Dinner@Green Man and French Horn

 1999 Cuvée Les Genêts, Savennières, Damien Laureau

Last night we had a very enjoyable dinner at the Green Man and French Horn in St. Martins Lane, London, finding a couple of reasonably priced and attractive Loire bottles of a certain age. The 1999 Cuvée Les Genêts was showing a little oxidation, especially when it was first opened. This was accentuated as it was served very cool. However, given time to warm up it showed much better with a richness of fruit showing through and the oxidation much less marked.  

Once the Savennières was dispatched we moved onto the 1996 Peu Muleau, Bourgueil, from the Caslot family's Domaine de la Chevalerie. At just over £34 this was a real steal and drinking very well at the moment with plenty of soft, evolved, brambly fruit.     

@The Green Man & French Horn with Jo Landron and Pierre Breton

Jo Landron (Muscadet Sévre-et-Maine sur lie)  

Dinner with Pierre Breton and Jo Landron 

at the Green Man and French Horn

Pierre Breton (Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray)

Last night was the first time that the relatively recently opened Green Man and French Horn have held a dinner with Loire producers. They kicked off with a vertical from Jo Landon's Fief du Breuil, which was fascinating with the wines really reflecting their vintages. With the reds we started with three vintages from Pierre Breton followed by two older years from Pierre Ferrand, Château de Ligré. 

Dinner cooked by Ed Wilson and his team was very good - not flashy just good ingredients correctly cooked. I thought the sander in beurre blanc and the rabbit in white wine with mashed potatoes were the stand out dishes.

Journalist guests at the dinner included Victoria Moore (wine correspondent for the Telegraph), restaurant critic Bill Knott, Richard Siddle (editor of Harpers Wine & Spirit).

Notes on the wines:

Joseph Landron – vertical of Fief du Breil:

2010  

Weight, good conc still youthful - attractive now but should develop greater complexity with time.

2007  

Nicely austere typical of the vintage very clean – très droit. Oysters please!

2000 

Weight more flattering and approachable than 2007. Still youthful tons of life. Calls for a plâteau fruits du mer. 

1998 

A return to austerity although less so than 2007 has evolved a little, good length persistence – another one for a plâteau fruits de mer. 

1995

Slight deviation in the middle, quite austere.crystalline quality but not sure about middle palate. Unfortunately the second bottle was completely corked.

With dinner: 

2012 Grains de Raisin

Easy drinking with some weight from the concentrated 2012 vintage. Has to be called Muscadet Nouveau. Jo prefers to stress the Grains de Raisin name rather than Muscadet Nouveau. ut this is only part of his reservations over the wine, which stem from having to rush it by mid-November only weeks after the vintage, although it does have the advantage of giving him more time with his Amphibolite cuvée before releasing it. A solution would be to release Grains de Raisin in January – it wouldn't be a nouveau but this might well not matter. 

 

2002 Fief du Breil magnum 

Unfortunately the first bottle was corked but the second was excellent with all the purity and balance you would expect from the 2002 vintage. Sadly Jo has very few of these left. 

***

Pierre Breton: vertical of Bourgueil Perrières and two from Château de Ligré

1996  

Mid-plum, some weight grainy tannins, touch of sous bois pas mal but not same standard as the Villeneuve Grand Clos but perhaps an unfair comparison.

1994  

Bricky colour, evolved Cabernet Franc nose, certainly impressive for this difficult  vintage where tropical conditions during the harvest produced a lot of rot, lighter body than 1996 but enjoyable and showing well.

1985  

Noticeable green pepper aromas but soft fruit on palate. Needs food but holding up.

There is a definite nod to Burgundy in these wines especially as they age.

Two from Château de Ligré: 

1983  

Sous bois, bricky, sweet evolved fruit but still there.

1976 Ligre

Aromas of mousseron and sous bois, rich fruit, another 76 on impressive form

With dinner:

2011 Avis de Vin Fort

Very easy drinking, soft red from a five day cuvaison. However, it is quite expensive for what it is. wine-searcher shows the 2011 retailing in France from 11 euros, while the 2010 Château de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny is available from 8.50€.   

1997 Les Perrières Pierre Breton

Very soft and seductive – typical of the 1997 vintage and showing very well. 

Chef Ed Wilson tasting

 L_R: Bill Knott, Victoria Moore, Douglas Wregg and Richard Siddle 

 Victoria Moore

 Josie Stead of the Quality Chop House 

Jo and his moustache 

  Douglas Wregg expressing mild surprise that 

natural wines haven't yet conquered the world

Visiting London: JP's visit – some suggested restaurants

The Lahore Kebab House in London's East End – 2-10 Umberston St, London E1 1PY 

This is the third and last post in the series on Loire vigneron Jean-Pierre's proposed visit to London.  See posts one here and two here. 

Jean-Pierre stipulated that the restaurants had to be affordable: 'Et peut être un ou deux resto ou l' on mange bien sans se ruiner'. 

I know what he means! For although I do enjoy going to top and expensive restaurants occasionally, I prefer to look for restaurants that offer good food at reasonable value. A few months ago we did have a very fine meal at Murano and would go back there again some time but I look forward just as keenly to my visit to the wonderful Lahore Kebab House in the East End where three can eat brilliantly for half the price of one meal in Murano. Admittedly the Lahore does not have a licence, allows you to bring your own wine, beer etc. and then very generously doesn't charge you corkage. A glimpse of paradise!

Also I don't want to give Jean-Pierre an excuse to raise the price of his reds either to pay for his expenditure in London or because seeing some London restaurants charge upwards of £60 a head conclude that les Rosbifs are fabulously wealthy and won't notice a price increase!

 The Green Man & French Horn

Reminders of home

Green Man and French Horn

RSJ Restaurant

First up a couple of restaurants that will remind JP of the Loire. The Green Man & French Horn opened in September 2012. The wine list is entirely Loire and many of the ingredients in the cooking headed by Chef Ed Wilson are sourced from the Loire Valley. Right in the centre on St Martin's Lane – a short walk from Trafalgar Square. Booking essential. 

The RSJ Restaurant is on the south side of the Thames on Stamford Street close to Waterloo. It opened 33 years ago in 1980 and has become known for its wine list, which concentrates almost entirely on Loire wines, and good value food. (Declaration I have been a consultant here since around 1990.) 

The Quality Chop House 

A new discovery

The Quality Chop House

A very recent discovery the Quality Chop House is at the top end of Farringdon Road about a 10-15 minute walk from Kings Cross. It is run by Will Lander, son of leading wine writer Jancis Robinson MW, and Josie Stead. There is a fixed priced no choice four course dinner menu for £35. The wine list is eclectic and good value.

Go East Jean-Pierre

The Lahore Kebab House 

The Punjab

The Great Nepalese 

Y Ming

A quartet of old favourites – three restaurants from the Indian sub-continent and then my favourite Chinese restaurant.

The Lahore Kebab House
Although it is a bit of a trek from the centre it isn't difficult to get to as it faces onto the Commercial Road and is a short walk from either from Algate East or Whitechapel underground stations. Always very busy it offers great value and as mentioned above lets you bring your own drink and doesn't charge corkage.  There is an off-licence next door which must do an amazing trade in Indian beer as parties arrive carrying multiple six packs. I recommend that you start with the grilled lamb chops. It is easy to order too much as the portions are generous. 2-10 Umberston Street, London, Greater London E1 1PY.

The Punjab
At the top end of Neal Street in Covent Garden, the Punjab is the oldest North Indian restaurant in London. The food is always good and the service friendly and efficient. Best to book. 

The Great Nepalese is surrounded by some rather seedy places – 

DVD porn shops and Secrets table dancing establishment

The Great Nepalese
Another institution, this small restaurant close to Euston Station has long been a favourite. Good Nepalese food and again friendly and efficient service. Worth trying the Nepalese specialities.

      

Y Ming
Long established, friendly, welcoming and comfortable Chinese restaurant in Greek Street in Soho.  This is certainly my favourite Chinese restaurant in London, although to be fair I haven't tried many others recently as I like Y Ming so much. Many interesting choices on the menu – I always start with a plate of the aubergine chips while deciding what to eat. Best to book.

Y Ming sign

A decidedly high Quality Chop House

 Near the entrance to the dining room – glasses, coats and 

a glimpse of the bench seats now with additional padding

Yesterday evening was a series of unexpected meetings. Before Christmas we had arranged with friends to meet up last night to try the recently reopened Quality Chop House at the top end of The Farringdon Road. Our friends knew the previous incarnation of the QCH but we had never eaten there, weren't aware of the restaurant's history and reputation. 

From the Quality Chop House website:  'It has been an eating house since 1869. The designer, Rowland Plumbe, wanted to create utilitarian spaces for the masses that had a touch of glamour. The Chop House was the only restaurant he designed and soon became hugely popular – local residents and London’s literary elite shared its trademark booths and enjoyed "a plate of meat, bread and half a pint of ale for six pence". The previous incarnation closed in July 2010.

The double fronted Quality Chop House consists of a wine bar and a separate small dining room. When we walked into the dining room two tables were occupied – one with our friends and the other with a group of four. To our complete surprise two of these turned out to be our friends Gaeron and Kath – entirely a coincidence that they were there. I've known Gaeron since we were at Manchester University together many years ago. He and Kath are part of the group of us ex-Mancunians, who meet up once a year in a UK seaside resort, which must have a pier. This year it will be Clacton and its pier in May time.           

 Looking through to the kitchen

We started with a glass of the lovely  N.V. ‘I Think’ Manzanilla, Equipo Navajos (£5 for a 125ml glass). Much deeper coloured than most Manzanillas, this has a beautifully austere concentration and length. 

Dinner is a set four courses for £35 with cheese as an addition with a supplement (£3 if I remember correctly). The menu changes every day and if you are well organised you'll find it posted up on the website as well as the dining room wall.

     

 The dinner menu  

We were very happy with our meal. I particularly enjoyed the moist middle white terrine (middle white being a breed of pig native to the UK) and the main course medley of venison from the Denham Estate – cooked in a variety of ways. The style of cooking is reminiscent of the St John restaurants.

Middle white terrine 

Medley of venison  

 

Hot pot including more venison 

After our Manzanilla we had a bottle of Maxime Graillot's deep coloured 2011 equinoxe Crozes Hermitage (£31). Maxime is the son of Alain Graillot. Closed with a screwcap this robust but soft Rhône red has a gamy, smoky character and worked well with the venison. The QCH website lists this as 2010 but they have now moved onto 2011.      

 

Before we started our main course we had our second unexpected meeting of the evening when Jancis Robinson MW appeared at our table. Before Christmas I had read a review mentioning that the QCH venture involved Will Lander, son of Jancis Robinson and restaurant critic Nick Lander, and Josie Stead but this had slipped from my mind during the long Christmas break. So seeing Jancis, who had been eating in the wine bar and also enjoying the Manzanilla, was a surprise. There is a further connection as Josie's partner is Ed Wilson, who is involved in the Green Man and French Horn on St Martin's Lane. See posts here and here. 

The service was friendly, informative and professional. As you would expect the wine list has plenty of interesting bottles from around the world with prices starting at £17 (a Cabernet Sauvignon from Château Thenac in the Périgord. There is plenty of choice of both red and white between £20 and £40.  There are also 13 wines by the glass.

Although it is a bit of a trek from Forest Hill I'm sure we will be back to the Quality Chop House. It deserves to do well.    

 

Towards Farringdon Road

 The floor pattern reflected in an ice bucket

Green Man & French Horn: excellent evening!

Buzzy Friday night atmosphere 

Last evening we finally got round to going to The Green Man & French Horn, although I had dropped in on the afternoon of their 'soft opening' on Monday 17th September. Almost immediately after this we headed off to the Loire to follow the vintage, so yesterday was the first time we could make it.

I should really have phoned a bit earlier to book because by Wednesday there were only very early tables left or one at 9.30pm. We opted for 9.30 and turned up around 9pm to have a drink at the bar. It was a pretty full Green Man but we managed to squeeze into some space by the door until our table was ready. 

As we had already had a glass of Pinot Gris (IGP) from a producer in the Côte Roannaise at home, we went for a bottle of Domaine de la Chevalerie – 2011 cuvée Bonn' Heure (with the play on bonheur) from Bourgueil. We also ordered a plate of radishes and some rillettes to nibble on. Bonn' Heure truly was a bonheur with deliciously easy drinking red fruits.  

Soon after we arrived Joseph Di Blasi, an American who lives in Poland, and has a website called Vinosseur.com, came up and introduced himself, handing me a glass of red to try. A blind test so soon after arrival! I managed to identify it correctly as a Pineau d'Aunis from Le Loir but mistakenly opted for Emile Hérédia instead of Jean-Pierre Robinot's 2010 Regard.         

Bonn' Heure poster by the bar

1996 Peu Muleau, Domaine de la Chevalerie

Once seated at our table it was time to choose another red. I hadn't planned to make it a Caslot evening but with the 1996 Peu Muleau at £34 it would have been rude to turn it down. Peu Muleau is not the most powerful of the Caslot cuvées but this delicate and fine 1996 was showing very well with some evolution and lovely, soft tannins – a reminder of how good the 1996 vintage is. It went very well with my generous partridge as well as CRM's blade of beef (jolly nice it was, too – CRM) as well our companion's black pudding. A selection of three cheeses and coffee rounded off an excellent evening. Good work by Ed Wilson and his team!

Great to see that The Green Man & French Horn is already busy and that people are having a chance to discover or rediscover how varied and good value wines from the Loire can be. 

54 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4EA. Phone: 020-7836 2645.     

 @The bar 

 Convivial atmosphere 

 

Chillin'@the bar

 Map of Loire cheeses with Cheddar located somewhat to the north!

Green Man & French Horn: more details

Green Man and French Horn 

Yesterday afternoon I popped in briefly to the Green Man and French Horn – the new Loire inspired wine bar/restaurant in the Terroirs chain and spoke to head chef Ed Wilson, while they were busy rushing to get things ready for the soft opening last night.

Ed stressed that although the products were very much sourced from the Loire the cooking isn't intended to mimic that of the Loire. Ed pointed out the use of Loire materials in the new bar – slate from Angers and tuffeau from Avoine. He cited Pascal Beillevaire from just south of Nantes who supplies butter, cream and cheeses including the crémet nantais. There will be some 60 covers including those around the bar.  

The wine list includes the opportunity to try some old vintages with Muscadets from Pierre Luneau-Papin back to 1989, Bourgueils from Domaine de la Chevalerie (Caslot family) back to 1974 – a difficult vintage but worth a punt?, and Chinons from Domaine Les Roches (Alain & Jérôme Lenoir) to 1976.    

The Green Man & French Horn, 54 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4EA.

Phone is now in place: 020-7836 2645.  

Loire bar to open in London 24th September

Eric Narioo: le grand fromage of Les Caves de Pyrène

The Green Man – a fourth restaurant wine bar in the Terroir/Caves de Pyrène chain will open on Monday 24th September and will be devoted to the wines and food of the Loire.
 
  

'The Green Man will be officially opening on the 24th September. London's first natural Loire bar will be serving volcanic mountain Gamay from the Auvergne to seaside Gamay from the Vendée. But it is more the gamut from G to G. Great Chenin from sparkling to sweet, Cabernet Franc new and old, recondite wonders such as Menu Pineau, Gascon and Romorantin and fabulous Muscadet from a multifarious terroirs and vintages dating back way back when. And to eat? Expect great seafood and fish, as well as some traditional Loire dishes and friendly service from Ed, Oli, Cecile, Max et al...'

The Green Man & French Horn, 54 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4EA.
Phone is now in place: 020-7836 2645.  


Late flash: the soft opening is this evening.