Langosteria, Caviar Kaspia Partner in Milan
MILAN – Langosteria is bringing Caviar Kaspia to Milan and, in January, to St. Moritz, where the Italian high-end seafood restaurant will open its seventh unit.
“This is where you come if you want to eat caviar in Milan,” Enrico Buonocore proudly said, speaking at Langosteria Cucina, which on Wednesday evening unveiled a new menu that includes the collaboration with Caviar Kaspia — a sort of pop-up that will run until March.
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“We met in Seville at the Dior [cruise 2023] show last June, and started talking about how we see Caviar Kaspia and Langosteria more as lifestyle brands than restaurants,” said Caviar Kaspia Group chief executive officer Ramon Mac-Crohon of his encounter with Buonocore. “It’s more about a rounded experience than simply the food. We create memories.”
“You may not remember the food, but you will remember how you felt, if you were comfortable, if the service was top-rate, if the music and the light were right,” echoed Buonocore. “Today, there are so many restaurant options but not many touch all the senses, with those small details that others don’t think are so important, but that make all the difference.” That is not to say that the food at Langosteria isn’t memorable — because it is.
Buonocore and Mac-Crohon share a likable, enthusiastic disposition, energy and passion for their métier. The former underscored that offering caviar is “a ritual,” and Mac-Crohon is the best person to teach how it should be carried out.
“Truffles and caviar are the two reasons a patron may quarrel with you, because they are exceptional and they always seem to be too expensive if the restaurateur does not have the heritage or the history to present them,” said Buonocore, who has never served caviar before. “I did not need a provider, I’ve been offered it many times. I wanted to deliver a unique experience and I can do this only with Caviar Kaspia because it’s the number one in the world.”
He noted that Mac-Crohon has his own sturgeon farm in Bulgaria with total control of the pipeline.
Buonocore opened his first Langosteria restaurant in 2007 and now counts a Bistrot, a Cafè, a unit in Liguria, in Paraggi, located on the beach near luxury resort town Portofino at the renowned Bagni Fiore Beach Club, and one in Paris designed by architect Peter Marino, which opened last year on the seventh floor of the Hotel Cheval Blanc with a view of the skyline of the French capital.
At Langosteria, Caviar Kaspia offers its signature baked potato and tagliolini Langosteria with crab with the choice of four kinds of caviar: Imperial Baeri; Reserve Oscietra; Gold Oscietra and Royal Beluga, as well as Vodka Kaspia shots. The co-branding extends to several details, such as the black-and-gold matryoshka dolls used to display the caviar, down to the cutlery. “This is a marriage of edible luxury heaven,” said Mac-Crohon.
Buonocore sees this partnership as a way to test the reception of caviar in Milan for potential new projects.
Founded in 1927, Caviar Kaspia is a beloved Paris institution, but it has grown to encompass restaurants in Dubai, São Paolo, Los Angeles and New York, at the Mark Hotel and designed by Jacques Granges, and next week will unveil a unit in London’s Mayfair.
It’s a favorite with the fashion crowd in Paris, and Mac-Crohon pioneered collaborations with fashion figures including Giambattista Valli, Carine Roitfeld, Olympia Le-Tan and the Off-White brand.
Langosteria is also a hot spot for the fashion industry and Cucina is on Milan’s Via Savona, near the Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Moncler and Zegna headquarters. Last summer, to celebrate the launch of its annual Dioriviera beach collection, Dior took over a portion of the Bagni Fiore collaborating with Langosteria Paraggi.
Moncler chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini’s vehicle Archive Srl in 2018 bought 40 percent of Langosteria Holding Srl. Archive is an independent company entirely controlled by Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding, which is controlled by Ruffini, and is Moncler’s main stakeholder.
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