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By mthomas
I went to Bar Boulud the other day for a very pleasant lunch. Chef Daniel Boulud is renowned for his traditional French cuisine and was recently awarded three Michelin stars for his New York restaurant. He is one of an increasing number of big name successful US chefs opening eateries in London. Reviews have been good and I can see why.
The Bar Boulud menu is based on French charcuterie served alongside seasonal bistro cooking. Situated in the basement of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge (formerly the old Hyde Park Hotel), it has its own separate entrance and is a slick operation. The set menu at lunch and between 5.30 - 7 pm is £20 and an absolute steal for cooking of this quality.
Chop-chop salad with lobster and Oysters fin de claires were fine to start but the charcuterie tasting board and DBGB ‘piggie burger’ (cooked perfectly medium-rare as requested) were outstanding. If there is a better burger in the UK I haven’t eaten it. The drawn pork, ’slaw’ and home made bun complimenting a succulent and perfectly formed thick pattie of top quality ground beef. The charcuterie is also outstanding and a terrine based on Moroccan lamb tagine was beautifully spiced and memorable for good reasons.
Daniel Boulud favours the Rhone and Burgundy and this is reflected on the list, which is strong and has a good choice by the glass as well as top-end bottles for four-figures. Sommelier David Vareille suggested Domaine des Neuves Roches (website here) Saumur Champigny 2009 made by Thierry Germain (one to watch in his own right). Unfiltered young Cabernet Franc, pleasingly ‘cloudy’, aromatic and bursting with red and black fruits. Served chilled it was a great foil to richness of burger and charcuterie. I have written previously about wines from the Loire which are increasingly reliable and excellent value. In the hands of a skilled maker, like Germain, Cabernet Franc can excel.
My only criticism, and it took some thinking to identify a downside, would be the slightly ‘hotel’ feel to Bar Boulud. You could be anywhere in the world and so it did not really have a London feel to it and could become quite staid. Even so , this is a great addition to Knighsbridge and I guess, even in these tough times, it will thrive because it gets the basics right.
Bar Boulud, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA, Telephone: 020 7201 3899
By mthomas
Some wine makers, like some football managers, are ’special’ and Josko Gravner is one of them. Special in a ‘good way’, unique, single-minded, serious and visionary, maybe a touch eccentric or driven. He makes wine in an ancient style and it is fascinating and refreshing to taste this in a world that is increasingly dominated by over-extracted and superficial Frankenwines.
Only wine with something interesting to say would have pulled me across London to Westbourne Grove earlier this week to a tasting at Daylesford Organic (website here). A wander down Portobello Road also added some value as I haven’t been back since I moved to East London a decade ago.
The invitation was from the very polite and bright David A. Harvey, for Raeburn Fine Wines (website here), who champions ‘natural’ wines. This is an increasingly popular and contested tag that signifies a philosophy of non-interventionism. These wines are not always ‘easy drinking’ but they are often interesting, great to share and discuss. For me this is an important dimension in terms of enjoyment. They are also fundamentally honest and tend to be made by people such as Gravner who know the value rather than the price of things.
Gravner makes his wine in Oslavia on the border of Italy and Slovenia where many are bilingual and the cultures merge. His whites, Breg and Ribolla Gialla are macerated in 5000 litre amphorae (see pic on left) for six months. A three year elevage follows. Macerating, and fermenting, whole grapes with pips and skins is becoming more popular and you can see why when it produces a wine of this colour and depth. I felt lucky to be tasting both wines from 2005 back to 1998 and this highlighted both the overall consistency but also the subtle differences between years. When you taste like this Terroir becomes manifest.
These are beautiful looking wines - a golden hue with a russet glow - with a wonderful nose but the taste comes as something of a shock. They are powerful, almost overpowering in their intensity, strangely tannic but waxy and citrus too. The Breg more complex and confusing than the Ribolla, the only analogy I can find is with older Burgundy, Sherry maybe. Suggested food matches are fish and seafood but also game and wild mushrooms (for me the latter with some garlic butter might work). However, the most important match for these amazing wines is an open mind .
Take a look at his website at www.gravner.it
By mthomas
It took some persuading to get me to go out in the rain for a pizza but it was well worth it. Pizza East in Shoreditch is shamelessly modelled on the successful American warehouse style pizzeria with industrial touches, a serious approach to sourcing great ingredients and good-looking staff. Most importantly, they spent a shed load of cash on getting the pizza dough and oven right.
Any pizzeria lives or dies on the quality of the pizza crust and Pizza East’s is spot on. A blistered and crispy thing of beauty, I was happy as Larry (Luigi) munching on edges discarded by youngest son with a tumbler of Pinot Grigio, Mannara, a Venetian Rose which at £18 for a 500ml carafe isn’t cheap but was perfectly suited to its supporting role. Both boys had already demolished textbook garlic bread (passing the really big i.e. whole cloves to mum and dad). Mum’s Italian genes (DNA not Fiorucci) gave the thumbs up too, and her pizza with San Daniele Prosciutto, tomato, ricotta, pesto and baby chard was as good as any we’ve had in Milan or Miami. Even the simple green salad was as it should be, green and well-dressed.
The wine list is solidly Italian, apart from familiar French fizz and a few American bottles (to attract tourist dollars perhaps) including Willamette Valley Riesling and Stag’s Leap Chardonnay in the white list and Cline Vineyard Zin and Stimson Merlot in the red. Personally I would always go for Prosecco (there are only two, Valdobbiadene and Rotari Rosado opposed to six Champagnes - a missed opportunity) in a pizzeria and with some really sound Italian bottles including Sannio Falanghina and Claudio Alario Barolo you can drink well here.
I can never resist indulging my love of Rose’ with pizza and was a bit disappointed that there were only two to choose from. The Venetian was good but there are half a dozen I can think of from the South that would really be at home on the list. Prices range from £18 to £86 per bottle so there is a surprising absence of ‘trophy wines’ given the proximity to the city boys in Liverpool street. A good selection by the glass and over a dozen available in 500 ml carafes makes it easy to try something different.
There is something so psychologically rewarding about things being executed correctly due to planning and investment and the rain outside didn’t dampen the overall effect of a great pizzeria.
Pizza East, Tea Bulding, 56 Shoreditch High Street, london E1 6JJ
www.pizzaeast.com tel 0207 729 1888
By mthomas
- Côte-Rôtie
I have been lucky enough to drink some lovely wines recently at tastings and from my own cellar (put together on a budget but turning out some excellent bottles). Highlights have included Hugel’s Jubilee Riesling (2005) and Guigal’s Cote’ Rotie La Turque (1996) pictured.
The Jubilee was a testament to Johnny Hugel who died this year. Full of complex lime blossom minerality and perfectly balanced, it was a joy. The Hugel website states that it is…
Made in exceptional vintages only, following severe selection during all the stages of its productions, this very fine wine possesses remarkable finesse and elegance. At its best after three to five years, it often develops distinctive “mineral” hints which further underline its exceptional complexity. It reveals its true character when served with a noble fish dish, or shellfish, in a cream or butter sauce.
I am increasingly fascinated by Reisling, not only from Alsace, but my main problem is letting them age for long enough because I can’t resist opening them. I have already been attacking my 2007s despite knowing they are nowhere near their peak. I have delay of gratification issues when it comes to these wines more than any other (except maybe 2005 Burgundys).
Luckily the Guigal La Turque had been cellared by Will and Bess Fine Wines (soon to replace Corkyswine) run by David and Caroline Gooder. I could never have resisted a Cote Rotie of this quality for over a decade if it had been close to hand. It is easy to see why Robert Parker is so fond of these wines but I just wish that they were more available to mere mortals. The 96 had a perfect cork and opened up over 30 minutes to fill the room with its perfume. It stood up to, and enhanced, a T Bone steak from the Ginger Pig with its amazing cassis and truffle notes. Bliss!
I am currently intrigued by the increasing popularity of Santorini which is now found on many good lists. Recently I tried an Assyrtiko (2008) at Aureole in Las Vegas care of Assistant Sommelier Adam. Despite the attractions of the amazing wine tower there (see picture), the freshness of the Santorini shone through. Also at The Square in Mayfair following a tasting from Haynes, Hanson and Clark, Katie ‘Sommelier on loan from Chez Bruce’ also recommended a Santorini whilst waxing lyrical on its very apparent merits. Decanter’s August 2009 issue had a tasting of Greek whites and I am not surprised so many were celebrated. Try a bottle of Santorini soon.
By mthomas
It was nice to be asked to speak about Psychology and Wine as part of the British Psychological Society London and Home Counties series of lectures. I was amazed, and appreciative, that so many people braved the heat and sacrificed watching Murray play at Wimbledon to attend my talk. It was interesting to talk to people from the wine world who had managed to get tickets, as well as colleagues from the various Divisions of psychology. I have had some lovely feedback and really enjoyed the night.
I had kindly been invited to celebrate with a few friends afterwards at The East Room. This is part of the Milk and Honey stable of members clubs and is very handily situated in Tabernacle Street a few doors down from from the BPS offices. It has some excellent wines available including a selection of New World bottles in Enomatic (vending)machines which allowed us to sample some cracking Rieslings before heading upstairs to the roof terrace. The star for me was Jeffrey Grosset’s Polish Hill 2008 Reisling which was minerally and somehow lean yet rich (I know this is somewhat oxymoronic). It was packed with refreshing lime and slightly nutty notes. A really refreshing glass of wine on a hot London night.
Thanks again to Laura and the staff at The East Room.
By mthomas
I am still reeling from an amazing night in an unlikely location; a supper club and test kitchen in Dalston. Nuno Mendez developed his skills at the California Culinary Academy, El Bulli and his own pub/restaurant Bacchus in Hoxton. He is now using his home in Kingsland Road to host a series of elaborate and experimental dinners to develop the menu for Viajante, his next venture, which will be in Bethnal Green. Judging by the long waiting list for The Loft, Viajante is likely to be a huge success even in these credit crunched times. Nuno deserves the great reviews he has been getting for his 15 course (I can’t be sure as I lost count) tasting menu with cleverly matched wines. I will not try to do the menu justice here as other bloggers and critics have catalogued each course, and in some cases every ingredient, in their meals. I can however try to capture the special atmosphere he has created.
Nuno cooks in a surpringly small kitchen attached to the dining room and is supported by a trio of welcoming helpers. Twelve of us arrived at 7.30 on a Saturday and immediately started exchanging accounts of why and how we found ourselves thrown together in such a convivial way. The only things we all seemed to have in common were inquisitiveness, a London postcode and an interest in food. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone during the evening and was struck by how much this added to the experience. Following an ice-breaking lychee martini with sansyo pepper (the ground dried leaves of the prickly ash tree which produces Szechwan peppercorns) and snacks including gougeres with saffron we sat at the large communal dining table. We were welcome to wander over and watch Nuno at work and he regularly came over to tell us about a dish and to seek feedback from us. For most dishes this was unequivocal acclaim but, interestingly, in the case of one dish (which included cauliflower, milk, strawberries and a couple of things which escape me) unanimous bemusement. Nuno talked about the dish being challenging and what he was trying to achieve with it in a manner that made me warm to his openess, honesty and engagement. It is a dish that many people finished, despite their ambivalence, and I found myself going back to it repeatedly to try to make some sense of it. It was not the most enjoyable thing I ate that night but was the dish that really confused, subverted and extended my understanding of flavour and texture. Less challenging, but nonetheless enjoyable and interesting, dishes included a squid ink porridge with milk yuba that defies logic with its tastiness, ‘umami-tastic’ pork with scallop sashimi, an orange skin puree and lemongrass shot, wonderful shrimp and melon concoction with a pipette of shrimp essence that elicited gasps of pleasure and a white chocolate, passionfruit and black olive pud to die for. The numerous fish dishes, which included sea bass, sea trout and red mullet were testament to the fact that Nuno is particulalry adept in this area. A picture gallery of the venue and some of Nuno’s amazing creations can be found here.
Good company and great food is a fine combination but the addition of a series of matched wines took the evening to heady heights. A sparkling Vouvray, Verdejo from Valladolid, NZ Sauvignon Blanc, wonderful Jurancon and supple Givry all contributed. However, there was a nagging voice in my head suggesting alternatives for every course and I would love to plan a wine list for one of Nuno’s menus. Having said that I can’t complain about any element of the wonderful 5 hours I spent at the Loft. A big thanks to Nuno and his colleagues for hosting such a brilliant evening.
By mthomas
The inside of the Eddie
I had a great evening last week at the King Edward in Stratford (The King Eddie to locals). The Manager, Kendall, organises themed tastings with able support from Matthew Bradford (formerly sommelier at the Groucho club).
The night was all about matching wine with sushi and there were demonstrations from one of the few women sushi chefs who have ‘broken into’ this male dominated career. The sushi was a really good standard and Matt had a brave stab at finding wines to match. I enjoyed a Picpoul de Pinet (and am a fan of this humble but versatile grape) but a Californian Rose’ with tuna sashimi didn’t really work for me as it was a bit ‘turkish delight’ . I think one from Provence or the Languedoc might have been more successful. It is a hard call to match when pickled ginger and soy sauce are involved and, in general, I would always choose chilled sake’. However, Matt struck me as one of the better (more engaging, informed and honest, tasting hosts on the circuit) and I would recommend these nights.
It was good to catch up with my friend and colleague Ash (Ashok Jansari) a neuropsychologist who is getting a lot of media coverage for his work on brain injury. Ash has been bitten by the wine bug and I look forward to tasting with him in the future.
