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QV Foods and Fresh Approach support 'Chefs Eat Out': Koffmanns at the Berkeley
Amanda Afiya
Chef Eats Out: Koffmann's at the Berkeley, 15 November 2010
Koffmann's at the Berkeley are proud to be sourcing there vegetables from QV Foods Ltd and Fresh Approach Produce Ltd, using specially selected potatoes from QV's Potato Lovers range and seasonal vegetables from Fresh Approach providing year round continuity of excellent produce.
When Pierre Koffmann announced last year that he was to return to the stove, the cheffing fraternity went wild. Arguably one of the most respected chefs to have worked in London, Koffmann inspired many generations of chefs from the kitchens of his La Tante Claire restaurant at Royal Hospital Road and later at London‘s Berkeley.
So when the 62-year-old chef said that he would be returning to the Berkeley to open a new restaurant, which opened on the former site of Gordon Ramsay‘s Boxwood Café in July, chefs and critics alike were thrilled.
To celebrate Koffmann‘s return to the London restaurant scene, Caterer linked up with the chef to host a rare, private lunch for up to 90 of our readers on Monday, 15 November. The event began at 12.15pm with a drinks reception, followed by lunch at 12.45pm. After lunch, Koffmann was on hand to chat to guests and those that wished to see the kitchen were given a tour.
The food at Koffmann‘s is the refined country cooking of Gascony that he‘s so well known for, but it does represent a move away from the haute cuisine that won him Michelin stars. "The cooking is different from La Tante Claire - that was Michelin food and I don‘t want to do that any more," he told Caterer earlier this year.
"I‘ve been there and it was very nice, but that‘s it for me - now I want to cook the kind of food I want to eat." That means hearty, robust and gutsy flavours with main ingredients such as rabbit, beef cheeks and cod, a menu of cheaper cuts and seasonal British produce, although old favourites such as scallops with squid ink, braised pig‘s trotter with morels, and pistachio soufflé are also still there."
Koffmann has created a five-course menu including wines featuring some of his most famous dishes - cassolette d‘escargots et girolles à l‘ail (snails, girolles, garlic and mashed potatoes), lievre à la royale (hare stuffed with foie gras) and his amazing soufflé aux pistaches et sa glace (pistachio souffle with pistachio ice-cream).
The Menu
- Amuse-bouche
- Cassolette d‘escargots et girolles à l‘ail (snails, girolles, garlic and mashed potatoes)
- Lievre à la royale (hare stuffed with foie gras)
- Souffle aux pistaches et sa glace (pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice-cream)
- Coffee with petit fours
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