ALYN WILLIAMS AT THE WESTBURY

Celebrating my belated birthday with my cousin, Vivienne, I'm glad that I made a good dinner venue choice this time after a very much disappointing dinner the previous weekend.

I first had a taste of Chef Alyn Williams cooking at the Dinner in the Sky event last year in Canary Wharf, which I really enjoyed. Hence, I was confident that I had made the right choice for this special occasion. 
We were staying at The Royal Horseguards Hotel that night, so it wasn't too long a journey in the taxi, despite the slight traffic on the roads...

We were sat at a nice, quiet corner at the far end of the room. I love cocktails as much as I love champagne, so it seemed logical to order a champagne cocktail - I ordered the Imperial Lavender whilst Viv had The Prestige. Both really nice apéritifs.
I also had a glass white wine, which was the recommended Slovakian wine, Château Belá Riesling. 

We were shown both tasting menus and were informed that we could replace/swap any of the dishes from the other menu should we wish to do so. It is nice to know that there are restaurants like these who are flexible and make an effort to accommodate different customer preferences.
We both however stuck to the regular tasting menu as all the dishes appealed to us.

We were served a nice selection of bread and butter to start with. This was followed by some mouthwatering amuse-bouches. 
I particularly really liked the cheese gougères. I had some really good ones just about a week ago at Medlar in Chelsea, but these were much lighter and moist and a delicious mouthful of cheese-y goodness. Another favourite was the foie gras - Viv who normally isn't a fan of foie gras surprisingly enjoyed it as well.

The first dish was the marinated sea bream, served in a cute transparent bowl. The flavours were really fresh, combined with the subtle sweetness of the cubes of fresh apple and jelly and saltiness of the caviar. 
Next was the John Dory that I don't often see in many restaurants. Lovely flaky flesh with quite a firm, meaty texture, which was quite flavoursome.

Marinated sea bream/apple/chervil/mallossol caviar/whey

John Dory/wild garlic/morels/broad beans

Another challenging dish for Viv was the aerated foie gras. As I had previously mentioned, Viv was initially quite dubious about it, as she hasn't had the most pleasant experiences with it in the past. This once again appealed to our tastes, and it was indeed an interesting combination with the nori and pickled vegetables. I have had foie gras in quite a few places, but never aerated, which was much lighter then usual. Definitely one of our favourites of the evening.

The barbequed Holstein tartare was another highlight for me. The meat was marinated just enough so that I could still taste the meat. I must say that having oyster and beef tartare was a first for me, not quite sure if it would work in most cases, but it certainly was different.

Aerated foie gras/nori/pickled vegetables

Barbequed Holstein tartare/Mersea oyster/Calcot onion

There were two options for the next course - Viv went for the Cornish hogget, whilst I chose the other option of roasted pigeon, as I do love game. Both really well-executed dishes, and we both got to try each others dishes, so we didn't miss out on either.

Cornish hogget/celeriac/soured milk/bianchetti truffle

Roasted pigeon/alexanders/sand carrots/star anise

There was the option for the cheese selection for a supplemental £12, but unfortunately we were quite full at that stage and wanted to save space for dessert. However, if you are one who prefers cheese over sweet desserts, I would definitely recommend going for it, as the tray that they brought over really did look very tempting!

The first dessert was a  Meyer lemon sorbet served in its skin and topped with grounded bits of caramel popcorn - refreshing and a great palate cleanser. The next dessert was just as satisfying - simple yet classy.

And to finish, some petit fours which were some petite brioche buns, and salted caramel and Turkish delight chocolate truffles.

Meyer lemon/caramel popcorn/vanilla

Manjari chocolate/candied orange/yoghurt

The whole evening passed by really smoothly, without feeling rushed like the previous weekend. Service was calm and attentive, without being overbearing, and the friendly restaurant manager made an effort to come by our table to check on us during and after our meal.
This was my first time dining at the restaurant, and it certainly won't be my last.

The Cheekster, signing out x

LONDON IN THE SKY 2014

With another stroke of luck, I was fortunate to win a pair of tickets to London In The Sky. Operated exclusively over a 10-day period, the event saw five of London's best Michelin starred restaurants transfer their signature menus and dining experiences to a unique sky table, suspended 100 feet in the air. 
Held at Canary Wharf, London In The Sky consists of a 22-seat table, with a space in the middle where the chef and the team prepare and serve food to diners.
I had seen plenty of posts about it on my Twitter timeline, and as usual I tried my luck in a couple of competitions, hoping to win tickets for the event. As the days drew nearer to the end of the event, I had given up hope and forgotten about it - and then I got a surprise notification whilst working a late shift!

Thanks to Great British Chefs, I was able to attend the final dinner flight with Chef Alyn Williams at The Westbury.

We were instructed to arrive half an hour before our dinner flight, and we made our way there just in time to take some photos before sunset. 

As much as I was excited about this, I also forgot to mention that I have a sliiiggghhhtt fear of heights... 

The last bad experience that I had was going on the Skywalk in Canada - where I had to grasped my best friend, Harpreet's, arm and scamper across to the other side with my head towards the sky, before I eventually teared up at the end. Yeah, not a very memorable experience...

But then again, at least I am not as bad as a guy that I used to date who was petrified of escalators...

I do feel bad now about joking about it last time, honest.

Despite my anxiety, I was determined to overcome my fears. Coincidentally on the same day I walked past a window with the words 'Do one thing a day that scares you' - it must have been a sign. 

In most cases, people would often bring a husband/partner/boyfriend/date etc along as their +1, a privilege that single people like me do not have...

But if I was going to go through this, I knew that needed someone that I could trust and rely on. And without a doubt, this person just happens to be my best friend, Wai Kit. 

And now into the waiting lounge, where we registered ourselves and were each served a glass of  Taittinger champagne. Alcohol was definitely one thing that I needed to help calm my nerves...

It was pretty dark outside by the time the first group of diners descended, and it was then finally time for us to get buckled into our seats. We were each given numbers, and me and WK were lucky number 1 and 2. We were fastened down with three safety belts, and our seats were adjusted accordingly.
Too late to turn back now... 

 

After a brief speech from Chef Alyn Williams,  it was time for 'take-off'! Our table swiftly ascending into the sky as the ground below disappeared into the darkness - not that I was looking, as you can clearly see me still clutching the table with my shivery hands...

These chairs are safe right...? Oh crap, it swivels!

  

We were sat at the far end, and conveniently within close reach of this lovely young man who did a good job in making sure that our wine glasses were regularly topped up! 

Wai Kit did help in comforting me on our way up and told me not to look down...logically.

 

 I was initially quite cold when we reached the top which was quite windy. The vain side of me had refused to bring a jacket, but thankfully I had a scarf to wrapped around me...

 Thankfully I started to warm up with each (huge) gulp of wine, and my nerves also began to calm down.

I am NOT cold...

And eventually I was brave enough to take selfies!

And the surrounding views...

Now moving on to our five course Michelin starred dinner... 
All perfectly executed by the chefs and efficiently prepared before us.

| Belota iberica, cauliflower, soused beach vegetables, cobnuts |  

| Mersea island crab, watermelon, wild herb coleslaw, gazpacho, cucumber | 

Chef totally working it!

| Confit cod, coco bean casserole, Alsace bacon, autumn truffles | 

| Cumbrian rosé veal, braised brisket, sweetbread crumbs, brassicas |

| Cornish cows curd cheesecake, spiced figs, gingerbread crisp | 

Photos before food...ALWAYS! #eatingishardwork

My 'apprentice' has learnt well from eating out with me...

The lovely sisters, Tina & Trudi - nice to meet you!

Did I also mention that WK abandoned me before the last course...?!

The call of nature, as they say...

*deducts best friend brownie points*

The whole thing only lasted for an hour, but it was an absolute fun-filled hour.
Thank you to the amazing chefs and the team for making this experience so memorable and fun, and to Great British Chefs for giving us the opportunity for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

And of course, to Wai Kit for being my ever-reliable companion for the evening - 6 years of friendship and still going strong.

The Cheekster, signing out x