I love seeing messages from Emma come up on my phone. They always seem to arrive at the perfect moment and they always make me smile. One of the last messages I’d received was an invitation to Emma and Angie‘s joint birthday lunch at the Michelin-starred Marcus restaurant at The Berkeley. What a great way for two fabulous foodies to celebrate their special days, I couldn’t wait to be there.
Lunch started with an amuse-bouche: foie gras that melted in the mouth. And we all decided to go with the lunch menu with the sommelier’s selection.
The Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine David Levin, Loire Valley, France 2012 was paired with …
… the poached sea trout with trottolino pepper and buttermilk.
The next glass that was poured was the Ribeiro Godello, ‘Cepas Velhas’, Godeval, Galicia, Spain 2015, which went very nicely with …
… the salt baked celeriac with hazlenut and truffle, which I absolutely loved.
Next was the cod with sweetcorn and clam …
… followed by the fallow venison with heritage carrot and glazed fig.
Every single dish and wine pairing was spot on. And needless to say so was the company which also included Aftab and Lauren.
Before we moved on to dessert, we swiftly devoured the cheese platters which gave us a taste of everything we could want.
And eventually we reached the chocolate with clementine and rosemary …
… followed by a final taster.
The dining room was busy when we first arrived and by the time we had finished we were the last table left. Still it felt too soon to head home so instead, we popped into The Berkeley’s Blue Bar for one more drink. I had a glass of Laurent-Perrier rosé while I also had my eye on …
… Emma’s toffee martini …
… and reminisced at the sight Aftab’s Porn Star Martini which used to be my cocktail of choice at one point.
I absolutely love those lunches that can go on for hours and into the evening. Something that’s so easy to do when you’re with these guys. One of my favourite moments during our meal was one of our many toasts – when we raised our glasses to ‘blogging friends’ and then unanimously decided to toast ‘to friends’. Such a special afternoon.
Marcus, The Berkeley, Wilton Pl, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL.
Soooo much fun!!
That was so very much fun!