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The Hedonist

Loire Moments at the London Edition Hotel

June 28, 2017 by Adrian

A Tale of the Occult featuring some flashing lights, a lot of wine  and not suitable for those of a nervous disposition…
I was returning from the ElbJazz festival in Hamburg via the retail paradise that is Heathrow Terminal 5 when I experienced what I can only describe as a vision. Somewhere between the baggage hall and Boots my consciousness was invaded by a beautiful young woman’s face. I halted my perambulation as she whispered to me in an accent not dissimilar to that of Leslie Caron in the 1958 Vincente Minnelli film Gigi the words
“Go to the London Edition Hotel now”.
I was powerless to refuse…
As I sat on the Piccadilly line I pondered the experience I had just had. I knew the London Edition as a stylish modern hotel housing The Berner’s Tavern, Jason Atherton’s post-modern reinvention of the grand hotel dining-room. But nothing could have prepared me for what was to follow…
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I entered the hotel’s main lobby and two immaculately besuited chaps immediately ushered me towards a shining, spinning vortex of light from which there was no escape. I was sucked in to it, my very being split into a billion swirling molecules; all my pasts, presents and futures co-existing on a plane of immanence.
And then just as time seemed to no longer have any meaning I was reconstituted and found myself in a cavernous underground space full of bright lights and strange sounds. It was populated by strangely beautiful creatures dancing deranged wild dances. They went under names such as The Cheekster  and Luscious and were clearly under the influence of the god of all things fun – Bacchus. I suddenly remembered that I was The Hedonist and that these were my people and that things were going to be fine. This congregation of decadence was hosted by a devilishly handsome master of ceremonies going by the name of Douglas Blyde and his vinous high priestess Lindsay Oram. It soon transpired that we had all been summoned to a gastronomic event with six Loire wines matched by the London Edition’s sommelier, Matteo Montone and Douglas.
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But then there she was – that girl who had spoken to me so powerfully. Her enigmatic gaze followed me all evening as I pondered why she hadn’t taken her rollers out…
As a warm-up before the meal kicked off we had a 10 wine preview chosen by Lindsay Oram featuring choice bottles from the Loire, France’s longest river. Loire wines come from four regions; Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur and Touraine with familiar appellations such as Chinon and Muscadet, Rosé d’Anjou and Vouvray and less well know ones that are ripe for discovery such as Bonnezeaux and Savennières. The range of wines is staggering and with 250 million bottles of Loire wine being sold a year it’s a big business. I particularly enjoyed a bone dry Touraine Mousseaux, Monmousseau Cuvée J.M., a classic Muscadet from Louis Métaireau, Grand Mouton, 2015, a strawberry infused 2016 Rosé d’Anjou from Maison Bougrier and the honeyed sweetness of a 2015 Coteaux du Layon Rablay, Chateau la Tomaze.
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And then to the main event…The opening gambit was a generous plate of fresh sweet and smokey Colchester crab, with a deliciously pungent brown crab mayo, apple and coriander, served on a slice of toasted sourdough. Crab starters are a signature of Atherton’s restaurants and this was a perfectly balanced plate. Our glass of organic Muscadet cotes de Grandlieu sur Lie, Clos de la Senaigerie 2015, Domaine des Herbauges made by two brothers matched the dichotomous nature of the crustacean’s flavours particularly well.  It had a lean, light minerality with enough acidity to cut through the brown crabmeat flavour.
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Pan-fried rainbow trout arrived with a perfectly seared skin, chargrilled courgette, a pokey wasabi butter sauce, and a dollop of caviar on top for added salty sensuality. For our wine we had moved 65 miles east to the most exciting region of white in the region. Our silky, chalky glass of Savennières Clos de la Hutte, 2015, Thibault Boudignon  was food friendly, made from the Chenin Blanc grape through a process of sustainable viticulture that really amplifies the terroir.
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On trend pan-fried gnocchi came with a vegetal broccoli pesto, and the unexpected delight of shaved broccoli stems.
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A tender and moist Dingley Dell pork chop was a great hit amongst the assembled libertines. Served with roasted calçot onions, a sweet apple, tomato and sage sauce the tightly textured porcine flesh
had a succulent melting texture. To accompany we were sampling two Cabernet Francs because one simply wasn’t enough.
Chinon Rouge, Clos de la Dioterie, 2009 was a smooth sip and a great manifestation of the grape.
Charles Joguet’s Saumur  Champigny, Lisagathe, 2014, Château du Hureau was more peppery and had a greater level of acidity and a sinewy, lush, understated power. Think Yvonne Goolagong in her prime…
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Looking like a Dutch still life a selection of cheeses with pear and saffron chutney and homemade mixed seed biscuits arrived. Accompanying wines had been chosen by Jason Atherton – a wonderful Chenin Blanc Anjou Blanc ‘Berners Tavern’, 2015, Clos de l’Elu and a more full-bodied Anjou Rouge ‘Berners Tavern’, 2014, Clos de l’Elu made from the Cabernet Franc grape.
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If experiencing the diversity and quality of the Loire wines wasn’t enough the evening ended with a revelation. Coffee and cigar aficionado Amir Gehl of Difference Coffee Co. supplied a Guatemala Speciality Decaf Finca de la Pastoria coffee from the Santa Rosa region with notes of chocolate, caramel and a hint of citrus. Using a Catuai variety of 100% Arabica the non-chemical Swiss Water Process is used to remove 99% of the caffeine. I am hugely caffeine intolerant, I find it gets in the way of the alcohol, and this was the first time I was able to enjoy a great tasting espresso at the end of a meal in about 40 years!
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I had answered the siren’s call and taken a journey down a verdant, curving river of wine, past fairytale Chateaux ending up miraculously in the jungles of South America! It was a mind-expanding exploration of the grape and coffee bean and I even got a good night’s sleep dreaming of the angel who entranced me.
If you would like to explore the wines of the Loire go to http://loirevalleywine.com.
London Edition Hotel, 10 Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3NP

‘Bacchus On A Knife Edge Supper Club’ @ Andaz Studio

August 5, 2016 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Thursday 23rd of June. That was the date when we in the UK voted for Brexit – a vote for separation from our European neighbours. As the final figures came in and the enormity of this decision became apparent an awful sound filled the air, a wrenching and groaning noise the likes of which had never been heard before as the tectonic plates surrounding our nation started to shift. Huge overlapping shards of granite burst out of the sea one after the other surrounding our island nation with an armadilloesque shield until we were completely cut off, alone and isolated. The Channel Tunnel collapsed in on itself and air travel was deemed too dangerous because of the radiation risk from this granite ‘barrier’. The consequences were immediate. The London restaurant scene collapsed almost overnight due to the lack of burrata. Provincial dinner parties were thrown into chaos as gift boxes of Belgian chocolates were no longer available creating social unrest in Penge, Pinner and Padstow. Worst of all, branches of Waitrose were ransacked as people fought for the last bottle of Albariño.IMG_7218In the face of this incipient anarchy there was only one man for the job…Douglas Blyde. Douglas’ cover job was writing about wine for the Daily Telegraph but actually he fronted a secret organisation known only as G.R.A.P.E. and it was in that capacity that he had invited me along with an international band of crack operatives to the organisation’s secret headquarters at the Andaz Studio in the fabulous Andaz Hotel next to Liverpool St station.IMG_7227We looked nervously at the ‘Honour Wall’, pictures of colleagues ‘missing in action’  as Douglas outlined the plan codenamed ‘Bacchus On A Knife Edge’. We would dig a tunnel through to the village of Chablis in France’s Burgundy region using what power tools we had to hand as well as some of the finest cutlery available to man. IMG_7220Fortunately many wine glasses were available for removing the soil. This patriotic mission would guarantee supplies of the finest continental produce to our tables-nothing could be more important. IMG_1942I was so ready…IMG_7222We were to be supported by three of London’s leading supper club cooks at the stoves who would provide nourishment and encouragement as the digging and clearing proceeded. Progress was quick. Within a couple of hours we had reached Dover, hitting the chalk layer that took us speedily under the Channel through to the Loire Valley. Our first stop came when we arrived at the outlying areas of the region with its distinctive limestone-based Portlandian soil. We celebrated with chilled glasses of the ‘Pas Si Petit’ Petit Chablis 2014 from 300 grower-strong cooperative La Chablisienne. IMG_7226We were thoroughly revived by this surprisingly full-bodied aperitif and its citrus/yuzu notes which perfectly matched our Scandinavian-inspired canapés by Martina and Magdelena of NORDISH supperclub- miniature Norwegian fishcakes with a spiky remoulade sauce, and cucumber rolls filled with crab, avocado and mayonnaise.

Digging continued as we moved closer to the hallowed slopes of the Serein River. Exhaustion was starting to hit some of the team so it was clearly time for another reviver.IMG_7228Hana of Pickled Plates excited our tastebuds with patriotic and healthy reworking of fish and chips. Pan-fried whiting was served with tempura samphire and a summer vegetable salad featuring roasted radishes and a  brown butter dressing. Douglas urged us on with glasses of Alain Geoffroy’s 2014 Chablis with its butter and caramel notes as we hit the first traces of Kimmeridgean soil, a melange of limestone, clay and fossilised oyster shells that gives this particular expression of the Chardonnay grape its trademark flintiness. IMG_7230The clay elements of the terroir were proving troublesome and so we used corkscrews from the Geoffroy family’s 1,500+ strong corkscrew museum for essential boring duties. But soon it was time for the final push through to the surface and the ever-glamorous Rosie of A Little Lusciousness provided us with the sustenance for the job with a Japonaise take on the humble chop. Soy and miso-glazed pork chop on the bone came with spring onion rice, Japanese raw slaw, rice vinegar and chilli dressing. Protein levels suitably enhanced we slaked our thirst with Julien Brocard’s  Chablis, La Boissonneuse (also 2014) an oaky ‘biodynamic’ number, a heady concentration of citrus, vanilla and flint.IMG_7233As we broke through to the surface we were met by cheering crowds of Italian producers of Mustard di Cremona, German Schneckensuppe suppliers, and from the Ardèche in France purveyors of the finest Marrons Glacés. Our job was done-Britain’s fine dining establishments and delicatessen’s shelves would be restocked with deliciousness from our European gastro-brotherhood. We celebrated with platters of unpasteurised cheeses from England and France in a cross-Channel curd-off; a Stichleton blue in Nottinghamshire had much more depth of acidity than a Bleu d’Auvergne, a creamy Baron Bigod from Bungay that trounced a Normandy Camembert, and a Parmesanesque Montgomery Cheddar from North Cadbury in Somerset that saw off a rather too young Comté from the Swiss Jura.IMG_7235 Chablis is not  a dessert wine but is wonderful with cheese so we were lucky to be able to toast our success with bottle upon bottle of Premier and Grand Cru Chablis, the veritable apotheosis of the Chardonnay grape within this terroir. We experienced a Domaine William Fevre, Vaulorent, Premier Cru 2012, a Jean Paul et Benoit Valmur Grand Cru 2012, the Clotilde Davenne Les Preuses Grand Cru 2008 and finally the Domaine Laroche Les Blanchots Grand Cru 2007.

These were powerful, confident wines but still displaying that steely quality that characterises Chablis, and it is my belief that it was that steely quality that saw us through our mission, the diversity of expression even within the same year of production matching our diverse team. So thank you to Douglas for allowing us to reestablish our cross-Channel links with La Manche now flowing with fine wine rather than the salty brine of post-Brexit tears.

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