Review: Sacla' at The Friday Food Club

You’ve got sauce

A summer’s evening by the Thames for some quality food and vino

Despite several trips to idyllic Italy, we have never tired of its diverse landscape, achingly good wine and simple but delicious food. Last Friday we unfortunately were not on the banks of Lake Garda or trekking the undulating hills of Umbria, but attended an equally pleasing dinner courtesy of Sacla’, the Italian Food Company and The Friday Food Club.  The evening was organised to showcase Sacla’s new range of fresh produce and celebrate the brand’s 20th year. The parmesan on the pasta (ok, groan) is that not only would The Friday Food Club (Lee & Fi) be preparing the meal that evening as part of their renowned Supper Club, but they would be teaming with Masterchef Professionals Winner 2009 Steve Groves, Ex River Cottage Head Chef Mark Lloyd, renowned food terrorist John Quilter and private caterer Lily Simpson.   

 

The Mediterranean sun-gods shone down on us, as we were welcomed to the evening with a refreshing glass of Bruno Giacosa Extra Brut Spumante, on the al fresco terrace of the Auriol Kensington Rowing Club in Hammersmith.  The Spumante was light, effervescent and biscuity in taste.  We immediately relaxed us into the celebration. The hubbub of Friday evening revelry from pub goers below us and enchanting views over the Thames made us giddy with anticipation as we mingled with twitterati friends.  The attentive waiting staff glided in between guests offering platters of sage puffs, quails eggs with artichoke and basil sauce, poached mussels pesto cream crumb and goats cheese and tomato pesto calzoncini.

The amuse buche was a coriander pesto pea fritter with spiced green sauce. The coriander pesto, using cashew instead of pine nuts is part of the Sacla’ Italian range, however the pre-starter felt Asian inspired. The crisp fritter dipped in the sauce had a superb bite, and the kick from the heat had a satisfying warmth.  It was served with a Roero Arnies 2010. The wine was flaxen in colour with delicate apricot and citrus aromas. It had an intensity which married well with the fritters.

Coriander pesto pea fritter with spiced green sauce

The primi platti was Sacla’ fresh Trofie pasta with cherry tomato and wild garlic sauce and shaved aged parmesan. I enjoyed this dish as it was probably one of the truest to the Sacla’ range. Endorsements by people we trust are great, but I had been sceptical as to whether we would have the opportunity to try any of the range in its true, naked, no bells and whistles form.  Foodies do not like to admit we buy ready made meals, or eat take away. Keith and I lead busy lives and we sometimes have to take shortcuts at meal times, especially on a Friday night post a sociable Thursday evening.  We could imagine ourselves on an evening off from the kitchen, tucking into a bowl of comforting pasta smothered with a rich, tangy vine tomato sauce, sprinkled with fresh basil and parmesan shavings. 

Fresh Trofie pasta with cherry tomato and wild garlic sauce and shaved aged parmesan

Secondi platti consisted of arancini and pork bitterballen served with spicy red pepper sauce and rocket pecorino salad.  The delicious breadcrumbed risotto spheres were crisp on the surface and then oozed seductively with molten mozzarella.  The spicy red pepper sauce fired subtle heat bullets, dissipating the richness of the balls. The pork bitterballen (a Dutch mince cutlet) was equally tasty. We felt that maybe the arancini and bitterballen were a little too similar in texture.  We would have been perfectly happy eating one or the other.  This course was accompanied by Nebbiolo D’Alba a fantastic, mellow, strawberry hued wine, bursting with summer berries.  I could not resist the hypnotic, allure of the ripe bouquet. 

Arancini and pork bitterballen served with spicy red pepper sauce and rocket pecorino salad

For dessert we had bison grass vodka and mint pannacotta with candied pistachio and summer berries. Lee was concerned for the wobble, but he needn’t have been as it had the perfect Jessica Rabbit swagger.  It was deliciously light and creamy with a sexy, boozy bite but underlying hint of refreshing mint. The candied pistachio provided a crunchy texture whilst the fruity summer berry offered bursts of sweetness.

Bison grass vodka and mint pannacotta with candied pistachio and summer berries

The Supper goers of the evening were ablaze with commendations. In the morning, the Twitterati fired praise and pleasure for Sacla’, Friday Food Club and Team’s hosting efforts.  Another fabulous evening was had by all, so a special thank-you to Lee, Fi and Claire Blampied (Sacla UK’s Managing Director).  We look forward to lazy suppers with wholesome bowls of Sacla’ fresh pasta and authentic sauces accompanied by a splash of red wine. 

Say “Sacla’ Fresh”!

Sacla’ Fresh Range – available in Selfridges, Waitose and Opodo

The Friday Food Club

Steve Groves

Mark Lloyd

John Quilter

Lily Simpson

Top Chefs: Steve Groves, Mark Lloyd, Lily Simpson and John Quilter

Review: WhizzBangPop! Pop-up Restaurant

And now the whizz-bang-pop gang from uptown

It appears that pop-ups are becoming to foodies what Pinot Grigio was to wine drinkers in the early noughties; Perhaps a little over-baked but in danger of being very over done.  This is a shame as on Friday 28^th January Keith and I attended our first event courtesy of WhizzBangPop.  Our hostess for the evening was Emily O'Hare one of the sommeliers at the River Café in Hammersmith.  We first met Emily at an “Around the World Wine Tasting”.  We were researching a piece on wine pairings for Indian Curry Week.  Emily was the most helpful and knowledgeable amongst the wine merchants and specialists and we kept in touch. 

Emily's chef comrades in arms were Charlie Capehorn and Eliza Murray Willis.  We chatted to the ladies about why they believed the pop-up's day has not yet dawned.  Emily was passionate about events like these as she believes they promote creativity and imagination.  The wine-matching experience allows you to be adventurous and introduce new dynamics to your regular drinking patterns, similar to a Tasting Menu at a top restaurant. 

The event was held at the Aueriol Kensington Rowing Club which I assume boasts scenic views of the Thames in the daylight.  We were in a celebratory mood as it was the first night of our holiday and we jumped straight into the night feet with a glass of Laurent Perrier in the bar area (not included as part of the evening).

Just after 8pm we were ushered upstairs to where the tables were pleasantly laid.  Emily looked very glamorous as the event was also being covered by Red magazine. She introduced the night's festivities with enthusiasm and humour and we immediately found ourselves relaxing into the evening as we listened to her droll rhetoric.  The first wine we were acquainted with is the lesser known Loimer 'Lois' Grüner Veltliner 2010 from Austria.  Emily described it as bursting with green apples, hints of white pepper and sprightly. The wine was accompanied by a rich cauliflower soup with gorgonzola and almonds, topped with red grapes.  The humble cauliflower has a poor reputation.  Unfashionable, unpopular and pallid in colour, we have forgotten how to cook it and worse still, have stopped experimenting and creating new recipes.  The last ten years has seen a decline of ten percent in cauliflower sales.  I know not why.  Our soup was was creamy and the buttery bite of the gorgonzola created depth. The red grapes gave the dish release from the saltiness of the cheese.  Meanwhile, the wine was a perfect fruity accompaniment.  The light acidity cut through the richness.

Next up, Emily introduced the Omrah Pinot Noir 2009 from Australia, which partnered with duck confit with celeriac, leek and a salad of blood orange, watercress and chicory.  At our own dinner parties we have paired duck with pinot noir, but a personal favourite would be a fuller bodied wine.  However, the pinot noir was reminiscent of a forest fruit jam and together with the droplets of pomegranate and tartness of the blood oranges in the salad, was exquisite.  The duck was tender and juicy from its own fat with a crispy shell.  Simply wonderful!

There was no chance of being disappointed with the cheese course.  Generous slabs of Tomme de Chevre and Bleu D'Auvergne were married with Azamor, Touriga Franca, Merlot from Alentejo in Portugal.  The cheese board selection was bold and so needed a meaty wine to do it justice.  The Azamor had a subtle spicy berry flavour but prickled with wispy peppery punches that spiked up when gobbled down with the cheese.  We enjoyed that the wine was not overtly tannic, as it made this course all the more pleasurable.

By dessert we could have been rolled home we were so stuffed.  However, when a trio of desserts were placed in front me I soon shifted my weight to accommodate.  The three delectable delights were Crème de Myrtille jelly with a walnut praline ice-cream, Tiramisu and dark chocolate and a tranche of clementine tart.  Emily paired this with an Pieropan “Le Colombare” Recioto di Soave Garganega 2006.  Visually, the amber intensity of the wine was like an vibrant flame in a glass.  The syrupy texture was reminiscent of light honey.  The wine was not too citrus or acidic.  Instead, gooseberry or greengage flavours with speckles of melon (honeydew?) swilled in our glasses.  I have not said much about the desserts, but the jelly was outstanding.  I loved the light fruitiness of the jelly, with the contrasting nutty creaminess of the ice-cream. 

If you can keep an eye out for a WhizzBangPop event, you will have an exceptional time.  Emily, Charlie and Eliza opened our imaginations to a wonderful array of wines as well as thoughtful and delicious dishes.  If this pop-up event is anything to go by, we will be attending them for a long time.  If you expect fireworks at WhizzBangPop you will not be disappointed.  There are taste explosions aplenty.

To contact or be added to WhizzBangPop's distribution list e-mail info@whizzbangpop.com.

You can also follow Emily on twitter

Related posts:

• An Alternative Sunday Roast, Duck a l'Orange
• UK Curry Week: Original wine pairings to enjoy with your curry