It was so good to be back at Theo Randall at the Intercontinental where we would enjoy another fabulous evening of the finest Italian food and wine. When we finally made our first visit back in October last year we had such an amazing dining experience that simply made us want to come back as soon as possible.
After enjoying the a la carte menu on our last visit we were very interested to try the very popular Regional Tasting Menu which for the month of March would be from Calabria. This is a four course menu with wine pairings for the first three courses priced at sixty five pounds. I now have to say that after experiencing this first hand it’s the best value for money menu considering the quality of the food and wine you will ever have the pleasure enjoying.
Now let’s move on to our latest visit which started with a friendly welcome on arrival before being escorted to our table. We started the evening with two fabulous cocktails an Old Fashioned No.2 and the Martini d’Amalfi while we looked at the menu’s. These consisted of the a la carte or our choice for the evening the regional tasting menu from Calabria.
We then received a lovely surprise as from the kitchen came Theo himself to firstly welcome us back and then just have a nice friendly chat. Then before heading back to prepare for service he would send out some complimentary Zucchini Fritte which arrived along with the Bruschetta and Focaccia.
Before moving on to the first course we couldn’t resist ordering the Salumi Misti antipasti which was schiena , lardo di colonnata , fennel salami , capocollo with marinated vegetable “agro dolce”.
Now it was time for our first course which was the Antipasto – Polpette di Melanzane – Crispy aubergines with cappocolla salami , shaved fennel , rocket salad and parsley that was absolutely delicious. This was paired beautifully with a Greco di Tufo DOCG Devon Caggiano 2019 brought to us by Giovanna who along with Sebastian looked after us superbly throughout the evening.
Our second course would be the Primo – Pasta alla Silana – Pasta with slow cooked tomato italian sausage , pecorino and nduja sauce which was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve eaten in a long time. The delightful wine pairing for this dish was a Borgo Selene Nero d’Avola / Nerello Mascalese 2020.
Now it was time for the main course Secondo and I have to say it was stunning. Coniglio alla Calabrese – slow cooked rabbit with red peppers , pancetta , tomato and fennel. Paired beautifully with a Tufarello Vigneti Canosini “Nero di Troia” 2019 that will live long in the memory.
We then finished with an absolute treat. Dolce – Torta di Noci a calabrian walnut torte with chocolate gelato that was simply heaven on a plate. This came along with a complimentary Passito di Nota sweet wine to round of a fantastic evening.
We finished with a coffee to bring to an end a fabulous Italian dining experience and one we’ll be looking to repeat again soon. I really would recommend a visit here as the quality of produce is stunning and I now see why the regional tasting menu’s are very popular.
Thank You Theo , Sebastian , Giovanna and all your team and looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Ciao
My Hospitality Life 