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Festivities commence with a glass of the Latvian Raspberry sparkling wine, a local beer, and this artistic offering of bread with a variety of goodies
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...458bcf203.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fab4eda9.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1a228739b.jpeg As best I remember them the components are A dark beer reduction Basil Pesto Grey pea ‘himmus’ Cranberry and lingonberry Sea buckthorn All five were really tasty. Mixing all five together almost cancelled them all out! Also worth mentioning the bread, which they make themselves, is light and fluffy with a lovely crust and very good indeed. How were the various offerings? They were this good https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1bf202db3.jpeg I also need to find a few bottles of that Raspberry sparkling wine, I really enjoyed that, it’ll be good on the one warm summers day we get in Newcastle :) |
Dish one is the “Licisi” goat cheese, watermelon, and mint. Those three ingredients set a certain expectation and image in my mind which was, as you might expect, completely wrong.
Licisi is the bio-farm from which the goat cheese originated. The watermelon was smoked, completely changing its texture and, of course, flavour. The mint was actually peppermint oil, and, just for fun, a scattering of picked gooseberries because there wasn’t enough going on already :) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b5e0ccb64.jpeg Nicely paired with a South African Chenin Blanc https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bbc9caa33.jpeg How was it? Clean ‘plate’ number two. Outstanding! |
Dish two is Beetroot Broth, Tartelette, Cashew Cream, and I also took the Wagyu upsell. Not expecting too much from this course, none of the ingredients are part of my regular repertoire
The beetroot broth was infused with seaweed and shiitake mushrooms and was very good. The tartelette was a hemp seed pastry, cashew cream, dried beetroot, topped with picked shallots and nasturtium leaves. The wagyu was wagyu :D Paired with a fairly tannic Pinot Noir which I was a bit harsh with just the beetroot bit, of course, went brilliantly with the wagyu Half the tartelette went back, that wasn’t to my taste, the rest was hoovered up gleefully. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c9382b5dc.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c050f809b.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2643de291.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e36a5bdc6.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ef6e0df89.jpeg |
Dish three is Salted venison tartare with an array of accompaniments, lingonberries, beer pickled onions, pine needle mayo, and potato chips.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...528ea84a0.jpeg Paired with a Sicilian blush https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...baa7efc7a.jpeg A very playful dish, the hunters catch and his snacks. Delicious once more and another empty piece of crockery heading back to the kitchen |
Dish four is Mussel ragout with pickled cabbage and smoked milk powder. This also contains Annatto seeds and I had to google that one, never heard of those before.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6c88e73e1.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...22f6e941e.jpeg I was advised to treat it like noodle soup and give it a good stir… happy to oblige https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aa8c75f35.jpeg Accompanied by another Italian white which worked perfectly once more. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6799d4a6b.jpeg If you had asked me 15 minutes ago if liked mussels…meh! But now? well, this dish was so good that I asked for a piece of bread and wiped the bowl clean. Yes, I’m an uncouth barbarian:D https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...af18d99c8.jpeg |
Before we head into the main course, a small palate cleanser, blood orange, and fennel granitas. Both really clean and fresh.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...55eba0787.jpeg It is now two and a quarter hours since I arrived and the restaurant is full and there is a nice background buzz. The whole meal so far has been unhurried, The wait time has been a little longer as the restaurant has become busier, but the whole point of a chef table seat is that there’s plenty of theatre to watch :) |
Dish five is Beef loin, potato doughnut, dried porcini mushroom sauce, kale, and rowan berries
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...07da38691.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...05d903d84.jpeg Sticking with the Italian wines, the beef was paired with this Tuscan red which again was worked perfectly. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8382d1358.jpeg Another almost clean plate, I was not a fan of the pumpkin puree but the rest was delicious, especially the cheese and potato doughnut, bring me a box of those ;) |
Very interesting watching this dinner unfold course by course and definitely a candidate for my next Riga visit :)
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Dish six is chocolate mousse with black garlic, blackcurrant, and rye bread. Now I understand all the elements but how they’re going to make all of those elements work together remains to be seen!
And, work together they most certainly did! A bowl of really punchy, deep flavours. The garlic provided the base layer, then a ball of blackcurrant sorbet shrouded in a light and airy chocolate mousse and then topped with a cookie, rye bread, and pine nut crumble https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...86024c244.jpeg Slightly deconstructed to try to show the hidden components https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3acb5cf14.jpeg Paired with port… you will never hear me complain when port is on offer :) https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9960b68bd.jpeg And also a dark beer, as I finally finished my lager and thought this would go better with the chocolate desert https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7283a5a68.jpeg |
I’m jealous as hell, most definitely adding this restaurant to the list, looks right up my street.
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And now it is time to bring proceedings to a close, a coffee and a Hennessy XO as such a great meal deserves a decent finale.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9ce978e1c.jpeg Time to sit back, watch the theatre, and enjoy the end of what was a truly outstanding meal. As amazing as the food has been, the staff have been equally amazing. All of them have been knowledgable on the food and drinks, and all of them have been a delight to interact with. I cannot praise this restaurant highly enough, absolutely excellent experience. |
After all that food and alcohol, I would definitely be hitting the Gaviscon tablets!
Did I read somewhere that Madri is just Carling rebranded? |
Originally Posted by Fabo.sk
(Post 36660260)
Very interesting watching this dinner unfold course by course and definitely a candidate for my next Riga visit :)
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And the final reckoning? As you might expect, pretty hefty. I don’t do fine dining often so this is an intermittent treat and I feel that it was actually good value for the quality of everything. There is no airs and graces here, just quality food and service. I would return.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...17692efdd.jpeg |
That even slightly beats my bill from François Geurds earlier this week :D
Granted I had a menu deal and didn't go for a 50€ cognac. Actually I would say that the price is pretty good, just that you kept ordering extras. Nothing wrong with that, just have to keep in mind when comparing prices. |
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