Every international luxury destination needs an elevated perch for its capital's elite to survey their city from. In Moscow, that happens to be the shiny new O2 Lounge - the rooftop bar of the Ritz-Carlton.
I wanted to see out Moscow in style. On my last night I hurriedly packed for St Petersburg, left the calm of my hotel and braved Tverskaya Ulitsa - the busiest street in Moscow - for all of a five minute walk. I only had to pop next door to the Ritz-Carlton. Past the fleet of supercars parked outside (and admirers snapping away eagerly) myself and present company (family and friends) made a beeline to the lifts that would take us up to Moscow's most glamourous observation deck.
While my studio bedroom at Hotel National has a hard-to-beat view of Red Square from the windows, I must say that the O2 Lounge really outdoes itself. Just look at that vista.
The landscape greatly improves under the cover of darkness, when the city is illuminated as the night begins to fall.
(I really want to know how Ritz-Carlton got that Mercedes-Benz up there...)
Anyway, back to the bar.
I was going to just have a few drinks at the O2 Lounge, then decamp to Novikov for dinner. But the call of gourmet Peruvian cuisine and sushi from acclaimed Chef Seiji Kusano was too much for this indolent cretin to ignore, so I stayed put and supped. (Sadly, not from these adorable Matryoshka doll-inspired seats - too much junk in my trunk. My anaconda don't - )
It had to be a Moscow Mule for me - how could I not? It's one of the few vodka cocktails I will tolerate.
Followed by the sort of Peruvian-Japanese seafood mashup I love so much. Octopus, Peruvian-style, and sashimi platter washed down with champagne and Moscow Mules - delicious, and surprisingly filling!
Red Square at night, Moscow's delight. What better a vantage point to enjoy this view than from the Ritz-Carlton rooftop bar, the O2 Lounge? No, that is not a rhetorical question. Time describes the award-winning O2 Lounge’s revamp as intending to make the people who go there feel "important, rich and sexy - all of that accomplished by charging exorbitant prices for first-rate sushi and champagne, served by beautiful women whose job it is to make eye contact with patrons for just a little too long.” If dropping serious dollar (what economic crisis?) on caviar and champagne, while pretending not to notice celebrities, rather nonchalantly ignoring them for the breathtaking view of the Kremlin doesn’t sum up the bougie vibe of Moscow, I don’t know what will. The O2 Lounge at Ritz-Carlton, Moscow may not be for everyone - some might find the prohibitive prices and "notoriously glamourous” set intimidating, but hey, you can’t go to Moscow without seeing the nouveau riche at play.
Find the O2 Lounge at the top of the Ritz-Carlton, at Tverskaya Street 3, Moscow 125009 Russia. Na zdorovye!
