Hello hello! Long time no speak. So it turns out that the “real world” of a full-time job doesn’t leave me nearly so much time to blog as my former student life did….But I’ve really missed this little space and the lovely blogging community so I’ve decided I will just have to find the time for Coconut and Berries. I hope you’ll have me back after so long away….We’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
A few weeks ago (I said I was behind!) I was invited to a vegan dinner party with La Belle Assiette!
Hosting a dinner party is a lot of fun but it can often mean you spend most of the evening in the kitchen and not all that much time enjoying your guests’ company. Eating out is obviously one solution but it’s not really the same as being in your own home, and, especially if you follow a “special diet”, it can mean that you end up paying a lot for a fairly unexciting meal.
The concept of La Belle Assiette is “eating-out-at-home”. Chefs purchase ingredients, cook in your kitchen, serve each dish to you and even clean up before leaving!
I was invited to attend one of the chefs, Rowena’s “validation” dinners where she was being tested to check her services met the standards expected. Needless to say, she definitely passed!
We had a lovely evening and the food was fantastic. Above you’ll see the surprise “Amuse Bouche” which was Grapes rolled in homemade Cashew-Coconut Cream Cheese & Toasted Hazelnuts. Definitely not a combination I would have thought of but so delicious. We were fighting over the last couple!
The starter was a Chanterelle Ceviche with Fresh Cherry Tomato Salsa and an Avocado-Pineapple Puree. Super fresh and nice and light to leave some room for what was to follow.
The main event was Involtini di Melanzane with Salsa Verde – a traditional Italian dish with a vegan spin. The flavours were all so well thought-out. I can’t remember exactly what was tucked inside the aubergine parcels but I know there was a herby cauliflower rice, cashew cheese, roasted red pepper and asparagus. I wish I had the recipe for this so I could recreate it at home.
There was a photographer there on the evening who captured the dishes beautifully.
Then came the pièce de résistance – dessert! I’d never had vegan tiramisù before so was very excited to see it on the menu. This version with coconut whipped cream and homemade lady’s fingers was honestly one of the best vegan desserts I’ve had! I was glad the previous courses hadn’t been too heavy so I could fully appreciate it. I savoured every mouthful!
Thanks again to Rowena for the delicious meal, La Belle Assiette for organising and for the guys who generously allowed us to invade their flat in Shoreditch for the evening!
You can currently book a meal with La Belle Assiette in all main cities in the UK, France Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg and their website allows you to search for your perfect menu using filters for type of cuisine, price and chef rating.
What do you think of the concept? Would you use a service like La Belle Assiette?
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[Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the dinner party, free of charge. However, I was not obliged to review and all opinions are my own]
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