Saturday evening was an evening of firsts. It was the first time I had met fellow Bristol Bloggers and the first time I had been to a Supper Club. I was a little unsure of what to expect..... from the Supper Club, not the Bloggers. After many years in the hospitality game, I couldn't quite imagine how it would work. But it most certainly did.
It almost didn't work however, when we couldn't find the house on one of the many Victorian terraced streets in Montpelier. So after some frantic waving and shouting from Elly, one of our hosts for the evening, we were in. Greeted by a glass of Manzanilla La Gitana sherry and great little shu pastry pumpkin 'pancakes', for lack of a better descriptor. The room was split into 3 tables, with a roaring fire and jazz to set the mood.
First up was the Parsnip and Apple Soup with butter croutons and parsnip and apple chips. This was sweet, earthy warming and also refreshing. The croutons and chips adding the extra texture needed. The next course was the first of my wine pairing courses. The wine we brought along for this course was the 2008 Ra Mi Falanghina by Di Maio Norante.
And the dish it was chosen for was the Baked Cornish Haddock with pumpkin crust, leeks and a white wine sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection whilst the wine complemented the pumpkin crust, leeks and white wine sauce beautifully, with it's rich floral aromas and citrussy flavour. The main course was the deal breaker for me. Nothing hip, nor flash just excellent quality and cooked superbly. Another wine was chosen for this dish also. It was the 2007 Anaperenna by Ben Glaetzer from Australia. This wine is intense, complex, and refined with bright berry fruits, with touches of tobacco and cedar. The tannins were fine yet structured. It was a divine match for the Bavette steak with triple cooked chips, Bearnaise sauce and salad.
The steak was cooked perfectly, the sauce was rich and creamy but still had a bite of acidity. The chips were crispy on the outside, while fluffy on the inside and there was enough salad to sink a ship! It was a simple main course, which literally made everyone in the room smile when it was brought out. My table seemed to dissolve into quite gnawing for about 20 minutes.
Dessert was a chocolaty feast. I'm not a lover of chocolate tarts so I struggled but the ice-cream so great. Fig and Pedro Ximinez sherry churned all night by Dan's (our other host for the evening) expert arm. It was rich and creamy. The meal culminated with a Gorwydd Cheese Welsh rarebit, made using The Bristol Beer Factory ale. It was a brilliant ending to a thoroughly enjoyable evening, where I like to think that new friends were made and another foodie haven has been found.
Bravo to Dan and Elly for all their hard work and we are looking forward to coming again!
http://essexeating.blogspot.com/2010/10/montpelier-basement-bristol-supper-club.html
http://www.thepearcafe.com/
