Celebrities, canapés and champagne were served up at Chelsea's Bluebird Restaurant British regional menu preview. Londoners favorite summertime brunch hangout and now UK-famous due to repeated appearances on the guilty pleasure show Made in Chelsea, it is "the place to be and be seen" (as the website tagline declares) on the ever fashionable King's Road.
This October the restaurant is debuting a new rotating regional menu, serving fare from a different region in Britain every month. On Wednesday I was part of the lucky group to try out a selection of the food will be gracing Bluebird tables over the next year.
As a feast of canapés were offered those in attendance, I offer you the photos of what we ate as a feast for your eyes:
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| Red Mullet Soup from the South West |
This tasty creamy fish soup had a nice blend of flavors, though the chopped parsley on top a little over powering. Might be my American palate, as I find parsley to be a much overused garnish in a lot of British dishes.
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| Smoked Salmon Blini from London |
The smoked salmon was served on a blini which complemented but let the fish shine.
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| Welsh Rarebit from Wales |
Truth: When I first moved to the UK I thought Welsh rarebit was probably a gristly cut of meat. Thankfully I was wrong!- it is Cheesy Toast and Bluebirds version was mouthwateringly good.
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| Summer fruit and Elderflower Jelly from The South |
Dessert started with a fresh summer berry jelly (Jell-O to Americans). The elderflower keeps it from being too sickly sweet and brings it out of school lunches for a more adult treat.
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| Apple and Guinness fritters from Northern Ireland |
When I first saw "apple fritters" on the menu my heart hoped for Amish apple fritters. Though they were not the same thing- Bluebirds version was an apple fried in a light dough and sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar- they were extremely tasty and deceptively light-tasting. It is impossible to say 'No' to anything served with a dollop of clotted cream.
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| Selection of British cheeses from around the country |
To finish off the night was a good selection of cheeses from around the country, a little cheddar heavy, but it wouldn't be British without cheddar!
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| Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne |
Accompanying the menu was champagne. "Champagne Thursdays" happened at my house all through university, so I do think champagne is always a good idea. However, it would have been nice to have a British wine to match the regional theme and Bluebird's overwhelmingly local, sustainable menu. Even better- the only way to improve this delicious menu would be to serve it with a flight of regional ales.
The champagne and canapés have been covered- but where are the celebs, you ask? A LONjawn blind item: A certain favorite AbFab-er was spotted strolling with her long time husband in front of Bluebird by me on Wednesday. (side note: How excited are you for the new episodes?!)
So whether you have been featured in Hello! or just want to be wined & dined like those who are- Bluebird is definitely the place to be.
You can try the Red Mullet Soup I sampled until the end of October to get a taste of the South West at Bluebird, before they move on to a new region. For more info visit Bluebird Restaurant website or check them out on twitter @bluebirdchelsea
Have you been to Bluebird?
