Gastronomy: Come In from the Cold at the Connaught

On one of the coldest nights in recent history in London, I had the immense pleasure of dining in the company of my lovely husband at London's beautifully restored Connaught Hotel. We had hoped to get away from the cold to take in a bit of sun during the holidays but sadly, my husband's clients had other plans in store for him. Rather than mope around, we decided to bundle up and play tourist in our own city instead. We ate, drank and enjoyed the best of London which I can assure you includes both the extremely cozy Connaught Hotel and French chef Helene Darroze who has elected culinary domicile there.

It's difficult to define or even describe with precision a perfect meal. I don't mean "perfect" exclusively in culinary terms (although it was indeed perfect in that sense) but rather the kind of meal that stays in your memory and which you can recall for years afterwards as having given you absolute joy. That was precisely the kind of meal my husband and I enjoyed thanks to Helene Darroze and her team. A scallop and black truffle tartar with just a hint of lime for an uxexpected finish followed by perfectly cooked, succulent venison washed down by a fine Saint-Emilion was enough to chase away the cold and the lingering disappointment of missing out on our trip. The selection of cheeses washed down with armagnac simply sealed the deal.

The quality of the food obviously had much to do with our evening but it would be simplistic to reduce a perfect meal to the food alone. The warm and courteous service, the sleek decor, the lively ambiance along with the company of my husband are all factors which contributed to the enjoyment of the food and without which more than one expertly prepared dish would simply fall flat. As far as perfect meals go, this one was as memorable as it was delicious. Merci Madame Darroze.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Comments

[John Agee Paris]

I have to say that most of the great memories of life for me tend to be those concerning a table, wonderful food, wonderful wine, and most of all, dear friends. I'll have to file away "Connaught" in my "Fabulous-Things-to-do-next-time-I'm-in-London" file. As always, thanks for your insighful tips and excellent commentary.

[pulchra]

it is not exactly at the same level, but I like a lot Wild Honey...

[Make Do Style]

Pure envy!