Laurent Perrier Champagne Afternoon Tea at Kettners

Words & Photography by Felicity Spector and Luiz Hara

It's a rare joy, afternoon tea. Especially in the dark and gloom of a January evening, when the annoying clatter of detox-fanatics threatens to drown out any thoughts of that simple joy, eating for pleasure. But inside the faded-grandeur of Soho stalwart Kettners, a hidden boudoir swagged in velvet: the Laurent Perrier room.

This is afternoon tea with bling: not just an array of sandwiches, scones and little pastries, but a tasting flight of champagnes, expertly chosen by Laurent Perrier to match each course of food. They're selling it as a chance not just to experience the nuances of flavour - but to try some champagnes that wouldn't normally be within reach.

So along with the usual afternoon tea paraphinalia, there was a special tray holding three glasses, ready for sampling, with Laurent Perrier 'ambassador' Danny Borchert on hand to explain the house style. Think "lightness, freshness and elegance", he declared.

First up, the sandwiches: some decent fillings among them, including chicken, mango and mint and a rather good egg mayonnaise. And the first champagne, a glass of Extra Brut - light and fresh, with just a touch of salt on the finish: an ideal match for those sandwiches.

We moved onto the scone course: I rather like any meal containing a scone course. These would have been even better warm, but were fresh and light, with a slightly sticky strawberry jam and a huge pot of clotted cream. To go with them, what Laurent Perrier calls its iconic champagne - the Cuvee Rose, poured from a magnum. "You should always drink champagne from a magnum", insisted Danny Borchert. "There's less air trapped inside, which keeps it fresher than a bottle".

Kettners does offer magnums of the Cuvee Rose - at around £215 - beyond most budgets. But offering it as part of the afternoon tea flight should make it far more accessible.

The salmon pink fizz glittered prettily in the mellow light: the flavours echo summer fruits, like strawberry and redcurrant, without being overly sweet. An excuse to ladle even more jam onto those scones.

Finally the desserts: a plate piled with delicate creations - a miniature raspberry macaron, a sharp and sweet passion fruit tart, another with strawberry and cream, and my favourite - a millionaire's shortbread which was incredibly messy to eat but worth the effort.

With this, the most expensive champagne of all: you'd need £500 for a whole magnum of the 2004 vintage, made from sun-ripened grapes with a rich, sweet and honeyed flavour, a mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with notes of tropical fruit.

"A wine to be savoured, to enjoy, part of a celebration", said Danny Borchert: on this occasion, a celebration of tiny cakes. In a city with plenty of top-end hotel teas to choose from - this is definitely one for champagne lovers. A taste of vintage luxury, without the need for an oligarch's budget.

The afternoon tea and tasting flight is available at Kettners for £42.50 per person.

Tirage – Bubbles in the City

Name: Tirage Champagne Bar and Restaurant

Where: 64 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AW, http://www.tirage.co.uk

Cost: A 5 course tasting menu is offered for £39 pp (or £69 with five matched sparkling wines/Champagnes).  On the à la carte menu, small plates are from £8.50 to £9.50 (although there is a blow-out dish of 30g Finnish Baerii caviar for £95). Salads are £6.50, sides including Mac & Cheese or hand cut chips are from £2.50 to £4.50. Desserts are all £6.50.

About: Tirage is a new restaurant and Champagne bar that opened in early 2014. Just a stone's throw from Liverpool Street Station and the Heron Tower with its Sushi Samba and Duck & Waffle restaurants, it joins a number of local eateries that are bringing a real foodie vibe to this otherwise rather corporate area of the City. 

Venezuelan Elio Machillanda, a former City worker, has put his life and soul into this new venture in collaboration with Michelin-starred restaurateur David Moore (of Pied à Terre, L'Autre Pied and pop-up Pied Nus reviewed here), the concept of the restaurant being to partner good quality small eats with Champagnes and sparkling wines by the glass.

Sommelier Roberto Della Pietra, formerly of Gaultier Soho, spent 6 months prior to the launch of the restaurant researching and planning a Champagne list that would complement a range of aperitif, fish and meat dishes by Head Chef Alasdair Fraser, and developing set menus partnering small eats and Champagne. And his work has paid off – the list includes a range of Champagnes and sparkling wines, twenty of which are available by the glass   including some gems I have never encountered before such as a rare Russian sparkly. But more of that later.

I had the pleasure of spending a few days with Roberto on a wine press trip to Somontano in Spain last year (reviewed here), and was impressed by his knowledge of the wines of that region, and by his acute but uncomplicated approach to wine.

The house champagne is supplied by Perrier Jouët, which also has an eponymous dining room for up to 12 guests suitable for business or private functions. The first floor has a private bar and dedicated kitchen catering for up to 100 guests.

The head chef is Alasdair Fraser (formerly of Kensington's The Abingdon), who has created a French menu with Peruvian touches for Tirage.

What We Ate/Drank: We went for the 5 course tasting menu with a matching flight of Champagnes and sparkling wines. We started with a glass of house Champagne from Perrier Jouët, which was elegantly refreshing. The menu kicked off with 3 of the freshest rock oysters from Colchester, simply served with a thick wedge of lemon and a red wine vinegar and shallot dressing.

With the oysters came a glass of Drappier "Sans Ajout de Soufre" zero dosage Champagne.  Having no added sugar, this had a bracing minerality, well balancing the ocean flavours of the shellfish.

Next was a Cornish scallop ceviche, with caramelised Jerusalem artichoke purée, prosciutto powder, kaffir lime, pomegranate and sorrel flower reduction. This was a gorgeous dish both in the presentation and the palate, with freshness and a thrilling combination of flavours and textures.

To accompany the ceviche, the sommelier's choice was a Duetz Champagne Brut Classic. Owned by Louis Roederer, it had a fine toasty nose and elegant structure, which has prompted the likes of Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine, to call it "the Champagne for people in the know".

To follow, there was a pan-fried seabass, with an Asian-scented seed crust, white crab emulsion, broccoli and curry oil.  I loved this dish, and the seabass, having been cured, roasted and then pan fried was tender, well flavoured and perfectly cooked. The Devon crab had been emulsified with spices, and was richly flavoured.

Roberto has chosen a rare Russian sparkling wine for this dish, and it had plenty of richness and spice to stand up to the fish. The most unusual (but also one of the most delicious) sparkling wines of the evening, and the only one that was not a Champagne, this was the Abrau-Durso "Cuvée Alexander II" NV from the Krasnodar region of Russia. Made from a blend of riesling, pinot noir, pinot blanc and chardonnay grapes, this had a magnificent spicy, clove nose and had green apple, lime and mint on the palate, easily withstanding the Asian spice in the fish dish. A revelation!

Our fourth dish was pan-fried, “ethically produced” foie gras. Served with caramelised pear, chilli popcorn and blinis, it was delicious. Whereas geese have to be force-fed to produce foie gras, the ducks used to produce “ethical” foie gras are naturally greedy and will eat more than their fair share particularly just prior to (planned) migration. This fattens their livers naturally, and the resulting dish was as creamy as any I have tried, with the crunchy chilli popcorn giving a contrasting texture.

With it, we had the Champagne Michel Furdyna NV Rose, from Celles sur Ource.  Made from 100% pinot noir, this was a well-structured, muscular wine with enough weight of fruit to hold its own against the unctuous liver.

The final dish on the tasting menu was a venison haunch confit.  Served with an acorn squash purée, chimichurri sauce and barbecued cauliflower, this was excellent with perfectly tender venison.  I did not see how a Champagne could stand up to this richest of gamey meats, but once again the sommelier confounded expectations and came up with a magnificent example, with a depth of structure that only became apparent after eating the meat.

This was a truly splendid glass of Coulon Premier Cru NV.  Roger Coulon is unusual in planting pinot meunier on as much as 40% of his vineyards, but this Champagne demonstrates the advantage of the grape in giving a tremendous depth of structure. With a fine nose of brioche, at the first brush with the palate it concealed its power beneath a surface elegance. However, when tasted with the venison, it revealed remarkably complex layers of luscious green fruit flavour, lemony acidity and minerality.

Note that desserts are not part of the set menu, and we ordered them separately. We had a flourless chocolate and blueberry gateau and chocolate sauce, and also a pink Champagne and mango cheesecake with peach and Champagne sauce.

Both were delectable, and well complemented by a glass of fruity, moderately sweet Italian Moscato.

Likes: The small-eats style of restaurant, which allows sampling of a wide range of textures and flavours, and an extensive and really interesting Champagne menu, at a surprisingly reasonable price for its easily accessible location. A tasting menu of this quality in the City with five Champagnes or sparkling wines at £69 per person is, I think, amazingly good value.

Dislikes: None

Verdict: A truly innovative partnering of modern French-Peruvian cuisine with an outstanding list of Champagnes and sparkling wines. Tirage's tasting menu partnering food with Champagnes is magnificent, and one of the best value in the City. Highly recommended.