Good food doesn’t get better than this.

As I write this blog today I am still blissed out on a cloud of food induced heaven. A little while ago I said that I would endeavour to write about food encounters other than cream tea, and of course since making that pledge I have written about…. Cream tea. I imagine as Autumn and Winter progress, there will be more variety of food experiences to write about; even I must admit that Cream Tea does feel like a Summer food.

Yesterday I was lucky to have dinner cooked for me by the MasterChef finalists at Meza, Soho London.

It was much looked forward to for several weeks beforehand, so there is always a minor worry in the back of my mind that it will be a real anti climax, and I’ll find myself suggesting a quick trip to McDonalds after dinner, feeling short changed by beautiful looking pieces of food art, a taste sensation in a fleeting moment that after a few moments I am left wondering if it was real at all.

I needn’t have worried.

Our early arrival meant an opportunity for pre-dinner drinks and people watching, a pleasant pass-time. We agree that MasterChef was one of the best things on TV last year, so am childishly excited when I spot Dr Tim Kinnaird in the distance, working the room, meeting and greeting guests.

We are seated and spend several minutes devouring the menu, weighing up the choices, wanting to try something by as many of the Chefs as possible. Finally we manage to select a range of dishes, by a good distribution of the Chefs. We wait in anticipation. The waiting has barely begun when Tim himself appears at our table side.

He seems still to be riding on crest of a wave, incredulous at the changes in his life since participating in the series. He tells us how busy he is, of the crazy pace of setting up his business, how much pleasure and excitement he is clearly experiencing right now. It’s wonderful to listen to, to see and hear the enthusiasm, he is animated. He is living his dream.

 I ask him if he misses medicine. I should add that I spent most of my time watching the series wondering out loud what on earth made someone who had taken up paediatric medicine, surely a vocation, after years of intense training, give it all up for food. Something must be horribly wrong. I know that Tim has answered this question several times, he tells me that he misses his colleagues and of course the children, but not the rest. By the rest I assume he means the organisation. That rings a bell, loud and clear – but that is for another time…..he tells us about growing his business and his excitement at some forthcoming events…. And then he is gone.

Before we know it the food arrives – now A A Gill I am not, so please do not expect food effusiveness in this next section…..

We start with Tim’s Celeriac Soup with Ricotta Dumplings, Crème Fraiche and celery cress. James’ Ravioli with smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil.  So we’re off to a fantastic start then, a real winter warmer and memories of hot Italian Summers all in two dishes.

 Main course was Alex’s Duck  with tobacco caramel, a confit duck leg, tobacco caramel, pickled cucumber and roast potatoes, and Dhruv’s Coriander Crusted Salt Marsh Lamb rump with celeriac puree and caraway roasted baby beetroot.  So we’re well on our way to food heaven by now. Pleasantly full, we realise that whilst we’re perfectly able to turn out good food, nothing from our own kitchen’s matches up to this.

And for the encore – my favourite, Dessert…… Tim’s Orange and Chocolate baked meringue with ginger and orange sauce and chilled vanilla custard, and Dhruv’s masala chai ice cream, pear and chocolate truffle -  sauternes poached pear, spiced ice  cream and brandy chocolate truffle. Something happens that almost never does, my dinner companion dives into dessert in a way that I have never witnessed, usually he passes on the sweet stuff, preferring cheese instead, but the oohs and aahs of appreciation from the other side of the table are evidence of the general loveliness of dessert.

The meringue is a beautiful confection of fluffy, chocolate orange yumminess. Nuff said.

 

I should just say that whilst we have our heads down in pure food concentration Alex and Dhruv are doing the rounds too.  So there you have it, we watched the series with commitment, we plotted how to recreate the food, and now we needn’t bother, we’ve tried it for ourselves and know that nothing will ever match up. Food heaven.