Taste of London Festival 2010-06-28

Despite not being a Londoner I enjoy going ‘uptown’ on occasions and sampling what I can of such a magnificently multifarious city, and this aspect can be exhibited no better than in its food. This was my first experience of the Taste of London festival which takes place annually between June 17-20 in the beautiful Regents Park and I must say I was extremely impressed with the event. First off we were blessed with some stunning weather which no doubt helped with the open air event. We were greeted by a complimentary glass of champagne and an endless stream of PR girls offering freebies ranging from tote bags to discount vouchers for some of London’s most exclusive restaurants. This was swiftly followed by a visit to the Waitrose tent for a freshly made cocktail each and we were more than ready to go out and sample some of the food. Most of London’s best restaurants have a stall set up and offer 4 dishes of varying price. This is an opportunity like no other to visit some of the most famous restaurants in the capital all in one sitting. For example you may have your starter at a Gordon Ramsey’s, main course at Le Gavroche and dessert at La Pont de la Tour, possibly followed by ‘a taste of afternoon tea’ a la The Dorchester. This line up would normally cost your about £300 before wine and a considerable amount more time attempting to secure tables.

The day is a glamorous and most importantly relaxed affair. All of the pomposity of the London restaurant scene is absent in favour of a relaxed attitude to open air eating. The glamour is provided by the celebrity chefs themselves (I went on the Thursday and Rick Stein and Michel Roux Jr. were two of the bigger names present, on the busier Saturday sitting Heston Blumenthal was pencilled in to attend) as well as the regular host of PR girls and even a bona fide celebrity in the form of the unmistakeable Gok Wan. Gok’s arrival spurred on my mother to wave frantically at him to which he replied “oh check you out, get a job,” a statement which caused some initial confusion until she took a step back to realise that she was sitting in the sunny garden area with a glass of champagne waving at Gok Wan at 2 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, he may have had a point.

Another ‘celebrity’ encounter of the day was my meeting with Tristan Welch, head chef at fashionable Kensington outfit Launceston Place and a regular on The BBC’s Great British Menu. Now this may not be the most exciting celebrity chef encounter for many but I did have my 21ts Birthday Meal at Tristan’s exceptional restaurant. However he wasn’t present that night so I was pleased to finally meet him and have a chat. On meeting him here he was friendly and approachable and more than happy to have a photograph taken and have a lengthy chat about my birthday night, of which he knew a great deal.

The food throughout the day was, as expected, exceptional. Of my 6 tasters none were a disappointment but the highlight of the day for everyone I spoke to was the Asian cooking on show. My favourite dish of the day was the spiced sea scallop from Atul Kochhar’s latest Indian venture, the Colony Bar and Grill. The scallop was cooked to perfection and topped with a paste of red chilli, garlic and yuzu butter which miraculously complimented and didn’t overpower the subtle scallop. My brother opted for the Thai crusted calamari with ginger and peppercorn from London newcomer Busaba Ethai, his personal favourite dish of the day. Other highlights included the barbequed to order Gaucho Black Argentinean sirloin steak and creamed corn. The pick of the desserts was the theatrically made to order Pont de la Tour’s famous crepe suzette, the preparation being performed by a hot and very tired looking head waiter as the orders didn’t stop all day.

The food was complimented with drink stalls offering plenty of Pimms, cocktails, champagne and beers all perfectly chilled for a summer afternoon. There were also plenty of foody shopping opportunities and other nice touches such as a stall set up by the Barbados tourism board offering free Bajan food tasters and cocktails including Rum Punch and some exceptional Jerk Pork topped with a mango salsa.

So to sum up Taste of London festival is a feast of glamour, gastronomy and indulgence that isn’t to be missed by any food lover. It is an opportunity to sample the best produce and cooking this country has to offer in beautiful surroundings, surrounded by beautiful people for a fraction of the normal cost, as my grandfather would say, you best be careful, you might just enjoy yourself.