I couldn’t
believe a year had passed since I was last at Nutters Restaurant helping him to celebrate his 18 years of
successful service (see
here).
This
year, the restaurant’s 19th birthday celebrations coincided with the
start of the London 2012 Games of the XXX
Olympiad – for Nutter, it was too good an opportunity not to push the boundaries!
Guests were greeted in style by flag
waving waiters in patriotic morph suits and handed a glass of champagne on
arrival. With Union Flags a fluttering, we knew we were in for a full-on evening
of fun, frolics, theatre… and even flames! (and, of course, plenty of Grey
Goose!)
The evening was set up thus: each
chef, from commis to sous, had been allocated a country and charged with
creating a dish to represent it and themselves in the Olympic Feast.
Each of the 196 diners then had the
difficult task of voting for their favourite dish in order to crown Nutter’s
very own Olympic Champion.
Kicking things off with an opening
ceremony that I’m sure ‘local lad’ Danny Boyle would have approved, Great Britain’s entry with ‘The Great British Fry Up’ – like Team
GB in the Olympics we were off to a flying start and it must have taken an Olympian
effort from the kitchen brigade to fry 196 or so of those little quail eggs to
perfection!
Representing USA: Creamy Clam Chowder
with Corn Wafers – this was a popular dish that won a good few votes from
NOC (Nutter’s Olympic Committee) members on my table. (Gold medal winner!)
Representing Italy: Venison Carpaccio
with a Rocket and Heritage Tomato Salad, Balsamic Basil Jellies – from the
menu descriptions, I had this dish as an early favourite and it lived up to
expectations and actually got my vote at the end; aside from the gorgeous
venison, it was the little jellies that made it a winner for me. (Bronze medal winner!)
Representing Spain: Seared Scallop with a
White Bean Casserole, Chorizo Crisps and Rioja Wine Jus – individually all
the components were good (and another top effort from the kitchen to get a
banquet full of scallops cooked so well) but I found the casserole and chorizo
overpowered the scallop somewhat.
Representing China: Szechuan Braise
Seabass with Coriander Noodles and a Ginger and Soy Reduction – straight
out of the blocks with its fun presentation, this was another popular dish
amongst the NOC members – the seabass itself was top quality. (Silver medal winner!)
Representing Greece: Roast Lamb Cutlets, Couscous
Stuffed Peppers with Feta and Black
Olive Torches – another strong contender on paper; the lamb was great but,
unlike a Team GB rowing team, the rest of the flavours and components just
didn’t pull together for me.
Representing France: Caramel and Vanilla
Bean Torch – for theatre and drama alone, this fun take on a crème brûlée
deserved a medal; the lights were dimmed as, mimicking the young athletes at
the opening ceremony, we each got to light our own Olympic Flame. The brandy
snap torches were pure genius.
Representing Belgium: Whimberry and
Belgian Chocolate Torte 100m Sprint – Paired with the Belgian chocolate,
Whimberries (also known as the Bilberry or European blueberry) were an inspired choice. Not
only were they locally sourced and seasonal but each year around this time the Belgian town of Vielsalm celebrates the ‘Festival of
the Blueberries.’ – fab research from Nutter’s team.
Representing Switzerland: Filter Coffee and Swiss Chocolate Torte – a great end
to an imaginative and fun meal; made memorable by the great company and, as
always, wonderful welcoming attitude and service from Nutter and his staff.
Founder of the IOC and father of the modern Olympic
Fames, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, famously said, "The most important thing
in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part.”
Cheesy, I know, but one thing, I’m sure, is
certain, everyone who took part in or attended Nutter’s Olympic Feast 2012 felt
like a winner - a champion evening! #bringonnextyear
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