The Blurb
As Valentine’s Day will be celebrated at home this year, Mayfair’s chic Novikov restaurant is delivering glamour and romance right to your door with four special Valentine’s Day menus: one ultra-luxurious Asian-inspired menu and three Italian menus (with fish, meat, and vegetarian options).
For those unfamiliar with Novikov, it’s essentially two restaurants in one venue: Asian and Italian.
The Asian Valentine’s Day menu (£150 for two people) includes caviar, sashimi, maki, tempura, miso black cod, and a special dessert.
The Italian Valentine’s Day menu offers three different four-course menus: fish (salmon tartar; lobster risotto; sea bass; special dessert); meat (beer carpaccio; veal ragu macaroni; beef tagliata; special dessert); and vegetarian (potato, leek, black truffle soup; artichoke and mint risotto; stuffed vegetables; special dessert). The fish and meat menus are priced at £120 for two people and the vegetarian menu is priced at £65 for two. A bottle of Louis Roederer champagne can be added to any menu for an extra £50.
The Experience & The Food
From the efficient delivery to the mouth-watering food itself, I cannot recommend Novikov’s Valentine’s Day delivery enough. The delivery arrived precisely on time and came well-packed in elegant cake boxes and a chic bag, which tells you right from the start that this is no typical delivery experience. Another lovely touch was the two paper menus explaining the four courses, which gives the whole experience a real restaurant feel, and there was also a little Valentine’s Day card from Novikov, which was another appreciated small detail.
Now onto the exquisite food itself: I opted for the fish menu. Seafood dishes—especially delicate ones like these—aren’t exactly known to travel well, so I was slightly concerned, but I’m delighted to report that each dish was immaculate.
The starter of Salmon and Avocado Tartar was light and refreshing, with high-quality Scottish salmon studded with mustardy dressing and gems of pomegranate. The second course of Sparkling Lobster Risotto comes with generous portions of lobster and a little pipette of prosecco that you add yourself. Creamy and rich, I was sure this dish was going to be the highlight of the meal until I tried the main of Roasted Sea Bass Fillet. Expertly cooked with a crisped skin and served with a buttery broth of parsley dressing and crispy shavings of artichokes and refined artichoke hearts, every bite was sophisticated perfection and paired perfectly with the zingy, dry Louis Roederer champagne. For the dessert, I won’t give too much away, as it’s a surprise, but I will say that it’s incredibly generous (you won’t be able to finish it in one go) and an absolute triumph of French pâtisserie with notes of pistachio, strawberry, and plenty of cream.
The Details
To place an order for the special Valentine’s Day menus at Novikov, email reservations@novikovrestaurant.co.uk or call on 02073994330.
More info over at www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk
