Since our industry was graced by the presence of BT favourite Sumosan in 2002, who would have guessed that the opening of this restaurant with its Russian roots would have led to hoards of hungry Muscovite investors eager to cash in on London’s restaurant scene. In 2008, Leonid Shutov’s unfairly maligned Bob Bob Ricard provided Soho with a touch of Slavic decadence, although probably not quite enough to lure the Abramovich’s and Berezovsky’s of this world from Nobu Berkeley. Enter Arkady Novikov. The restaurant guru whose empire is twice the size of D&D’s and whose first venture outside Russia is just a third bigger than Quaglino’s. (Although, size isn’t everything according to the BT Editor’s girlfriend).
After this Blue Tomato writer’s last ill-fated, oyster-fuelled Berkeley Street visit to a nearby competitor culminated in a severe bout of food poisoning, it was with trepidation that we darkened the doors of this truly stunning, vast development which is divided into an Italian restaurant, an Asian restaurant and an Eastern-themed bar/club in the basement. Yup, upon entering, it was pretty darn easy to understand where much of Novikov’s £10 million was spent. It was the Italian side that we opted for on this surprisingly busy Wednesday evening. But, would we bump into Putin, Clinton or Campbell (Naomi not Alastair), as apparently everyone who is anyone pays a visit to a Novikov haunt, whether it be in New York, Moscow or London, simply because the man himself is involved.
Alas, we did not. Although it seemed every other Rapacious Russian, Slavic siren and “old-skool” oligarch in London was present as there were more Jimmy Choo’s and Marc Jacob’s on show than racists in the premier league. However, it was definitely a case of elegant yet relaxed and comfortable, although noticeably, the lighting could well have been turned down a volt or two.
With an imposing wood-fired oven and serving regional dishes with a contemporary twist, the food was genuinely, surprisingly impressive. A meat-tastic choice of Italian Cured Meats (£16), Beef Fillet Tartar (£18.50) and Finely Sliced Raw Beef Fillet with Parmesan Shaving and Rocket (£18.50) did more than meat our expectations, although the over-priced King Crab Salad (£45) disappointed ever-so-slightly. But, the impressive and difficult to pull-off-well Risotto with Red Mullet Ragout (£19) with the Stone Baked Baby Chicken with Roasted Potatoes (£19) restored our faith in Stefano Steccas and his simple and seasonal dishes.
So, next stop, the Asian side and stomach capacity-permitting, the downstairs bar. Having already conquered his homeland, Arkady Novikov and his Russianistas now seem set to do the same in London. Boris Yeltsin, Anna Kournikova, Lenin, Alexander the Great, Yuri Gagarin, Miss Popov, Yul Brynner, Natalie Wood, Garry Kasparov, Roman Pavlechenko, Ivan the Fool, yep, it’s quite possible our boys in Mayfair just might take one hell of a beating.
Date posted: 14/01/2012
