Foodie Anjna Dawett discovers a sober-curious tasting menu concept, that has recently launched at Counter 71 in Shoreditch. Whilst there she also discovers a new appreciation for fine dining.
As someone who has been labelled as a ‘fussy’ eater by her friends, I have always steered away from fine dining experiences, especially if it wasn’t Indian food. The misconception I held was that there would be too much going on and that I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the flavours. After trying Joe Laker’s sober-curious tasting menu, I am now thinking “How ignorant of me”!
Thanks to Counter 71 I was given the absolute privilege to part-take in their 12-course tasting menu with a sober curious pairing for each course.
The restaurant has a modest 16-20 seating capacity, creating the perfect intimate atmosphere. The interior is simple and clean leaving the food to shine. A large, curved countertop takes centre stage with the working kitchen behind, this enables you to have a front-row view of the Chefs in their element. For a food nerd like me, this was fascinating.
Head Chef Joe Laker has carefully curated the menu using ingredients sourced from local British growers, fishermen and farmers to bring to life flavours and textures telling the ultimate culinary story based on the British Isles.
Stand-out courses included:
- Tunworth – Pea – Marigold: this was a cheddar pastry tart, with a cheese and pea filling topped with Marigolds.
- Tuna Belly – diced Tuna belly and green pepper served with aubergine cream.
- Milk Bread – Chicken skin-infused butter basted over loaves of milk bread served with sea salt butter.
- Yoghurt and Honey – biscuit crumb topped with a yoghurt parfait and sorbet, drizzled with honey.
Once the chefs have served the food, General Manager Harry Cooper and Drinks Director of the speakeasy below, Low Country, Ryan Sheehan take over presenting the pairing drinks. They have partnered with Saicho, a non-alcoholic, sparkling tea that provides a similar provenance and complexity that you might find in wine. The jasmine tea was a personal favourite. As someone who enjoys herbal teas, this could not have been a more enjoyable experience. They went exceptionally well with each course, so much so we often forgot about the wine that we were also drinking!
Once the dining experience had concluded, we were intrigued to explore the bar below. Oozing with South American vibes and boasting an impressive amount of whiskeys and bourbon Ryan Sheehan beautifully merges the soul of the south with exciting infusions to bring you an extensive yet carefully curated drinks menu to make for the perfect nightcap.
I highly recommend you book this foodie-tasting experience, it certainly challenged my preconceptions. I left with a new appreciation of fine dining and how well tea can substitute wine pairings in this setting. The sober-curious tasting menu is available for the next 5 weeks.
