TERROIR AND TURF, VINOTHEC COMPASS

Another one of Mr Blyde's famed events, this time co-hosted with Arnaud Compas at the recently opened (a month and a day old at the time of the event) Vinothec Compass, a restaurant and wine bar at the state-of-the-art Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range, overlooking the city lights of Canary Wharf.

After a one hour wardrobe dilemma, trying to decide on a dinner-chic-yet-golf-appropriate outfit, surprisingly much shorter than my usual two hour ones, I made the 45-minute journey on my trusted Jubilee line (my loyalty towards it slightly deterred when it undergoes 'maintenance works' on the weekend). Located 150 yards from North Greenwich underground station, the approximated '4-minute' walk was more of a 10-minute walk, and probably a bit more in my 3-inch heels - because heels are totally versatile.

Casually sauntering in through the main entrance, I made my way towards the bar where I was greeted by DB and came face-to-face (not quite as dramatic and intimidating as it sounds) for the first time with Mr Osburn (aka @tikichris) after previous communications via Twitter. Clad in his Hawaiian printed shirt, which probably was more 'golf' than my one-piece palazzo jumpsuit, we had a nice little chat whilst we sipped on some fine Pol Roger 2004 Champagne. 

We then proceeded outside onto the 60 bay strong, two-tiered golf range, where we were divided into two groups - males and females, which was easy enough to go by. 

Some amongst us definitely oozed a bit more 'Girl Power' than others, as May who is a seasoned golfer took the reins and was the first to putt.

Jo Jo was up next, and whilst multi-tasking between taking photos and stuffing my face with Basque pintxos bites, I just about missed taking a shot of her 'acrobatic stunt' at the end - it's okay Jo Jo, your secret is safe with us!

 

After a short demonstration by a pro, I was surely going to look even worse than I already was - a one-off stint in mini golf about over a decade ago probably doesn't count as having 'played golf'. 

Nonetheless I was up for the challenge, my competitive side having high hopes in the possibility of discovering some hidden talent within me. I took my position and slipped the white glove onto my left hand, whilst DB sneakily took a rather unflattering shot of my midway-objecting-open-mouthed pose...

So here I am in my open stance, trying not to stick my derriere out too much which is seemingly much harder in heels. I had five balls to putt and Gary, with his charming Scottish accent, kindly gave me a quick crash course on basic putting. My fifth ball probably went as far as about 100metres - I'd like to believe that my poor choice of golfing attire restricted me from showing my full potential...

For the golf obsessives out there, you may be interested to know that they also use the latest technology including simulators and high tech performance information to enhance your golfing experience.
The view from the upper deck was slightly more stunning, but taking into consideration that there are no barriers, it was probably a good choice for us to stay on ground level to avoid the risk of 'plunging to one's death'.
Okay, probably a bit over-dramatic...maybe more of a broken arm/ankle, with a potential permanent scar on self dignity...

After a bout of 'playful tee-side action' (DB, 2015) and exertive arm-swinging, we made our way back to the restaurant where we took our respective seats at the table. 
We were told to gather round the kitchen counter where the first tapas dish of baby squid, tomato and coriander was prepared and served by Head Chef Jordi Rovira Segovia. Deliciously tender with the fragrant aroma of the garlic oil, I gracefully accepted second servings of this delightful dish, my hungry eyes fixated on the chef's pass just in case there were any leftovers...
This was paired with a glass of Chardonnay (Château Burgozone 2012, Bulgaria), which according to DB, 'brought citrus to the tender cephalopod'. I don't think that I have had Bulgarian wine, but it seems that Bulgaria appears to be one to watch in the world of wine.

There were a couple of rocks, or rather fossils placed in the middle of the table, which Arnaud later came over to give us a bit of bite-sized information on their origins, and how terroir affects the taste of wine. These small rocks aged a few million/ZILLION years old apparently contain tiny fossils, of what kind of species I would not be able to tell you unfortunately - just think 'miniature graveyard for little creatures'...

The next dish was a smoked trout salad, created by Sous Chef Dani Rodriguez Navas. The dish was presented quite intricately with bright colours which appealed to the eyes - the delicate piece of trout mingled amongst pieces of asparagus, dried black olives, labneh, fresh oregano, juicy globules of salmon roe, and a refreshing drizzle of citrus vinaigrette. 

This was matched with a pale-coloured Volubilia 2013 Moroccan Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Vin Gris rosé.

Moving on to a meatier dish, which was a small cut of suckling pig with a juicy layer of fat, served on roasted piquillo pepper and a slice of apple on the side. I resisted from popping the entire piece into my mouth as I carefully divided it into three miniscule mouthfuls, before washing it down with a (slightly) chilled dark red, Couvent des Jacobins 2005,  an upgraded Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.

Diving back into the splendour of the sea, we were served a milder tasting dish of confit cod, freshly sourced from Billingsgate in the morning, it's subtle flavours enhanced by the a sweet and nutty romesco sauce. 

The final 'main' was a the Longhorn Onglet, sourced from a fifth generation butcher in Chipping Barnet, which was served rare. Both dishes were paired with Dido 2013 from Montsant vineyards close to where Chef Jordi grew up. Quite peculiar for a white to accompany red meat, but then again, what do I know about wine...

It was lovely nonetheless, and personally, I would happily accept anything that is poured into my glass. Keep my glass topped up and you will definitely be in my good books.

Our portions of Vinothec (deconstructed) cheesecake were indeed of 'sumptuous quality' as described by DB, but unfortunately not of sumptuous 'quantity'...

I tend to have mixed feelings about 'deconstructed desserts' - I still have nightmares about the horrendous excuse of a dessert served at a pop-up in Farringdon a couple of years back, which failed badly in both presentation and taste.

This however was actually pleasing to the senses, and the perfect portion size if I had decided to utilize my fork ring, which I tend to have in hand (or 'on finger') for emergency purposes.

All these taster size dishes all so teasing and tantalising, and just beckoning for me to come back for more...

You also may have noticed from my Instagram posts that I have recently started to 'live-doodle' on menus - only the take-home menus mind.  

It does prove quite difficult for more substantial dishes without my army of coloured pens...

A special word of thanks to Mr Blyde, Arnaud, Keith, and all the fine staff at Vinothec Compass for a pleasant evening.
I shall hopefully be back soon to sample more of your fine wines and food (and particularly that cheesecake).

The Cheekster, signing out x

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ROKA ALDWYCH

Everyone loves a bargain, and the four of us were lucky enough to grab the last few vouchers from the TimeOut website just before they sold out.

Located just a few minutes walk from Covent Garden, and just round the corner from The Strand, ROKA Aldwych was the fourth ROKA branch that opened in November 2014. 
The design of the interior is modern and contemporary, with a central open-grill kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work (and the occasional dramatic burst of flames) 

The Roka Aldwych Han Setto Sunday Brunch (available from noon until 8pm) comprised of a welcome bellini, 10 sharing starters, a main, a sharing dessert platter, and of course the two words that bring music to my ears - UNLIMITED WINE. Or in our case, prosecco, because we all love a good glass of bubbly...
And even more so when it involves unlimited top-ups (it does however come to an end just before dessert is served...so it's best to make the most of it during your meal *hint*).

We hung around by the bar until all of us had arrived, before we were seated at our table where the waiter kindly explained the menu to us.

The starters soon started to arrive in the order that they were prepared. The first four were some light vegetarian starters: edamame salad with ginger and soy dressing, selection of vegetable pickles, baby spinach leaves with sesame dressing, and tomato salad with shiso and hijiki dressing. I love edamame as it's so moreish and I find it so easy to lose count of how many I have had (!). According to May, the edamame pods are eaten whole in some Asian communities, which contain fibre and beneficial soyabean oils - we did try to chew on some empty pods, but it would probably need to be steamed a bit more in order to do so...  

Edamame

Otsukemono no moriawase

Horenso no goma ae salada

Tomato no salada

We got rather excited when the sashimi platter was brought to the table - we all clearly love sashimi and decided to indulge a bit more by ordering two more portions after...

Next up was the potato salad with bacon and egg that we weren't quite fans of, followed by the more favourable beef, ginger and sesame dumplings.
There were two different types of maki rolls: raw salmon, avocado and wasabi maki, and crispy prawn and avocado.
The last starter dish was a selection of lightly battered, crispy tempura prawns, beans and sweet potato slices.

Jagaimo to tamago salada

Gyuniku to goma no gyoza

Sake to avocado maki + Ebi furai to avocado maki

Tempura no moriawase

After a satisfying array of starters, we were ready for our mains: we ordered the glazed baby back ribs, sea bream fillet teriyaki with sansho salt, and double portions of the beef sirloin with chilli and spring onion. We once again shared all the different mains amongst ourselves - because sharing is caring. The baby back ribs was really tender with a delicious sweet marinade - best eaten with fingers, obviously. The sea bream, although it looks slightly burnt in the photo, had a pleasant texture and nice flavours from the teriyaki. We requested for one medium rare and one rare for the beef sirloin dishes - I generally have mine medium rare, but I actually favoured the rare one more this time as it wasn't too bloody as I thought it would be, and had a much softer texture.

And finally it was time for the much anticipated ROKA dessert platter, and what a scrumptious sight it was indeed. Indulgent mouthfuls of chocolate truffles; peanut, vanilla and chocolate sundae wih sesame poki sticks; cotton soft cheesecake with cream cheese ice cream and robata grilled pear (the pear unfortunately slightly overburnt with an unpleasant bitter taste...), a selection of seasonal and exotic fruit, and more little balls of  sorbet and matcha ice cream. Our favourite was undoubtedly the smiling happy Buddha, that we left til the end...before we slolwy devoured him in a couple of mouthfuls each - pure bliss.
This is definitely one of the better dessert platters that I have had so far - an impressive presentation with a good selection.

The lovely May

This was actually the first time meeting May, Ellie and Em in person after months of 'following' each other on social media. But with technology and mutiple social media platforms these days, you sort of 'know' someone even before you've even met them in real life - and if there's one thing that brings people together, it's food. And plenty of  other common interests as well, of course.

A beautiful venue, with great atmosphere, food and company - the perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Looking forward to seeing you all again.

The Cheekster, signing out x

THE PIANO WORKS, FARRINGDON

After standing on my feet all day, I was really looking forward to a night of good music and cocktails to kick-start my weekend. 

Located in the basement of a Victorian listed warehouse in the heart of Farringdon, The Piano Works is a creative space of live music and entertainment which seeks to revive the tradition of Victorian music halls - the fascinating, long-forgotten days of smoking jazz lounges, swing balls and Charleston jives. 

 With my wristband strapped on, I made my way down the stairs to the basement where I was further welcomed with a chilled glass of prosecco before I explored the vast space. With a 400 capacity, the place really is quite huge with three bars in total (= less queues, more drinks!). The main stage is obviously the centre of attraction, with a live band consisting of two pianists, vocalists and accompanying musicians. The concept is simple and fun, where the audience can make song requests by writing it on a napkin which is then handed to the band.

You may not have your song played immediately, with the understandably long list of requests, especially on a busy night, but nonetheless you really can't fault the enthusiasm and talent of the band. I do have great admiration for musicians, with a particular soft spot for pianists and saxophonists - if anyone happens to know any eligible ones, do kindly send them my way...

The vibe is vibrant and lively, and all that music and dancing definitely works up an appetite. Thankfully The Piano Works also offers a long list of cocktails and a food menu to keep your energy levels going. 

I started with the Almond and Hazelnut Sour under Kelly's trusted recommendation, made with Disaronno almond liqueur, frangellico hazelnut liqueur, egg white and lemon - definitely no regrets with this choice. I also had a Mai Tai after - because you just can't go wrong with a Mai Tai...

 We had a little sample of the 'Filled Rolls or Not' menu: medium rare ribeye steak, butterflied chicken breast marinated in Moorish spices, a vegetarian pan-fried chickpea and pumpkin seed burger, and my favourite Cajun-spiced softshell crab.

Overall, I love the concept, and it would be a great venue for after-work drinks, a fun night out with friends, or even a potential date spot - maybe even try to jump on and show off your hidden musical skills... 

So get your groove on, and head down to the House of Song.

The Cheekster, signing out x