Caviar Kaspia’s ornate space in Paris is the backdrop for many glimmering fashion gatherings.HOLT RENFREW/Supplied
For almost a century, Caviar Kaspia has been a Paris institution, dishing out mother-of-pearl spoonful after mother-of-pearl spoonful of inky roe. The restaurant opened on Rue des Mathurins in 1929 and, in 1953, moved a few blocks south to its blue awninged storefront on Place de la Madeleine.
When the fashion hordes descend on the city – for the ready-to-wear collections in September and February and couture shows in January and July – tightly packed tables in its second-floor dining room fill up with a swanky swirl of celebrity editors, industrious executives, front row A-listers, gilded clients and hospitable publicists. Over tins of Ossetra, twice-baked potatoes, bowls of pickles and ice-cold vodka carafes, they gossip and table-hop and try not to be too obvious when they crane their necks to take in the glittering scene.
Before the advent of social media, this decadent tableau was a bit of an insider secret. Today, it’s a viral sensation and an often-impossible reservation. That buzz has turned Caviar Kaspia into as much of a luxury brand as the French houses that host their post-show parties in its private dining room. The restaurant now operates eight permanent and seasonal locations, including outposts at the Mark Hotel on New York’s Upper East Side and along the Bosphorus in Istanbul. This holiday season, it’s also partnering with Holt Renfrew on its Canadian debut at the retailer’s restaurants in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
“I think the experience of going to Caviar Kaspia kind of trumps the caviar to a certain point,” says Joseph Tang, Holt Renfrew’s fashion director. “You’re really there to live and breathe Paris with every single major fashion person.” To channel that buzz, chefs and front-of-house staff from the three Holts Cafés travelled to Paris in September to master creating the perfect blini, practice gently unfolding a pancake onto a diner’s plate and be coached on the finery and formalities of caviar consumption. “It was equally as important to bring the ceremony of the table back to Canada,” Tang says.
A special edition canvas tote bag is among the brand’s merch.HOLT RENFREW/Supplied
Open from Nov. 2 until Feb. 28 to tap into the celebratory marathon through the holiday season and Lunar New Year, the Cafés’ tables will become a stage for all this pomp and circumstance. Ordering off the Caviar Kaspia menu will earn you a spot with a signature blue tablecloth and a special place setting. The menu will include caviar-topped standards like potato rösti pizzas and grilled cheddar and Monterey Jack sandwiches plus new options including chicken nuggets.
And there will be merch. In addition to caviar itself, including 30 to 250 grams of Baeri roe packed in custom tins in Holt Renfrew magenta, there are vintage-inspired T-shirts, sweatshirts, ball caps and tote bags.
Holt Renfrew’s big bet on caviar is happening during a zeitgeisty moment for the once-exclusive salted Sturgeon eggs. Single-serving caviar bumps dished out on the side of your hand now pop up on restaurant menus around the world and direct-to-consumer retailers have upended the monopolies (and pricing) of high-end distributors. But the conventions of the Caviar Kaspia experience, wherever you indulge in it, are a reminder that its consumption is meant to be more of a ritual than scooping out a tin with a ruffled potato chip.
Caviar Kaspia’s special-edition tins of caviar.HOLT RENFREW/Supplied
Caviar Kaspia’s CEO Ramon Mac-Crohon, who has been with the company since 2001, says that everything at the restaurant is theatre, citing its ornate matryoshka serving vessels that hinge open to reveal a dark tin nestled in sparkling crushed ice. What’s consistent from night to night and location to location is the aesthetic built around that azure hue. “The main ingredient, for me, is, like Hermès orange, the Kaspia blue. When you’re looking at a table, you could be anywhere in the world, but it’s Kaspia.”
According to Tang, creating these moments is part of Holt Renfrew’s deeper push into immersive retail. “We’re covered in fashion. We have all the best brands around the world,” he says. “But this allows us to share a little bit of the experiences that we get to see when we travel and bring that back to the customer.”
For more, visit holtrenfrew.com.
The Globe and Mail Style Magazine travelled as a guest of Holt Renfrew, which did not review or approve this article. Stories are based on merit; The Globe does not guarantee coverage.