as you know, dear reader, I am not one for doing a review but I had such a wonderful evening last night I thought I should share it with you… apologies for the dreadful photo’s…
… imagine, if you will, the fusion of two of the worlds best and most handsomest food bloggers… no, not in THAT way… do get your filthy minds out of the gutter… but in a culinary way…. the bringing together of the brain, brawn and beauty of James Ramsden, founder of The Secret Larder supperclub, author of the exquisite Small Adventures In Cooking, extraordinary chef and all-round nice guy… and the shiny domed cranium of ubercool Danny Kingston aka the Food Urchin, pork lover extrodinaire… no, not that kind… again with the smut… and food enthusiast… imagine them then, together in a room… cooking for me…
… well there were perhaps a couple of dozen other people but who cares about them when you have da boys acookin’ for me! …he said in his best fake Italian accent…
… tucked neatly into his surprising capacious, beautifully vintage-styled flat in deepest Holloway we ate our way through the red, green and white wave of Italian theming at its culinary best… everything is done in a very rustic, yet chic way… you know it’s home-cooked because of the very nature of the flat you’re sitting in the kitchen and can see the masters at work but the quality of the food presented to us was clearly made with passion and love and was rather bloody good…
…we started with two types of Pizzette, one with a cheese and red-onion topping and the other with anchovy and caper, both delicious in their own way with my preference for the anchovy and caper, which was like a culinary slap in the mouth… the pizzete bases were perfect too…
… we were then offered a bowl of Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts with Chilli and Garlic Mayonaise to share and these were really rather wonderful… the crisp batter was enchantingly light and revealed a wonderfully molten heart…
… our main dish was a classic Italian stew, Bollito Misto served with lentils and salsa verde, the stew is a very rustic dish made up of stewed meats which included sausage, beef brisket, tongue and pancetta and as you can imagine it was packed with wonderful flavour… the lentils making an earthy and welcoming accompaniment.
… our meal was rounded off with a stunning Rhubarb zabaglione, its frothy, creamy top yealding to a wonderfully sharp-sweet rhubarb… we ended up picking the glasses up and drinking from them they were so good!
coffee was served with some very naughty chocolate florentines with candied peel and our big bellies were rubbed with glee…
… if you’ve never been to a supperclub I highly recommend you find one in your neighbourhood… there is something so delightful about being in someones home as they cook for you… and it’s nice to be surrounded by people who are all obviously food lovers… we had a beautiful night…
James runs The Secret Larder Supperclub fortnightly and information can be found on his blog.
eat and of course, enjoy!
OMG that's amazing!!!!
Beautiful food, real Italian food!
Just one thing: what do you mean for chocolate florentines??…never heard them here!
Sounds brilliant – and excellent value at £30. Just think how much you would pay for all that lot in a proper restaurant!
For this sort of arrangement, is it normal to take along your own wine, or what?
How lucky are you! I have long admired James Ramsdens Supper Club but the Food Urchin ta boot!!( I am always on the look out for a Supper Club in Melbourne – no luck so far). Have alerted visitors to the UK to try and book in.
How amazing and wonderfully intimate.
It sounds like a fantastic night was had by all! 😀
I have been thinking about starting such a club here in Washington, DC. Getting off the ground for the first time is a bit of a challenge.
get one going yourself Dom, book me in for the first event.
I've been to both James' and Danny's supperclubs and enjoyed both hugely. Talented blokes, as you say.
This collaboration sounds great fun.
Now, next time you're in London, WE are meeting for dinner. End of discussion.
The food looked amazing. The lightly fried artichokes would have been my favorite for sure. What a wonderful evening you had.
Everything looks delicious, especially the pizzettes – I need to go back!
It looks like a wonderful meal, I couldn't chose a favourite course, they all looked fantastic.
The florentines have my mouthwatering!!! How good are they!
Sounds like so much fun! Love the whole idea of a supper club!
Rhubarb zabaglione! Oh, I just died a little… That sounds so good (probably because anything rhubarb appeals to me)…
Ok, off to check out these two bloggers…
I am pretty jealous of you. Bolito Misto is a family favourite of mine! I've just got brave enough to go to supperclubs and pop ups and I fear there is no stopping me! Might have to make a trip down to Ldn soon!
What a great meal. I've not had the courage to try a supper club yet and will have to search one out locally. I love James Ramsdens small adventures in cooking and can only imagine how delicious this was. GG
Sounds like one amazing evening of food Dom – not surprised you needed to share it with us. Food looks sooooooooooooo good ;0)
so incredibly jealous of the bolito misto and rhubarb zabaglione you had! looks a real treat! I've never gone to a supperclub before but it's something I definitely want to do.
How amazing and wonderfully intimate!