Back in July, I decided to embark on one of my craziest adventures since my 20s. I booked a flight to London for a long weekend at the end of October for the purpose of attending a musical performance, in this case what amounted to the first solo tour in Brian Eno's storied career: 7 performances with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic of his 2016 piece The Ship, reimagined from electronica to a symphonic arrangement. As it happened, I attended the final performance, a 9:00 pm show at the Royal Festival Hall of the Southbank Centre on Monday, Oct 30. The performance itself was all I could ever have hoped for. The interested can read reviews here, here, here, here, here, and here.
But, in between the show, reconnecting with family and a talk at Imperial College, I did manage to squeeze in a couple of nice dinners. Sunday dinner was at St. John Marylebone, a fairly informal outpost of the empire. There, I had a lovely special consisting of crispy pig cheeks with sorrel and a fantastic bottle of 2016 Texier St. Julien en Alban. Despite my trepidations that it would be unapproachable at this young age (and they also had a BTG offering of the 2020 Brezeme!), it had soft tannins and a lush mouthfeel, though in a medium-bodied package. Aromas of young Serine fruit were enhanced by a most interesting spicy note (aromatic spices a la allspice or nutmeg) and the acidity made for a great pairing with the food, even with the mustard-based dressing for the sorrel.
Before the show on Monday, I had an early dinner at NOPI, Yottam Ottolenghi's Soho restaurant, on the recommendation of a FOAF. My dinner consisted of two small plates: a dish of roasted aubergine with whipped feta and Aleppo cashews, and sea bass on a bed of saag aloo topped with a spicy tomato-based compote. The food was sensational, with bold flavors and expertly prepared. Because I was later decamping for the show, I limited my wine to a glass of their house white, a Moravian mix of Riesling, Gewurztraminer (3-day skin contact), Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. It proved to be a crisp, fresh white whose flavors were dominated by the Gewurztraminer yet light in body.
Mark Lipton
But, in between the show, reconnecting with family and a talk at Imperial College, I did manage to squeeze in a couple of nice dinners. Sunday dinner was at St. John Marylebone, a fairly informal outpost of the empire. There, I had a lovely special consisting of crispy pig cheeks with sorrel and a fantastic bottle of 2016 Texier St. Julien en Alban. Despite my trepidations that it would be unapproachable at this young age (and they also had a BTG offering of the 2020 Brezeme!), it had soft tannins and a lush mouthfeel, though in a medium-bodied package. Aromas of young Serine fruit were enhanced by a most interesting spicy note (aromatic spices a la allspice or nutmeg) and the acidity made for a great pairing with the food, even with the mustard-based dressing for the sorrel.
Before the show on Monday, I had an early dinner at NOPI, Yottam Ottolenghi's Soho restaurant, on the recommendation of a FOAF. My dinner consisted of two small plates: a dish of roasted aubergine with whipped feta and Aleppo cashews, and sea bass on a bed of saag aloo topped with a spicy tomato-based compote. The food was sensational, with bold flavors and expertly prepared. Because I was later decamping for the show, I limited my wine to a glass of their house white, a Moravian mix of Riesling, Gewurztraminer (3-day skin contact), Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. It proved to be a crisp, fresh white whose flavors were dominated by the Gewurztraminer yet light in body.
Mark Lipton