Tuesday 18 October 2011

"Battle of The Sexes" THE RESULT


Warming Up !
 So, our inaugural beer & food match in the distinguished company of John Keeling & Melissa Cole (to whom we both owe a great big thank you) & under the heading of  "Battle of the sexes" has passed & ended up as a resounding success.
It was one of the more difficult functions we've ever catered for but it was not as if we slid into the beer & food match world gently in any way.
Getting in the flow....

We entered into it with a four course meal, the starter was made up of four separate components alone, the main was two plus each course was matched with two rival beers, which meant that the sixty people booked each had to be delivered sixteen different beers throughout the evening, (needless to say sobriety was not in much evidence come taxi time)

Pass the "Canopys" Mavis...

It also had to be timed such that the beers were at the correct temperature in the correct order at the correct point in the meal, to call it a logistical mind bender would be one description for it, although our poor assistant manager who's task this was had a more flowery version.! The food was not standard fare either there were some quite "challenging" dishes (again not a term our chefs used during service ) including a Fatt Putt , Lahmacun and Salt cod Brandade all made from scratch, Irish rock oysters to open as close to service as possible & not to mention caramel tarts & pear tatins all individually crafted. One of the main focuses from the chefs eye view was to deliver as much fine flavours as possible in the food to compliment & match all the excellent beers chosen by John & Melissa.
The man speaks !
It would have been easier to cook up a few sausages, serve a chocolate cake & bang out a cheese board but this was not what we were aiming for. We have set our own high bar for beer & food tasting here at The Red Lion and enjoyed it immensely, now watch out for the sequel in the Spring, It's going to be huge...trust us !

By the way forgot to mention, Melissa launched her new book "Let Me Tell You About Beer: A Beginner's Guide to All Things Brewed" well worth it. And finally if you wondered, yes, the stronger sex did win....... 



Wednesday 5 October 2011

Thanksgiving in Barnes

Brits !! Please don't be shocked.....

Regulars, & those in the know, are aware of one of biggest success stories in the form of our now famous Thanksgiving Dinner, not a gimmick, but a bona fide night for our friends from "across the pond" to celebrate their holiday away from home in our beautiful pub in wonderful Barnes. Always a sellout night with bookings rolling over from year to year & a true family occasion. Whether your an expat, tourist, or somebody just caught temporarily here in London you are more than welcome to spend an evening in the company of your fellow Americans (of which there are quite a few)
 We are now taking bookings. The menu is as authentic as it can be with a British cook in charge, but with eleven years of hosting this event under our belts I can truly say we do not do a bad job. If you fancy it, BOOK NOW or you will be disappointed.....really, do not hesitate.