A perfectly tuned dining experience at the Violin Factory
We were chosen by the excellent folks at creative engagement agency Audience to provide a beautiful dining experience for one of their most prestigious clients.
The venue for this occasion was a wonderful hidden gem of a venue called The Violin Factory, a stone’s throw from the Thames near Southbank. Now a private residence, as the name suggests it was once a violin factory. In the intervening years it has been all kinds of things including a spell in the 80’s as a Dr Who Dalek’s storage space (!) but now it is a spectacular venue.
For this particular event there was a focus on food provenance and responsible sourcing; and the open kitchen adjacent to the dining table meant that there was absolute visibility and interaction between the diners and our chef team.
Welcomed on arrival with champagne, cocktails and canapes on the roof terrace, guests were then led to the dining table and seated for a beautiful three course dinner with wine pairing.
Our chef director Ran Lees, personally introduced each of the courses and gave details as to the source of the produce being eaten.
After dinner, the guests moved to a specially created “Whisky Room” for a whisky tasting to round off a very special evening.
Menu
Canapés
Big Mac: aged beef tartare, ‘Big Mac’ sauce, pickles, confit egg yolk, toasted brioche croute
Caesar: crispy chicken skin, shredded chicken, pancetta, parmesan, Ortiz anchovy and chives
Hackney limoncello cured wild salmon, lemon and dill emulsion, keta, sea rosemary
Moxons whipped cod’s roe, espelette, crispy garlic, croustade, micro purple shiso
Beetroot macaron, orange blossom honey ricotta, beetroot gel
Montgomery cheddar sable, caramelised shallot cream, amaranth
Starter
Fresh pea and broad bean croustade, Rosary goats curd, preserved lemon dressing, confit egg yolk, Italian summer truffle, tendril shoots, micro herbs
Main
Lamb loin, pommes anna, charred shallot petals, pea and nettle puree, spring cabbage roll, jus gras, chive oil, butterfly sorrel
Pudding
Strawberry and pistachio dacquoise sponge, vanilla mascarpone mousse, Kentish strawberry jam, strawberry gel, candied pistachio.
“The amazing venue and menu meant that this would always have been a very special night but the added dimension of the chef team being so close and visible made it all the more so. It’s great when we’re kept on our toes like that!”
Jimmy Garcia
Founder of Jimmy Garcia Catering
