The Review – Novikov

As if there weren’t already enough Asian and Italian restaurants in foodie-heaven London, Arkady Novikov, Russia’s much-celebrated entrepreneur and restaurateur, set his sights on Mayfair a year ago and then plotted two more on the map. Situated on the Green Park end of Mayfair’s Berkeley Street, directly opposite The Ritz and a stone’s throw away from London’s most exclusive Japanese restaurant, Nobu, Novikov is perfectly positioned to attract London’s rich and famous who already frequent the area.

“You’ve got to be pretty brave to step on Nobu’s territory,” I hear you say. No, not if you are Arkady Novikov. As you’ll have gathered, unlike Nobu, Novikov has much more to offer than just sashimi. Born out of Russia and rooted in serving Pan-Asian and Italian cuisine, the venue is spread across three floors, accommodating two separate restaurants, a bar, and a further lounge-come-bar-come-club. Before our visit, we totted up that it caters for at least six different cuisines (seven if you count the Russian bar snacks).

Having booked our table for the evening, we decided to do a quick background check on the man himself, Arkady Novikov, whose name we’ve heard muttered in different circles. As it turns out, the magnate is the Russian equivalent of a rather intimidating mix of Gordon Ramsey and Alan Sugar.

Aside from actually hosting Russia’s version of ‘The Apprentice,’ since 1962, he has also built up an empire, having founded over 60 leading restaurants in Russia alone, including the popular Vogue Café and GQ Bar. In a country that is, it must be said, rather un-renowned for its local cuisine, it’s easy to surmise that, with the support of Russia’s rising oligarch class, Novikov single-handedly turfed-up Russia’s struggling restaurant scene from the throes of the Soviet Union and gave rise to the budding standard of Russian fine-dining that thrives there today.

On entering the establishment’s revolving doors with much intrigue, having momentarily done a double-taken on catching sight of the bullish, radio-wired bouncer, we made our way up to the reception desk where we were met politely and shown swiftly to our table along the front wall of the Pan-Asian section of the restaurant.

Within minutes, we were handed two A3 menus that seemed to double in size on confronting the vast range of dishes on offer. Our eyes moved from oscietra caviar to the French Gillardeau oysters and onto the langoustine tempura and wasabi blue lobster. This is fine-dining with delicacies that, although not typically Asian, raised our expectations. With our palates awash with the promise of delicious seafood, we placed our order.

Before receiving our starters, we took some time to soak in the atmosphere. Set across one floor with a large, open kitchen across one wall, the restaurant really is quite a feat in itself. Above all, what struck us was the fact that on a Monday evening in early January, the restaurant floor was buzzing. Every table was occupied and yet, helped by the low lighting and rich, minimal décor complete with ebony, jade and granite interior, the restaurant still retained an intimate and luxurious but, at the same time, subtle atmosphere.

Throughout the evening a variety of guests entered, ate and moved over to the bar, obviously planning to stay in situ for the entirety of the night and some, it later turned out, till the early hours of the morning.

Our charismatic waiter eagerly offered to show us the produce that Novikov was serving that evening. Ever inquisitive, we made our way over to the open kitchen where a group of Asian chefs were in full swing rolling sushi, boiling dumplings and seasoning fish.

Perhaps one of the stand-out features in the restaurant is its colourful display of fresh produce, which Novikov has named the ‘Asian marketplace’. Although resembling nothing like an Asian street market, it did add a nice touch and get the taste-buds flowing as we poured over the exotic mix of herbs, spices, fresh fish and vegetables.

We also popped through to catch a glimpse of the Italian section of the restaurant which, with its scattered olive trees, wheel-sized parmareggio and Italian chefs fresh from Sicily and Rome, seemed worlds apart from the room we were seated in next door, but was just as enticing. Sadly, we wouldn’t have the time (or the stomach space) to also try the Novikov Italian menu on this particular occasion.

We opted for tuna and salmon sashimi (beautifully presented on an iced china plate), crispy shiitake mushroom dumplings and Saudi prawn tempura for starters. The sashimi was an exceptional dish that comes highly recommended for its smooth texture and creamy taste. The delicate, translucent dumpling cases, packed with the rich, earthy flavours of the shiitake, complimented the sashimi very well.

For mains, we took what the waiter recommended from the Novikov menu: peppered langoustine tempura, monkfish tempura, crispy Peking duck and green apple salad, topped off with baby bok choy with soy ginger. Sourced in Madagascar, the langoustine measured up against a small lobster and had a spicy pepper seasoning which, when dipped in the garlic soy butter, really sent the senses buzzing. Mixed with pomegranate and shredded at the table, the Chinese duck salad, aside from being beautifully tender, had a sweet taste, which was offset nicely by the fruity greens.

Now for the highlight: whatever you order, do, without hesitation, make the truffle gunkan, one of Japanese-trained Head Chef Jeff Tyler’s newest dishes, top of your list. It encapsulates everything that Tyler has so deservedly come to be known for. His experimentation with texture, flavour and ingredients reaches its height in this dish with the warm quail egg and its oozing yolk, topped off with the earthy, chocolatey sensation of the truffle shaving.

Following a bowl of exotic, guava, strawberry and passion fruit sorbet to cleanse our palates, we made our way downstairs to Novikov’s New York-style lounge, where we kick-started the rest of our night.

Sitting alongside a mix of fresh-faced guests and fellow diners, we savoured absinthe-based cocktails recommended from the lounge’s extensive cocktail menu as others enjoyed Dom Perignon bubbles and an assortment of heady delights from Novikov’s Japanese whiskey collection. Sensual and intimate with its grand chandeliers, velvet and leather upholstery and antique furnishings, the lounge felt like a venue where almost anything goes.

While the true identity of Novikov remained clouded by the end of the evening (not helped, of course, by the cocktails), it goes without saying that the food truly is top-notch, the atmosphere beguiling and the service flawless. If there’s one thing we’re sure of, Nobu’s going to need more than a pair of sushi knives to uphold its supremacy on Berkeley Street.

Visit their website

Check out our restaurant review for Novikov Italian.

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