Celebrating how design plays a role in our enjoyment of food and wine …
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said: ‘Dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity’. Dining is a creative undertaking, with chef and sommelier the designers, telling a story through food and wine.
As part of the Design Week Dublin (DWD) programme, in partnership with Range Rover, a unique gastronomic evening at Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins at Anantara The Marker featured a perfectly matched seasonal menu of food and wine, highlighting six wines from the distinguished Findlaters portfolio. Chef Gareth Mullins and Wine Editor of THE GLOSS Julie Dupouy together conceived a food and wine pairing that struck a balance between food flavours and allowing the wine to shine, with design at the heart of both.
It was a beautiful sunny evening to commence proceedings with delicious champagne and canapés on the sun-drenched Rooftop Bar & Terrace – with a view unparalleled in Dublin. The Bollinger Cuvée 2022 was a perfect foil for the light and elegant canapés, before guests moved downstairs to Forbes Street for dinner. The first course, a delicate Tian of Howth Bay Crab, complemented by a velvety pea velouté, broad bean, and mint paired perfectly with La Blanca, Krasna Hora, 2022, from Moravia in Czechia; the wine’s crisp and refreshing character enhancing the delicate sweetness of the crab and echoing the vibrant green notes of the velouté.
Next, Raviolo filled with organic chicken, tender local lobster, and tarragon, with a creamy bisque was accompanied by “Les Granilites” Blanc, M. Chapoutier, from Saint-Joseph in the Rhône Valley of France. The wine’s elegant acidity and subtle minerality balanced the creaminess of the sauce beautifully, while its floral notes resonated with the aromatic tarragon.
The main course, Roast Loin of Spring Lamb served alongside a lamb kofta, a stuffed courgette flower, and a vibrant medley of tomato, olive, and tzatziki was Mediterranean-inspired and the wine pairing, Aggelis Liatiko from Lyrarakis Estate in Crete, Greece, 2019, brought depth and warmth to the dish. Its earthy undertones and ruby-coloured richness complemented the lamb and its Mediterranean accompaniments to perfection.
A reimagined Black Forest Gâteau, nostalgic yet contemporary, decadently layered with chocolate, cherries, and cream followed. It was a fitting match for the “Limited Edition” Pinot Noir, Little Beauty, from Marlborough, New Zealand, 2022. Its notes of ripe red berries and subtle spice beautifully mirrored the sweetness of the dessert.
Finally, the cheese course with Organic Cashel Blue with black pepper lavosh and toffee apple purée, paired with Graham’s 40 Years Old Tawny Port, was the perfect end to this fabulous culinary journey at Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins. This special port, from Findlaters, is aged over four decades to a blend composed from wines put down generations ago.
This Wine and Design-themed dinner at Anantara The Marker Dublin was a celebration of Chef Gareth Mullins’ thoughtful craftsmanship and sommelier Julie Dupouy’s expert palate. As well as bringing food and wine together in a carefully considered way, Gareth and Julie took guests on a journey highlighting the key role that design plays in our enjoyment of food and wine. For more information, see designweekdublin.com.
Click into the gallery to see the guests who attended.
Photographer: Conor Healy, Picture It Pix; @pictureitpix