Have you heard about the secret garden on the outskirts of Bristol? Okay, it's not that secret, its restaurant has won a number of awards in its time, but it's still a little off-the-beaten-track destination that rewards you with beautiful food and a magical Victorian walled garden for your efforts.
The Ethicurean has been on my list of 'restaurants to go to' for absolutely ages; it's not even that far, but for some reason I've never quite made it. So, imagine my excitement when our local food and drink pioneers, The Lucky Onion, announced that The Ethicurean head chefs Iain and Matthew Pennington were bringing their culinary delights to Cheltenham for a one off supper club at
No. 131 The Promenade.
The Lucky Onion certainly know how to host the best events; we still talk about our
Lunch with Fergus Henderson back in April (
THAT pig's head and potato pie… *drool*), and also dancing with Gregory Porter until the early hours of the morning at The Ultimate Jazz House Party, as part of Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Insufficient funds meant that we missed pop ups with Valentine Warner and Sabrina Ghayour (this still haunts me - her book Persiana is one of my favourites), but there was no chance that we were missing out on Sunday Lunch with a restaurant that we've been itching to go to for ages, especially when it's right on our doorstep!
If you don't know about The Ethicurean, they're purveyors of entirely seasonal, local and ethical British produce. Sure, these are the kind of things that we have to take with a pinch of salt when see them printed on pretty much every single menu in every single food establishment across the country; but here it's different.
It's all about giving food a sense of place; The Ethicurean strives to look for alternatives to all the imported fresh produce and constantly look close to home for the best ingredients. These are often foraged or shot a stones throw away from the walled garden, or grown within, giving them a true connection to the land. Every dish that leaves the restaurant's kitchen, therefore, has a story.
So, August 16th saw
'Sunday Lunch with The Ethicurean' at 131 The Promenade, and as all good Sunday's should start, we began with a Bloody Mary. Made in house, the heady, spicy, Worcestershire Sauce concoction, which had been left for a few days to develop the flavours, was mixed with Ketel One Vodka and tomato juice, then garnished with celery. It's a classic.
All the diners were invited to sit down at the long table, and it was time to get to know one another. We luckily had some great people either side of us, and with everyone enthusiastic about food and drink, conversation was easy. A brief introduction to
Iain and
Matthew Pennington, and the five course feast was under way.
First up;
Ewe's Curd Courgette Flowers, Anise Gel and Sherbet. I'm guessing the big courgette flowers that we all imagined we'd be getting, stuffed with curd, were impossible to get hold of, as it was more of a courgette ribbon salad with ewe's curd, adorned with tiny orange leafy petals. I didn't mind, the combination of ingredients were still all there, and what a combination it was! The balls of mellow, ricotta like cheese were brought to life by blobs of aniseed-y gel, and the dusting of sherbet...
Well. I'd never think to put sherbet over savoury dishes - surely it's just for Dip Dabs or Sherbet Fountains - but the fizz really added to the freshness, and it was bloody brilliant!
Next, the jazziest eggs I've ever seen. In fact, famous foodie Felicity Spector (who was also at the event) described them perfectly as 'disco eggs'.
Gigha Halibut, Beet Kvass Fermented Egg, Tidal Greens. Thin slices of delicately smoked and cured halibut lay at the bottom, with the vibrant violet eggs and salty sea greens lovingly placed on top. 'Peackles' - lacto-fermented lovage peas - were the finishing touch, offering little bursts of acidity. The rich orange yolks in contrast to the other worldly purple stained whites made for an incredibly photogenic dish, and a damn tasty one too.
Lucky Onion Sommelier,
Lionel Periner, had carefully matched wines to the dishes, so with this we had
IGP d'Herault, Viognier, Domaine du Petit Roubie, France 2014. 'Ripe peach and pear and a touch of floral. Medium body with a perfect freshness and balance.' I'm a big fan of Viognier, and with the smoked fish, it was a great shout.
Main course was
Beef Bavette, Burnt Aubergine Ferment, Mushroom Ketchup and Onion Powder. Just look at the juicy slices of beef; need I say more? The mushroom ketchup was deep and earthy, whilst still retaining the zippy sweetness that you find in your familiar Heinz brand, and the burnt aubergine and onion powder added extra layers of flavour as you chomped your way through the meat.
We had a glass of
Pinot Noir, Collectable, Marlborough, New Zealand 2014 to go with it. Pinot and light meaty dishes go together like a dream - well, Pinot any time is a dream for me - and this, with 'cooked dark fruit flavours, smooth tannins and a juicy finish' matched the elegance of the dish exactly.
Our pre-dessert was a single marshmallow, but not as you know it. The
Nigella and Anise Marshmallow was one of the best sweet things I've eaten for ages. Every experience I've had in toasting a marshmallow results in the same way; you wait for ages to get that desirable blackened char on the outside, and just as it starts to happen, you decide it's prime time to tuck in. Either you get the disappointment of it not being gooey enough, or you have a molten-stringy-sugar-beast to contend with. This cube of genius was neither. A torched crust encased a moussey mallow centre that my spoon glided through, and the salt, anise and nigella seeds made you sit up straight and take notice. I'll remember this for a long time.
Last but not least, a signature pudding from The Ethicurean;
Sticky Toffee Apple, Clotted Cream and The Collector Vermouth. The guys at at the restaurant love Vermouth so much they've made their own using English wine, caramel, and a collection of twenty botanicals including herbs from the walled garden. They suggested either drinking
The Collector alongside or pouring it over to create a boozy sauce - I drank mine, desperately praying for them to pour out some more... They didn't, but I wont hold it against them.
It was a giant sized square of sticky toffee apple cake, served with an outstanding clotted cream ice cream; it had that seductive squidge that requires you to start forcing it into your face as soon as it's put in front of you. It's exactly the kind of heart warming comfort food that you need at the end of your Sunday lunch, one which makes you want to retire to the sofa and snuggle up in front of a crappy black and white film on the telly.
Perfect Sunday material.
To be honest, I was hoping that by going to this event I could tick off The Ethicurean from my ever-increasing list, however it's had quite the opposite effect. All the inventive dishes, featuring quality ingredients, quirky techniques and inspiring additions, has made me crave more; I must go and visit the secret garden for myself, and prepare to be wowed all over again.
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It all started at a New Year’s Eve party; everybody had to take something to eat and Kelly was handed the responsibility of the nibbles. They proved such a hit that she instantly got three bookings, suggesting that there was some kind of business potential there, and together with Rachel, they honed in on this luxury canapé idea and launched LoveBites… A two fingers up to all those crappy little quiches that we've ever been served! 
