Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Supper with Dainty Bess at Between Us, Bree Street

We were invited to join Jane Ferreira-Eedes for dinner at Between Us Restaurant at 176 upper Bree Street in town this week. A first visit for us. Run by twin sisters Jesse and Jamie Friedberg in a building which used to house an antique restoration business. It has a terrace and a large spacious interior with a bar
Old stone walls tell you that this building is very old. We liked the original vases with different stems all over the restaurant, particularly the one with branches of pink peppercorns on the bar. Also on the bar was a cache of Jane Eedes' Dainty Bess, the Rosé MCC made from 100% Pinot Noir. It was Valentine's day and every customer was given a glass. Sitting with Jane, we had a couple! It was an evening of chatting and good wine and food.
The spacious interior
Dainty Bess is named after Jane Eedes' mother Jenny's favourite hybrid tea rose. It has good raspberry and strawberry perfume and flavours, a good mousse and is crisp and refreshing. So good on a hot evening. The 2015 vintage grapes come from Shannon vineyards in Elgin
One of the twins pouring us a glass of Dainty Bess. They were everywhere in the restaurant,
running themselves ragged looking after tables and customers. They seem to be a bit short staffed
The wine list has many wines from the Ex Animo collection
The menu. You order and share
We also had glasses of the excellent Joostenberg Chenin Blanc
John had an order of wild rosemary roast potato wedges with a killer truffle cream
Because he certainly wasn't going to enjoy our portion of Panko crusted silver oyster mushrooms
which came with a very enjoyable nine herb aioli, very subtle but a great match. The portion was huge
And then some Craven Cinsault by Nick Craven, served in stemless glasses. It's on the Pinot side of Cinsault;
pale red, roses and cherries on the nose. Velvety, silky and spiky on the palate, fresh fruit, cherry and rhubarb
Good when it opens up and warms a little
The first main course to share was soft meatballs in a tomato sauce sprinkled with onion and herbs
Sorry about the photo - camera would not focus!
Then some delicious roast peaches topped with shavings of Parma ham and rocket with a creamy sauce
And our final course was something unusual. Middle Eastern baked sweet potato soft and squidgy 'falafel'
with activated (? how) walnut Muhammara (which Ottolenghi calls it) a sweet pepper and walnut Levantine dip
Not terribly appetising to look at but with very good flavour

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