An easter arrival landed on the Frost HQ doorstep, a delivery from Maison Blanc. Sigh. Inside the classy box is the cutest Easter chick. Almost too cute to eat. Well, we said almost. He has been devoured now and was yummy indeed.
From Maison Blanc
Category Archives: Food
Three Errazuriz Wines For The Three P’s – People, Place & Product
Viña Errazuriz, one of Chile’s premier family wine estates, is the proud sponsor of the Wine Photographer of the Year competition – a category within the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition, which has grown from strength to strength since its inception.
The judging of the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year 2015 has begun, so we have chosen three wines to represent each sub-category of the competition: People, Place and Product.
The winners will be announced at the Mall Galleries, London on Wednesday 6 May 2015
People – Errazuriz The Blend White 2011
RRP £22
Waitrose.com, The Wine Reserve
Errazuriz The Blend White 2011 is a fresh and complex wine. A superior white with aromas of liquorice, almonds, pear and honey. Delicious.
The Blend White 2011 has been chosen for the man behind the wine: chief winemaker, Francisco Baettig. Each year, Francisco is given free rein to select from the best and most interesting parcels from the Errazuriz vineyards to put together an unconventional blend. The philosophy behind the wine is to create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. The Blend White is a Rhone inspired wine made up of 55% Roussanne, 30% Marsanne and 15% Viognier.
Place – Errazuriz Aconcagua Costa Pinot Noir 2011
RRP £17.99
Harrods.com, Stone Vine & Sun, Cheers Wine Merchants, The Oxford Wine Company, The Wine Reserve, Wimbledon Wine Cellars
Errazuriz Aconcagua Costa Pinot Noir 2011 is a deep ruby-red colour with subtle notes of red fruits and wild strawberries. This is a wonderful, elegant wine.
This wine is all about the place or terroir, namely the rolling hills of the Manzanar vineyard just 12km from the Pacific Ocean. This Pinot Noir benefits from the morning mists and cooling coastal breezes of that site, and vinified with wild yeasts for added complexity, the result is an elegantly fruit dominant wine with great balance and structure.
Product – Errazuriz Estate Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
RRP £9.99
Waitrose.com, Morrisons.com, Asda.com, Booths, Bargain Booze, buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
Errazuriz Estate Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is an intense and full bodied wine with flavours of soft vanilla and fresh blackcurrant. Aromas of cranberries, cherries, spice and tobacco add to the complexity. Superb.
This red is the best-selling red wine in the Errazuriz range and therefore very fitting for the Product category. Chile originally made its reputation with great Cabernet Sauvignon and this wine will show you exactly how good it can be; a full bodied dry red wine with ripe, soft blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins and a long elegant finish.
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year, the world’s leading awards recognising the art and diversity of food photography, is open to all, professional and amateur, old and young.
www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com
Are You Brave Enough To Try The Hottest Pizza At Mayfair Pizza Co?
First came Sweet Dessert Pizzas. Then came Bloody Mary Pizzas. And now posh parlour Mayfair Pizza Co. is once again lighting a fire under London with its latest slice: the Hottest Pizza.
Spiked with spice for Scoville-shattering levels of searing heat, the Hottest Pizza is made using hot sauces from cult street food favourite The Rib Man and comes adorned with an arsenal of fiery toppings sure to burn down the house.
The Hottest Pizza, priced at £14 and available from now until the end of April, is made with fresh tomato and ‘Christ On A Bike’ sauce spread on a homemade base and topped with ’Nduja Italian sausage and spicy pork rib. A generous sprinkle of dried chilli flakes and smoked jalapeño powder are added alongside mozzarella and fresh scotch bonnets before being blasted at 500°C. Finally, the punchy pizza is finished with creamy burrata, peppery rocket and a drizzle of ‘For The Love Of God’ hot sauce, sure to make your eyes water and your cheeks flush.
Executive Chef Michael Lecouter’s latest creation is must-try for any discerning pizza connoisseur.
The only question is: are you brave enough?
Mayfair Pizza Co.
4 Lancashire Court, New Bond Street,
London W1S 1EY
@mayfairpizzaco
Taittinger Brut Réserve NV & Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV Champagne Review
Champagne Taittinger Brut Réserve NV is one of the best bottles of champagne on the market. Made with fruit from only the prime vineyards throughout Champagne, this is the signature cuvée of Champagne Taittinger. A blend of Chardonnay wines (40%) and Pinot wines (60%) from 30 to 50 different vineyards and matured to perfection. Elegant and delicately golden with sweet biscuit and brioche notes, this Champagne has peach and acacia notes on the nose. It is beautiful and well-balanced. It is aged for three to four years in the cellars. Crisp and perfectly matured.
This champagne can be drunk as an aperitif or with food. Enjoy with white meat, canapés, oysters or smoked salmon.
TAITTINGER Brut Reserve Champagne 75cl Bottle is available here
Champagne Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV was always going to get a good review as we love rosé at Frost. Throw in the fact that this is champagne and win-win. This is a gorgeous, delicate wine that has aromas of wild strawberries and spice. Flavours of crushed raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant. This is a delicious, vibrant wine. Highly recommended, just amazing. Enjoy with fruit based desserts, red fruit, delicate sorbet, summer pudding and selected cheeses.
Taittinger Prestige Rose NV Champagne is available here
Searcys Launch Own Brand of Champagne.
Renowned Champagne house Searcys known for their longest Champagne bar in Europe, have gained sparkling reputation in all of their 120 years of operation. Starting out as a catering service, the brand has grown from strength to strength so it makes sense that after such an extensive time serving up the luxury drink to thirsty patrons, that they have just launched their own unique blend of Champagne.
Don’t let the fact that this Champagne not having been on the market for as long as some of the big boys put you off, they have cleverly selected a blend which is perfectly drinkable alone or with food. The blend itself an instant hit with only 2% Chardonnay grape which certainly for myself removes the headache, overbearingly dry factor.
To make the launch of their very first own brand Champagne even more unique, Searcys have ensured that a taste of their delicious Champagne will be a truly fascinating experience. The drink is served in an innovative tower of six glasses, The ‘Coupe Stack’. The ‘Coupe Stack’ is designed to let the Searcys Selected Cuvée perfectly flow like a waterfall and fill each glass perfectly. This was demonstrated a couple of times at the launch to much ooo’s and aaahhh’s each time the brave pourer took to the challenge.
To encourage customers, Searcys are giving lucky punters the chance to win a meal for two at SixtyOne Restaurant and all you have to do is share your ’stackselfie’ before the 15th of March. To share, you must post a picture of yourself with the Coupe Stack onto social media, using #searcysstack. You can find them on Twitter (@SearcysBars), Instagram (@SearcysChampagneBars) and Facebook (Searcys Champagne Bar).
William Hardy Chardonnay 2013 Wine Review
Five generations of Hardys have made wine their business, making them one of Australia’s iconic winemaking families. Impressive indeed.
Their William Hardy Chardonnay 2013 is an understated medium dry chardonnay. It is a pale straw colour and is restrained. Crisp and refreshing with notes of lemon zest and pear. It is flowery with overtones of vanilla. This Chardonnay is made from Padthaway and Riverland region grapes and is ripe and zesty, with peach and lemon flavours. There is a touch of oak but it is delicate. A very good chardonnay. Recommended.
Pair it with fish pie or chicken dishes.
This wine can be drunk now but will further improve if carefully stored for up to 1 year
Available from tesco.com
Echo Falls Alcohol Free Sparkling Infusion Review
People, I haven’t had an alcoholic drink since last July. JULY. I have to admit, it has been hard. I don’t actually drink a lot but I review a lot of restaurants, go to events with free bars and we also review a lot of alcohol (Thanks Matt!). I miss the ceremony, the bit of fizz that means celebration. Which means I got quite excited about the prospect of reviewing alcohol-free wine. Send it over I told the PR, hoping that ‘ alcohol-free wine’ was not an oxymoron. And the result….
We loved it. It really does hit the spot. I also noticed that they were handing it out at The Baby Show at Excel last weekend. The sparkling mixture of Tisane, grape juice and premium green tea really does hit the spot. Drink it cold out of a champagne flute and it is actually nicer than a lot of proper, alcoholic wine. It tastes great and is very moreish. Which is fine because it is alcohol free and you can drink as much as you want! Yeah.
Echo Falls Alcohol Free Sparkling Infusion is refreshing and medium dry. It has wonderful crisp fruit flavours and bubbles that last. It also opens the exact way champagne does. Which is very satisfying. I am now addicted. My fridge will soon be filled with this superb drink. Love it.
Available from tesco.com
Hakkasan Chinese New Year Menu Review | The Best of London
We have reviewed Hakkasan before and are never disappointed. This michelin-starred restaurant feels like the centre of everything. People talk about Hakkasan in hushed tones in office, they pull happy faces when you say you have been, talking about how delicious the food is. Hakkasan on Hanway Place, the original Hakkasan, is the place to see and be seen. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to relax however. There is no pretension for all its class and the staff are very friendly and know their stuff. Hakkasan is, without doubt, the best of London. Hakkasan is where to go for traditional Cantonese cuisine.
For Chinese New Year, the year of the sheep, Hakkasan will be honouring the Chinese “Wishing Tree” tradition by collecting wishes from around the world as well as offering a nine dish festive feast perfect for family and friends. The wish collection and signature menu will be available to guests from Sunday 8th February to Sunday 1st March.
This nine dish menu starts with small eats to start.
Dim Sum, Spicy lamb lupin wrap and Golden fried soft shell crab with red chili and curry leaf.
The starters are stunning. The Dim Sum is always brilliant. Scallops, crab meat, prawn: they are just heavenly. The spicy lamb lupin wrap is perfect, there is a good heat from the sauce and the lamb is expertly cooked. It has a delicious soft texture. The fried soft crab with red chilli and curry leaf is superb. The crab is amazing and the curry leaf goes well, a wonderful and original dish.
To go with our food we have a Kumquatcha, a specialty cocktail representing good fortune, prosperity and happiness, I have a virgin one and my colleague has the real deal. Both taste amazing. A brilliant combination of Germana cachaça, Campari, Kumquat and lime.
The mains include a number of signature Hakkasan items like their Spicy prawn, Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey, We also have Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot and Abalone and dry scallop fried rice,
The spicy prawn has generous and delicious prawns in a yummy sauce, the Stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with Merlot is just perfect and Grilled Chilean sea bass in honey is definitely one of the best sea bass dishes I have ever had. The Stir-fry Lily bulb and garlic shoot is as tasty as it is original and the Abalone and dry scallop fried rice is the best rice ever. I still have dreams about it. There is no bum note in this menu: all of this food is just one mouth-watering dish after another.
The desserts are as amazing as the other dishes. Stunning in their originality, a Kumquat Wishing Tree: chocolate, caramelised macadamia and cocoa rocks, and delicious chocolate treats hanging off a Kumquat tree end the meal. The dishes are out of this world. Not all Asian restaurants do dessert well. I am glad to say that Hakkasan is definitely an exception.
I also have another mocktail. Hakkasan do mocktails very well. Perfect if you don’t want to drink. If you eat from the Chinese New Year signature menu you will receive a red envelope with special gift of a complimentary cocktail or mocktail. More reason to indulge.
Hakkasan’s limited edition menu created by Michelin-starred Executive Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee includes a selection of its acclaimed signature dishes as well as a contemporary interpretation on authentic Chinese New Year fare.The Chinese New Year menu is available for £88.88 per person. A la carte items will be individually priced, starting at £12.88.
For more information on Chinese New Year at Hakkasan, please visit hakkasan.com.