Hélène Darroze at the Connaught
Back in 2008 (how can that be 7 years ago already?) the ever so clever chef Hélène Darroze waked into the kitchens at the Connaught and began to create a different kind of magic. In just three years she already had two Michelin stars under her belt and her delicious dishes are still being served up at the Connaught to its lucky guests and other London food lovers daily.
Last week I was invited to join a select gaggle of foodies at The Sommelier’s Table for a ‘Secret Supperclub’ at the Connaught for a seven course (SEVEN COURSE) tasting menu, complete with blind matching wines.
Sommelier Mirko Benzo selected each wine for us and we had to guess what we’d been drinking after each course. You may have already suspected that I was useless at this based on my previous wine tasting experience, but I thoroughly enjoyed being terrible at it and learning some clever wine tasting tips along the way.
The Sommelier’s Table is hidden beneath the Connaught’s legendary kitchens where a collection of some 6,000 vintage wines are impeccably kept in a limestone-clad cellar… and it was from these wines that the sommelier made his selections for us.
The evening began with champagne and canapés… and as soon as I saw them, I knew we were about to experience something very special indeed…
The meal was utterly exquisite. Hélène Darroze’s French heritage is at the forefront of her cooking, but nods to Asian and Spanish cuisine also shined through her sensational food…
You can imagine that we were all feeling rather full at this stage… and heady on the delicious wine. I was certainly developing rather a large and lovely collection of glasses…
And then, it was time for dessert…
And then THIS happened…
…followed by a tier of mini chop buns and macarons. I had to engage my second stomach for this. (I have several.)
The whole meal was utterly exquisite, and even though I am not a culinary connoisseur, I know fantastically special food when I see it. And eat it.
And dream about it…
Still.
p.s. Hélène Darroze is hosting another supper club at Fortnum & Mason on the 30th April. Tickets are £45 per person and if you want to book, call 020 7734 8040 or head over here.
The Connaught
Carlos Place,
Mayfair,
London, W1K 2AL
Rosie
Wow! What an incredible evening to go to! The food is so stunning and I bet was absolutely delicious, just looking into her Fortnum’s date now to see if I can get tickets 🙂
Rosie xx
Poppy Loves
Oh I hope you do Rosie! Please let me know if you go! xx
Andrea Petersen
This looks like such an amazing experience. The food looks utterly divine!!! I love the Connaught but had no idea about their wine cellar. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Andrea xxx
Poppy Loves
It’s so special Andrea, I’m thrilled to be able to share xx
Miranda | Miranda's Notebook
What an incredible feast!! It looks absolutely amazing, and how great to get a glimpse of their wine cellar. I am drooling over the foie gras… xxx
Poppy Loves
It was HAMAZING Miranda – I’m still drooling 😉 xx
Joana Soares
Hi! I’m a portuguese culinary arts student and currently working on a paper about Hélène Darroze. And I’m veeeeery excited to read this post since it’s about the correlation between food and wine! Could you please tell me the wines you tasted (even if you just remember one or two) with each course? 🙂 I’m finding particularly dificult to match these dishes since they seem so light, complex, and delicate at the same time. Thanks for your thyme (sorry, bad joke ahah). Cheers 🙂