Heston, Ashley & João, Dinner inc.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge

Heston Blumenthal é um mago da cozinha, na linha da cozinha molecular (que, embora declarada morta por alguns, ainda espuma bastante :) ou, à l'Adrià, tecno-emocional  (não, não vem de emulsão :) e o seu restaurante, The Fat Duck, na província inglesa, o segundo maior expoente desta cozinha depois do El Bulli.

Heston resistiu durante anos e anos a abrir o seu restaurante em London.

Resistiu, resistiu, ... mas, finalmente, em 2010 aceitou a proposta do grupo hoteleiro haut de gamme Mandarin Oriental para abrir um restaurante no, guess what, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, em Knightsbridge.

Que poderia ele fazer de mais diferente do que um restaurante cuja origem do nome vem do francês antigo (disner = the main meal of the day, taken either around midday or in the evening, a formal evening meal, typically one in honour of a person or event) e que é inspirado na gastronomia britânica histórica (i confess, não sabia sequer da sua existência).

Dinner it is

Heston Blumenthal e Ashley Palmer-Watts, chefs

Ashley Palmer-Watts, na verdade quem comanda a cozinha do Dinner, está com Heston desde 1999. Um percurso notável, sous chef em 2001, head chef em 2003, "executive head chef for the Fat Duck group" em 2008 (nesta altura de nova governação aqui em .pt, apetece fazer analogia politikice, Heston minister, Ashley running the ministry ;).

No site do restaurante lê-se:

"His creative eye for detail coupled with a great enthusiasm for research and British ingredients have enabled him to create the unique menu of historically inspired British dishes with Heston Blumenthal for the new restaurant."

Cozinha com espeto a lenha, séc XII, oops XXI

Portanto, o Dinner é como um museu da culinária das britânias. Do Robin Hood a Churchill. Mas, não nos deixemos enganar, o bambe até pode ser assado no espeto (sim, há lá uma espécie de rolls royce na forma de grelhador, pilhas de lenha, ...), mas a uma distância devidamente calculada para demorar 3 dias a ficar o pretendido crocante-húmido-a-desfazer-se-na-boca, e por aí fora. 

Olhemos, então, para o Dinner como a evolução das peças históricas, a sua transformação segundo o prisma soft-molecular-siglo-XXI.

João Pires MS (master sommelier), head sommelier

Como não há bela sem Vinhão, Heston e o Ashley não hesitaram e fizeram a contratação da época.

Foram diretamente ao mais forte concorrente, Gordon "fukin' damnit son of a beach burn in hell" Ramsay (sim, esse da fama da cozinha infernal :),  como se fora um Manchester a contrapiscar o Lampard ao Chelsea, e roubaram o head sommelier: Pires, João Pires.

Assim, enquanto o Ashley trabalhava nos pré-históricos fogões [risas à parte, mostram para lá p'rá cozinha uns montitos de lenha], o "nosso" João Pires tratava das compras, garrafeiras, cartas e formação dos 6 sommeliers que trabalham com ele no Dinner. De Outubro de 2010 a Fevereiro de 2011 foi necessário trabalhar com classe, rápido, sem erros (pois não havia tempo para os reparar). Logo à entrada do restaurante, a imponente garrafeira transparente é um sinal da importância do vinho no Dinner.

Como em .pt não temos nada parecido, pode não ser imediato perceber a importância do João num restaurante como o Dinner inserido, não esqueçamos, num hotel Mandarin Oriental.

Exagerando, digamos que eu sou o sheik Yerbouti.

"Mesmo querendo só o mais caro e tendo o estômago de 2 ou 3, a refeição no Dinner fica-me, no que toca a sólidos por umas míseras 300 pounds, vergonhosamente pouco. Ah, mas basta saborear um Chateau Latour 1990 para ficar perto das duas mil... Ok, começa a estar ao meu nível."  :D

Mais serious, o vinho é vital na rentabilidade do restaurante, pois o custo de cada prato (entre ingredientes, salários [um sem fim de pessoal na cozinha], amortizações, ...) não permite ganhar o suficiente. Não fora o vinhão, não havia tostão. 

Voltando às politikices, o João é, ao mesmo tempo, o secretary of treasure & minister of the people.

Dinner, ao fundo a garrafeira e a cozinha com vista para o público

A beleza do trabalho do João é encontrar o equilíbrio entre o xeik e o food & wine lover, o conhecido e as descobertas, os premiados e os coup de coeur, value e sales, ao mesmo tempo que garante total smoothness na sala. É lindo, lindo.

Evidentemente, a expetativa com o Dinner era enorme, já disse que London esperava há anos por ter um magical-mistery-tour-by-Blumenthal?

Não é novidade para ninguém que, desde a abertura em Fevereiro de 2011, as críticas são muito boas e a afluência enorme.

Acho que se pode dizer, sem qualquer exagero, total succesexs.

Ter amigos in high places (guess who :) é mesmo necessário para conseguir ir lá almoçar, pois seja por telefone ou net está fully booked, day in day out.

Foi assim o almoço no dia 8 de Junho, na companhia da Liz Lowe (from Liberty Wines, Infantado's UK agent).

Starters:

Roast Scallops  (c.1820) cucumber ketchup and borage

Está um pouco na moda, digo eu, achar vieiras algo banal. Sorry, not here. Mailo o pepino, aparentemente espanhol, o melhor que já comi, uma combinação excelente.

Hay Smoked Mackerel (c.1730) lemon salad, gentleman's relish and olive oil

É bom assistir ao renascer do carapau. Esse peixe tão nosso e que nós tão pouco veneramos até o vermos, agora, em sashimi e alta cozinha, bem, ainda vamos a tempo de o apreciar como merece (mais a sardinha, não?).

Um prato feito de frescura e leveza. Nhac-Nhac.

Main courses:

Roast Turbot (c.1830) cockle ketchup, leaf chicory 

(Este foi o prato da Liz, tenho que confessar, de entretido que estava com o meu bacallhau, apenas posso dizer que o ponto de cozedura estava perfeito.)

Cod In Cider (c.1940) chard and fired mussels

Depois deste cod, pensei que temos de acabar com a ideia que somos os mestres supremos do bacalhau. 

Crocante, lascas, ponto de sal, contraste com mexilhão. Brilhante.

Entretanto a Liz teve de partir (yeah, some of us must work :) a modos que só houve uma sobremesa:

Chocolate Bar (c.1730) passion fruit jam and ginger ice cream

Chocolate, gengibre, maracujá, chocolate cristalizado, raspa de laranja, ..., in balance. Muito bom.

Todos os pratos foram acompanhados por vinhos escolhidos pela equipa de sommeliers (para não dar só créditos ao João Pires) e complementaram (ou realçaram) o prazer da food.

É muito, muito bom estar em mãos assim.

Como alguns dos críticos escreveram, o Dinner é 5 estrelas without the 5 star fussy. Ou, à minha moda, é um serviço impecável com a dose certa de rigor e à-vontade, conhecimento e simplicidade, sobriedade e alegria.

Ok, eu dispensaria as gravatas e outros adereços que tais, mas, como diz o Pedrito, não dá, não dá, dar-te a provar o mundo, sem que também o ponhas cá!

É mesmo assim, Heston, Ashley & João, Dinner inc, experiência inolvidável garantida!

Exemplo das Sommelier Recommendation ("our team of sommeliers are extremely happy to share with you their most recent discoveries, summer is already here and time now for lighter wines and appealing rosés"):

The Bubbly
NV Billecart-Salmon, Brut Rosé - France, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ

It is true that it was the house of Billecart who called my attention to

champagne rosé. Attractive pink colour, it shows an appealing and subtle
aroma of  red berry fruit, a zesty acidity and a refined fragrance.
Designed for romantic moments, try it with the Cured Salmon with Beetroot.

The Tranquils

WHITE

2008 Eroica Riesling, Chateau St Michellle & Dr Loosen, USA, Washington 

Named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica is truly a concert of

Old World and New World and the result of a special partnership of

German and American winemakers to craft an extraordinary Riesling.

Rich with intense flavours of orange blossom, honey and sweet spices.

2009 Sevilen, 900 Fume Blanc, Turkey, Izmir

Sevilen was founded in 1942 with a winery in Izmir, Turkey and recommended

by my good friend and colleague Isa Bal, the Head Sommelier of the Fat Duck.

I would say this is more like a new world Sauvignon Blanc with great freshness,

fruitiness and a bone dry taste. It is a great matching with the Bone Marrow.

ROSÉ

2010 Bandol Rosé, Domaine Tempier, France, Provence

Did you have the chance to watch the film ''A Good Year'' with Russel Crowe?

So, do it and you will fall in love with wine and in particular with Domaine

Tempier. Very well know for great red wine they made this delicious and

very fresh pink dry and fruity rosé. Try it with our Vegeterian Salamagundy.

RED

2008 Vertente, Niepoort, Portugal, Douro

Well when it comes to Portugal my heart beats. Dirk is a close friend and in my

opinion the most talented portuguese winemaker and a serious entrepreneur.

Vertente means slope, a landscape built by man in the Douro valley in northern

Portugal. It displays a medium and fruity palate ideally to match our Pigeon.

A Bit of Sugar

2009 Silvaner Auslese Iphöfer J.E.Berg, Hans Wirsching, Germany, Franken

Dr. Heinrich Wirsching is the owner and in charge of the estate. He carries on 

350 years of family wine making tradition. Delicious with lots of apricots, floral 

notes and great acidity. This is light and refreshing with a medium to long finish, 

a great deal to pair a light dessert such as our Lychee Frozen Ice.

www.dinnerbyheston.com

For the Love of Port(o) - dinning with Roy & The Explorer's

(this one was written in my best [US] English)

Roy Hersh is one of the world's leading authorities on Porto [and Douro DOC and Madeira], i always spell it with the final "o", the same way i do not translate Bourgogne as Burgundy.

Roy Hersh at Douro In restaurant, Régua

Roy created and runs fortheloveofport.com, a must for each and every Porto lover. Did i mention it's called "for the love of Porto"? :D

Besides the more usual aspects of a web site focused on wine, tastings, news, a forum, ..., Roy, with Mário Ferreira's help on the portuguese side, organizes trips to Portugal in the form of different tours: Porto Explorer’s Tour, Fortification Tour, Porto Harvest Tour. 

When Mário called me up to organize a dinner in Régua for the "Portugal & Porto Explorer's Tour 2011" i was excited.

I would have preferred to receive Roy and the Explorer's at Infantado, but, of course, they can't go to every quinta.

I worked out a nice menu with chef Carlos Pires (restaurant Douro In, Régua) to pair with wines from Bago de Touriga (white & red Douro DOC) and Quinta do Infantado (red Douro & white and red Porto).

Unfortunately, they were coming from Quinta de Vale Meão. Vito and Xito Olazábal are too, too, too great a host! So, a lot of the exploring capabilities of the group had already been drained.

Anyway, some resisted 'till the end (of the world as we know it & i feel fine :) 

Roy & The Explorer's, plus Fátima Ribas, winemaker @ Quinta do Infantado, sipping Vértice Millésime 2005

I'm a fool for Vértice and an admirer of Celso Pereira's work on behalf of Douro's white grapes.
No surprise, the wine to greet Roy & The Explorers (Ruth & Sandy Becker, Zev Robinson, Luiz A. G. Alberto and Mário Ferreira) was Vértice Millésime 2005 brut, Douro sparkling DOC. Just love it, fine, great acidity, complexity.


Instead of butter, pâtés or oil & balsamic , we tasted Infantado's first 2 bottled extra virgin olive oils: '09/10 and the recent '10/11 in companion of home made breads. 
Being suspect, i dare say we're having a good start with these 2 first efforts. A nice balance of fresh & spicy flavors. 
The main olives are Verdeal, Madural and Cobrançosa from 100+ years old  trees grown organically.

Watercress velouté, Alba’s truffle infused olive oil croutons

The first pairing was the Watercress velouté, Alba’s truffle infused olive oil croutons with Quinta do Infantado White Porto.

Infantado's White Porto is around 30 g/l of sugar, which is dry in the Porto scale. I'm used to serve this with soups in the summer (think cold watermelon soup, as an example), but it was a first with this velouté, an heavier and less fruity soup. Not perfect but very enjoyable. 

“Alheira” (regional sausage) trilogy

2008 is the first release of Quinta do Infantado green label Douro DOC, the still wine from one of our organic vineyards, Pousado. This north-east facing vineyard has deeper soil and a creek runs along it, all these making for a very fresh, high acids wine.

I though this could do a good match with the “Alheira” (regional sausage) trilogy, playing between the wine's acidity and the alheira's fat.

Next, two sea dishes paired with Bago de Touriga's wines. At Bago de Touriga, a small independent company that buys grapes from selected small growers with whom it works very close in the vineyards, Luís Soares Duarte (Infantado's consultant winemaker) and myself aim to make balanced, food-friendly wines that express the unique terroirs of the Douro Valley. 

Salted cod fish, almond & cured ham crust, sautéed Brussels sprout, garlic infused chestnut purée

Gouvyas Reserva 2007, white Douro DOC, allow me to say, is a pretentious wine :). We would love this to be drinking well in 5 to 10 years. Right know, there's a little too much of oak notes but still a great match for the salted cod fish, almond & cured ham crust, sautéed Brussels sprout, garlic infused chestnut purée. You know, there's a 1001 ways to cook salted cold fish in Portugal, well, now there's 1002 with this new recipe from chef Carlos Pires. The almond takes the place of the cornbread and the chestnut purée gives it a nice winter tone.

Grilled Octopus, “punched” potatoes, turnip greens sautéed

IMHO, one of the greatest features of the Douro Valley is it's old vines. When it comes to vineyards, "old" has different meanings depending on the region you are. In the Douro it is (unofficially) minimum 50 years but more likely over 60/70 as is the case in Gouvyas Vinhas Velhas 2006, made from two vineyards in Vale de Mendiz and Soutelo do Douro. The match for this balanced and still young wine was one of Douro In's classics, where the good olive oil is the umbrella that puts octopus, potato and turnip greens in harmony. Really good.

Quinta do Infantado 2008 reds, great freshness and balance

Quinta do Infantado 2008 & Quinta do Infantado Reserva 2008 are two great Douro reds. In 2008, our grapes had a high natural acidity, in every vineyard, and the wines reflect it, they're fresh, gastronomic, elegant. Being still babies (bottled less than a year ago) i thought of a strong flavored meat like kid to balanced them. So, both wines were served with Kid, dry figs & Porto stew in savoy cabbage, turnip greens purée, mashed potatoes. Having stopped to eat meat only over 10 years ago, i guess i'm still capable of remembering its flavors :) to imagine pairing that are logic. Uff, it worked ok, i was told.

Terrincho, Seia curado, home made tomato and plum fruit jams, Quinta do Infantado Vintage Porto 2007

Cheese and Porto is a no brains match, everybody knows it. As we do not have blue cheeses in Portugal, i decided to go with a cured Terrincho (a lesser known cheese from Trás-os-Montes), Seia (one of the best villages within the Serra DOP) and some tomato and plum fruit jams made at Douro In. Quinta do Infantado Vintage Porto 2007 is (yes, i know i've said this before, what can i do, it's true :) a wine i love. I'm always puzzled by its nose, so, so close to a sunny red wine. It is one of the driest of Infantado, already known for it's less sweet character. Give me another glass, please :)

Quinta do Infantado Colheita 2001

Quinta do Infantado oldest vintage dated Porto is a Colheita from 1977. Well, believe it or not, it took us 24 years to make another Colheita. Our first bottling of this 2001 Colheita tawny Porto was on 2010 and we plan to do another two bottling in the future. It will be fun to compare the evolution in bottle vs pipas. 

As mentioned before, the long lunch @Vale Meão, had its effects, so there were no longer Explorers at the table when the dessert, Apple pie & vanilla ice cream, came to the table to join the 2001 Colheita. I loved this pairing, the wine spicy and nutty notes in harmony with the vanilla and the caramelized apple.  

Wine and food were just the frame for an excellent dinner. A lot of discussion and ideas flowing form one end of the table to the other. To me and Fátima Ribas a night to remember for a long, long time.

Obrigado, Roy & the Explorers.


(restaurante Douro In, Régua, +351 254 098 075, www.douroin.com)