The eyebrows of Arkady Novikov shoot up briefly as a crash of glass and china resounds between the tables and Chinese artefacts in his Mr Lee restaurant. “There goes another $20,” says Moscow’s most successful restaurateur with a wry smile, sitting at one of the tables in his upmarket Asian-themed eatery.
In 1991, Mr Novikov set up his first restaurant with a $50,000 loan from a wealthy Russian who ate in the Hard Rock-inspired restaurant Mr Novikov then managed. He has gone on to shape dining trends, start new fads and open establishments ranging from the cheap and cheerful Russian buffet chain Yolki Palki through to Bolshoi, a light, airy restaurant just a stone’s throw from the eponymous theatre, where the walls are hung with his business partner’s collection of fine art. The Novikov name has become a byword for high-end dining, where the clientele include Vladimir Putin, prime minister and former president, and supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Mr Novikov has an easy smile not commonly seen among successful Russian businessmen, and talks to journalists, waiters and oligarchs with equal ease, bubbling with enthusiasm as he describes his newest ventures.