Dining on some caviar while sipping from a flute of Dom Perignon White Gold Jeroboam, now that’s luxury. Just big fish eggs or Roe for those uninitiated, this is one of the most expensive food that you can get, and even more so in Nepal, a land locked country. Top quality ones like Beluga Caviar sells for around $250- 300 per 50gm according to Executive Sous Chef Yuba Raj Pokhrel of Soaltee Crowne Plaza.

Though purists may prefer to just have caviar with a straight shot of the finest frozen vodka that they can find, hors d’oeuvres with caviars is getting more popular.  Caviar is usually served as a cold dish with something to accompany it or as a garnish.

Chef’s Say
The best place to get caviar is the Caspian Sea or the rivers of Russia. Though you can get caviar from fishes that have been farm grown, they have a different texture and flavor from the caviar harvested from wild fishes.

A famous brand of caviar is the Beluga Caviar, and there have been some attempts to ban it.

Did you know
Though caviar is traditionally only harvested from Sturgeon fish, depending on the country, the word caviar may be used to describe the roe of other fish like salmon, trout, whitefish as well as other species of sturgeon.

Depending on the species and area of harvest as well as the treatment of the roe after harvest caviar can vary in texture, flavor and appearance.
But good caviar have distinct roe that actually separate when you roll them on the roof of your mouth. Instead of being mushy, they should actually give a little pop.
A freshly opened container of  caviar should glisten and sparkle like wet diamonds and not seem oil and murky.

How to serve caviar
Make sure that the dish used is chilled so that the temperature of the caviar is not raised.  Since metals can oxidize and impart its metallic taste, avoid using anything made out of it for serving bowls or utensils. Instead, try bowls or utensils made of bone, glass, wood, tortoise shell, plastic or go the traditional route and use gold or mother-of pearl.

A taste of caviar in Kathmandu
Soaltee Crowne Plaza serves a variety of dishes using caviar like Open Faced Ossetra Caviar Sandwiches, Norwegian Salmon with Caviar Salad and of  French Canapés with Beluga Caviar.

Hotel de L’ Annapurna also serves caviar but they need to be notified a day or so before it is to be served, and is only served on special request. 
For those who just want to try caviar before spending the big bucks, Bhatbhateni at Maharajgunj also has caviar.

When You've Got Money
When you've got money and got plenty of it, the finer things in life come a little easy. Acquired tastes are a reality and liquor is much more than just for inebriation.

Camus Cuvee 5.150
We start with the grandest. Capped at that whopping price, you know there is a backstory that begs telling. The House of Camus has been in the line of whisky making for some five generations now and to commemorate exactly that, Cyril Camus decided to create this masterpiece. The 5.150 is a blend of 5 cognacs that were trademark flavours of each generation. It comes encased in a splendid giftbox and is considered one of the world’s finest at the moment.
Rs. 4,75,000

Louis XIII by Remy Martin
The bottle itself is apt for numerous grandiose celebrations. This cognac again is pretty much exclusive mainly because of the name and the fact that it can be aged anywhere from 40 to a 100 years. The amalgamation of the blends and the fact that it looks befitting of royalty make Louis XIII an experience to sample. For the price it retails for, one would be hard pressed to find a peg of it but its presence here in Kathmandu keeps the dream alive.
Rs. 3,05,000

Royal Salute 62 Guns
Perched atop a pedestal of pomp, behind a glass case at Greenline Durbar Marg lies the Royal Salute. It takes its name from the highest military salute; the 62 Gun Salute fired from the tower of London to mark Royal Anniversaries and is something of real vintage value. The uber elegant bottle, the golden ember tint of the liquor and the fact that its creation was to fete the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, make it a collector’s dream.
Rs. 3,03,000