This is a blog post I'm excited to be writing about! 6/8 Kafe in Millennium Point have come up with a genius idea - they have allowed chefs to take over their kitchen for a few nights and do 'pop-up' restaurants. I went along in June to try En Place's second event, I was gutted I missed out on the first one but I was thrilled to see what it was all about!
I had heard about them via twitter - @_enplace and they have come up with a fantastic idea, make fine dining affordable for everyone - let do it for £35 a head and its BYOB - which always a fantastic idea as it makes your night so much cheaper. It is made up of two chefs, Josh and Mike who are both fantastic guys, they use local and fresh produce, but they make it cheaper by using cheaper cuts of meat but what they do it and the flavours they use are what makes this so special.
Its a small quiet location that only seats 20 people - but its a quirky idea and I was kept sceptical about the menu but I knew it would be so amazing to try.
The meal kicks off with 'snacks' which was amazing, pork scratching bites with fresh asparagus, olive oil foam and apple sauce dressing.
This was a fantastic way to start the meal, I love pork anyway and the way they were cooked was amazing - they weren't overly fatty or too crispy. They were delicious and the fresh asparagus was so cooling and refreshing, the olive oil foam was so strange but it had a really nice taste and it was an unusual texture! A very good start to the meal and I could have eaten 10 of the pork bites!
Beetroot & Goats Cheese Snow
I have to be honest, I was dreading this when I read the menu as I really dislike beetroot but I was pleasantly surprised. It was beetroot done 3 different ways - cooked, raw and pickled with a goats cheese 'snow' and crumbs - this was very good! The beetroot was actually really nice and went well with the goats cheese snow - which was very cold!
Octopus, Watermelon, Black Olive with Bloody Mary
Another very strange combination of foods but my god, it worked! The octopus was cut very thin and wasn't chewy at all and it went surprisingly well with the watermelon and black olive pieces - all covered in Bloody Mary dressing, delicious!
Sticky Toffee Pigs Cheek, Apple, Fennel, Asparagus and Vinegar
Amazing presentation! And I loved this, as pork is my favourite meat too this was delicious! The sticky toffee pigs cheek was so sweet, sticky and full of flavour. The apple was cut up into little bits and placed around the plate, the apple was also made into a sauce and spread on the plate. I don't usually like fennel but they somehow made this taste so subtle in a sauce and I really enjoyed it. This was a very good main course and I have no complaints.
Dark Chocolate, Burnt Orange and Cinnamon
YUM! I loved this, the dark chocolate was made into a tart with shortbread on the bottom and it was so rich and flavoursome. The burnt orange was made into little sauce drops which went so well with the chocolate. A very, very good dessert and I loved every bite!
Petit Fours
If all that food wasn't enough, we were then given after desserts 'Petit Fours' - these were the chefs take on old fashioned desserts. From top to bottom:
Black forest Gateau
Peach Melba
Walnut Whip
All of them were so lovely, the black forest was a moist sponge with a dob of cream on top, the peach melba was slightly different to the usual dessert, it was a cold frozen spoonful placed on a pastry base and the walnut whip was a meringue style whip placed onto a chocolate thin base with a walnut placed on top. All four of them were delicious and the perfect way to end an amazing meal.
I loved every part of this meal, the food was so clever, inventive and delicious, the concept is fantastic, brilliant value and the two chefs, Josh and Mike are the nicest guys ever - I wish them all the best for the future and I can't wait for the next pop-up event!
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