The latest addition to Richard Caring's glitzy Caprice Holdings empire could hardly have picked a more glamorous spot: an old Porsche showroom on the corner of Berkeley Square - one of the most desirable addresses in the capital. With Sexy Fish, Scott’s, Annabel’s, Brasserie of Light, and 34 Mayfair all just a short walk away, the heart of Mayfair is also the heart of Caring country these days, and Bacchanalia promises to be Caprice Holdings' most decadent, ostentatious restaurant yet.
The Bacchanalia were Roman festivals held to honour Bacchus, the Greco-Roman god of wine, freedom, intoxication and ecstasy, so, no prizes for guessing what the general theme of the restaurant will be. Caring has tasked friends Damien Hirst and designer Martin Brudnizki with the restaurant styling, which will include 'Sistine Chapel-style frescoes on the ceiling' and four enormous Hirst sculptures, including one of 'winged lovers embracing on a unicorn'.
The menu promises to be broadly Greek and Italian, with a focus - as is often the case in Caring restaurants - on lux ingredients. An early sample menu suggests that there will be plenty of fish and seafood, with oysters and caviar leading the charge, followed by dishes like seared foie gras with rhubarb, and John Dory with ceps in chicken butter sauce.
Bacchanalia will also have an exclusive, members-only area, as well as a an al fresco terrace, private dining room and a separate bar - called 'The Midas Bar' - made entirely of rock crystal.