Sparkling Quartet with Laurent-Perrier
A few years ago, ultra brut champagne was all the rage and then it quietly fell off the radar and I hadn’t heard much since then. However, last night I was re-introduced to the pleasures of Laurent-Perrier’s zero dosage champagne (as well as Laurent-Perrier’s prestige cuvees) at The Westbury in Mayfair.
Laurent-Perrier and The Westbury have teamed up to offer ‘Sparkling Quartet’ evenings throughout 2014. The premise is a dinner featuring the 4 talented chefs that currently reside within the hotel and it’s restaurants. Their culinary creations are then matched up with one of Laurent-Perrier’s champagnes.
I arrived a bit late but was just in time to try the dishes of Chef Show Choong. A starter of Chopped Tuna Loin with red onion, myoga, shiso and karashi su-miso and sliced scallop, sweet prawn & sea urchin with a yuzu vinagrette & porcini oil were both paired with the Ultra Brut but one was at room temperature and one was chilled. Despite being at room temperature, the Ultra Brut is still fine and delicate if, believe it or not, quite fruity. I preferred it chilled with food as it didn’t seem as dense as the room temperature Ultra Brut.
Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle was the next champagne and what a delight that one is! It is a prestige cuvee but it is technically a non-vintage because it’s a blend of 3 different vintages. It was originally created to mark the 300th anniversary of the marriage of Louis XIV and there have only been 16 cuvees since it’s first release in 1960. Paired with a meaty hunk of roast halibut with broccoli, almonds and chanterelles, (made by Chef Brian Fartoni) it was light and delicate but still having excellent structure.
As we were dining in Alyn Williams restaurant, it was only a matter of time before he made his appearance. Giving us a quick rundown of his dish, Cotswold white chicken, caramelized leeks, potato, smoked egg and truffle. What made this dish even better was side of roasted chicken in a green broth – wow, was that tasty! With chicken, what goes better then a rose? The 2004 Cuvee Alexandra is different from many rose champagnes in that it is made in the saignee method, 90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay. Although it displayed the hallmarks of finesse and delicacy of Laurent-Perrier, this rose also had a bit of tannic structure which made it all the more exciting to have with a meal.
Lastly, a bouncing ball of human energy entered the room and it could only be Chef Eric Chavot. A chef with so much enthusiasm and energy that I wanted to follow him into the kitchen and start cooking, Eric was in charge of the desserts. Vanilla macaroon, raspberry and almond cake with raspberry sorbet and a milk chocolate mousse with pistacio ice cream were on the menu last night. All three desserts were paired with all 3 champagnes. In keeping with Eric’s crazy style, we got to mix and match. Although, as I’m not eating sugar anymore, I had a very delicious goats cheese instead. I was a little jealous of my neighbours but consoled myself with the Grand Siecle.
I attended the evening as a guest of Laurent-Perrier but the next Sparkling Quartet meal will be taking place in the St. George Penthouse Suite at The Westbury in March. If you’d like to reserve a spot at the next one, contact the hotel for more information.
Price £275 per person, inclusive of four courses, matching champagnes, coffee, and service charge. Price based on a minimum number of six guests.