Match of the week

Smoked eel with crab remoulade and Slovakian Müller-Thurgau

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on November 29 2010 at 13:09

A good obscure pairing to kick off the week from the newly opened Vinoteca wine bar at Seymour Place.

We went on the second day of opening but the kitchen was obviously well into its stride turning out the sort of simple well-priced bistro food that’s a bit thin on the ground in that part of London (just north of Marble Arch). They also pair each dish with a matching wine from their excellent wine list, about 20 of which are available by the glass.

Perversely I actually enjoyed the wine owner Brett Woonton gave us as an aperitif - a really delicious Jagnet Müller-Thurgau from Slovakia - with my first course of smoked eel and crab more than the suggested 2007 Arbois Traminer from Stephane Tissot - though that was delicious too. It (the Jagnet) was fresh and crisp with a slight peppery note that was reminiscent of Grüner Veltliner. It sells at the very good price of £4.20 a 125ml glass and £5.90 a slightly larger one or you can buy it for £10.50 to take away. (There’s also a wine shop on site.)

I also loved my main course pairing of mutton and oyster pie with mash and spinach with a suave elegant Le Pupille 2008 Morellino di Scansano from Tuscany (£6.10 for 125ml, £8.50 for 175ml) whose dark hedgerow fruits perfectly offset the richness of the dish.

Vinoteca is also bottling a couple of their own wines from wines that they buy in bag-in-box and which they sell in returnable bottles. Apparently they last 3 days so are designed for regulars who want to come in for a top up. I tasted the Touraine Sauvignon which was fine but they have such tempting other wines to drink I’d take the opportunity to try something you haven’t tasted before.

I ate at Vinoteca as a guest of the restaurant.

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