Supervalu have launched their ‘Best Beef Ever’ campaign.  As part of the launch they have teamed up with well-known chef Kevin Dundon.  They also sponsor his excellent cookery show Back to Basics.

I was part of the lucky few who got to attend a secret pop up Best Beef Ever Bistro upstairs in 37 Dawson Street.  Greeted with a glass of wine on arrival we were let mingle with our fellow guests and some choice cuts of meat hanging on hooks.  It was all very bistro meets barnyard and raised a few eyebrows (in a good way).

Butchers Lesson

The night was kicked off with Kevin giving us a talk on the various cuts of beef.  How to cook them, what to look out for and even tips on how to prepare the best roast potatoes to accompany your dish. All the usual meat suspects like the fillet and sirloin were there, along with some names I wasn’t overly familiar with such as the ‘chunk’ (I’m still not sure). I’m no animal but even uncooked they were looking very tasty. Dark pinks with ribbons of fat which you know is just going to taste great when cooked ‘properly’, which is what Kevin was going to do for us.

 

The Dinner

After our butchers lesson we made our way to our seats to check out what was on offer. Reading the menu it was clear there was no way we were going to be disappointed. Check out the visual feast served up below.

 

There were six at our table, three of which I knew in advance and two who became friends by the end of dinner.  The food was served family style in the centre of the table and it was plentiful.

Summer garden veg consisting of carrots and broccoli served with dauphinoise potatoes which were rich and creamy and the right amount of garlic without being too over powered.

 

The meat was 21 day dry aged chargrilled Cote du Boeuf and it also came with a dainty serving of horseradish mash and port wine jus.  What can I say about the beef, mother of God it was good.  There was so much of it, between the six of it we couldn’t even finish it. Ok so we only left two small slices and I eyeballed them for a good ten minutes before finally giving up and realising I couldn’t fit anymore in. I had already loosened my belt and worn my fat pants.   I had to leave space for dessert after all.

 

So the dessert was Opera Style Gateau which is essentially layers of rich brownie chocolate sponge with creamy chocolate mousse and covered in a glistening chocolate glaze. Sounds good right?  Well if the name of the dish was Opera then the taste of it was a symphony.  Generally I’m not a massive fan of all chocolate desserts as I find them quite heavy but lets just say with this one, I practically inhaled it. It was that good.

 

Kevin worked the room throughout dinner and made sure to check on every table and say hi to us all.  He insisted on having his picture taken with me so I was gracious enough to let him.  We are now practically best friends (in my head) and he calls me every five minutes.  It was a cracking night and Supervalu put on an excellent show I have to say.

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