Bar Chocolat with Blanch & Shock and Bompas & Parr

Monday September 16th - Midway through my first day back teaching at school over 4 months ago, I got an email from Barchick saying I had won two tickets to the last night of the Bar Chocolat popup that evening.  Luckily my plans had just been cancelled so I got hold of List Leader Natalie who was up for it.

We joined a queue of excited Londoners on Earlham Street, ready for a 3 course meal from experimental foodies Blanch & Shock and Bompas & Parr, inspired by an indulgent new liquid chocolate liqueur from Baileys called Chocolat Luxe.

On entering, we passed through three art installations before we reached the Chocolat Luxe bar.

Bompass & Parr installation

Chocolat Luxe bar & Microleaf Canapé

After a quick look around, the dining room was revealed and we sat down.  We found ourselves sitting next to knowledgeable Food & Drink-o-phile, Wilkes McDermid, whom I have met many times since.  

Our first course was a fascinating & tasty mix of seafood and vegetables, all served on ice with wooden pincers.  See the menu below for details!  Wine was smartly paired with the food throughout the evening.

The first course was impressive, but the second course was spectacular.  Food and theatre combined as an army of waiters created a unique work of edible art right in front of our eyes.  I had heard good things about Blanch & Shock and they lived up to the hype with this flashy feast.

It was a really fun and sociable way to eat, though you almost didn't want to move any of the food!  Several ingredients were in a "no-mans land" area which I fought over with a complete stranger.  I obviously didn't take on Natalie, you know what those northerners are like.

For the sweet course, Blanch & Shock passed the baton over to Bompas & Parr.  We started by coating our lips in gold leaf, before taking on a variety of miniature puddings that were spread around the bar area, whilst drinking a glass of Chocolat Luxe (served Rococo style with a raspberry).  

The Chocolat Luxe itself isn't really my thing, but it will appeal to a lot of people.  It could be used in a variety of ways but is probably best served as an after dinner treat, as it was by Bompas & Parr.

Thanks to Barchick for the tickets, and to B&S and B&P for the theatrical spread.  Keep an eye on all of their websites for exciting future projects, of which I'm sure there will be many in 2014.

What am I drinking this week?

Alcohol seemed to be the prevailing theme from my Christmas presents this year, and I am now the proud owner of some wonderful spirits, including Oriental-spiced Opihr Gin, a bottle of smoky Peat Monster Whisky and some incredible "El Carrizal" Anejo Tequila Ocho (which would convert any tequila absconder). I have also finally got some Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters and Mozart Chocolate Bitters for my back bar, both very different and useful.  There were several more more mini gins, beers and liqueurs which Twitter followers have been busy trying to identify over the festive period.  

Christmas came early a couple of weeks ago in the form of a bottle of Ruby Blue Wild Blackcurrant liqueur, one of four new bottle-aged liqueurs from Northern Ireland.  They also produce Wild Blueberry, Cranberry and a Chilli Pepper liqueur.  In a nice touch, every bottle contains the berries which have been added to the distilled Irish grain spirit, and every bottle has been aged for at least three months.  My Wild Blackcurrant liqueur is very drinkable on its own, and is also a great substitute for Cassis in a Kir Royale.  Head over to Gerry's to get your hands on your own bottle.

Intro

It is a bit late for New Year's Resolutions and I don't normally get involved with them but I think I accidentally made one the other day.  My flatmate, Ali, has decided this year to cover 3000 miles (http://iwouldrun3000miles.wordpress.com/) by running/cycling/otherwise in 2013 to raise money for Save the Children and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. My February resolution is not quite as athletic or charitable, and I will sadly end up  fatter, poorer and more hungover because of it.

Last weekend, whilst she was out running/cycling/otherwise, I was sitting in my pyjamas in the living room eating my own weight in pasta and pesto, watching Top Gear reruns on Dave and procrastinating on Facebook. My friend Natalie suggested that we try out a new speakeasy bar called Underdog (more on that later) underneath Brewdog Shoreditch where Beer Cocktails (yes please) would be served up.  A bit of research led me to my new favourite website - The Nudge - which updates you on pop-up restaurants, speakeasy bars, and generally quirky London experiences.  This is where The List began.

I trawled through The Nudge making a note of each exciting place that I wanted to try out but it didn't stop there. I moved on to other websites - Great Little Place, Bar Chick, 100 Must Do Dates - until the list spilled over on to a second page on Microsoft Word and I decided to call it a day.  With a trip to Underdog in place, my plan is to work my way (preferably with friends!) through The List in 2013, starting on Friday February 23rd. 

I will endeavour to blog about all of my trips, hopefully without misusing commas more than 75% of the time or offending my better educated friends with my attempts at writing in whole sentences rather than with algebra / musical notation / Latin for the first time in a long time. That sentence was rubbish and too long wasn't it? Anyway, enjoy and get involved!