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| Vinothec Compass – Golf range |
The other evening I enjoyed dinner in North Greenwich, but just before that, I learned the basics of golf in a lovely setting, Vinothec Compass, Greenwich Peninsula Golf. I manage to hit the ball first time – yes, beginners luck! The place overlooks the iconic buildings of the city of London and Canary Wharf. An unusual setting to play golf and have a dinner accompany by a fantastic selection of 600 different wines and over 60 varieties of beers.
The head chef, Idoia Guzman put together an exquisite sampling menu from her heritage, The Basque Country in Spain. The evening started with a glass of bubbles, Cava Conde de Haro from Rioja Bodega, and a quick lesson in golf in the 60 cabanas, two-tiered, flood-lit golf range. Dinner followed, and it was a great feast.
The restaurant decor is very easy on the eyes. It was a Friday early evening when I visited, and it was busy – quite surprising since it’s out the way for so many people. Gosh, It was worth going all the way to Greenwich for the wine, food and obviously the golf too. Now I can understand now why people like golf so much – It’s a bit addictive.
Dinner by Chef Idoia Guzman
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Chef Idoia Guzman |
Spain is well known by their delectable Tapas / Pintxos, Chef Idoia menu was delicious.
We started with Gilda an hors d’oeuvre of pickles, anchovies and olives skewered on a cocktail stick. It was named after the Hollywood film- Gilda- in the movie Gilda (Rita Hayward) plays a witty and spicy character. This Pintxo is pretty much like the character ‘verde, salado y picante’ (green, salty and spicy) The wine suggested : Its Mendi’s ‘7 Txacoli.’
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| Gilda an hors d’oeuvre of pickles, anchovies and olives |
A warm shot of Jerusalem artichoke was topped with rocket and almond pesto – a perfect appetiser matched with unfortified sherry-style from Sanlúcar – La Bota Vino Blanco – a very enjoyable tipple fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 8 months.
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| shot of Jerusalem artichoke |
Basque Black pudding Pintxo had a strong cinnamon seasoning and a smooth morcilla on topped a piece of toast and was beautifully decorated with a Padron pepper. Cider or Sidra was the suggested match Txacoli from Basque, Sagardoa Sidra – I don’t usually like ciders, but this one was superb and not too sweet.
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| Basque Black pudding Pintxo |
A lush, giant, Coeur du boeuf tomato salad, onions, chives and glug of olive oil, followed by flatbreads of anchovy, olive and basil, and ricotta, pancetta and truffle – these plates were cleaned very quickly indeed!
The surprisingly delicious, well-balanced, tannins and bodied wine from
Saperavi from Georgia was the match for these rather excellent dishes.
I love this wine. I bought a bottle to take home!
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| Coeur du boeuf tomato salad |
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| flatbreads of anchovy, olive and basil, and ricotta, pancetta and truffle |
Next on the list of this magnificent feast, was a light confit of cod from Billingsgate with pepper, black olives and tomato ragu, this dish is a crowd pleaser. It reminded me of Provençal dishes I tried on my travels. The wine match was white Priorat, a Catalan wine, a very impressive drink full of minerality that went down extremely well with this dish.
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| confit of cod |
Belted Galloway onglet was a match with a decanted Olifantsberg Syrah from South Africa’s Breede River Valley. Northern Rhône in style, it was elegant with an excellent natural acidity that complemented well the rare beef and rather unusual looking sweet potato gnocchi.
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| Olifantsberg Syrah |
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| Belted Galloway onglet |
And at last the dessert! The course that celebrates the end of the meal and this one did not disappoint – poached white peaches with pistachio Anglaise with a touch of rosemary – Ouiii! It was a spectacular end to our meal. The perfect wine match was a Swiss sweet Sauvignon blanc by by Favre John and Mike
I can’t wait to go back to try more wines and food by Adoia! And who knows a bit of more golf too? Highly recommended!
Disclosure: I was a guest of Vinothec Compass on this trip. All views are my own.
