Prepare yourself for some serious food envy. I recently came across this video featured on The Selby and couldn't pass the opportunity to share such a stunning event. The last posts I did with some of Todd Selby's work were way back when in 2012 (find them here and here). Featuring theBrains Trust of Gourmet Food, Dom Pérignon invited 9 of the world's best chefs to create a tasting menu to pair with and celebrate Dom Pérignon's 2003 vintage Rosé. There aren't many brands we know on a first name basis but Dom certainly fits the 'iconic' bill. No pressure!
A brilliant partnership between the worlds of food and champagne Credit: The Selby
Set between Paris and Champagne (it ain't champagne unless...), the chefs got to business under the guidance of Richard Geoffroy, Dom Pérignon's Chef de Cave. From meandering through the age old cellars of Dom Pérignon to picking the best produce from Rungis Market the journey taken in this film is one that is shared with the viewer and ultimately enthralling.
The preliminary tastings, not too shabby! Credit: The Selby
Taking inspiration from the beautifully hued and complex rosé the chefs worked their interpretations into a menu rich in technique and detail. The chefs from all over Europe worked their magic into some incredible dishes oozing appeal. Infused with The Selby's signature style of playful graphics and plenty of macro photography the event was clearly a triumph. A spectacular way to show off some of the world's best bubbles and talent. Chin-chin!
Here are some of the highlights from the gallery:
The grounds of Dom Perignon, steeped in history Credit: The Selby
Oh London, how I've missed you! The driving rain and blustery winds have done nothing to deter me from returning, hence the delay in posting (apologies!). With double the population of Sydney, you can definitely feel the buzz of this place. In this little window of opportunity I thought I'd explore London's dining and bar scene to dispel those myths about stodgy English food and figure out what the heck 'modern British' grub actually is. Batter up, Social Eating House!
The hand of Russell Sage Studio has given the place a rather eclectic interior that works well with its über comfy booth seats. Day or night, it beckons to you... Photo credit: Russell Sage Studio
Why not start from the top with this one Michelin starred bistro in London Soho? Chef Jason Atherton is certainly filled with ambition and a quiet confidence. His 'Social' brand of restaurants literally dot the globe whilst his London venues continue to win accolades and local fans. He is also due to open yet another in Dubai. Pollen Street Social, his first restaurant was to win a Michelin star within just 6 months of opening and Social Eating House was not far behind.
If you've been left waiting (and wanting), cosy on up at the bar to a pre-meal tipple Photo credit: Russell Sage Studio
With all that spare time, Atherton has gone on to host the UK version of My Kitchen Rules (sorry to say but their version pales in comparison to the Aussie's) and continues to juggle his restaurant empire (what a cinch!). But let's get down to business here. Thankfully, C and I were able to get a booking, mind you it was on a Monday night! This is just how it goes in old London town, be prepared to dine whenever, wherever (in the immortal words of Shakira).
Cornish mackerel tartare, horseradish cream. A gorgeous way to start a meal with a fresh as fresh tartare. Being such a keen bean on seafood I think I'm in the right place
Appealing to my design eye the interior is practically faultless and probably came well over budget at that! The menu is rather intriguing with the addition of 'jars' to the menu which are a selection of potted <insert protein/veg>. These would make such spectacular picnic food I would think. You'd also be pleased to know that each sourced ingredient has the food mileage printed for it for all to see. Delicious food with a conscience - I like that.
Smoked Shetland salmon, miso crème fraîche, BBQ cucumber and winter truffle. Wow, what a looker of a dish. With distinctly Japanese influences, this salmon was certainly rave worthy. A lovely smokiness came through and it was still under in the middle...Parfait!
Smoked duck ham, Braddock white egg and chips. This dish has graced the interwebs and with GOOD reason - it is unbelievably yum! The duck ham is surprisingly delicious and that egg is just done perfectly. The only shame is that you only get half!! Those chips were also excellent (you'd hope, anyways). Make sure you order this one :)
Charred côte de porc, heritage carrots, white polenta, spring cabbage, savory (the herb, thanks wiki). Presenting meat and three veg (almost)! Accompanied with a luscious cabernet sauvignon sauce (good), I thought this dish was rather confused on the plate. All those elements didn't seem to gel. There was also a lot of fat still on the pork which hadn't rendered off - a great shame!
Social Eating House definitely sells itself as a bold and brash bistro. The full house every night doesn't lie, even on a Monday. For refined bistro style food, mark this 'Social' on your to-do list. Be prepared however that it is rather expensive (throw booze into the mix and you're a goner), which seems to be the norm around these parts. A small consolation is perhaps that you can easily find food to this quality in Oz for a fraction of the cost, and they say Sydney is the 5th costliest city to live in (London doesn't even factor in the top 10?!). Michelin hasn't quite made the trek to Oceania yet so for now we can keep our gems secret haha. Ciao for now ;)
HOLY MACKEREL.
I know it's been a long time between drinks so... Thanks for reading! xGourmand
Alto de Miracruz 21, 20015 Donostia/San Sebastián Now this is what I call hitting my mid-20s on the ground running. Here I have found myself in San Sebastián in the Basque region for a spectacular meal at one of the world's top restaurants. The real challenge was deciding where to go, in an area where there are more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere...what pressure! Having decided that Mugaritz (#3 in the world after Noma & El Celler de Can Roca - umm, who?!) was a bit too far afield, I was quite chuffed to be heading to Arzak regardless!
"Do you deliver?": Father, daughter team Juan Mari and Elena Arzak at the front of their baby, a rather unassuming location a short drive from downtown San Sebastián Source: The Guardian
Arzak has held 3 Michelin stars since 1989 which is quite unbelievable. It has also received a tonne of accolades including No 8 on San Pellegrino's List of Top 50 restaurants (2012). It's a bit of a family affair where Juan Mari Arzak is at the helm and his daughter Elena Arzak executive head chef. Continuing a tradition of gastronomic excellence (the restaurant has been owned by the Arzak family for over a century), Elena was named Veuve Cliquot Best Female Chef of 2012. Totally psyched - bring it on!
The dining room was surprisingly modern and cosy. With only 10 tables on the main floor, there was also a private dining room upstairs if you're so inclined. They had undergone a recent renovation, including the decorative touch of imprinting cutlery into the concrete walls Source: VIP Gourmet
At risk of photo bombing you all (you have no idea...), I've condensed the marathon meal (the only kind of marathon I'll ever be involved in mind you) into a neat pictorial summary:
Feeling peckish: (clockwise from top left) Kabrarroka pudding with kataifi, Gooseberry with coconut, Chorizo with tonic & Sunflower seeds with arraitxiki. We had gotten away with a touch of drama - the pouring dry ice effect never gets old. The Kabrarroka contained a delicious fish mousee and the slithers of mango served with a chorizo paste (or should I say chor-ee-tho?) were served atop a squashed drink can
Hemp, mustard and lobster and tapioca salad: sauteed lobster with crispy hemp bread and mustard vinaigrette. This was definitely one of my favourites (even so early on) what with it's beautiful plating, Japanese styling. The drops of egg yolk were a beautiful accompaniment to the lobster. This dish spoke volumes.
It would seem that we were in good company. On the table next to us was an American man dining solo. I had strong suspicions that he was a food critic by the way he would ask lots of questions and look ponderously with each mouthful. He was happy as larry, what with his matched wines and course after course of unimaginable goodness/greatness (I'll note that he ordered almost exactly the same as me). He snapped a few cheeky photos on his iPhone as a little memento. And no DSLR in sight!
Gooseberry, spelt and monkfish: roasted monkfish garnished with gooseberry and spelt served with dried gooseberry wrapped in Iberian bacon confit. Another artwork of a dish (this would be a recurring theme, no prizes for that one) with its delicacy of taste and flavour. The gooseberries wrapped in bacon added a salty-sweet punch
Fish steak with potatoes (left) and Sole, sea and mountain (right): seabass marinated in gin with different flavoured potato paper-thin wafers. Sole and tongue combined with cubes of dehydrated wine and sheep's milk. I'm just imagining the work alone. It's frightening
As if things weren't chaotic enough during service, Juan Mari and Elena do their 'rounds' of the restaurant to greet everyone and check everything is perfect (no need but okay). They kept a very calm front but I am sure it was all systems go behind the scenes. Mother dearest did the embarrassing thing of insisting we take a photo together - a nice keepsake I suppose!
Longan, deer and roe deer: two different cuts with different flavours and textures accompanies by fired grapes and longan. The idea was to put the meat that was resting in its juices onto the larger plate, that looked like an art canvas. A fruit traditionally found in Asia, the longan was a rather exotic flavour which added another dimension with its sweetness. The venison was an absolute triumph. Cooked rare so as not to spoil the top quality meat, it was so perfect I took an age to savour every mouthful. AI YA.
Eating at Arzak was an entirely different experience from anywhere I've eaten before. At times I found it difficult to wrap my head around some of the flavours, things I hadn't tried before. New is good though. I think I can handle it ;) It was an almost surreal feeling, I was thinking "I am eating at a 3-starred Michelin restaurant on the other side of the world". I felt like there was some kind of aura around the place, maybe it's just me being food-crazy (as usual).
Duck with soy (left) and beef with vegetable screens (right): it's almost sacrilege to disassemble these dishes. The duck was roasted mallard with several types of soy, the beef - grilled rib eye with caramelised vegetable glasses and couscous
Roots, fruits and seeds (left) and black apple (right). The green centrepiece was a thin layer of parsley flavoured white chocolate containing dark chocolate emulsified with kuzu and lime (what a mouthful). Served with frangelico and aperol spheres - molecular gastronomy strikes again! Oozy, chocolatey, delicious - the metallic rice crispies were a crunchy textural touch. The black apples were sautéed with truffle and apricot. Each dessert was served with a different sorbet, my raspberry one was lurv-ely.
Money matters - it may come as a rude shock that this meal costed less than some of the degustation's we get back at home. Mind you, if Michelin ever made it Down Under I'm sure we're plenty worthy of stars. Challenge accepted. Meanwhile, it seems like a good enough reason to set up camp here in Europe and 'schlep' between top restaurants haha. Food critic is officially my Plan B. Granted, we had four 'half' courses and not the full tasting menu. But it's all about quality, not quantity - particularly as we were there for lunch service! Talk about gorging.
Golden footprint with ladybird (left) and Petit-Fours (right): we were a bit flummoxed when on of the wait staff placed what looked like a mouse pad onto the table. The ladybirds of pepper and liquorice were filled with yoghurt and olive oil 'crystal' (no idea there, folks). As we weren't full enough, the chocolates came as all sorts: nuts, nails, keys, star anise. Of course I had to try each of them...delcioso.
Anthony Bourdain came for a meal at Arzak on his food-travel show, No Reservations. Bourdain himself said that he would happily eat at Arzak as his last meal, "The love at the table is real. I was very, very happy to be there". I completely echo his sentiments. Certainly worth the 23 hours flight time (yeesh)! I was absolutely spoilt rotten on my birthday. There's no other way of putting it.
Here's a little clip from No Reservations, Spain :)
<3 <3 Happy V Day <3 <3 & thanks for reading! xGourmand
