The 500 home tasting menu from Hedonism and Hide: is it worth it for a birthday or anniversary? – Telegraph.co.uk

As a very welcome contrast to the past few weeks, the only cooking I had to do was to heat the main course on defrost for one minute in the microwave, and put the baked Alaska in the fridge while we ate the rest of the meal.

There was an element of shyness around the laptop screen as we started with a toast ofthe pink champagne and dipped into Dabbous first starter which was strawberries, avocado, basil and pistachios in a chilled pine broth.

But Sarrasin kept things going with lots of information about the wine and food pairings, and the more gourmet of our new dinner companions chipped in with their own tasting notes and suggestions for wines that could also have worked well with the dishes.

Following the broth, Dabbous had provided a scallop tartare with Exmoor caviar and then a breast of cornfed chicken poached in Champagne with sptzle and black truffle.

We ate the first courses out of the bowls they had arrived in - not wanting to tip the scallop out to dislodge its hearty dollop of caviar. But we served the chicken off our own china and I preferred that in the end.

As we gradually got to know our fellow diners, we discovered that one couple was celebrating an anniversary, another a 50th birthday. They were from around the world, from South Africa to South America, but the thing everyone had in common was a love of delicious wine and a desire to make the evening feel special.

By the time wed arrived at the port and pudding, wed all resolved to recreate the evening in the flesh when lockdown is over.

As Sarrasin said, these are very tough times for restaurants and their employees. It is clearly our moral duty to support them as best we can. And if that means a Michelin-starred feast at home, Im all for it.

Hedonism and Hide at Home dinner, 500 for two. Dates of upcoming tastings will be released at hedonism.co.uk or to be added to the waiting list customers can call +44 (0) 207 290 7871 or email events@hedonism.co.uk

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The 500 home tasting menu from Hedonism and Hide: is it worth it for a birthday or anniversary? - Telegraph.co.uk