April notes...
... starting with a very nice lunch at Eleanore, moving to gorgeous wines we enjoyed and finishing with a foot in Ireland! Welcome Spring!
Every month a summary of the most exciting things I've eaten and drunk. These notes are from April 2023 in Edinburgh.
[re.eating]
and drinking!
We started the month visiting one of my favorites in Edinburgh (if not THE favorite), the amazing Eleanore. As much as we love it, the truth is that we were looking for a place to go for dinner, and everything was busy. And then my husband luckily found this spot at Eleanore for lunch. So we quickly changed plans and decided to go.
Good news is that they now have a set menu, including bites/starters, main and desert. They also offer oysters and cheese for an additional price. And wine pairing. :)
If I can tell you one thing: go.
From start to end, food, drinks and service were impecable. Starting with the fresh and fat oysters (the picture proves how fat they were!), which always come with something pickled and fun - grapes, this time. Then, sourdough with miso butter, the already famous cured beef tartare, a delicious Comté croquette (with truffle honey). As main, a pork belly that was out of this world, with many different textures. Husband is vegetarian, so he had a cauliflower - which was equally good. Of course we had the cheese, as we never say no to cheese: Loch Arthur cheddar with a spiced quince, carrot and celeriac strudel. This one plate was especially good as, I confess, I was not very into the strudel when I saw it on the menu. Last but not least, a genius rhubarb, buttermilk, olive oil and brown butter ice cream - the most amazing dessert I've had at Eleanore. And I am not a sweet tooth at all!
As I mentioned, they also offer a wine paring - we of course took it. It all started with bubbles, a Raventós Blanc de Blancs, very fresh and sharp - perfect for the oysters! For the main, a classic pairing: pork and Alsace Riesling from Domaine Léon Boesch - fresh, but with that oily feeling that goes so well with fat. For the veggie dish, Jura Savagnin, from Domaine des Marnes Blanches. Then they kindly offered us 2 different Tokajis - each with a different level of sweetness and freshness - both lovely with the cheese. And, for desert, a Jurançon from Clos Thou, which a good balance between acidity and sweetness, pairing well with the rhubarb pudding.
Service is always very good, timely and kind, they really don't bother when we ask technical stuff about the wines, and everyone always makes us feel welcome. We always go back home planning our next visit.
Lunch menu for £35, wine pairing for £29. Eleanore is definitely a must-visit.
[re.drinking]
Time to reveal (and review) some nice stuff we drank in April!
Best of the month
Philippe Pacalet, Meursault, France, 2018: this Chardonnay is absolutely everything one could expect from Bourgogne. At first, white fruits, mostly ripe pears, some floral notes, nuts and a fresh yogurt. When you try it, it is a blast of creaminess, so bold, round, fruity, balanced, long lasting. The fresh acidity keeps it cool, so you want it more and more. And, in a warm year like 2018, Monsieur Pacalet gave us this 12,5% beauty. Of course it goes opening and showing off as time goes by, so no hurry here. Just take the time and enjoy it. Paired with…? Hubby was the cook this very day, so I enjoyed this lovely Chardonnay with Spring veggies risotto and buttered scallops. The fresh vegetables, combined with the texture of the risotto and the light sweetness of peas and scallops really talked to the wine. Also, such a lasting finish and the volume worked really well to carry all the risotto flavors, hand in hand with the butter and cheese in the recipe. Truly memorable.
And 5 more:
Domaine Labet, Les singuliers, Vin Jaune, France, 2011: Vin Jaune is always something special, and this one is even more, as this was the last bottle we brought from our pre-pandemic trip to France. Fresh, salty, nutty, with those involving drying and long lasting flavors, and simply perfect with Comté cheese.
Françoise Martinot, De-quoi-te-mêles-tu?, Pinot Noir, Coteaux Champenois, France, 2011: Light, fruity, fresh, with a bit of earth notes, this Pinot Noir was our choice for Easter lunch and shows Champagne region is great, with or without bubbles.
Domaine Bott Geyl, Schoenenbourg Grand Cru, Riesling, Alsace, France, 2017: Riesling from Alsace is one of my favorite underrated/underpriced wines, and this one delivers all nice things we could expect: fresh stone fruits, a subtle petroleum (not as harsh as classic Riesling), citrus, wet stones. Fresh, slightly oily and with a tiny residual sugar, it worked really well with the spicy and seasoned food we decided to pair it with.
Domaine Ganevat, Les Grandes Teppes Vieilles Vignes, Chardonnay, Jura, France, 2018: drinking Ganevat is always a pleasure and it was no different for this one. Fresh, sharp and smooth, very fruity and so round - showing that a 13,5% ABV white from Jura can be perfectly balanced and delicate.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Bourgogne Aligoté, France, 2020: citrus and stone fruits and wet stones, this is definitely not the ordinary Aligoté. Don't get me wrong: I love Aligoté and truly believe we all should value more this variety. But this one is impressive mineral, something we could get before in Pierre-Yves wines, but clearly not in any Aligoté.
[re.cooking]
We cook a lot in this house (and we love it!), and this passion is not only in the pans but also in the bookshelves. Every now and then we grab a cooking book and replicate a recipe - sometimes very precisely, sometimes not that much. This month, as we were very French in the wine list, we decided to make an onion soup… with a twist!
I bought The Official Guinness Cookbook when I visited the Guinness Storehouse, in Dublin (I usually bring cookbooks as souvenirs from my trips). The book is, of course, all about the iconic Irish beer, so this onion soup is very much a version of the original with Guinness, Irish whiskey and Irish cheddar. The result is a deeper soup, both in color and flavour, a bit more punchy than the French version. Malty, delicious and a must-try. #iwork4diageo, but this is not a sponsored post.
You see all details on my Instagram account: re.drinking
Very nice “summary” and more deep info of the insta posts :) - loved the format!
Hope to se more breads on the re.cooking session. Hahaha