Each stay at FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LION PALACE ST. PETERSBURG is an adventure: entertaining, creative and unforgettable events have always been a part of hotel’s life, following the traditions and seasonality, attracting guests from all over the world along with local residents.
According to the established tradition, special attention is payed to Christmas and New Year’s holidays, when the House with Lions turns into a mysterious magical palace, where a genuine winter fairy tale awaits everyone.
When the snow swirls over the canals of St. Petersburg and settles on its palaces and cathedrals with elegant domes, it’s time to enjoy your winter holidays in the beautifully decorated city and share wonderful moments with your loved ones and friends at the FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LION PALACE.
The luxurious interiors of the hotel are exquisitely decorated with festive garlands and winter compositions, Christmas melodies sound everywhere, and in the lobby guests are greeted by an incredibly beautiful New Year tree — a result of collaboration with famous brand Cartier.
This year FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LION PALACE decided to please its guests with fabulous seasonal offers that can make everyone fall in love with winter St. Petersburg once and for all.
TEA CEREMONY at TEA LOUNGE
The festive mood starts arriving with the Royal Afternoon Tea Ceremony at TEA LOUNGE on the ground floor of the hotel.
The tea ceremony consists of savory and sweet snacks served on an elegant silver shelf. The variety changes in accordance with seasonality.
A large selection of premium teas, champagne or sparkling wines are a great addition to appetizers and desserts.
Here, in a calm and cozy atmosphere, you can take stock of the year and discuss plans for the future.
Opening Hours: MONDAY – THURSDAY 12:00 NOON – 5:00 PM; FRIDAY – SUNDAY
12:00 NOON – 6:00 PM
OPERA DI NATALE
If you are lucky enough to get for Catholic Christmas at the FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LION PALACE, you should definitely celebrate it at PERCORSO restaurant, where every year on December 24th and 25th a special Christmas dinner accompanied by opera arias performed by soloists of the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg is held.
The newly arrived Head Chef of the restaurant Luca Crostelli has prepared a special festive five-course menu that combines the principles of gourmet cuisine and Italian hospitality.
The cornerstone of his approach is to expand the boundaries of gourmet cuisine while maintaining the highest quality of products, sophistication of presentation and elegance of the ambience.
Example of Christmas Menu 2021 for Opera di Natale
–APPETIZER
–GNUDI RICOTTA E SPINACHI — gnudi with ricotta, spinach, tomato sauce and Parmesan
–POLPO — roasted octopus with potatoes millefeuille and homemade parsley mayonnaise
–RISOTTO CHAMPAGNE E CALAMARI — risotto with champagne, calamari and shellfish emulsion
–FILETTO DI MANZO CON ZUCCA E FUNGHI — marbled beef tenderioin with pumpkin and porcini mushrooms
–SEMIFREDDO AL TORRONE — semifreddo with pistachios, almonds and berries
“Italian Revolution” in PERCORSO
If by some reason you did not manage to get in the list for the Christmas dinner, you should not despair — everything you need is to book a table at PERCORSO and arrange your own holiday, getting acquainted with the dishes of the new Head Chef.
In the Photo: Head Chef Luca Crostelli
An ardent admirer of Italian traditions and the owner of a colossal experience of working in the best fine-dining restaurants in Europe, Luca Crostelli has brought a real Italian revolution to PERCORSO Restaurant.
“My mom passed on my passion for cooking, and I started my journey in the kitchen of a family restaurant in Porto Recanati, — says Luca. — After my family sold it, at the age of twenty I moved to Florence, where I continued to study culinary art at Caffè Gilli. Then I worked under the leadership of the legendary Gianfranco Vissani at the Italian restaurant Cassa Vissani (Province of Terni, two Michelin stars), the famous Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence, three Michelin stars), Il Lago restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Geneva (Geneva, one Michelin star). Together with the famous Saverio Sbaragli, Luca opened the legendary Tosca restaurant (Geneva, one Michelin star), and at the end of 2019 he headed one of the Cheval Blanc restaurants in Switzerland.”
Chef Luca prefers high quality, fresh and simple ingredients, strives to preserve the integrity of the products and to minimize cooking process. Most of his dishes include tomatoes, olives, fresh cheese, nuts.
As Luca himself says: “It’s hard for me to find an official name for my style, but I still define it as bistronomic. It is haute cuisine, but at the same time light, imbued with Mediterranean influences. This is food that you want to come back for all the time, not just on special occasions.”
Highlights of the Menu:
SCAMPI E PANZANELLA —langoustine crudo with panzanella, burrata & shiso
CARPACCIO DI RICCIOLA — Amberjack Carpaccio with Green Beans, Quinoa & Tomato Coulis
TARTARE DI VITELLO — veal fillet tartare with Parmesan cream, truffle & crunchy croutons
Pasta section, the “favorite” of any Italian cuisine, can easily satisfy any guest’s preference.
FUSILLONI CACIO PEPI E GAMBERO ROSSO — Fusilloni with Parmesan, Pecorino, three types of Pepper & Mazzara Prawns Tartare
RAVIOLI DEL PLIN FARAONA E PARMIGIANO — Ravioli with Guinea Fowl Ragout & Parmesan Cream
“The moment I watch spaghetti and sauce combine to create a great new dish is unique to me. At this moment, I am experiencing true peace,” — says Luca with a smile.
Traditional Italian desserts also reflect Chef’s philosophy & vision:
RUM BABA
TIRAMISU
CHESTNUT WITH CHOCOLATE & TRUFFLE
Luca is convinced that communication with guests is an indispensable part of the success of the chef and the restaurant, therefore he loves to spend time in the hall, communicate with visitors and never leaves the audience without a small show — he often completes the dish in front of the guest, accompanying the performance with a joking conversation.
Opening Hours: TUESDAY – SUNDAY 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Special Attitude to Wine
Wine accompaniment to the dishes at PERCORSO is selected by the restaurant sommelier Evgeny Sinichenko.
In the Photo: Chef Sommelier Evgeny Sinichenko
Evgeny began his career in the restaurant world as a waiter and bartender, and gradually realized that he wanted to learn to understand wine at a higher level. He completed multi-level training at the British Sommelier School W.S.E.T. Before joining the FOUR SEASONS team in 2014, Evgeny worked in many five-star hotels in Dubai, Moscow, St. Petersburg, on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
“Many people ask what my favorite wine is. For me, wine is a philosophy. This means that many factors influence what wine to drink and what to pair with. The season, our momentary perception and, of course, food — everything matters. I believe FOUR SEASONS and PERCORSO has everything to create the right atmosphere and wine mood for every season!” — says Evgeny.
Developed by Evgeny the wine list of the PERCORSO restaurant for 500 items, including rare vintage Italian wines, has received the Wine Spectator award of two glasses (out of three) for three times: in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
After dinner you can drop by the restaurant bar for a couple of cocktails, which will be the perfect end to a small Italian journey.
Winter at XANDER BAR
On a snowy winter evening, it is pleasant to comfortably sit in front of a two-sided fireplace at XANDER Bar, stylized as a library, where, along with undying classic drinks, the creative team headed by Chef mixologist Taras Zavalnyuk treats the guests with various seasonal cocktails inspired by urban legends and peculiarities of St. Petersburg.
In 2021, XANDER Bar was awarded the “Bar of the Year” award by the “WHERETOEAT” guide in St. Petersburg.
In the Photo: Head Bartender Taras Zavalnyuk
“We’ve been working on each cocktail card for several months. Coming up with cocktails is always a team effort, — says Taras. — All participants offer ideas, then they are finalized in the process of discussion, where a real brainstorming takes place. When the cocktail list is approved, the search begins for the materials with which we will work, as well as the dishes.”
The most New Year’s cocktail the with “lighting” is CHRISTMAS TREE — Makers Mark Bourbon, Cranberry, Red Vermouth, Maple Syrup, Spices
Specially popular during wintertime is a cocktail with a very interesting name OSTOROJNO SOSULI — rum, white chocolate and peppermint are felt in the lagoon-blue mix.
Another seasonal hit — BREEZY MARCH — Solerno Blood Orange Ligueur, Dry Sherry, Sauvignon Blanc, Oolong, Italicus
Cocktail KORYUSHKA with a clear and bright aroma of fresh cucumbers, was created with the arrival of spring, but the guests loved it so much that it remains a constant favorite at any time of the year.
Small, aesthetically presented fancy snacks from the Food menu, recently updated under a guidance of a hotel Executive Chef Kato Toshikazu, can be ordered to accompany the cocktails:
KING CRAB CROSTINI — Kamchatka Crab, Mango & Avocado Salsa, Goji Berries
TEMPURA PRAWNS — Wasabi Cream, Tobiko, Mango
SKAGEN BRIOCHE — Prawns, Brioche, Sour Cream, Lemon, Tobiko, Quail Egg
Connoisseurs of black caviar should dip into Russian traditions pampering themselves with one of the Caviar options.
Specially recommended OSETRA SIBERIA 8 YEARS features a great balance of salt and flavor intensity.
Served with traditional condiments — Russian pancakes, shallot, eggs, sour cream & chives. Recommended alcohol pair — Vodka Beluga, different editions are available along with special Beluga tasting set.
Taras Zavalnyuk: “Like for the dish, a competent and beautiful presentation is very important for a cocktail. Drinks should look spectacular in the guest’s eyes. The bartender’s job is to be sincere and graceful, only then the project will be successful. And the most important thing is that the guests leave the bar happy. A bar will never be successful without satisfied guests. I love people, otherwise what am I doing at the bar? Therefore for me the main advantage of my work is the opportunity to communicate with new people, to learn something interesting about their culture, customs, preferences and traditions”.
Opening Hours: TUESDAY — SATURDAY 5:30 PM — 2:00 AM
Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg
Adress: 1 Voznesensky prospekt, 190031 ST. St-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Instagram: @fsstpetersburg
Editor-in-chief: Patricia Kolari
Text Writer: Marina Timoshevskaya
Technical Director: Evgeny Fedorov
Photos: EATWEEK GUIDE
