Returning to Berners Tavern & a Fabulous Wine Masterclass with Matteo Montone - 6 Years On and Still Amazing!

Name: Berners Tavern

Where: The London Edition Hotel, 10 Berners Street, London, W1T 3NP, 020 7908 7979, 

http://www.bernerstavern.com

Cost: a 3-course meal will cost around £50 per person on average (not including drinks or service)

About: The London restaurant scene moves SO fast, so it is rare for me to visit the same place twice -  Berners Tavern is however one of the few restaurants I’ve been returning to over the years.

Another good reason for my recent return visit was to attend a fabulous Wine Masterclass with Matteo Montone, Berners Tavern’s Director of Wine, and possibly the best dressed sommelier I ever met!

But besides his uncanny resemblance to Jude Law, Matteo is not an actor - he is in fact about to become one of a very select group of fewer than 300 Masters of Wine worldwide as he finalises his Master Sommelier Diploma this year. In 2019, he was named GQ Best Sommelier and the Young Sommelier of the Year by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. So we can say, the man knows a thing or two about wine!

Held in one of the most glamorous London restaurants, at @bernerstavern’s private dining room, these intimate sessions held during September are a great opportunity to learn about the art of wine tasting and discover some of the 800 wines from the restaurant’s wine list.

Priced at £45 per person, the classes will have 12 spaces available per session, and there will be 2 sessions per month. Guests who choose to dine at Berners Tavern following the class will also receive 15% off the total bill.

Charming and knowledgeable, Matteo is leading a number of fantastic wine tastings in the coming months - what a great opportunity to meet the man himself, try some amazing vino and dine at one of the most glam restaurants in London!

Berners Tavern is still one of the most glam restaurants in London, I wrote about it in The London Foodie 6 years ago when it first opened (see review here). Berners Tavern is where you take your hottest date, your mum, or your family when they are in town, it is a place where you take folk you want to impress!

And 6 years on, on the Tuesday evening we attended, the place was jam packed - so what is the secret? The menu features some comfort British classics, exquisite British produce which is immaculately delivered, and a fabulous list of 800 wines. 

What We Ate: *OUTSTANDING DISHES* were the HUGE Buccleuch Estate Côte de Boeuf served with Berners Tavern’s BLT, a bacon, tomato & lettuce wedge drizzled with a delectable buttermilk dressing (£90 for 2). 

Sides of Berners Tavern’s signature MAC N’CHEESE with pulled beef blade (£10) and TRIPLED COOKED CHIPS were nothing short of PERFECTION, I was told the mac n’cheese can also be ordered as a main dish, another reason to return!

Hand-chopped, aged Buccleuch Estate BEEF TARTARE, English mustard mayo and sourdough crouton (£15) and chargrilled octopus, smoked cod’s roe, treviso and chicory salad (£17) made for magnificent starters.

Dessert came in a trio – Peach Triffle with Nyetimber jelly, peach sorbet and deep-fried jam donut was light and refreshing (£9) as was the Gin & Tonic flaming Alaska (£18 for 2) with cucumber, hibiscus and juniper. But best of all was Peanut & Chocolate Ganache with toasted peanut mousse and salted caramel ice cream – rich and so comforting.

What We Drank: With 800 wines to choose from, we were lucky to have Matteo Montone, Berners Tavern’s Director of Wine guide us – his choice of super Tuscan’s Il Fauno, an IGG blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was a perfect match to the Côte de Boeuf.

Likes: *THAT* Mac n' Cheese with pulled beef blade! Possibly the best wine menu in London. Fabulous decor.

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: To date, this was one of our best meals of 2019 – if you haven’t tried Berners Tavern’s outstanding British fare yet, you are missing out. If anything, *THAT* Mac n’ Cheese is to die for and worth a visit in its own right.

When Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

Words and Photography by Su-Lin Ong

A heady night of feasting in a boudoir-like salon; then that moment you half expect Adam Ant to leap up and stride down the long table to shake up the conventional.  Such was the mood when Berry Bros. & Rudd released its latest limited-edition label for its perennially popular Good Ordinary Claret.

It was natural genius to show off its fine and dandy label by artist Kate Boxer, matched up with her son Jackson Boxer’s modern cooking at the flamboyant Brunswick House – the Georgian mansion crammed with antiques and salvage to covet and buy.

This night of hospitality with gusto and intensely rich flavours cast all meekness aside.  Befitting a first full-blown feast of Autumn, it was a textured setting of draped swags and the patina of old satin polished wood, with a tumble of flora from the mantlepieces.

The Kate Boxer label is the third limited-edition design by BBR, and follows its commissioned Paul Smith label for its 2013 GOC and the 2014 GOC by design wonder Luke Edward Hall. The depicted dandy and his dog - modelled by Kate’s dog Figgy - is a chap on a mission.  He’s firing his pistol to proclaim, ‘Let the feasting begin’.

The wine is a bright and modern Bordeaux red, with notes of deep cherry and bramble.  You sense swathes of country mists and goblets filled and re-filled to the brim. It’s a wine to be generous with; an everyday indulgence.  When a designer designs, the inspiration usually comes from relishing the product and its aura.  As Kate describes her creation, you figure how much she enjoys this kind of feasting on a regular basis; she is very much part of the Boxer lineage of gourmets and chefs.

To reflect the flavours of the claret, Jackson styled a menu of jewelled beets with gutsy charcuterie, followed by succulent slices of rare, full fat roast beef – all plattered up for guests to convivially serve each other.  Even the dessert of richest, darkest chocolate and brandy infused prune loved this wine.

And yes, the dandy himself lent his full-size presence to the feast.  Kate Boxer’s original dry point etching with carborundum seemed so completely at home in the deep shadows and candlelight.

The new Kate Boxer-labelled Berry Bros. & Rudd Ordinary Claret is available from 25 October 2018.  £9.95 for a bottle.  And when the 7,000 bottles are gone, they’re gone.  www.bbr.com

The dinner:
Prosciutto, bresaola, fennel salami, mortadella, olive, cornichon and caperberry
Heritage beetroot, goat curd, pistachio dukkah and puntarella
Rare roast sirloin of beef with horseradish, Cornish potatoes, roast carrots and pound farm leaves
Chocolate pot with boozy prune, cultured cream and almond
* * *
Champagne Berry Bros. & Rudd Grand Cru by Mailly
Negroni cocktails
White Burgundy 2017 Berry Bros. & Rudd by Collovray & Terrier
Red Bordeaux 2016 Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary Claret by Dourthe

Su-Lin Ong attended as a guest of Berry Bros. & Rudd.
Twitter: @sloLondon

Stellenbosch Wines and Nikkei Cuisine - A Marriage Made in Heaven

Words and Photography by Greg Klerkx and Marcel Baumhauer da Silva

South African wine is not exactly a new phenomenon here on our sceptred isle; if anything, that country’s heady, fruit-rich whites and mighty, muscly reds have become part of the vinocultural furniture, to such an extent that it’s easy to think that if you’ve had one KIND, you’ve had them all.

It’s partly with that kind of overfamiliarity in mind that the fine folks of Stellenbosch – a venerable region that’s been producing first-class wine for centuries – set out on a mission: to show the subtlety, versatility and sheer class of wines from the land of the Springbok.

Stellenbosch is a town and a region, located at the most southwestern reach of South Africa. The land is hilly, and the vineyards that roll across the idyllic landscape are sheltered in pocket valleys that dip and roll across the region. The nearby ocean tempers the often-ferocious heat; add to this copious, almost Mediterranean sunshine and exceptionally well-draining soil, and Stellenbosch earns glowing comparisons to California’s Napa Valley.

But therein lay a point of frustration: they were making beautiful wine in Stellenbosch when the Napa Valley was still the land of the Wappo Indians, with nary a European (let alone a winemaking one) in sight. Stellenbosch is the country’s second-oldest wine growing region, with the first recorded planting in 1679. The region accounts for a full 14% of the country’s wine production. Yet while Stellenbosch wines are deservedly legendary in South Africa, the man on the UK high street remains largely in the proverbial dark.

And so it was that six of Stellenbosch’s finest winemakers brought their finest wares to the London Foodie Supper Club. We began with L’Avenir MCC Blanc de Blanc 2011, a clean and true version of this classic bubbler made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Slightly paler than one might expect even from a blanc de blanc, the L’Avenir was hardly pale on the palate, with distinctive nut and citrus notes and a light, mildly acidic finish that paired beautifully with Pan-fried Leek & Tofu Gyoza with Home-made Garlic Teriyaki Sauce and the London Foodie’s signature Wasabi & Butter Flavoured Popcorn.

Next up was a brace of Chenin Blancs from Kleine Zalze. We began with the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2015 (£7.33, matthewclark.co.uk), 2015 being a particularly outstanding vintage in South Africa. Selected from old bush vines (25-40 years old), one enjoys the concentrated, deep notes of ripe summer fruit – guava and melon particularly – and revels in the subtle oaky finish. A great if not obvious choice with Salmon, Sicilian Prawn & Fennel Nikkei Ceviche in a Passion Fruit & Aji Amarillo Tiger’s Milk.

The second Chenin Blanc – Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2015 (£18.45, winedirect.co.uk) had a lot to live up to, and it mostly did. A strong seller in the UK, one can see why: just that much more subtle than its sibling, slightly less oaked (though whether that’s a bonus depends on taste), yet with a kaleidoscopic nose of pear, white peach, and a wafting hints of honeysuckle…a real summer wine, or a wine to have in winter to bring summer right back (yet firm enough to stand up to the rich wonderfulness of “Deconstructing Sushi”: Grilled Scallops on Rice, Tobiko Caviar, Nori Seaweed and a Spicy Creamy Sauce).

After such heights, we moved on to my favourite white of the evening, the marvellous Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2014 (£25.99, sawinesonline.co.uk). The Jordans, Gary and Kathy (both on hand for our event), are legends not only on the South African wine scene but here in London, too, where they own the well-regarded High Timber restaurant, not far from the Millennium Bridge. It’s worth a visit just for their wines: Nine Yards was a stunner, the sort of creamy, oaky (but not too oaky), deep-as-the-sea Chardonnay the Napa Valley used to be regularly praised for.

Sparkling with citrus and chewy with notes of toffee and butterscotch, it was delicious accompaniment to "Chilled Green Tea Soba Noodles with Fried Aubergines in a Cold Dashi Broth”, where the wine managed to shine while giving enough space to the dish’s delicate flavours. Well worth hunting down for your own cellar.

Our main dish – Iberico Pork Cheeks, Daikon Fondant & Foie Gras, with accompaniments – was accompanied by an intriguing trio of wines from three different Stellenbosch winemakers. Spier Creative Block 5 2012 (£18, sawinesonline.co.uk) was a hearty Bordeaux-style blend (mostly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Franc) that had powerful blackcurrant overtones yet was surprisingly light with a nice peppery kick.

Waterford Estate The Jem 2010 was, for me, the least exciting wine of the night, though this is probably a function of timing. A blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, one felt certain that with some cellar time, The Jem’s currently restrained chocolate and dark berry notes would explode into life, making for a rich and very satisfying tipple. The Jem worked now, but it’ll work better in a year or two.

On the other hand, there’s no doubting that Stellenbosch Vineyards The Flagship Cabernet Franc 2010 is ready to quaff right now. Pure Cab Franc in all the ways that count – spicy, punchy, deep with dark berry fruit – The Flagship is almost Port-dark, with strong chocolate and cardamom notes that hug the palate like a warm winter blanket. Delicious stuff, well worth seeking out, and my top red of the night.

We finished the evening with another Jordan wine, the Mellifera Noble Late Harvest 2013, a lightly alcoholic (11%) sweet wine made from 100% Riesling. Lovely notes of apricot and elderflower made it a great match with Tarte Tatin with Star Anise, Rosemary, Almonds & Sarawakan Cinnamon, Served with Vanilla Crème Fraiche.

If the mission of Stellenbosch winemakers was to make a lasting impression on the London Foodie crowd, then job done. I’ll be adding more than a few of these to my must-have list…perhaps displacing a few Napa favourites in the process!

Are you a cruiser? Find out here.

I must admit that cruising was never a holiday option I considered very seriously. My reservations perhaps resonate with many other would-be-cruisers:

Would I feel cooped up inside a boat? 
Aren’t cruising holidays for retired people?  
Will I get terribly seasick?
What am I going to do all day?
Won’t the food be awful?
Is cruising good value for money?

Celebrity Cruises and I collaborated in 2014 when I was asked to accompany their former executive chef John Suley to the International White Truffle Fair in Alba, Piedmont. We had a fantastic trip and I was genuinely impressed by the company’s attempt to bring some of the prized funghi onto their ships’ menu (Celebrity Cruises bid and won two lots at the Alba’s truffle auction for €5,000 and €10,000 each), you can read more about this here.

The Celebrity Eclipse - Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

So it was with great curiosity (and trepidation) that I accepted an invitation by Celebrity Cruises to come aboard one of their ships (Eclipse) for a 2-Night Taste of Modern Luxury Cruise from Southampton to Le Havre in France. I thought it was an opportunity not to be missed to put all those questions to the test.

X for Celebrity Cruises

Would I feel cooped up inside a boat?

While this is largely dependent on the type and size of ship you board, Celebrity Cruise’s Eclipse was anything but claustrophobic, in fact it was gargantuan.

The ship has 15 decks (floors) with the top being a lawned open-deck with a Sunset-Bar and large areas of green open space.

A London park? No, the top deck of the Celebrity Cruises Eclipse

My room was a standard en-suite, ocean view estate cabin. I would not describe it as luxurious, but it was nevertheless spacious, elegantly furnished and had a small veranda.

I was surprised by how well proportioned it was - I have stayed in much pokier rooms during my trips to Japan so I was pleased with my cabin.

Small but perfectly formed...

There were swimming pools, shops, a theatre, a huge library, art galleries and even a casino onboard the Eclipse. 

Vegas style casino at Eclipse

There was plenty of room despite the ship being sold out with 2,850 passengers, and I must admit, I hardly bumped into the same face twice during the trip.

With a number of specialty gourmet restaurants, from fine dining options like the Luminae (only accessible to those booking a suite), to the more family oriented places like the Oceanview Café (open from breakfast to late night-dining until 1am) where you will find stations serving up everything from sushi to pizza or French patisserie. There are enough options to keep you exploring the restaurants for a good week or so.

The sparkly Luminae Restaurant

Oceanview Cafe

Likewise, there are many bars – I counted at least ten spread over the 15 decks of the Eclipse. The bars are super-busy though, and for someone like me who with zilch bar presence, you may have to wait a while to get a drink at times. But this is perhaps a reflection of the style of trip that I was invited to – a two-night cruise where most guests stayed indoors, drinking and enjoying the ship’s amenities.

The busy Martini Bar

So returning to the original question – did I feel cooped up inside the Eclipse? No I didn’t, but this was mostly because of the ship’s size and the length of the trip. If the cruise were longer than 2 nights, I would have probably got out of the ship for shore excursions – this is after all one of the great advantages of cruising – the possibility of waking up at a different port city everyday.

Aren’t cruising holidays for retired people?  

A lot of my friends are now retired, so apologies if this sound a tad rude! While there were a great number of people in their 60s and 70s on board, the majority on my cruise ranged from 20-something couples to people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

It was also fascinating to observe my fellow cruisers. They were a mixed bunch, ranging from the clearly affluent to people who looked or sounded less so. So the idea that cruising is only for the elderly was in my experience a real misconception on the Celebrity Cruise Eclipse.

The Disco!

Will I get terribly seasick?

You probably won’t, but this again will depend on the type of ship you board – largely speaking, the bigger the boat, the more stable it is. 

On the Eclipse, the sea between Southampton and Le Havre was calm during those two days and this, coupled with the sheer size of the ship, meant that I hardly even noticed it was sailing. Every now and again, I would feel a slight dizziness, perhaps twice during an entire evening, much like having a glass of wine too many, which I probably did.

What am I going to do all day?

That was a real concern that luckily was short-lived – there were so many activities packed into those two days, I hardly managed to keep up.

One of the fun things I got to attend was a wine tasting with Oz Clarke, one of the two celebrities on board (Ben Fogle being the other).

I have attended zillions of wine tastings in my time but this one was very interesting – not so much for the choice of wines (in fact the ones we tasted were quite pedestrian) but it was Oz’s anecdotes, sense of humour and knowledge that really made it for me.

Oz Clarke was personable and friendly – he cuts through all the nonsense talk about winemaking. I remember well the four wines we tried and the stories behind them, thanks to his engaging approach.

The “Eclipse Today” paper delivered every morning, listed every single activity taking place on the ship that day – there were hundreds of activities including lawn games, art tours, a number of musical shows, cookery demos, you name it.

The Solarium swimming pool - no kids allowed here

Shops galore!

If you have a bit more energy to spare, the Eclipse has a huge fitness centre (where we spotted Ben Fogle strutting his stuff on the treadmill), with dance and yoga classes, and several massive swimming pools.

Ben Fogle on the far left!

If you book a cruise for more than 2-nights, I strongly recommend getting off the ship either for one of the organised excursions or on your own to explore the port town you dock at. There were a number of excursions on this trip including day trips to Paris with options of lunch on the River Seine or Eiffel Tower, and to nearby villages and towns. I didn’t get to do any of these unfortunately as there were so many other activities I wanted to attend onboard.

Views of Le Havre

Won’t the food be awful?

The Taste of Modern Luxury cruise I attended in May 2015 was a special trip as far as dining was concerned. Two of Britain’s most celebrated, Michelin-starred chefs, Adam Simmonds and Robert Thompson, were on board for a number of cookery demonstrations and to cook us dinner on the two nights of the cruise.

Cookery demonstration with Robert Thompson

The dinners were taking place at two of the ship’s specialty restaurants and were only available to those cruisers on Specialty Dining packages. I am not going to bore you with the details of each dinner as the chefs for the 2016 Taste of Modern Luxury Cruise will most likely be different and so will be the food, but the dinners prepared by these two chefs were exquisite – with tip top ingredients, faultless cooking and with great wine pairings.

Meeting Chef Adam Simmonds

Two dishes really stuck to my memory though, one being Adam Simmonds’ roasted loin of lamb with crisp belly, goat's curd and onion ash. This featured a beautifully succulent piece of meat (I am also getting a real fondness for crisp lamb belly which I am seeing more often in London’s menus), perfectly pink, it had wonderfully rich flavours and plenty of contrasting textures, a real winner.

The other dish, also by Adam Simmonds, was his confit fillet of trout served with a delicious veal tartare, smoked English asparagus and edible flowers. The trout had been cooked sous-vide, which gave it a wonderfully buttery texture. I loved this elegant surf and turf combination, and it was a first for me to try salmon and veal in the same dish.

The Oceanview Café was the ship’s main dining area, serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as late snacks up to 1am. Here was where most cruisers on any dining package headed to whenever they wanted a bite to eat. More casual in style, the Oceanview Café was perhaps my favourite place on the ship.

Considering the food at the Oceanview Café was pre-cooked and served buffet style, it was mostly of a good standard. The pizza station was great, as were the French patisserie and ice cream stations.

I particularly remember the Paris Breast I got to try.  The choux pastry was well made, and there was a delicious peanut butter ice cream with salted caramel. Add a glass or two of bubbly and we had the perfect afternoon snack!

So food on cruise ships does not need to be awful – do your homework and make sure to book into a cruise liner that puts gastronomy at the forefront of what they offer. I genuinely feel that Celebrity Cruises strives to be one such company for those on its Specialty Dining packages.

Is cruising value for money?

Value for money is a very subjective concept, but personally I feel that cruising can be. The Oceanview stateroom I stayed at is priced at £359 per person, for an all-inclusive basic package. 

In addition to this basic package fee, there are some add-ons – the gratuity is a compulsory charge added to your bill at a rate of US$15 per day, which I felt was fair considering the excellent service onboard.

Some other non-compulsory add-ons include the 24-hour wifi package priced at US$109 plus VAT (I found this a complete waste of money as I hardly got any signal out of it during those two days). An optional extra I recommend is to upgrade the drinks from the very limited basic package to the premium at US$11.80 per day. There is also a Specialty Dining Package available to those wanting to upgrade and experience the more exclusive dining options available onboard. The price for this dining upgrade varies between ships and the number of restaurants available so please check this when booking.

Moonlight Sonata -  this is the Eclipse's main dining room, available to all guests

My Verdict.

There are two major aspects of cruising that really sell this type of holiday to me. 

I guess many of us have travelled to and explored a particular part of the world taking endless internal flights, buses and trains, stressing over check-ins, transfers and luggage. If this sounds familiar, then cruising is one option (at a price, of course) to take away all these worries. 

Secondly, the prospect of waking up at a different location every morning during a week or so of cruising is very appealing. How exciting to wake up in Genoa one morning, Naples or Palermo the next, then Venice!

This short, 2-night cruise helped me explore the concerns and misconceptions I had about cruising, which was a real eye-opener for me. I had a great time overall and met and got chatting to many young couples onboard, some of whom had been on as many as 7 cruises in the last few years.

Try it for yourself!

The next Taste of Modern Luxury Cruise will take place on the 8th to 10th May 2016 (2 nights). Prices for the basic all-inclusive packages vary from £269 to £389 per person for a 2-night stay.

For more details about the Taste of Modern Luxury Cruise or many of other Celebrity Cruises options, and to book, please visit their website: https://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/itinerary/ec02q008/20160508/2/0/cruisehotelandflight

Have you ever been on a cruise? Have you tried one of Celebrity Cruises trips? I would be grateful if you were to share your opinions below. Thanks!