Moncharm
Last
Thursday I went to a brilliant restaurant on the Kings Road in Chelsea called
Medlar for an evening that promised to be packed with great wines and seeing as
I had not been here before I hoped great food too! Medlar did not disappoint.
I have to point out that I am in no way shape or form a food critic, although I
do know what I like and I liked this restaurant. Medlar dishes up great food
with a reasonable price tag, coupled with a relaxed atmosphere. More
importantly (well for me anyway) they “get” wine which is refreshing to say the
least. Their website can also be found here: Medlar Restaurant .
Starter
Crisp calf’s brain with smoked duck breast, aioli,
pink fir potatoes and
Tardivo- I was very sceptical about this starter as I have
never eaten calf’s brain before however I took the plunge ordered. I was
rewarded for my bravery as this dish is FANTASTIC, note to self trust the chef.
The calf’s brain and smoked duck’s breast came to the table as a kind of bread
crumed mini Kiev
adding crunch and texture. It tasted fabulous and was presented beautifully.
Bravo.
Wine: Chateau L’Eglise Clinet 1998
(1x75cl)
The
1998 L’Eglise was the “winner” here, with an enticing nose full of raspberries
and dark fruit with just ever so slight bricking at the rim. Plenty of fruit on
the palate balanced out by smooth silky tannins. A class act all the way! This is a massive wine that will last for a
good few years yet but is also very pleasurable to consume right now.95.
Wine: Chateau L’Eglise Clinet 2000
(1x75cl)
Still Inky purple in colour the 2000 was really rather mute in comparison to the
1998. It struggled to open up over the
course of the evening and needed coaxing from the glass. Drank alongside the
1998, the 2000 was made to look mundane. Not a great fan here however, only
time will tell if the L’Eglise 2000 turns out to be the ugly duckling that
turns into a beautiful swan. 90.
 |
| From left to right l'Eglise Clinet 1998, l'Eglise Clinet 2000,Cheval Blanc 1982 |
Main
Under blade fillet with café de paris snails, salad,
triple cooked chips and béarnaise-
Perfectly
cooked to medium rare this succulent dish comes with a delicious red wine jus
not mentioned in the title that I couldn’t get enough of! Delicious. I have to
admit I only tried one of the snails as they are not to my taste however,
everybody else whom had the dish commented on how delicious they were. My only
qualm with the dish would be that I could have done with a few more of the
masterfully crafted triple cooked chips. But this was probably due to the wine
we were drinking! The béarnaise sauce was also divine some of the best I have
tasted.
Wine: Chateau Cheval Blanc 1982 (1x75cl)
My
favourite vintage is 1982, considering that unfortunately my bank balance will
not allow me to ever get to taste the 45’s, 47’s 59’s or 61’s and I missed the
boat on buying 1982 En Primeur (I was born 2 years later).For me being able to
drink the great wines of 1982 is like a right of passage although my bank
manager strongly disagrees. Anyway avec le spectacle Some say the Cheval Blanc 82 has past it and should
be drunk up, whilst I agree with them that the wine is not going to improve
with anymore age I do find this statement to be a little over the top and still
think it is an excellent bottle of wine, unfortunately this is the first time I
have tasted it so I cannot comment on whether or not it has declined from it
youth. None the less I cannot see the wine declining from what it is today for the
next few years if stored correctly. Put simply the wine is a privilege to
drink. Showing considerable bricking at the rim the concentrated Cheval was
still by far the best bottle of wine on the table this night with lingering
length on the palate. 97.
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