Monday, June 30, 2014

#BumpkinSummer

We love to eat out and in London there are a million restaurants to chose from.
Matt happens to work for a company that owns four London restaurants.

He's mentioned my blog to his coworkers and that I sometimes do restaurant reviews.
I was excited when they invited me to try out their new summer menu
developed by Executive Chef, Raymond Fulton-Currie and write a review.

Obviously, I'm a bit biased
so they let me bring along some blogger friends
to tell you what they think, too.

A few weeks ago, I joined Jessica, Melanie, Emma, Jacintha and Mina 
at a blogger's table to sample the new #BumpkinSummer menu.
We ended up having a great night of laughs and fun, not to mention good food.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Bumpkin Notting Hill

At Bumpkin they focus on serving seasonal, authentic British food. 
 We've enjoyed some terrific meals at Bumpkin in Chelsea, Kensington and Stratford.
but I have to admit Bumpkin Notting Hill is my favorite.

After greeting us with strawberry lemonade,
the manager, Nick, took us on a tour of the restaurant.
 It's four floors of loveliness and has a great casual but elegant feel to it. 
There are three private dining rooms upstairs -
the Clock Room, Queen's Room and Carnival Room.
Each more adorable than the next.
  Bumpkin Notting Hill

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Bumpkin Notting Hill

After taking hundreds of photos of the venue between the six of us,
it was time to take our seats and let the feast begin.
They did a terrific job of making us feel welcome.
The individual nametags were a nice touch.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

They were also very tolerant of all of the time we took with the photos.
I love sharing meals with bloggers.  You don't have to yell at them "Don't touch that yet!"
And they completely understand when you start clearing out the shot
and turning the plates this way and that.
We started off where every great meal starts...  with a cocktail.
I love a good Lynchburg Lemonade but adding the blackberries took it up a notch.
I was proud to see a proper Tennessee whiskey like Jack Daniels snuck its way into the evening.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

The cocktail got us in the mood to peruse the new summer menu and make our selections.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

I started with the smoked ham hock terrine, crispy crackling and dill pickle.
The sweet pork and the dill pickle were perfect together, not to mention the soft roll and butter.
The crackling was a bit hard to bite in to but I loved all of the flavors.

Here are some of the other choices that had everyone raving.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Pan seared Scottish king scallops, chilled pea soup and crispy bacon

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Dressed Cornish crab with Avruga caviar on toast

I usually just order a Pinot Grigio but Nick offered to make the wine selections for each course.
He asked a few questions about our preferences and then we left it in his hands.
Each individual dish was served with an accompanying glass of wine that was paired perfectly.
It makes such a difference having the right wine for the dish.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

For my main, I chose the line-caught sea bass, braised chicory and fennel crab salad.
White and flaky, perfectly salted.  I loved it especially the little crunchy bits around the edges.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Roast South Downs lamb rump, baked heritage carrots and spinach

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Slow cooked pork belly, apple celeriac salad and piccalilli
Have you ever heard of piccalilli?  It's an Indian pickle of veggies and spices.
Very popular in British cooking since the 18th century.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Roast free range chicken breast, baked Jersey Royals and mixed beets.
I love the color on this plate.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Roast monkfish, mussels and a light curry sauce.
Nick also brought out a few sides for us to share.
I love Bumpkin's Macaroni cheese.  Matt and I often share this side as a starter.
I won't mention which of the bloggers claimed it as their own.  Melanie.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

If you can believe it, we actually had room for dessert.  But just barely.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

I ordered the Strawberries and cream and scored bonus points when it came out with
madeleines and a chocolate drizzle.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Several of the ladies ordered the baked vanilla custard, poached rhubarb and hazelnut crumble.
They said it was amazing.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

I always go for something sweet after dinner, but Emma opted for the 
selection of cheeses with apple pear mustard chutney and biscuits.
Doesn't that look good?

Bumpkin Notting Hill

I almost cried when they set this in front of Melanie instead of me.
Bitter chocolate tart, honeycomb with a salted caramel mousse.
I will be demanding that Matt takes me back soon for this dessert.

Bumpkin Notting Hill

Here are a few final words from the folks behind Bumpkin.

Food For Thought
 Sustainability, provenance and conscious farming is important to us.
We care about our food long before it is served.  We work with British farmers in
Surrey and The South Downs as well as local artisanal suppliers to  ensure
that we sere, wherever possible, the very best of British.

If you're looking for somewhere to catch a World Cup Game,
book a private party, enjoy brunch or experience a wonderful meal
I highly recommend Bumpkin.  

And, yes, I'm totally biased.

 Which Bumpkin is your favorite?

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 *I was a guest of Bumpkin for the purposes of review
and my husband works for the company that owns them.
 All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Ghent's Saint Bavo Cathedral

Doh!  Remind me to never post cryptic messages on my blog again.
At least not without explaining in full to my mom first.  I woke up to three emails demanding details.  
It's nothing really.  We're moving house in London soon and
are REALLY looking forward to less than a 3 hour commute each day.

Y'all seemed to really like the Ghent photographs.
Thanks for the comments and social media love.
It's a fantastic place and you have to go there!

Here are a few more pics from the Saint Bavo Cathedral.
Visiting a massive gothic cathedral just never gets old, does it?

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

I hope you all are having a wonderful week.
I'm so enjoying this beautiful London weather and the long days are good for my soul.

Where is your favorite cathedral?

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Ghent in Photos

Still a bit lost for words, but got some news that could potentially change things.
How's that for cryptic?  I'll keep you posted as I know more.

In the mean time, here are some photos from Ghent, Belgium.
It doesn't really need words.  What an incredible city?!?
We almost decided against popping over from Bruges on the train,
but I'm so glad that we did.  It's straight out of a fairytale.
Probable the most picturesque European city I've seen so far.

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

Doesn't our lunch look divine?
Best meal-eaten-while-sitting-in-the-sun-people-watching-in-a-gorgeous-city EVER!

What city reminds you a a fairy tale?