Angelo Altobelli. Angelo’s wine knowledge and
enthusiasm knew no bounds, as he regaled us
throughout the evening with anecdotes, wine
descriptions, and reasons for each of his expertly
paired wine choices. dish triumph? The tiny shepherd’s pie. An
outstanding combination of rich, melt in the mouth
beef and smooth mashed potato atop a crispy pie
case, never have I made a little pie last so long, just
to savour every mouthful!
And so we began our foodie adventure with ‘salmon
& caviar’. Whilst this may need no explanation, in
fact what was delivered was a signature, branded
tin of exceptional caviar, which when scooped back
revealed delicate slivers of finest smoked salmon, a
divine cream cheese and sharp lemon gel. This was
followed by ‘Mother’ a dish inspired by Harding’s
own, that presented a rich and decadent plate of salt
baked celeriac, confit egg yolk, date puree, truffle
cream cheese and fresh apple; which was paired
with a crisp glass of Romorantin. With just the right between course downtime, we
were presented with the ‘duck’. A perfectly seared
breast of salt-aged duck with a herb and fennel seed
crusted skin, baked figs, fig puree, burnt cream and
an endive salad. Yes is was as good as it sounds,
especially with the spicy, tangy, fruit notes of the
medium red Uruguayan Nero D’avola Single
Vineyard 2018.
Course three delivered the most wonderful ‘charcoal
agnolotti’, filled with Jerusalem artichoke puree with
notes of black garlic, with a foie gras emulsion. With
flavours enhanced by the 2015 Quinta de Murta
Bucelas, this would have been my dish of the evening
had it not been for course four… Whilst my guest
stayed on menu with the beautiful, delicate ‘cod’,
with kohlrabi, crab and yet more caviar, and the
fresh notes of the 2017 South African Storm
Chardonnay for company, I, justified by an allergy
and also having seen a plate at the pass, switched
menus to sample the ‘fillet of beef’. And what a
revelation it was! A perfectly medium-rare fillet, with
caramalised shallot and blue cheese sauce. And the
Thankfully the pre-dessert of quince and white
balsamic puree provided a little respite and an
intriguing palate cleanser, from the five spiced foam
and gingerbread crumb, before we moved onto our
last course ‘plum’. This was no ordinary plum, the
salted, baked, japanese plum was rich and sweet,
fennel granita adding flavour and texture, with the
freeze dried yoghurt delivering theatrics for both the
eyes and the tastebuds - just amazing. With it came
the dessert wine, which can, oh so often, be just too
sweet (even for my own sweet tooth!). But not this
time, the bright ruby red Franz Haas Winery
Moscato Rosa has no additional sugar, instead
offering natural sweetness and rich aromatics of rose,
cloves, cinnamon and orange peel - the perfect winter
palette, a great dessert pairing and a wonderful end
to our global wine and British cooking journey.
I think the mark of a great manager is how well a
team operates in their absence and the same can be
said for a great chef. Handling has clearly inspired
the team at his latest venture, on the evening we
visited newly promoted head chef Jonny McNeil
was enjoyed a well deserved holiday, leaving the
kitchen to be run by his deputy, and still dish after
dish was faultless.
Handling is quoted as saying: “Modern, British,
seasonal, sustainable; that’s the ethos that underpins
my cooking. I don’t want to be the best restaurant
in the world - I want to be the local’s favourite in
Chelsea." - I think he’s on track for both.
Adam Handling Chelsea
Belmond Cadogan Hotel
75 Sloane Street,
Chelsea,
London
SW1X 9SG
[email protected]
0208 089 7070
www.adamhandlingchelsea.co.uk
ahchelsealdn
AHChelseaLDN
adamhandlingchelsea
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