To
celebrate London 2012, the
theme and title of the seventh series of the Great British Menu, which returns
to BBC2 this spring, is ‘The Olympic Feast’.
This year, Aiden Byrne will once
again be representing the North West - competing against Johnnie Mountain and
first-timer Simon Rogan of L’Enclume for the opportunity to cook at a gala
dinner hosted by British Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave at the Old Royal
Naval College in Greenwich.
The
three core Olympic values, as set by the founder of the
Modern Olympic Movement, Pierre de Coubertin are respect, excellence and
friendship. Having been set the challenge to ‘create a
ground-breaking menu fit for Olympic heroes’, I’m sure that whatever respect
and friendship the competing chefs may have for each other will be pushed aside
in their pursuit of excellence.
Aiden has been quoted as saying, “I
was delighted to be asked to return to the programme for a third time and this
year the heat has risen in the kitchen in more ways than one! The brief is much
harder allowing the chefs to really showcase their own talents. I am so proud
to be representing the region that I’m from and an area that I have firmly
planted my business and family roots in.”
The
last couple of times I have eaten Aiden’s food have been when I recently popped
into The Church Green following its re-launch
as a British Grill to check out the INKA
grilled burgers (see here) and last August
when I visited his new Craxton Wood site for a steak (here).
Whilst the burger and the steak
were both amongst the best I have eaten, Aiden’s world-renowned reputation and place
on Great British Menu amongst the UK’s cooking elite have undoubtedly been
earned through his more creative and refined ‘Michelin style’ cuisine. The
Church Green’s 5-course degustation offers diners a chance of tasting such
culinary delights.
Roasted scallop with squid and black garlic – the scallops, served on a squid
ink risotto were perfect; some of the tastiest I’ve had. The dish came
garnished with fronds of wild leek, a shaving of Parmesan and a clove of black
garlic.
With roots in Korean and Thai cuisine, black
garlic is an ingredient that over the last few years progressive western chefs
have begun to use with increasing imagination for its depth of flavour
and low garlic potency – as a result, it’s one of the latest food trends that
the supermarkets have finally caught up on. Be warned, it can be eaten straight
from the pack and with its sweet and caramelly flavour is very moreish - in
Aiden’s dish, the sweet acidity had a beautiful synergy with the scallops.
Pigeon and cherries – I’ve always known pigeon to be underrated meat but this was
absolutely stunning; possibly the best dish I have eaten so far this year. The
cherries paired perfectly but it was the breast meat and confit hearts that
were simply sublime - my words and pictures cannot do it justice.
Poached plaice with braised snails and smoked oxtail – set on top of ‘onion powder’ this
dish starred the cannelon of plaice poached with its smoky oxtail centre; the subtlety
of this was offset with the richness from the accompanying oxtail and snails
with delicate parsley crisps - another top drawer dish.
Breast of veal, figs and black olive mash – a stunning looking, arranged
artistically dish; it always amazes me how top chefs manage to create these
scattered plates and make them so attractive but when I try at home, they just
look a mess.
Despite having veal on a number of
occasions, this was my first ‘veal breast’, from the welfare friendly British Rosé Veal. If not cooked correctly this inexpensive cut can
be tough and fatty, but Aiden had prepared his perfectly - the pink hued meat
was so tender and flavourful (a cut I’ll definitely look out for in the
future).
Orange and olive oil cake – served with an orange and cardamom ice cream cannelloni
set on candied celery, this was a modern take on an Italian olive oil cake. It may not be as striking as some desserts but its flavour was immense.
Wanting to end the meal with a Wiese and Krohn 1978
Colheita, I also ordered a Plate of
artisan cheeses and a Triple
chocolate mousse, gingerbread and poached pear. Please don’t think this is
because the 5-course menu is not filling (it was) - it’s just that I simply
adore Aiden’s gingerbread and could not visit The Church Green with out treating
myself.
Tweet
Follow @HungryHoss
No comments:
Post a Comment