I was visiting a good friend in the south of France last week. We were sitting on the deck having drinks when his neighbour, a Russian oligarch who must remain unnamed, waved us over to the fence and invited us for lunch the following day...for "a bit of seafood".
Well, some iPhone pictures follow. There was just my friend and I, two Russian women, and three children for the food. The RO wasn't even there, as he had to fly to London unexpectedly.
The entire yard was heaving with this wonderful food, and a huge tub of pink Perrier Jouet champagne. I only managed a few snaps before security guy politely asked me to take no further pictures for security reasons.
Here are various exotic fish pates in wine and aspic:
Lobster....
and more lobster....
...and various shellfish...
...and sides of arctic char very ambitiously decorated....
...more fishy delicacies in aspic
...more shellfish...
...zucchini flowers wrapped around various things...
etc. etc
There were at least thirty of these type of platters set up on various tables in his yard. Plus a whole suckling pig, and a whole lot of roasted quail. And desserts out the ying yang. All for essentially four people.
No recession in Russia — it would appear.
And I couldn't even begin to describe the house.....it was so over the top.