I have two walking sticks, or canes and I hate them, all they symbolise. I will admit they make life easier though but the thought of meeting a room full of strangers in my own with a cane fills me with horror. It is purely because I am not that comfortable with having to explain my fresh face and cane.
So, how did I manage to end up in a well known restaurant, at a private function full of foodies, in full goth make up, wearing my grandma's petticoats and brandishing my cane with a champagne flute talking about all things food and hip related? Sheer luck and awesome mates.
I had filled a survey on line at the behest of my brother's best mate. The group are called Social Soup. I waxed lyrical about my love of food and cooking as well being open about the Spanish red wine love affair that happens in our house. I uploaded slightly dodgy Instagram photos of my cooking and a very excited Mr Gin (my partner) out to dinner. I figured that there were bigger foodies out there with more followers that would be of interest.
When the invite to an free evening of food and wine hit my inbox, I could not click yes quick enough after reading the menu.
So, last Tuesday I rolled, well, hobbled up to Balthazar restaurant to hang out in their lovely Victorian private dinning room to try a special menu matched to Jacobs Creek wine. Not surprisingly this free wine and food fest was a marketing campaign aimed at the foodies of London. There were bloggers, Instagrammers, supper club organisers and food business owners. And me, the lady with black lace framed cleavage and two toned hair, feeling very much out of my depth, leaning my my posh cane with silver top, like I do it all the time. Then there were bubbles, sparkling wine, a flute on comfort that I know something about. I gave up trying to being cool and elegant, asked how long we would be standing and chose to hang onto my glass like life preserver and sip the dry but slightly sweet Reserve Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut NV, discarding the cane to wobble gently. As the bubbles faded from the glass I was looking for a second glasses but we were herded to the long table that seemed to hold a department store of glassware.
I sat amongst lovely chatting ladies, mainly antipodeans and considering Jacobs Creek is also Australian, along with Social Soup this made sense. As we chatted our glasses were filled with Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2013 and the phones came out, unfortunatly the light was not very good and my pictures were a little hit and miss. , The team running the event introduced themselves and began their spiel. This was my first marketing talk for a long time, and the atmosphere was lovely, my chair comfortable and there was wine, I could listen. We were called tribe leaders, I must admit at that moment I did wonder if they realised most of my Instagram followers like my Minecraft pictures, maybe not the tribe they were thinking of. They moved onto wine tasting. Certainly not my forte, I know what I like but don't know my blackberry from my gooseberry when if comes to wine but I do know I prefer my chards not too oaky. Which the reserve was, only gently oaky and went beautifully with the grilled langoustines for starter. I have never eaten these hybrid prawn lobsters before, I tend to steer away from seafood but know I don't mind prawns. I did have to watch others begin eating so I knew how to attack them. The meat was sweet and the salsa not too oniony. My only complaint was there was not enough!
Next came the red, a light Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2013, as it was quite warm, this was lovely in the warmth of the room. The next dish I was looking forward to, even though it had beetroot. (I really do not understand the Australian obsession with beetroot.) I love duck and the Hot smoked duck with cherries, beetroot and braised lettuce with a Pinot Noir and cherry sauce sounded lush. Sadly the duck was too rare for my taste and a tad chewy and lacking in smoked flavour. But the sauce was delish and even the evil beetroot was good, and I am going to learn how to braise lettuce. I got more wine and chatted some more, discussing wine, duck and hips. At some point I will have more conversation subjects besides my hip!
If an Australian company is going to showcase food, then kangaroo is a good choice. I love kangaroo and know all the cheeky places to get it, so another dish I was looking forward to, hoping the chef was not trying to cook it for the first time. I was not disappointed, it was soft and gamey, just as it should be, rare and delightful, served with cabbage, pancetta and carrot with a sauce made from the Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2015, which again was lush. The wine full bodied and complimented the 'roo. The only downside was the little hard pillow to boost the roo up, a gentle mound of mashed potato would have been preferable.
We were moving towards dessert, the chatter louder as the glasses were topped up and another red was poured. Red, dessert? A combination I steer away from normally. I sipped my Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and waited to see what was paired with this smooth red. A white plate with a large sphere of dark chocolate appeared, it was filled with mint eucalyptus and blackberries. A waiter poured hot chocolate over the sphere which then did a wonderful impression of the wicked witch of the west. The eucalyptus was not strong but took the edge of the sweetness making the Cabernet Sauvignon not the bitter after taste I was expecting. I am not sure I would do the combination again but I was impressed.
Tea and coffee came next and the wine disappeared, I would have liked one last glass or another option besides tea or coffee, drinks that I don't partake in.
All in all it was a lovely night and the Jacobs Creek team were very happy to send the wine for a dinner party to my house instead of wrangling my cane and six bottles of wine on the tube. I managed to spend the night talking to strangers with cane in hand or nearby and not feel too broken. So, I have a dinner party to hose byt the end of August, who would like to join me and Mr Gin? There is going to be medium rare duck.
So, how did I manage to end up in a well known restaurant, at a private function full of foodies, in full goth make up, wearing my grandma's petticoats and brandishing my cane with a champagne flute talking about all things food and hip related? Sheer luck and awesome mates.
I had filled a survey on line at the behest of my brother's best mate. The group are called Social Soup. I waxed lyrical about my love of food and cooking as well being open about the Spanish red wine love affair that happens in our house. I uploaded slightly dodgy Instagram photos of my cooking and a very excited Mr Gin (my partner) out to dinner. I figured that there were bigger foodies out there with more followers that would be of interest.
When the invite to an free evening of food and wine hit my inbox, I could not click yes quick enough after reading the menu.
So, last Tuesday I rolled, well, hobbled up to Balthazar restaurant to hang out in their lovely Victorian private dinning room to try a special menu matched to Jacobs Creek wine. Not surprisingly this free wine and food fest was a marketing campaign aimed at the foodies of London. There were bloggers, Instagrammers, supper club organisers and food business owners. And me, the lady with black lace framed cleavage and two toned hair, feeling very much out of my depth, leaning my my posh cane with silver top, like I do it all the time. Then there were bubbles, sparkling wine, a flute on comfort that I know something about. I gave up trying to being cool and elegant, asked how long we would be standing and chose to hang onto my glass like life preserver and sip the dry but slightly sweet Reserve Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut NV, discarding the cane to wobble gently. As the bubbles faded from the glass I was looking for a second glasses but we were herded to the long table that seemed to hold a department store of glassware.
I sat amongst lovely chatting ladies, mainly antipodeans and considering Jacobs Creek is also Australian, along with Social Soup this made sense. As we chatted our glasses were filled with Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2013 and the phones came out, unfortunatly the light was not very good and my pictures were a little hit and miss. , The team running the event introduced themselves and began their spiel. This was my first marketing talk for a long time, and the atmosphere was lovely, my chair comfortable and there was wine, I could listen. We were called tribe leaders, I must admit at that moment I did wonder if they realised most of my Instagram followers like my Minecraft pictures, maybe not the tribe they were thinking of. They moved onto wine tasting. Certainly not my forte, I know what I like but don't know my blackberry from my gooseberry when if comes to wine but I do know I prefer my chards not too oaky. Which the reserve was, only gently oaky and went beautifully with the grilled langoustines for starter. I have never eaten these hybrid prawn lobsters before, I tend to steer away from seafood but know I don't mind prawns. I did have to watch others begin eating so I knew how to attack them. The meat was sweet and the salsa not too oniony. My only complaint was there was not enough!
Next came the red, a light Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2013, as it was quite warm, this was lovely in the warmth of the room. The next dish I was looking forward to, even though it had beetroot. (I really do not understand the Australian obsession with beetroot.) I love duck and the Hot smoked duck with cherries, beetroot and braised lettuce with a Pinot Noir and cherry sauce sounded lush. Sadly the duck was too rare for my taste and a tad chewy and lacking in smoked flavour. But the sauce was delish and even the evil beetroot was good, and I am going to learn how to braise lettuce. I got more wine and chatted some more, discussing wine, duck and hips. At some point I will have more conversation subjects besides my hip!
If an Australian company is going to showcase food, then kangaroo is a good choice. I love kangaroo and know all the cheeky places to get it, so another dish I was looking forward to, hoping the chef was not trying to cook it for the first time. I was not disappointed, it was soft and gamey, just as it should be, rare and delightful, served with cabbage, pancetta and carrot with a sauce made from the Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2015, which again was lush. The wine full bodied and complimented the 'roo. The only downside was the little hard pillow to boost the roo up, a gentle mound of mashed potato would have been preferable.
We were moving towards dessert, the chatter louder as the glasses were topped up and another red was poured. Red, dessert? A combination I steer away from normally. I sipped my Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and waited to see what was paired with this smooth red. A white plate with a large sphere of dark chocolate appeared, it was filled with mint eucalyptus and blackberries. A waiter poured hot chocolate over the sphere which then did a wonderful impression of the wicked witch of the west. The eucalyptus was not strong but took the edge of the sweetness making the Cabernet Sauvignon not the bitter after taste I was expecting. I am not sure I would do the combination again but I was impressed.
Tea and coffee came next and the wine disappeared, I would have liked one last glass or another option besides tea or coffee, drinks that I don't partake in.
All in all it was a lovely night and the Jacobs Creek team were very happy to send the wine for a dinner party to my house instead of wrangling my cane and six bottles of wine on the tube. I managed to spend the night talking to strangers with cane in hand or nearby and not feel too broken. So, I have a dinner party to hose byt the end of August, who would like to join me and Mr Gin? There is going to be medium rare duck.
