Bordeaux Wine Dinner at Hotel Du Vin Cheltenham

Hotel du Vin. The name says it all really; a hotel with a focus on wine. Sweet deal. So why is it that I never think of going there for a drink? It is because it's a hotel chain (usually a soulless affair)? Is it because it's slightly (hardly) off the beaten track? Is it because I have already found myself a really good local wine bar? Who knows, but after two years of frequenting other bars and restaurants, I returned to Cheltenham's Hotel du Vin with a booking for their Bordeaux Wine Dinner.

Everyone's heard of Bordeaux, right? You can definitely spend big bucks on a flashy bottle, whether it's worth it or not is another question, and you can easily get suckered into buying a bottle of plonk just because of the label saying where it's from. Wine can be a mine field, particularly this French region, but with a representative from Bibendum and HDV's sommelier, we were guided through some delicious wines paired to a three course dinner cooked by Head Chef Paul Motram.

Underneath the twinkling wine glass chandelier, we began our evening with a refreshing Lillet Blanc, honey and lemon cocktail alongside a selection of canapés. Our host dug out her wine-cyclopaedia, giving us a brief bio of Bordeaux; I think we were all dreaming of traveling around the southwest of France as we nibbled our paté toasts.

Rather than picking the wine to match the food, here the wine comes first, and we started with Château Carbonnieux White. A blend of 60:40 Sauvignon:Semillon, it's aged in used oak barrels for just under a year. The Semillon grapes tame down the zippiness of the Sauvignon by giving them roundness and volume on the palate, whilst the subtle oak adds richness. There's a grapefruit acidity in the first sip, which develops into ripe peaches and finishes with a creamy mouthfeel. An excellent partner to our starter; pan seared sea bass, cod brandade gratin, fennel purée and preserved lemon sauce. Admittedly not the prettiest of dishes - a sea of beige and brown should only be seen at your local bakery - but looks can be deceiving. Send more of that silky brandade my way, the super saltiness was well balanced with the wine, and all that was missing was the French sunshine.

To accompany our mains we had a Bordeaux battle; two reds from the same year, one left bank and one right bank. Château Langoa Barton 2005, Saint-Julien vs. Château de Fonbel 2005, Saint-Emilion. Recognisable appellations, sure, and most winos will have their preference, but before this I couldn't have told you which side I was on. Whist all Bordeauxs are blends, Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape in the left bank, whilst Merlot takes the majority on the right. The Saint-Julien was jammy, with ripe blackberries and a touch of tobacco, whilst the Saint-Emilion was lighter in body and had a more concentrated berry flavour. Both beaut, but I've discovered I'm a Saint-Julien girl. 

Our main course was not your usual hotel restaurant fayre; beef fillet and braised short rib, almond croquette, tenderstem broccoli and confit tomato jus. Just a nudge with a knife and the short rib collapsed in its thick, glossy sauce, and that fillet… Rich, meaty, delicious. 'Nuff said. Could've done with a few more greens, but I don't go out to eat for health. Both wines were great with it, though the Julien still edged it for me.  

After seeing ile flotantes (floating islands) on various cooking shows throughout the years, HDV were the ones to pop my cherry. A large poached meringue marooned on a vanilla crème anglasie with caramel and toasted flaked almonds on top. It's both light and heavy at the same time - a little boggling - and I don't think anyone could finish their bowl - it really was massive - but it was so good with our final wine of the night; a chilled golden glass of Sauternes! Made from grapes affected by Noble Rot, it has a sweet nectar/honey flavour, but a lingering acidity that keeps it fresh and stops your mouth from being sugared out. Yu-um. Pass the bottle.

We left Hotel du Vin feeling full and a little sozzled, and on our walk home made an "executive decision" that the £70 per person it cost was actually a really good deal. Not only did we have a snazzy cocktail and lots of canapés to start, but three courses with four wines, all of which were generously poured and equally as generously topped up! It does sound like a lot to fork out all at once - I'd certainly wince - but for what you actually get (including the explanations from Bibendum and the sommelier) it's good value.

If you're into wine, or want to get into wine, this is a great starting place. Not only will you gain some knowledge, but you'll taste some new things and get fed with plenty of delicious foods. From now on I shall never underestimate Hotel du Vin; it's worth a visit.

The next Wine Dinner is Friday 20th October at 7pm focussing on the Rhone (£80), or Friday 24th November with Portuguese wines (£65). Treat yourselves and book now!

The Lucky Onion Club Presents: Sunday Lunch with The Ethicurean

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.

The Lucky Onion Club presents Sunday Lunch with The Ethicurean from The Lucky Onion on Vimeo.

All Smoke & Fire at Stockholm's Ekstedt

Back in June we went on a family holiday to Stockholm. Having booked it months before, The Chap and I, along with my parents, were seriously looking forward to sampling all the authentic Scandi style food; think proper meatballs - without even a hint of Ikea - coupled with lingonberries and pickled cucumber, herring galore, dill fronds fondling everything, and plenty of cardamom buns…

Low and behold, a month or so before our trip, Stockholm was featured in the finals of Masterchef. Now, as you could probably have guessed, food programmes are my thing, so getting this little foodie insight into the city got me extremely excited about the whole thing. The finalists first cooked at Gastrologik, which has a minimalist "new nordic" approach - along with a Michelin Star - and as such, is quite pricey. The second restaurant, Ekstedt, which also has a Michelin Star, seemed to be in a league of its own.

With no gas or electric appliances in the kitchen, every item of food is cooked over the restaurant’s beastly fire pit, in a wood-fired oven or on top of a wood burning stove. And whilst stripping back the kitchen might sound easier than tackling some sous-vide techniques, making gels and foams, or playing with liquid nitrogen, Masterchef showed us that it clearly isn't; the flustered finalists did provide some great TV entertainment though.

After watching it, I immediately urged my folks to do so too, and gaging their response - equally in awe - I decided to book us a table.

Ekstedt is one of those 'blink and you'll miss it' restaurants. Having no bells and whistles on the outside - the reputation is enough - there's just the faint scent of smoke to lure diners in. And once you're in, you'll find some of the best in Scandinavian design; birch, leather, copper and stone run throughout the timbered interior, and with some good tunes in the background, it's both rustic and relaxing. The open kitchen also gives you the privilege of seeing the super stylish tattooed chefs, in checked shirts and signature denim and leather aprons, executing every dish to perfection.

"Dinner at Ekstedt is more than a meal. It’s an experience for life." Using just heat, soot, ash, smoke and fire to infuse flavour, texture, and taste is as old school as you can get, yet here it seems fresh, inventive and exciting. The chefs swear by the Scandinavian wood they use in order to create "superior flames", giving the food a truly unique character – one, they assure us, that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.

With a menu based on ingredients from the sea, forests, meadows and fields, you can choose either the 4 course option (which is what we had) or 6 courses - easy - no tricky a la carte decisions to make! There's also a matching wine flight available, which is deemed "as ambitious as the food"; they buy small quantities of great wines, preferring them to be as natural as possible to compliment the natural flavours of the food. In other words, there are probably some very interesting and somewhat 'funky' wines being served. Trying not to blow all our Swedish Krona in one go, we decided to just get a bottle to share between us; I don't remember the specifics, but it was a cracking USA Pinot.

Almost as soon as we were seated, out came some appetisers; miniature pizzas! A thin, crispy sourdough base, topped with chanterelles, podded broad beans and goats cheese. I couldn't help but think that scaling this up to a full sized pizza would be an absolute dream, and I definitely didn't want to share these mini slices!

More breaded goods arrived at the table in the form of the springiest hunks of warm sourdough. That alone would've impressed me, but the butter it came with made it even better. Freshly churned in-house, it was served in a little dish along with a splash of tangy buttermilk (the by-product of the process of making butter). We were all banging our heads on the table wondering why we'd not thought of doing this before! Needless to say, we polished the bread and butter off pretty quickly - it was too good - and asked for more.

Apologies for the poor photography; we weren't near any windows and it was dimly lit, so my poor iPhone had no chance of being able to take any good snaps. However, our first course was smoked char with beans and Swedish seaweed. I think it shows an incredible amount of skill being able to cook something as delicate as a piece of fish purely on some ferocious flames; it would only take a matter of seconds for it to be overcooked. Smoky, salty, green and fresh, it highlighted the simplicity of the ingredients, allowing each to speak for themselves.

Next was an absolute stunner, beef baked in hay with salsify and ramson capers (seen above too). I consider myself to have had two exceptional beef experiences lately; firstly, that Galician beef at Kitty Fisher's in Mayfair, and secondly, this. A thick black crust around the outside framed the blushing red meat in the middle, and it was making eyes at me as it sat glistening on a separate 'sharing stone'. It was one of those moments when you take a bite and have to put your cutlery down to really think about how bloody good it is; even the strip of fat just melted in the mouth. The caramelised salsify and ramson (wild garlic) capers were an inspired touch, but the beef was obviously the star, and The Chap unashamedly licked his plate clean.

The last of the savoury dishes was controversially a veggie one; you'd usually expect the meaty course to be the 'main'. New potato with truffle and woodfired oven baked onion. The new potatoes weren't like any I'd had before; essentially a salty crispy shell with fluffy carb-y goodness inside - a little like mini jackets, but better - and the onion was succulently sweet. The shavings of zebra-esque truffle did it for me too.

Dessert was frozen yoghurt with raspberries and pistachio. Fresh and clean flavours, combined with a sweet nuttiness and deep, smoky honey notes, ended our dinner on a high, and we all proclaimed to have loved every inch of it.

I guess there's something very primitive about Ekstedt; man hunts food, man makes fire, man uses fire to cook food, etc. And with many restaurants now housing Josper Grills and Big Green Eggs to play with fire and smoke, is this really that different?... Yes, yes, a million times yes. To have nothing else in the kitchen other than fire is exactly what sets it apart, and the fact that it's not overdone is why it's so great. It'd be far too easy to char every ingredient, making the whole menu taste quite samey, but Ekstedt use their creative cooking skills to add delicacy and elegance to dishes, each one permeated with the essence of the restaurant. Just beautiful, and a real eye opener in the Swedish food scene. 

So, if you're cracking out the BBQ this week, crowning yourself king (or queen) of the flames, then you might want to rethink that status; Niklas Ekstedt owns it.

If you're planning on visiting Stockholm, why not take a look at my Vinspire blog post on the best bars to go to...

Kitty Fisher's Mayfair

According to the age-old nursery rhyme, there may have been a bit of a rift between Lucy Locket and Kitty Fisher; slightly sinister meanings always lie behind those little ditties. This Lucie, however, has very different feelings towards dear Kitty; she bloody loves her!

Ok, it's not a 'her'. It's a restaurant in Mayfair's Shepherd Market, whose kitchen is headed up by Tomos Parry; so in that sense it'd probably be more like a 'he'. But like the 18th-century courtesan it's named after, a lady who apparently once ate a 1000 guinea note on a slice of bread and butter, Kitty Fisher's is just as lavish - though thankfully without the hefty Mayfair price tag!

This time last month I was feeling particularly smug. Not only were The Chap and I heading to London for a long weekend of food and drink fun, but we had a table booked at the hottest restaurant in town. In the weeks prior to our trip, new rave reviews of Kitty Fisher's kept popping up, and Twitter was rife with photos of the most delicious looking beef. This sneak preview felt almost perverse; we probably shouldn't have been scouring social media so intently, but it was addictive, and as a result, it simply made us more hungry and excited about our Saturday night dinner reservation.

Formally at Climpson's Arch in London Fields, Young British Foodie Chef of the Year 2014, Tomos Parry, has been joined by ex Pitt Cue Co sous-chef Chris Leach. Together, they create wonders on their wood-fired grill, so much so that they've been fully booked since they opened in December! With competitive prices - up to £9 for a starter, mains £15-£30, and desserts under £8 - it's easy to see why. The 40-seat restaurant that's split over two floors "prides itself on atmosphere", and since every who's-who has eaten here, its got the reputation to back it up. 

We started with the bread and butter (£3), and you'll be glad to hear that there was not a bank note in sight! Chunks of crusty sourdough had been drizzled in oil and grilled, then served with burnt onion butter; whipped to an almost cloud-like consistency, the butter was dusted with black onion ash, and was a thing of beauty. Some restaurants get bread so wrong, but the fact that The Chap and I were wrestling over the last smears of butter on the plate says it all.

Not being massively flush post Christmas, we decided that we'd go down the route of ordering three starters between us, and sharing a main, before deciding if we could manage dessert. And yes, we obviously had dessert.

The Beef Tartar (£10) was a peppery little number. On crisp rye, the chopped beef was fresh and fragrant with rosemary, peppery thanks to the nasturtium, and it had a punchy acidity coming from the shallots. It had great texture and ticked all the tartar boxes.

Lamb Cutlets, with anchovy, mint and parsley were our second starter (£10.50). Sat alone on the plate, there was nowhere to hide; they had to be good, and they were. Charred on the outside, blushing pink within, they were everything you'd want a piece of lamb to be. And there was just enough of the salty, herby sauce to amplify the flavour of the meat; any more and it'd be at risk of overpowering the little cutlets.

Red Mullet (£12) completed the set, firm white flesh and a clear, intensely fishy sauce. Delicate, delicious, and the charred cucumber was something I'd never tried before.

Every single person that's eaten at Kitty Fisher's has raved about the beef. I'm not sure they intended it to be their showstopping, signature dish, but it's all people are talking about.  At £30, it's not exactly a cheap dish, but it had to be done; and actually, it was plenty big enough for us two to share.

The Galician Beef Sirloin is a prime cut taken from an old dairy cow; something the Spanish do so I'm told. I'm going as far as to say that it was the best piece of beef I have ever had. EVER. Not pink, but crimson slices of meat had been laid out on the plate, dazzling us with black caramelized edges and rugged pieces of fat. Looking at my knife, which seemed like it'd only be good for butter, I had my doubts, but it slid through with ease, and the beef just melted in the mouth. It's actually ridiculous how good it tasted.

It's accompaniments shouldn't go unnoticed though; little cups of burnished onions, filled with rich, meaty juices, and the occasional pickled walnut. Waxy pink fir potatoes, coated in a mustard dressing and oozing Tunworth cheese; potatoes and cheese - yes please! And there were greens for good health too.

We had three options for dessert, but not wanting to over-do it, we just chose two (a decision that I still regret). Chocolate mousse, rhubarb, creme fraiche and hazelnuts (£8). It wasn't the prettiest of dishes, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the flavour/texture contrasts; velvety chocolate, sweet but sharp rhubarb, tangy creme fraiche and crunchy hazelnuts. A simple two-scoop serving of brown bread and marmalade ice cream (£6) was equally as good... But nothing will live up to that beef!

As if all of this isn't good enough as it is, the wine list is very reasonable too; in fact you can get a glass of the house red for a mere £4! If you're planning on going, firstly, good luck; I imagine it's pretty hard getting a table any time soon. And secondly, request a table downstairs; it's much more intimate, you get a view of the kitchen, and you won't get hit with unwanted cold air every time someone opens the door. 

All in all, a stellar supper from the team at Kitty Fisher's; I just fear that the old milkers have ruined beef for me forever.