CAVIAR BUMPS

Your time is up, oysters – the latest luxe amuse-bouche is a caviar “bump”. While it might seem the very definition of conspicuous consumption, there’s a solid reason sturgeon aficionados spoon caviar onto the back of their hand between the forefinger and thumb. With a significant fat content, the fish eggs become more flavoursome when warmed – and the most effective way to do that is with body heat (a minute or two should do the trick). Here’s where to give it a go.

If you have $20 to spare

Glamorous bayside restaurant Stokehouse (stokehouse.com.au) in Melbourne’s St Kilda offers an oscietra caviar bump for a mere $20 – the water views are free.

If you want to spend $100

At the fancy CBD digs of Adelaide newbie Fishbank (fishbankadel. com.au), indulge in a 10-gram tin of premiumgrade Royal Oscietra caviar ($95), which is farmed in the waters of an Italian UNESCO reserve.

If money is no object

For $338, The Mayflower café (the-mayflower.com. au), in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, will provide you with 50 grams of beluga sturgeon caviar for a few bumps. Or build-your-own blini with eggs, crème fraîche and shallots.