Sobaka.ru: A Russian black-caviar dinner at Merula wine restaurant

On 18 February 2021, a Russian-style private dinner was jointly organised by Sobaka.ru, wine restaurant  Merula, caviar bar Caviar Russia and  El Copitas Bar
Forty guests spent a snowy St. Petersburg evening amid the gilded interiors of K. P. Palkin's historic apartment building, enjoying black caviar and cocktails.
The formula for this collaborative dinner was simple: clearly defined roles. Merula chef Nikita Sechin, formerly of La Vue, prepared a four-course Russian menu. Caviar Russia's sommelier chose the ideal caviar for each dish, while El Copitas Bar, ranked 27th in The World's 50 Best Bars, paired the set with cocktails based on its new Tselovalnik Russian Vodka.
Alongside food and drinks, Sobaka.ru's guests and friends brought the evening to life. Marina Shultz, deputy head of the State Hermitage's Contemporary Art Department, shared the museum's plans. Olga Bravina, singer of the indie-pop band Silvercut, music journalist Dima Pervushin and musician Luni Ana discussed industry news with Sobaka.ru editor-in-chief Yana Miloradovskaya.
Journalist and general producer of the Alexandrinsky Theatre's New Stage Alexander Malich and his wife, architectural historian and lecturer at the HSE School of Design, Ksenia Malich told sobaka.ru editor-in-chief Mikhail Statsyuk about the upcoming 75th birthday of Alexandrinsky Theatre artistic director Valery Fokin and about the premiere of the political production “An Honest Woman”.
Dinner menu
Scallop with black-radish cream and traditionally harvested sturgeon–kaluga hybrid caviar was served with an apple martini. Sterlet in Champagne, delicate harvested caviar and Jerusalem-artichoke cream paired so successfully with a pear mule that the dish joined Merula's regular menu. Dessert was cauliflower ice cream with black caviar and gold, alongside a Black Russian coffee cocktail.