Beginner Wine Course at Wine Spirit Educational Trust

This post is long overdue. Its been at least six months since I received my Level 1 in Wine certificate from the WSET, and six and a half months since I've been far more confident with wine lists. Up until that day I showed up for the first of three evening classes in London Bridge, I knew next to nothing about wine lists.

I maintain this isn't entirely my fault. Knowledge of wine is built up over time, and I'm still in the "Early Twenties" category. Being female doesn't help, despite a decrease in wine menu sexism, more times than not the wine menu is handed to The Boyfriend. Part of it of course is my fault, pronouncing " House white", is much easier than "Les Forêts"(Note:lay for ay), when you know nothing about French and I should pay more attention when wine is ordered for me.

Thee beginner class is aimed for poeple like me - those who point randomly at the menu rather than attempting to pronounce something, or those whose first question is the waiter/sommelier is "what do you think?" and then agree immediately at the first suggestions regardless of price. Or those who throw the wine list at their dining companions like its a ticking time bomb.

Its basic, and comforting to be surrounded by those who are equally clueless. In fact its encouraging. When smelling and drinking the wine its lovely to not be the only person calling out "But I can't smell the blackcurrents I can only smell roses", instead the 18 or so other people who were on the course would pitch in "Fabreeze! its just like Fabreeze", "I'm tasting rice pudding! or " Eugh why does it taste like dust?!". It made the whole thing a lot more fun.

Each week we tasted wines, and on the last week we sat a thirty minute multiple choice test. The first week was on the principals of wine and wine tasting, the second on food and wine matching, and the third on responsible drinking along with our exam. There was a tiny bit of homework, but it wasn't compulsory and didn't take more than 15 or so minutes.

It was, as I said, basic, but left me with helpful tips for future wine drinking (Example: if your eating Italian food, order Italian Wine. Obvious maybe, but something I'd never really thought about before), and has left me a lot more confident with a wine menu. I'd love to go back for round two, the intermediate course, and will once I get the chance.

The Beginner Course in Wine costs £140. More information is available on their website.

Meatmarket

As a child growing up in deepest darkest Ohio theres probably two foods that define my childhood more than any other - funnel cakes and corn dogs. Both sold almost exclusively at Sea World or Six flags - ie. the best places in the world. This means that they were exclusive, special and eaten on the some of the most enjoyable days of each year. They're also completely ignored outside of the culinary haven that is the Mid-West, so when I discovered that MeatMarket (aka the new MeatLiquor) was serving corn dogs the only thing that could have made me happier was if funnel cakes miraculously appeared on the menu too.

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Aurelia

It's no secret that I love La Petite Maison, Il Baretto,  Roka and Zuma. Whilst the combination may seem random they all have one thing in common - Arjun Waney as a backer. The man has something of a Midas Touch when it comes to restaurant, all have great food, lively atmosphere and attentive service (aside from Il Baretto). It is sad that there is not that many restaurants in London I can say the same about. Aurelia is the fifth to join the crew in London, elsewhere Zumas and LPMs are popping up everywhere, so its nice his attention is back to the capital.

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Cut at 45 Park Lane - The best value steak in London?

When newspaper critics review restaurants I always take their price guide with a pinch of salt. The reviewers, normally eat three courses, rarely order the wines at the cheap end of the scale, and rarely do the cost-benefit analysis many dinners do when they look at a menu. The cost of Cut is pretty expensive according to the papers, at an average of £130 (The Independent + Guardian). On the face of it this makes Cut more expensive than dining at Le Gavroche. So when The Sibling's family birthday dinner at Cut, came out at incredibly good value, it was a bit surprising, in fact I think it might have involved the best value steak in London. 

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Machiavelli - Round 2

Its been a while since I wrote about Machiavelli, odd given of all the restaurants I frequent in London, Machiavelli without a doubt feeds me the most. I go on average a couple of times a week - if I'm getting takeaway for lunch, for a mid week dinner with a friend, or if The Boyfriend and I fail to get brunch on the weekend and end up starving and in desperate need of food.

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Downtown Mayfair

I'm convinced that the people behind Downtown Mayfair aka Cipriani (Sorry, C), round two, are completely nuts. Opening a restaurant in a recession is brave. without any fan fare or press releases is ballsy. To charge the prices that Downtown does is pushing it. But to open what is effectively the same resturant ten minutes walk from the original really pushes the concept into the upper bounds of insanity.

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The Wolseley - Timeless

I will happily take any opportunity I can get to go to The Wolseley. As much as I love my neighbourhood version, The Delaunay, its just not quite the same as the original. There's something about the church like ceilngs, the crown like chandelliers and the buzzy atmosphere, thats almost impossible to recreate. The Sibling had never been, so when we were left with spare time and empty stomachs wandering round Mayfair last Saturday, we took the opportunity to hightail it to the Wolseley.

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Pollen Street Social Revisited

It's been a year since I wrote about Pollen Street Social (PSS), and at least six months since my last visit. I was intrigued to see how the restaurant had evolved in that time and weather it managed to sustain the high standard I had the pleasure of experiencing last time. The occasion was The Parent 2's birthday, who had picked PSS over Dinner, on the basis of friends advice who had described it as their favourite in town. She wasn't left disappointed.

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The Movenpick Restaurant – Petra

With few options for dinner in Wadi Musa, the town that houses tourist amenities for those visiting Petra, and desperate to avoid our own hotel’s restaurant The Boyfriend and I headed back down into the centre of town to the Movenpick, the best hotel in town. The best hotel in town doesn’t actually say a lot, as its slim pickings in such a small conurbation in a remote area. The hotel has two restaurants, but as our hotel had managed to screw up our reservation at the a la carte restaurant we settled on the Buffet.

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Beit Zaman - A disappointing hotel experience in Petra

On day one of The Boyfriend and I's four day trip to Jordan, we stayed in Wadi Musa, the town that caters to tourists visiting Petra. Our experience at the Beit Zayman Hotel, was possibly one of the most frustrating I've ever had. Frustrating because the hotel had so much potential but fell at almost every hurdle.

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