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Over the coming months, Brook Hall are hosting
dinner evenings which some people will, I am sure, compare to
Come Dine With Me. Meals are served at a single seating, with
all guests seated around one table. However, instead of guests
being served total rubbish as they often are on the popular
television series; here, you will be served a three course meal
cooked by Stephen Bulmer, former Chef & Director at The Raymond
Blanc Cookery School at Le Manoir.
 As
well as being a cookery school and offering dinner evenings,
Brook Hall is also home to Stephen and his wife Joanna. This
makes the experience totally unique and at just £28 for three
courses, you are in for a treat!
The rooms in this Grade II Listed townhouse are
stylish, elegant and inviting. As we sat on the sofa my partner
enjoyed some amazing tasting olives, and myself, one or two
jumbo cashews as we surveyed the wine list. We noticed a bottle
of 2008 Vernaccia di San Gimignano at £30. The main course of
sea bass was cooked in Vernaccia so this would surely be a
perfect choice? After just one sip, I do not think my partner
has ever been so disappointed that she was driving! This is a
beautiful wine which also proved hugely popular with the other
guests who arrived shortly after us. It had a lovely
distinctive, clean and crisp taste that seemed to linger for an
age.
We immediately enjoyed talking to both our host
Joanna and the other guests as the arrived. The service
throughout the night was excellent – nothing pretentious and not
once did we have to re-fill our glasses.
It’s fair to say that had I been in a restaurant,
a starter of Tagliatelle of Broad Beans with Wild Rocket and
Summer Truffle would most likely not have been my number one
choice. However, this starter surprised me because I was taken
aback with the freshness of the ingredients. Beautifully
presented, in a small white bowl, this dish possesses an array
of fabulous colours and textures with subtle flavours. I
finished this dish very quickly and would certainly order it
again given the chance.
 For
mains, we enjoyed the Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Vernaccia, Tomato,
Olives, Capers, Saffron Mash and Basil Oil. This was served in a
bowl meaning the tomatoes, olives and mash at the bottom of the
bowl eventually intertwined as you ate the dish – so every time
you sampled the mash, it had an abundance of flavours that
complimented each other so very well. As for the fish, it was so
tasty and well cooked that we would have liked some more. The
cruton stick is not something I felt was needed but if anything;
it aided an already wonderfully presented dish.
Dark Chocolate & Almond Torte with Mixed Berries
and Mascarpone was served for dessert much quicker than we
expected. A slightly longer break between courses would have
been welcome, but then this was so scrumptious, that we soon
tucked in and everyone on the table was full of smiles. The
torte’s outer had a lovely, light crunch and its middle was
moist with the occasional stronger hint of almond. It was both
rich and moreish - a fantastic way to finish our meal.
The night is made all the more memorable because
of the other guests around the table. The beauty of these events
is that you get to meet people from every walk of life. Maybe we
struck it lucky, but any stranger walking into the room would
not possibly have guessed that many of us had never met before.
 A
mention needs to be given to Jo. Jo’s partner apparently did not
like her smoking and she had apparently told him she wasn’t. Yet
Jo disappeared every time some of the guests left the table to
visit the garden and have a cigarette. Was this not a little
obvious?
As I wandered into the garden myself, she was
almost shaking with nerves thinking she had been caught. As the
night neared to a close, Jo was indeed found out (on camera
too!) as her partner wandered into the garden at some pace to
take a photo - the look on Jo’s face wasn’t too dissimilar to a
bunny caught in the headlights! Aarrgggghhh!
The key to events like this however, is to be
open. If you’re at all shy or uneasy at meeting new people, this
really wouldn’t be for you. Our night was great fun with plenty
of laughter.
For fabulous food in stylish surroundings with
(possibly!) great company to boot, we strongly recommend you
check Brook Hall’s website for upcoming dinner evenings and book
yourself in. There are several different menus on offer so
simply take your pick.
www.brookhall.net |
