The Boat House Dining
1A Seacliff Road,
Bangor, Co Down
028 9146 9253
DELICIOUS food with a perfect wine is my idea of a good night out so I was delighted when I received an invitation to The Boat House in Bangor.
The Boat House regularly offers a seven-course tasting menu with local wine merchant Neill Wine, who sent along the knowledgeable Robert Neill to talk us through the evening of French wine and food – he also encouraged us to ask questions as the night went on.
Wine comes in such a wide range of varieties, so this type of evening is a great opportunity to taste different styles. It is common to serve different types of wine with multi-course meals – it adds to the culinary experience.
Most of us approach formal dining with a little awkwardness and have no idea what to expect. Depending on the ingredients in the dish, a wine can enhance the experience or take away from it.
We kicked off the evening with a glass of Champagne, followed by a some chat about what the evening was about. We were then shown to our table by head waiter Jonathan.
Wine dinners often follow a similar format – starting with lighter, more delicate wines and ending with bolder, more intense wines. The reason for this is because our sense of taste becomes more dull over the course of the meal. It’s also why popular desserts are so rich and intense.
Our first course was Irish Chantarelle Espuma which (for the uninitiated like myself) is an Irish mushroom which was served with fresh Burgundy black truffle. It was accompanied with Gonorderie Anjou Sauvignon Blanc 2016 – a wine with delicious tangy aromas, a quality Sauvignon focusing on freshness which whets the appetite. The subtle hint of the black truffle in the dish awakened the taste buds. It was a fantastic start.
The next course was Ballinteer Farm Pigeon, with brûléed fig, gingerbread puree, roast hazelnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. It definitely had the wow factor! It was served with a Chateau de Bellevue Fleurie Climat Montgenas 2015 Rhone. The gamey intensity of the pigeon was equally matched by the robust, yet acidity-balanced approach of this great wine. I’m not usually a big fan of Fleurie, but on pairing it with the right food, it ticked all the boxes.
This next course was laid down in front of each diner and then, simultaneously, the waiters lifted the silver dome (cloche) from the plate. By French standards this is just another way to serve food in a beautiful way – service under the bell is typical in many fine French restaurants and, having experienced it, I think it's a fun way to enjoy food, as the eyes and nose are always surprised to see what's underneath.
I had thought that food was served like this to keep it hot; however, head waiter explained that it is covered until the last minute to keep the aromas inside so that the diner can enjoy the smell as the bell is lifted off.
Lifting the cloche revealed a local smoked trout, presented with fine detail of samphire, cockle broth and fennel bubbles to complete the dish. It looked too good to eat...
I needed to stay focused and listen to why the next wine would be suited to this dish. When Robert introduced us to our third tasting and gave us a background information on Domaine des Malandes Chablis Cuvee Tour du Roy 2015 Burgundy, I was quite impressed with the detail and was keen to taste this wine with the food. It had a clean bouquet and lightly oaked to bring out the purity of the Chardonnay fruit.
At this stage of the evening I firmly appreciated that pairing wine with particular food had serious justification – I was on a learning curve.
Intrigued by the wine, our next dish arrived: Bresse Chicken Coq-Au-Vin. This course was served with foraged Irish mushrooms, torched Roscoff onion, Alsace bacon, crispy skin, textures of heritage carrots and red wine jus.
This was a plate to really wake-up the taste buds – and was served with a glass of Aegerter Bourgogne Hautes Cote de Nuits 2014 Burgundy, is a young garnet, accented by sour cherry, raspberry, liquorice and occasionally a deft floral presence. The aroma is enhanced by dense mouth-feel, guided by refined tannins and pure fruit. It worked amazingly well with the chicken – a perfect partner with a perfect balance.
Nearing the end and feeling the pressure on my waistline, out came the Baked Cavanbert which was served with plum chutney, celery and fudge crackers. A cheeseboard always works for me as a dessert, but this was something else. It was accompanied by a glass of Domaine Rene Bessec Plan de Dieu Cotes du Rhone villages 2014.
Robert advised that this particular bottle needed to be open for a while for the real aromas and flavours to reveal themselves. For a young wine, this certainly had some complexity: a little oak, blackberries and freshly cut grass. Again this was a superb balance between the food and wine.
Just when I thought I couldn’t eat another bite or try another wine the waiter arrived with Chocolate Marquise served with poached and fresh raspberries, pistachio praline and bitter chocolate sorbet.
I’m not a fan of dessert wines so I was going to give the next glass a miss but Robert insisted I wouldn't be disappointed. Lutz Pacherenc du vic-bilh 2013 Madrion is a soft, sweet wine with notes of saffron. The balance between the sweet wine and the bitter sorbet was fantastic and cleansed the taste buds completely.
This type of evening does not come cheap but if you enjoy food and wine it is worth every penny. There was so much attention to detail that you couldn’t help being impressed. Fabulous food, great service, wonderful ambiance: a perfect evening.
:: French Wine Dinner @ The Boathouse with Neill Wine £60pp plus £30pp for wine. Neill Wine have shops in Groomsport, Helen’s Bay and Carrickfergus.
