This was a gifted event.
Having eaten there before I was really looking forward to this cocktail masterclass at L'Ortolan. I thought the idea of pairing cocktails with canapés was really interesting; wine, beer, cheese and charcuterie are all well matched but how would it work trying to match the complex, sweet flavours in a cocktail with a canapé?
Jayson mixing up cocktails
The masterclass was held by Jayson, L'Ortolan's resident mixologist Cocktail Masterclass at L’Ortolan
This was a gifted event.
Having eaten there before I was really looking forward to this cocktail masterclass at L'Ortolan. I thought the idea of pairing cocktails with canapés was really interesting; wine, beer, cheese and charcuterie are all well matched but how would it work trying to match the complex, sweet flavours in a cocktail with a canapé?
Jayson mixing up cocktails
The masterclass was held by Jayson, L'Ortolan's resident mixologist 
I love the idea of a pop up restaurant in someone's dining room, probably because I'm a nosey parker. I'd love to open up my living room to see what it would be like but my lounge/dining room is about the size of a telephone box. Laura, Anu and I started talking on Twitter and as it turns out they host pop up dinners at their house in Reading. The meal I went for was Israeli themed; having no knowledge of Israeli food I couldn't wait to find out 
A leisurely lunch is a very enjoyable thing. Relaxing with some food and wine watching the world go by is something that I like to do. The experience is vastly improved if you happen to be on staycation and can sit there without a care in the world. That’s what I did when I went to Malmaison for lunch; I organised it with them for a time when I knew I could sit there without any time pressure.
I have spent much time wandering around Reading trying to find somewhere half decent to eat that wasn't the London Street Brasserie. I feel like I exhausted the Brasserie a long time ago and if you're wondering, they do fantastically good puddings. I wanted good food at a reasonable price and I found exactly that.
