Helen Wilcock satisfies her sweet tooth with a decadent evening spent devouring Sanderson’s special National Chocolate Week menu
Right now, there’s never been a better time to have a sweet tooth. It’s currently National Chocolate Week ( 8th – 21st October) and to celebrate this wonderful calendar event, the Sanderson hotel has partnered with master chocolatier William Curley to create an exclusive four-course menu.
The focus of the menu is of course chocolate and showcases the ingredient in dishes you may not immediately associate it with. What better way to celebrate something that we all love than to experience it in a new way. I visited to try it, and here’s my decadent experience.
The Cocktail
We start with The Legends of the Fall cocktail, created by William Curley and Thierry Brocher, bar manager at Sanderson, especially for National Chocolate Week.
It features Maker’s Mark whiskey, Mozart white chocolate liqueur and orange bitters and certainly gets you in the mood for an evening spent surrounded by chocolate.
The Food
The set menu begins with Orkney scallops with squid ink polenta, roast lemon purée and cocoa nibs. The scallops were perfectly cooked, seared on the outside and soft in the middle, and the lemon purée was thick almost like a curd providing the sharpness needed to cut through the dish.
This was followed by Denham Estate venison with miso-glazed parsnips, cranberry gel, sprout tops and 100% cacao. Once again the cooking was on point, the venison was delicious, wonderful and pink in the middle. Cacao goes extremely well with game and was a great accompaniment to the dish.
The evening concluded with two sweet dishes, white chocolate and coconut panna cotta with tropical fruit compote and a warm Amedei chocolate moelleux with cherry compote and pistachio ice cream.
While these dishes showcase chocolate in its traditional dessert setting they were a delicious ending to the meal. The panna cotta was ideal to follow the venison, acting like a soft palette cleanser.
We ended with the chocolate moelleux and trust me, there’s nothing quite like cutting through the sponge with your spoon and watching a river of smooth chocolate pour out. While it was quite rich, it was a wonderful ending to a meal celebrating the beauty of the Aztec’s former currency.
The Wordrobe Verdict
If you have time before the chocolatey fun ends, make a booking. This menu showcases how chocolate can be paired with both sweet and savoury ingredients and conjures up decadent heaven. Bring your appetite, as it’s a hefty feast – but worth every calorie.
Make it happen
Available until 21st October, £65pp. To make a booking, click here or phone 020 7300 1400
Words by Helen Wilcock
