Petrossian

There are those who sell caviar, and then there’s Petrossian, which cajoles it, glorifies it, sings odes to it, illuminates it… The eponymous family has teleported its restaurant Le 144 to 13 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, across the street from the historic boutique, in order to serve even more of its salty pearls. The day we went for lunch, in a beautiful wooden space barely brushed by Hokusai’s waves, after tasting the Baïka variety from Aquitaine (black and powerful) and the Daurenki from the Amur river (fatty and coppery), we opted for 15 grams of the sublime “Russian” Ossetra with a bronze sheen (€39), served with warm blinis, thick cream and toast, followed by a Zakouski plate: old-fashioned smoked salmon, a spoonful of taramasalata that had us weak in the knees, crisp salmon roe and pickles (€41). Otherwise, opt for Renaud Ramamourty’s (ex-Hexagone) elegant menu that’s been given the caviar treatment: a thick tart with smoked cream and the full-flavoured Alverta caviar (€39); durum wheat tagliatelle, a vodka cream sauce and Ossetra caviar (€49), etc. To drink, there’s not much to choose from but it’s organic: Lallier Champagne (€18 a glass), a white Sancerre from the Domaine Fouassier (€60 a bottle)… Or Petrossian vodka infused with caviar (€15 for 40 ml). Caviar from €39 to €3,210 – yes, truly – for 250 grams of Beluga “Grande Réserve” caviar. Menus €39-46 (weekday lunch), €130-170 (with caviar). À la carte €80-107. // V.V.