Tonight I attended local Chef Rory Byrne’s “Something British” pop up dinner. This is the first in his series of one night only dinners, meant to pull from his vast experience. Tonight it was about his British roots with a curated tasting menu that were each modern takes on traditional British dishes. I don’t have much experience with British cuisine, so was eager to have this taste here, like this.
The evening was hosted at Adonis. Originally the event was planned for their back patio, but given the evening’s downpour festivities were brought indoors. There, our welcome cocktail of a Classic Pimms Cup would have felt more fitting, given its light spritz-like nature mixed with all the fresh fruit. It was an easy, flirty, and fun beverage, but I didn’t find that it matched the richer and bolder plates to come. Although given the flow of the dishes this acted more are the first course, as it was quick to go, as guests settled and caught up with their guests.
The first food course was a Smoked Mackerel Pate with pickled relish and scratch made crostinis seasoned in herbs. I thought this a very heavy start and would have liked a gradual build up. Although in retrospect, all the dishes were on the heavier side. A couple of spread crackers would have sufficed. My trying to clean the plate filled me more than anticipated.
I liked the pungent flavour of the pate, but didn’t need this generous of a portion. The pickles did what little they could to brighten and add levity to the bites. Not all the crackers were even, they were prepared thicker with the intention to have them serve as scoops. However, I preferred the thinner ones that offered an easier crunch. Whereas the thicker ones were dense, ashy, and most difficult to snap with teeth. Once again this would have been nicer as a couple of canapés on the plate. One bite to taste, another to enjoy, and not enough to keep you wanting more.
The follow up dish was just as heavy, with its own elements designed to lighten bites, as well as add big flavours to the assembly. Black Pudding with poached duck egg and a bone marrow dressing. For those unfamiliar, blood pudding is basically a type of blood sausage made from pig’s blood combined with fat and cereal fillers.
This was the first dish our Chef learned to cook, but redone to bring it into the 21st century, and away from the 72 year old chef that originally taught him how to make it. Much like it was with the mackerel spread, there was too much pudding to finish and have in a single course. And not enough of the fresh green salad and crispy salty bacon strips to help balance things out. On the first bite I found the pudding lighter than what I have had in the past, but upon subsequent bites the one toned flavour wore on and it became overwhelming. The perfectly boiled gummy egg was definitely the highlight. I never had one so gelatinous and shaped like this. It, itself looked like it was encased like a sausage.
The last hot dish and or main was described as the Chef’s three favourite things on plate, and a more familiar sight within Vancouver’s culinary landscape. Venison Rack with pea croquette and roasted carrot. I wish I had not attempted to finish all of the above, to reserve more stomach space to enjoy what was my favourite of the night. Well prepared and tender venison, that was on the saltier side. Having it with the pea croquette helped to cut into some of the saltiness. I am a fan of peas and I liked how this had them both mashed under a crispy crunch and well as whole rounds to bite into and almost pop with its natural sweetness. This patty was so dense that it acted as a starch. The carrots were an interesting take. Kept on the harder side with a pistachio crust for additional crunch and the fragrance of lemon. I was not a fan of the texture of the gritty nut crumble and found myself scrapping it off to have the carrot as is.
Before dessert we had Lemon Posset. This was like a simple lemon custard, with a sprinkle of short bread crumb for a change in taste and texture. The posset was intentionally sour to shock the taste buds as our palate refresher. It reminded me of the lemon gel layer in lemon meringue pie, but with a milky cream mixed in for a richer mouth feel. Once again I could have done with less. I only needed a couple of spoons to satiate and cleanse. Given the serving side, this felt like a full dessert.
The real dessert was a classic Strawberries & Cream, which is apparently the most typical British dessert. This was a collection of macerated strawberries, pickled black berries, mint, torched meringue, and whipped cream. This was worlds lighter and a contrast from everything else we have had thus far. Fun to eat and lovely way to end the evening.
And when we thought all the courses were done and it was time to go, our chef-host bestowed on to us a parting gift. Two sausage rolls each, wrapped and ready to take out. These were dense like beef patties, so ate like mini burgers. I just could have used an acid like ketchup or mustard to add some contrast to the meaty mouthful.
In closing, this was a great way to be introduced to British cuisine. Chef Rory made everything incredibly approachable throughout this modern dinner. I just would have liked smaller portions to leave guests wanting more, as is it fell like excess. Having spoken to Chef Rory, he plans to host more such dinners and will take the learnings and feedback of this one to improve all subsequent popups. So stay tuned for more.
