I just woke up from a lovely little bear nap, which was very much needed after the big day I had yesterday!  This month celebrated the London Restaurant Festival and I finally got into the action with a Gourmet Odyssey taking the form of a progressive lunch: three courses, each one at a different michelin-starred restaurant.  It was a fabulously fun adventure with delicious food, decadent Champagne, and new friends—all my favourite things 🙂

R, S, and I turned up with excited anticipation and hungry bellies at Corrigan’s in Mayfair where things kicked off with a Champagne reception.  The elegant Laurent-Perrier Brut (NV) was free-flowing and started proceedings off with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.  The accompanying canapés were scrumptious jalapeño poppers with a creamy cheesy filling.

While enjoying this, I took the opportunity to check out our route and menu for the progressive lunch.  Everyone was divided into three groups which visited the three restaurants in a different order, resulting in three different menus.  Transport was by way of very traditional Routemaster double decker buses, adding to the fun of the day.  As the event was sponsored by Laurent-Perrier, every course was beautifully matched to one of their divine drops.

The excitement grew as we got off the bus at our first venue: Theo Randall at the InterContinental!!  The entire restaurant was closed for our event, so we had the run of the place.  We decided to sit at a larger table to meet fabulous new friends—Stephen, Louisa, Steve, Michelle, and Simon.  As the eight of us got to know each other, we were served a simple and delicious appetiser of griddled sourdough (I think) bruschetta topped with roasted cherry tomatoes with a light sprinkle of salt and, if I’m not mistaken, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  S of course missed out on the sourdough, but was very quickly provided with a gluten-free version.  The starter soon followed: bresaola (thinly sliced cured beef) with radicchio, aged balsamic vinegar, and parmesan.  All the elements wonderfully complemented each other creating a beautifully balanced dish with crisp and silky, bitter and rich, fresh and creamy.  The dish was well matched to the LP Ultra Brut Champagne.  With zero dosage (no added sugar), it was superbly dry and nicely cut through the rich bresaola and surprisingly creamy parmesan.  At the end of our course we were lucky enough to meet the chef himself!  Theo came out to have a quick chat with every table, and yes, I got a photo:

The second venue was Koffmann’s at the Berkeley.  We sat with some of our friends from the first course—Steve, Michelle, and Simon—and also made some new ones—Rohit, Ildiko (apologies if I spelt that wrong), Richard, and Elizabeth.  The Champagne here was the exquisite LP Vintage 2006.  R was hoping it would be the Grand Siècle, his all time favourite Champagne, but enjoyed this nonetheless.  A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes (the house typically doesn’t use much Pinot Meunier), it was a gorgeous drop.  Although it did match the lamb, R, S, and I cheekily decided to order a couple of glasses of red wine.  Our waiter Marco expertly recommended a Pauillac and a St Émilion Grand Cru.  Both 2006 vintages, they were deep and complex with good body and structure, but the St Émilion was slightly more fruity and the Pauillac had a slightly longer finish.  The lamb was tender, full of flavour, and cooked to perfection.  Stuffed with a herb filling, it was accompanied by creamy dauphinoise potatoes, honeyed carrots, and a couple of perfectly cooked broccoli florets.  Once we had polished off the food and wine, we happily returned to the vintage Champagne, thoroughly enjoying every last drop!

Dessert was at Indian restaurant Trishna where we were treated with a cherry and raspberry falooda.  What is that, I hear you ask?  It was OMG YUM!!!  Who would have thought of putting vermicelli noodles in a dessert?!  It was delicate, sweet, creamy, and refreshing and perfectly accompanied the Laurent-Perrier Rosé.  Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, the LPR is presented in a beautiful and iconic bottle shape, inspired by those made in the time of King Henry IV.  Unlike a lot of Rosé Champagne, which can have too much sugar, the LPR shines through by not masking its depth of character, probably due in no small part to the fact that it’s made using the traditional saignée method (left soaking in the grape skins for up to three days to obtain the colour, rather than adding red wine). It showed great structure for a rosé and cut nicely through the sweetness of the falooda.  Superb food/wine matching!  Our new friend at this table was none other than John Cleary from Laurent-Perrier!  We had had the opportunity earlier to ask him about the Champagnes when he went from table to table at Theo Randall, but it was great to spend some time with him and have more of a conversation.  And of course to get a photo.

The Gourmet Odyssey was over, but the party continued.  R, S, and I decided to pop into Gordon Ramsay’s Maze for what we believed would be a final glass of wine to end the day.  We had just finished when S received a message from her brother who was with his fiancée buying their wedding rings.  We high-tailed it over to meet them and were promptly offered Champagne by the jeweller.  Why not?  It was the theme of the day, after all.  The five of us then shared a delicious bottle of Pouilly Fuissé at Mews of Mayfair to celebrate their purchase and round off the amazing day.