There's Buyan Casual Dining, and then there's Buyan Fine Dining. What's the difference? Buyan's restaurant concepts are all located within a single three-storey shophouse on Duxton Hill. Buyan Fine Dining occupies one of these floors, where guests can celebrate "haute" Russian cuisine in an opulent dining room adorned with the finest of fineries. With opulent chandeliers, hand-blown wine glasses, titanium cutlery, dining at Buyan Fine Dining is undeniably a unique experience in the Singapore restaurant scene.

Scroll down the list to find a significant portion dedicated to Russia's quintessential gastronomic luxury in Russia: caviar. With 10 types of caviar and 3 caviar dishes, Buyan takes its curation of the world's best caviars seriously. The remainder of the menu is brief but no doubt reflects a theme of luxury with dishes like pan-seared duck magret (served with pumpkin flan and cloudberry sauce) and stuffed quail (served with roasted walnuts, pine nuts, and wildberries).

And of course, a review of Buyan Fine Dining would be remiss without a mention of the restaurant's stellar $5 million wine collection, which includes the most expensive champagne in the world and two bottles of wine from a World War Two shipwreck.

"Like any good Russian establishment, the vodka runs deep and the pours are mighty generous. The food is authentically Russian, though USSR favourites such as Uzbek pork and Kiev chicken are included. We started with the layered salmon salad ($10), a light dish, by Russian standards, featuring eggs, cheese, butter and mayo. The pelmeni ($15), delicious dough pockets filled with mutton, beef and pork – the Russian version of dim sum dumplings – was spectacularly savoury." -Expat Living

"Housed in an atmospheric triple-storey shop house at the hip Duxton Hill enclave, Buyan offers a trio of experiences to woo Singaporeans to a whole new world of Russian dining [including] a theatrical two-tiered fine dining salon with dome-shaped roof adorned by hand-painted murals on level two." -InSing.com

If Buyan will be your first experience in Russian fine dining, don't feel intimidated. The iPad menu features illustrious photos and descriptions of the dishes, making it easy to appreciate Russian cuisine. We'd suggest learning about Buyan's selection of caviar on the iPad. Environmentalists will love that the caviar has been harvested with the eco-friendly milking technique. Sprinkle some caviar across a toasted bilini (a mini pancake), a neutral complement to the burst of savoury flavour from the caviar, and you're on the right track.

We'd suggest the slow-cooked beef stroganoff, with isigny cream sauce and sauteed chanterelle mushrooms. To offset the creaminess of the tender beef and the classic stroganoff sauce, sip on a glass of one their impressive selections of wine. With a $5 million collection of French, Russian, and Georgian wines dating back to 1877, Buyan's wine list may be a little overwhelming, but you have the freedom to be non-committal and spread the love since every wine is available by the glass.

"No longer merely the mythological disappearing island in Russian folklore, Buyan has manifested itself tangibly in this Duxton Hill space that spans two shophouses and three floors. Vodka and caviar bars on the ground level serve over 50 premium voddies; terrace and courtyard settings on the second are for fine dining; and a casual dining space up top holds a service bar. This luxurious – and ambitious – Russian restaurant plates up a traditional menu that includes Kamchatka crabs, blinchaty pirog (blinis stuffed with minced beef), vegetarian golubsty (stuffed cabbage leaves), and Napoleon cake (French layered cake adopted by the Russians) with lingonberry compôte. If you're feeling ecoconscious, the caviar, 'wild' boar and geese are taken from the farmed varieties. Oh, and of course, there are iPad menus." -Time Out Singapore

Ayden Wines Old World Wine List of the Year 2012 finalist -The Gourmet Panel category