Kaspar’s is one of many swish restaurants inside London’s iconic Savoy hotel: an old-school establishment where the doormen wear tops and tails, soft classical music plays at all times, and senior business people seal expensive deals over dinner. Kaspar’s, the hotel’s seafood restaurant, has a large menu ‘inspired by the seasons’ and packed with decadent dishes like lobster, caviar and massive seafood platters. Sadly, it’s not worth your money.
There was one good dish: a plate of tender Cornish crab topped with avruga caviar (made with herring, not fish roe – but it looked and tasted like the real thing). The crab meat was lovely and fresh, and thanks to some charred lemon, it came with a nice hit of acidity. Three blinis on the side made for a decent accompaniment. But everything else was dreadful. A ‘principal dish’ of roasted cod was completely lacking in flavour, while the pan-roasted scallops were tough and came served with a dull apple and cauliflower salad. As for the angus beef fillet (which cost £45), it arrived overcooked – disrespectful to the cow, really. It all would have been fine if this was a neighbourhood seafood restaurant, but this is The Savoy, and the bill, for two people too uninspired to even look at the dessert menu, was over £200.
Kaspar’s has obviously made an effort to modernise, and it’s done it best with the glamorous bar, which sits in the centre of the room underneath a massive chandelier. This spot could work for some celebratory champagne and oysters. But the rest of the room felt naff and dated. Even if you’ve been going to The Savoy for years and are too loyal to stop, know this: your money is better spent elsewhere.