An evening with Hélène Darroze & Veuve Clicquot at The Connaught

If you’d have told me three years ago I’d be sitting next to Hélène Darroze at The Connaught – I’d have never believed you. But here it is, TheFoodaholic three years on. I’ve eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world, dined in countless numbers of Michelin starred restaurant – but never have I actually eaten with such a highly awarded top chef. With The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants 2015 awards only around the corner, I was invited to celebrate Hélène’s recent award in conjunction with The 50 Best and Champagne house, Veuve Clicquot.

In case you missed it in the press recently, Hélène was awarded the prestigious accolade of The Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef 2015. It was my first time eating in one of Hélène’s restaurants and I can tell you now, the food here at The Connaught is phenomenal. We started our journey on this meal with a sumptuous Champagne reception, sipping on Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne, while Hélène talked about winning such an award and the effects it has and will have on her future career. Canapés weren’t the usual kind either, but instead of the creative Michelin star kind, full of flavour and surprise.

Stepping through to The Connaught’s private dining room was a spectacular event in itself. The room was absolutely stunning, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the gold and silver etched ceiling decorations, romantic low-lit candles and the fragrant smell of freshly cut roses, beautifully arranged around the table. Bread shortly circled the table, all freshly baked and full of texture and flavour. The butters were awfully remarkable too. With the event and awards sponsored by Veuve Clicquot, we were lucky enough to sample some fantastic cuvee’s and vintages. First course out was a carefully orchestrated dish of imperial caviar, crab, radish and hass avocado. The dish had such a depth of flavour, yet incredibly refined – it was oozing class. Washed down with a refreshing glass of Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2004.

For those of you who know me well, you’ll probably be wondering why my photos are looking a little dull – but this dining experience was no place for my meter long DSLR camera – yet in low lighting conditions the food still looked rather spectacular. Salmon from the Adour river in France was matched against punchy fennel, zesty lime and a surprisingly delicate flavouring of horseradish. Accompanying it was a light cracker topped with a few things I didn’t quite take note of, but can assure you it didn’t disappoint. A pure and light dish which tasted like spring and went perfectly with the Veuve Clicquot Le Grand Dame Rose 2004.

Lamb “Auxeria” was sourced from the Basque Country and was one of the finest examples I’ve personally eaten. There is lamb – and then there is this lamb. A juicy crumbed loin was perfectly cooked and a chunk of slow cooked lamb simply melted in the mouth. Flavour wise a lovely Carciofo spinosa (artichoke) was tender and nicely grilled, with the raggiasca olive, brining a good earthy flavour to the dish. One word – perfection. Hélène Darroze features a pasta dish on nearly all her menus and is something she’s very passionate about serving. Not only was the pasta perfect, but the drizzle of Manni olive oil, which is produced in minute quantity’s had a flavour I’ll never forget. My favourite dish of the evening was the hake with cauliflower, clams, wild garlic and hazelnuts – Hélène told us this dish was currently on the menus at her three Michelin starred restaurant in Paris – words couldn’t describe the multitudes of excitement the dish was giving me and sipping on a glass of Veuve Clicquot Cave Privee Rose 1989 made it even better.

A desert of beautifully ripe strawberry with lychee, rose and almond was the perfect way to finish up too, along with some devilishly good petit fours. So apart from eating here at The Connaught (of course), Hélène tells us she loves The Clove Club in Shoreditch and Mount Street Deli apparently serves the perfect breakfast (booking those right now). Dinner at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught is an experience everyone needs in their life and I think we can all congratulate Hélène on being awarded The Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef Award 2015.

Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef Award:
The Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef award celebrates the work of an exceptional female chef whose cooking excites the toughest of critics. The award is inspired by the life and achievements of Madame Clicquot who nearly 200 years ago set the standard for women in business. The winner reflects Madame Clicquot’s attributes of innovation, creativity and determination.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards:
This year’s results will be announced at the annual awards ceremony, held in London’s Guildhall on 1st June and published live on twitter (@TheWorlds50Best) and later on www.theworlds50best.com. The awards will also be streamed live courtesy of our main sponsor, S.Pellegrino & Aqua Panna via their content hub www.finedininglovers.com