As part of my collaboration with Tabl, your ticket to a wealth of incredible dining experiences, I was kindly invited to an intimate supper club with The Fabulous Adventures of 698B. On a mission to open a restaurant, Guillaume, a professional Head-chef from Brittany on the west coast of France, with over 12 years' experience in various restaurants between France and London, and Maja, restaurant manager, from London with a Croatian and Swiss background, and 15 years' experience in hospitality, have teamed up to create their very own supper club. Every 698B adventure revolves around a specific theme, using seasonal British products to reveal surprising and unexpected flavours.
I visited The Shed several weeks ago for The Fabulous Adventures of 698B's 79th supper club. The team were clearly well practised as food arrived hot, quickly and beautifull (I mean beautifully) presented. Maja and Guillaume were also incredibly accommodating to my veggie with no nuts dining requirements and never made me feel singled out because of my differing plates. The two long tables were clean and well presented and, as it was BYOB, devoid of clutter.
The amuse-bouche was a collection of 'on-toasts'. As a vegetarian I was treated to three, rather than two, bites. First was a filo pastry topped with goats cheese and a gorgeous onion chutney, next a ceviche of raw veggies on top of a seeded crispbread and lastly a celeriac 'toast' topped with a raw veggie ceviche. My favourite was definitely the filo pastry although it was a nice touch to include the raw veggies and get some nutritious goodness in at the start of the meal.
The fish course was of Lemon sole with cauliflower, grapes and almonds. My vegetarian option featured a gorgeous slice of tofu marinated in winter warming spices and a large slice of celeriac which gave a subtle meatiness to the dish. The accompanying cauliflower too was slightly meaty, probably due to the texture, which helped with from seeming like just a plate of vegetables. The grapes brought added sweetness to the plate and I really loved the cauliflower puree which was perfectly smooth and creamy.
The meat-eaters main course was of rib of beef, beetroot, savoy cabbage and a merlot dressing. For my plate I was treated to the super earthy beetroot, sweet savoy cabbage and merlot dressing topped with a cheesy stick of polenta and a more celeriac - hey it's in season! The polenta was super crisp and excellently seasoned on the outside yet soft and warming in the middle, just how it should be done. The accompanying ingredients worked really well with the cheesy polenta and earthy celeriac but I could have definitely done with a little more sauce, or, perhaps, a type of gravy as with the meat dish.
The highlight of our meal was the dessert. Maja and Guillaume certainly know how to put on a performance as, initially, we were starting to wonder when our dessert would arrive on the table. Boy was it worth the wait. Lines of greaseproof paper were decked across each long table and then the music began. For a full 5 minutes Maja and Guillaume decorated our tables with delicious sweet things, all inspired by Rhubarb and Custard boiled sweets. From mini meringue pies to whirls of chocolate cream; from lemon posset puddings to beautifully poached rhubarb sticks, each table was drowned in a sea of sweetness. Oh, the drama and the fun of it! Being sat at the table watching this whole experience play out was truly inspiring and when we eventually tucked in I was left very, very happy. Maja and Guillaume had also kindly avoided placing any nut products within 4 seats of my space, meaning I could dine to my heart's content without worrying about, well, dying at the table!
Buy your tickets here > https://www.tabl.com/groups/33760
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