entrance area was a separate project. We were able to come up with an interesting shape and texture. It is a kind of manhole made of a single piece of rock, which refers one back to the first hermit-monks’ grottoes and rupestrian churches. A notable element, much loved by all the guests, is a curved mirror deeply recessed in the supporting wall. This is our silent hostess that welcomes and sees you off.

由于对设计的一丝不苟，对细节的高度关注和对空间的深思熟虑，我们能够实现最初的想法，创造一个简约的意大利 “美食殿堂”，在这里你可以随时见证面食制作的奥秘，并将其温暖带回家。

Owing to the meticulous approach to design, great attention to detail and well-thought-out sections of the space, we were able to realise the original idea and create a minimalistic Italian “food temple” where you can always witness the mystery of pasta making and take its warmth back home.

Architects: DA bureau
Area: 86 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Sergey Melnikov
Lead Architects: Anna Lvovskaia, Boris Lvovskiy, Fedor Goreglyad, Maria Romanova, Julia Kubitskaya
Construction: DBG
Concept/Visualisation/Author’s Supervision:Romanova Maria, Juliya Kubitskaya
Light:aledo
City:Sankt-Peterburg
Country:Russia