Value meal made for the London banker only 1,000 pounds

By Peter Apps

LONDON (Reuters) - Financial markets may be rocky and bankers' bonuses down - but for the diner with cash to burn a London restaurant has launched the city's most expensive fixed-price seven course menu at 1,000 pounds a head.

Aiming at bankers, lawyers and other denizens of London's rich financial district known as the "City" who did receive a bonus this year, restaurant Vivat Bacchus says the menu is actually a reasonable price.

It includes a vodka and seven glasses of wine including a 1963 port and a glass of Chateau Lafite Rothchild normally costing 700 pounds a bottle.

"It's good value for money," restaurant co-owner Naleen Strauss told Reuters. "People like to spoil themselves at bonus time. Everything is beautiful. It's a bit decadent. You couldn't have it every day or you would die of a heart attack."

The courses include caviar, Bahama rock lobster linguini flavoured with 40-year-old armagnac, hand sliced Spanish Joselito Gran Reserve ham and grilled Wagyu steak with red onion marmalade, seared goose foie gras and sauteed green beans.

As a global financial centre, London has long had a reputation for extravagance on offer from exclusive hotels to nightclubs, attracting American magnates, Russian millionaires and Gulf oil sheiks. But with fears growing of a worldwide recession, many expected belts to be tightened.

Since launching the menu last week after requests from regular clients who wanted a spectacular meal for a "round number" price, Strauss said there had been good interest. A table of six were booked for Thursday with several more the following week. But she admitted the timing could be better.

"We came up with this before Black Monday," she said, referring to last Monday when global stock markets slumped several percent, ushering in days of violent market moves that continue as a global credit crunch hits international markets.