An Evening With Gregg Wallace Was An Evening With A Difference
Great food, banter, food quiz and more in his Putney eatery
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The second of Wallace & Co's "An Evening With Gregg" - this celebrated the theme from Farm to Fork with Greg's passion for seasonal foods on the menu clear for all to see - he was passionate all evening about taste and eating what is in season if you want the real flavour of the food.
The restaurant was all but full and with the staff having to serve every customer at the same time, this must have put pressure on both the waiting staff and the kitchen - but it ran very smoothly.
We were greeted with a refreshing glass of Prosecco (usually £3.95 a glass) and then shown to our tables - we shared with two strangers who we soon became "friends" when instructed by Gregg to concoct our own salad dressing from the raw materials on the table to accompany our Beetroot & Stilton Tart with Leaf Salad - the final products were judged by Gregg, his business partner Justin Carter and director Howard Graham. The winning taste won a bottle of wine for the table - sadly ours wasn't chosen!
Next came a shot glass filled with a glorious chilled tomato, pepper & cucumber soup with a plate of tomatoes from their farm - the black tomatoes were delicious and could be and were purchased on our way out at the end of the evening from the deli at the front of the shop. Throughout the evening Gregg was giving tips - don't keep tomatoes in the fridge; in fact he recommends putting them in the sunshine before eating if possible to deepen the flavour - and apparently the vine gives no extra flavour but a divine smell when you open the pack!
More wine was on offer to the table who could tell Gregg how the Nectarine was invented... yes it is not a fruit created by nature! Then the main course of poached Scottish salmon with baby leeks, carrots, broad beans (one of my favourite veg), peas and early new potatoes was accompanied with a Hollandaise sauce. The flavours from the vegetables were outstanding, backing Gregg's argument that we should only eat in season!
Between courses more bottles of wine offered as prizes as Gregg tested the clienteles foodie knowledge - and his accountants heart! Before the dessert arrived - an individual Summer pudding with clotted cream - just food heaven and so British! We had a glass of Madregale IGT Terre di Chieti 2009 (£3.80) and the house rose Bergerie de la Bastide Pay D'Oc 2009 (£3.80) - the evening was £30 per head plus your drinks available from their full wine list.
I would certainly recommend going to the next event - it was a refreshing change, meeting new people, learning a few facts and sampling some great food. The next event with a difference at Wallace & Co is a Singles Night on 27th July (if you are in the 38 to 50 age bracket and interested in the event just email info@wallaceandco.com). There are plans for another Evening with Gregg in September - in the meantime if you can't wait you can enjoy their set price evening deal - £15 for two starter main and £18 for starter, main and pudding.
June 21, 2010