Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry I've been gone so long - I have been crazy busy getting a new job and spent 10 days in Jamaica - but I'm now back and will be doing posts more regularly again.
This one is a bit of an unusual post, it was New Years Day and through work I got invited to the Aston Villa VS. Crystal Palace game and I got to sit in the conference room and got a 7 course lunch! 7 courses! Insane huh?! As it was New Year's Day - I did feel a little bit worse for wear but was excited to be sat in the conference room for the first time ever. The day consisted of a tour of the stadium and the changing rooms, a meet and greet with Beneteke and the food - the best bit!
The table was huge and all laid out beautifully, it was silver service all day - I felt very posh! We were given a menu but it didn't have choices - it was the 4 dishes on the menu and that was it, luckily I liked the sound of them all! Thank god I'm not a fussy eater.
We started with bread on the table - it was very fresh and served with salt butter. A lovely start to the meal.
The first course was:
Vinatge Smoked Salmon served with Lemon, Black Pepper, Capers and Granary Bread.
This was presented beautifully, I loved how all the crusts were cut off the bread. The smoked salmon tasted very fresh and went perfectly well with the capers and lemon. I love capers anyway and they were a lovely touch to have with smoked salmon as the salt complimented the fishy taste very well- something I hadn't tried before but definitely will again. Very good starter!
The next course was:
Chestnut Mushroom Soup Garnished with a Salpicon of Quail and Creme Fraiche.
Again, very well presented in a large bowl. Soup is so filling and I was a bit worried I would be too full but it was a very small spoonful which was good. WOW - the taste. Mushroom soup is one of my favourites anyway and this was beautiful - the soup was the perfect consistency and I could really taste the nuttiness from the chestnut mushrooms, the creme fraiche on top helped with the rich taste too. An amazing starter and I couldn't fault it in anyway.
The third course was:
Lamb - Minted Rack, Stuffed Breast, Shoulder Bon-Bons with Fondant Potato, Glazed Carrot & a Rosemary Jus.
AS you can see, beautifully presented again. The lamb was served pink which is good, I don't usually like lamb but this was SO tender and delicious. The rump of lamb was so juicy, the stuffed breast was rich and tasty and the shoulder bon-bons were almost similar to a pate inside a breaded casing - very good and an unusual way to serve lamb. The fondant potato was so yummy, crisp on the outside and soft, fluffy potato on the inside. The glazed carrot was al-dente and had a sweet taste to it - all topped with a rosemary jus which was the perfect blend of rich herbs with a sweet tang. 10/10 main course - yummy from start to finish, every taste was a mouth sensation.
The next course, yes the next course! I was so full by this point but when I saw the next dish I suddenly became hungry again!
Citrus - A Trio of Citrus … Lemon Tart with Raspberries, Ginger & Lime Cheesecake, Orange Jelly & Ice Cream.
When it was bought over I couldn't believe how beautiful it looked on the plate - the presentation was amazing! I was so full but I had to try this - 3 yummy looking desserts on a plate - how could I resist?! The Lemon Tart was so smooth, with a hard pastry shell, it was very good and the perfect amount of lemon, not too sour but the right amount of tang. The ginger and lime cheesecake was unusual, I'm not a huge fan of ginger but this wasn't too overpowering luckily, the lime gave the ginger a sweeter taste and helped with the spicy taste. The orange jelly was SO good, it was so light and refreshing, it tasted so fresh and was probably my favourite dessert on the plate. I love desserts like this, a little taster of different things and this one was faultless.
Now was time to watch the first half of the match - once the 45 minutes was over, we went back inside for more food - I ono, MORE food. I couldn't believe it. I was so full by now.
Cheese & Biscuits
I love the way this was served, the black slate plate was so modern and made the cheese really stand out. It was all different types of biscuits and crackers with 4 different cheeses, celery, butter and quince jelly. Very good - I'm not keen on strong cheeses therefore the brie and cheddar were the winners for me - this was delicious but unfortunately I couldn't eat too much as I was too full, but cheese and biscuits is a nice touch for after your dinner and this one was not just an ordinary cheese and biscuits you get from Tesco!
We then went to watch the second half - by this point I thought I would have to be rolled out the stadium I was so full! But, we came back from the second half and afternoon tea was served.
Afternoon Tea - Open Sandwiches, Pastries, Scampi and Cheesecakes.
This was very nice, the top section was breaded scamp and meat pies - a typical football stereotype food! They were delicious, they were curry pies, the chicken curry was very tasty and the pastry was soft and flaky. The open sandwiches were either prawn or beef - the beef was rare and served on crusty bread. I could only have a bite as I was so full. The cheesecake was soft and yummy.
Overall, a brilliant day and the food was amazing. I couldn't fault the food at all, its an expensive day but its a good experience and the food makes it worth the price!
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