The Taste of Christmas has arrived.
Taste of Christmas is a foodie's playground - and a Christmas-lovers paradise. Award-winning chefs and restaurants showcase their Christmas menus, stall holders bring their Christmas wares. There are some of the biggest names in food united to provide you with inspiration, tips and samples of their exceptional Christmas menus this year. The Excel Centre will be packed full of treats, gifts and, best of all, stuff to eat.
The seasonal food festival has swelled yet again this year with more restaurants and chefs added to their three-day feast. Coming together at the Excel Centre are some amazing restaurants with a diverse range of cuisines and signature dishes: Asia de Cuba, Benares, Rhodes W1, Roast and The Cinnamon Club.
Asia de Cuba specialise in Latin twists on Asian dishes. The concept was born in the Chino-Latino cafés dotting the streets of Havana, and later Miami and New York. The menu is a combination of Asian cuisine and technique spiked with the tropical flavours of the Caribbean. Their picadillo-style tuna tartare is a light and tangy starter perfect with a delicious Portuguese Rabigato. They are also serving 'Honey-Rhum' glazed pot roast of pork, sauteed Shanghai bok choy, fried plantains and enoki mushrooms; their famous Mexican donuts – sweet brioche donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar, and filled with butterscotch sauce and spiced rum sorbet; and grilled Serrano ham wrapped shrimp Gallego with white bean and chorizo stew and Thai basil.
Roast – the British seasonal restaurant overlooking Borough Market – are bringing their exquisite slow roast pork belly with Bramley apple sauce, root vegetable mash and port reduction. The quintessentially English Chapel Down Bacchus Reserve 2009 – made especially for Roast – is an awesome, zingy accompaniment. They will also be serving their mulled spices, Bramley apple, sultana, cranberry and almond crumble with vanilla English custard.
The Cinnamon Club deal in new Indian cuisine and are offering their garam masala Christmas pudding with creamy cardamom-y custard. It's a beautiful alternative to the classic pud – while still retaining a festive flavour. They are also serving Galloway beef bhuna pao with kachumber salad, South Indian style stri-fry of shrimps with cracked pepper and curry leaf and their 'icon dish' smoked Romney Marsh lamb saddle with masala mashed potato and saffron sauce.
The Wine Tipster Neil Phillips and Jeremy Bowen of cheese-monger Paxton and Whitfield will be holding cheese and wine seminars – or 'stories' as they call them. The ‘Perfect Partner’s Talk and Taste Cheese and Wine Theatre’ will look at the wonderfully complex marriage of cheese and wine. Blue and Bold, New Kids on The Block and How To Dress a Cheese Board will all be examined with samples to taste.
Action Against Hunger’s pop-up restaurant will see L’Anima’s Francesco Mazzei (Friday), The Modern Pantry’s Anna Hansen (Saturday) and legendary Aldo Zilli (Sunday) each take on a day as guest chef to help raise funds for the humanitarian organisation.
Some of the world’s biggest names will be giving live demos at the AEG Theatre and La Patisserie Peugeot stage over the weekend. A full list of times and chefs can be found here.
It's Christmas!
Taste of Christmas is at the Excel Centre from 2nd - 4th December.
Standard ticket price is £17.50, with the option to 'bolt on' a dining ticket for £60. Click here.
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