Caviar Kaspia restaurant, Mayfair

Any diehard fan of caviar will have fond memories of Caviar Kaspia, once a stalwart of roe-serving restaurants in Bruton Place. After it closed in the year 2000, we wondered if we’d have to jet to the original in Paris for their signature caviar-topped baked potato. Well, it’s time for the nostalgia to stop. After a toe-dipping pop-up in 2017 that marked its 90th birthday, the restaurant is set to make a return to Mayfair.

The new restaurant will be located at the former site Chess Club, Experimental Group’s private member’s haunt that closed last summer. Details are still tantalisingly sparse, but if the Parisian menu is any indication of the fare, then we can expect dishes such as poached eggs with beluga caviar, blinis with smoked salmon and crayfish, and a dangerously enticing 'Treat Yourself' offering of Champagne and caviar. There will also be some exciting new dishes created exclusively for the London outpost.

Interior-wise, it’s been confirmed that the restaurant will follow a similar aesthetic to the Parisian original. This means a lavish mix of sea blue fabrics, striped banquettes and reassuringly expensive-looking wooden panelling.

Caviar Kaspia group was founded in 1927, and opened its restaurant on Place de la Madeleine in 1953. It seems that expansion is on the priority list – 2018 saw Caviar Kaspia open a cafe bar at glamorous department store Galeries Lafayette, as well as a boutique and bar in Rome.

With a menu that encourages diners to ‘contemplate the caviar’, then this is surely set to be one of the premier places in London to get your fix of ‘black pearls’. For us, however, it’s all about the signature dish. Who knew one could get so excited about a baked potato?

Caviar Kaspia is due to open in April 2019