Caviar House and Prunier offers prestige and sophistication in a delightfully tranquil setting. With caviar, champagne and more, besides.

The Venue
In the heart of Mayfair, not too far from The Ritz, Caviar House sits on a corner with its white walls and bright lights catching the attention of plenty of passersby. Stepping inside the brand is everywhere, and quite rightly so, since this is something to be proud of, with most of the impressive wares made themselves. The simple monochrome theme throughout is made less clinical by shelves stacked full of gifts that range from premium range spirits and champagnes to colourful Russian dolls and hampers. The dual restaurant and retail aspect gives a more informal dining experience, and offers plenty for your eyes to peruse.

The Atmosphere
The pleasantly relaxed feel is helped by attentive staff who are very well versed on all the products, and are happy to advise on dishes if asked. The clientele is generally more mature and understated, and with not a great amount of seating available at times it can get a little quiet, yet somehow it never feels uncomfortable or awkward.

The Food
As the brand suggests, caviar is a big part of the menu. Even after a small sample (and with prices starting at £95 for 30g, that's all that many may have), you can’t help but feel privileged to even taste it. The creaminess of what's obviously quality caviar is beautiful, and if you're a fan then this is the place to come to as they know their stuff and produce it all themselves, from start to finish. Two types of rock oyster are also available, enabling you to enjoy something sophisticated without breaking too many banks; the ever so slightly sweeter Jersey versions being particularly worth sampling.

Taking a new approach, the venue have introduced some hot dishes that seem well-suited to the colder months. The crab bisque (£6.50) made with Alaskan crab is simply delicious, full of fresh, fishy, stewed flavours in a light tomato soup that adds a slight tang to complement nicely. The excellent Balik salmon is now certifiably one-of-a-kind as Caviar House are the only ones to smoke the salmon in such a way. They farm it themselves in Norway and the tenderness and silky, melt-in-the-mouth quality is pretty much like no other - it's definitely something to try.

The seafood platter (£29) shows clear understand of the different textures and flavours from various cuts of fish. They’ve played around a little and created variations that include wasabi and seaweed wrapped belly cuts, gravalax, and thin slices of dill-marinated back pieces. Not until all are on the plate do you realise just how much you can alter the taste of fresh salmon with all these delicate flavours. Herring mousse is also good. It's topped with salmon eggs and is rather salty (something you'd naturally expect from herring) and the addition of shrimps gives a bit of texture.

Caviar House isn't exactly in the dessert trade but they do still offer a pretty fine one. The apple sorbet served in a small champagne glass is a refreshing and light end, even if the ice shards suggest that it's been thawed and refrozen again (or overfrozen), which is a slight disappointment.

The Drink
With a very well balanced but not huge drinks menu, including various wines, beers and vodka, Caviar House offers enough of each for variation. The house champagne (£40) – of course, made themselves – is very smooth, with a slightly creamy note - and well worth ordering to make your experience even more special.

The Last Word
Caviar House and Prunier is a simple and elegant venue - a theme that runs throughout via decor, ambience and menu. Knowing that you’ll be keen to take something home, the counter on your way out is full of Balik salmon, foie gras and caviar. And when you know just how good it is – it’s hard to resist.

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