The Squaremeal Tasting once again rolled into the Honourable Artillery Club near Old Street on Wednesday 16 November. Hundreds of you came along to try some of the best food and drink that London’s restaurants has to offer, proving that the capital has the world’s most exciting food scene.
A host of great name wine producers from around the world filled glasses throughout the night, and there was no shortage of expert knowledge to tap into, while premium spirits were poured both straight and in inventive cocktails, adding colour to the spectrum of drinks on offer.
Of course, there were selfie opportunities galore, with chefs such as José Pizarro, Vivek Singh, Theo Randall, Bruno Loubet, Jeff Galvin and Abdul Yaseen there in person, serving up delicious samples from their restaurants.
Here are some of our highlights – we had to try everything for quality-control purposes, after all…
The beautifully made Deutz NV was delicious with a fabulously textural hot and cold smoked trout from Aqua Shard. And to show that fizz matches needn’t be all about Champagne, the multi-award-winning (British) Ridgeview Bloomsbury 2014 went down a storm with Bruno Loubet’s celeriac mousse croustade and wild mushrooms.
A flavoursome 2015 Burkheimer Grauburgunder (served on Lufthansa) or Ara’s nectarine-inflected Sauvignon Blanc both stood up well to Sake No Hana’s spicy tuna maki, while the same winery’s Pinot Gris was a sensitive accompaniment to the aburi salmon.
Wine cognoscenti know all about Spain’s fragrant Albarino variety, and its reputation with seafood proved well-deserved. Bodegas Garzon’s lime-and-apricot scented Uruguayan version was excellent with Nathan Outlaw’s jalapeno-topped oysters. And if Uruguay isn’t exotic enough for you, with this dish we also liked the Viognier from Grover Zampa in India.
Royal Tokaji Late Harvest 2015 proved that sweet can work with savoury food, especially if it’s spicy – partnering beautifully with Vivek Singh’s lamb seekh kebab. The plush Blue Label 5 putts Aszu, meanwhile, made for a splendidly calorific combo when paired with Fucina’s profiteroles. Limiting ourselves to single-figures of the latter proved difficult…
Other highlights included:
Marques de Caceres’ textbook Crianza and Castello di Albola’s elegant, lifted Chianti Classico Riserva both of which worked a dream with M Restaurants’ crunchy, umami-laden puffed beef.
A sumptuous Catena Alta Chardonnay or a plush (off-dry) Taittinger Nocturne both did good things with Galvin’s understandably popular truffled brie de Meaux.
Domaine Levin’s model grassy, stony Loire Sauvignon or the Ferrari Perle 2008 fizz both picked out the aromatic flavours in Theo Randall’s buffalo mozzarella tomatoes and basil.
Both the 2012 Wakefield’s St Andrews Shiraz and the Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz stood up to Zoilo’s braised pig head croquettes and quince - acidity being the key to cutting through the unctuous fattiness of the dish.
Pinot fans were spoilt for choice with the Sinatra-smooth La Crema from Sonoma in California and plush Central Otago versions from Mount Difficulty. However, Craggy Range proved that New Zealand’s red story needn’t be all about Pinot, with some impressive Bordeaux blends and their complex ultra-premium Syrah, Le Sol.
On the spirits and after dinner front, meanwhile, it was fun to try the brand new Whitley Neill Quince Gin served with quince and soda, the superb Taylor’s Single Harvest 1966 port and The Macallan Rare Cask – a bit of an early Christmas treat at £200 a bottle – and which was a decadent match with Jose Pizarro’s chocolate pot.
And if you were in need of refreshment at the end of the evening, a bottle of Estrella Galicia beer or Aspall Premier Cru Cyder fitted the bill perfectly.
The annual raffle also thrilled partygoers. The top prize winner was Jeff Smeeton from Deutsche Bank, who won a luxury trip to Munich courtesy of Lufthansa. On top of that, there were almost 40 other prizes won including meals out at attending restaurants, and top-of-the-range wines and spirits.
Our thanks to all the wines, brands and restaurants that took part, as well as Lufthansa, our official travel partner. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
This article was published 18 November 2016