If someone had said ‘supper club’ to me five years ago, I’d have thought of young Cameron-a-like students gathering to scoff cheese and quaff claret in their tailored tuxedoes. Now the picture is of a secretive and romantic world of gastronomic (and glutinous) adventurers gathering at secret locations to indulge their semi-illicit gustatory desires.
And so it was with a little frisson of excitement that I wandered down a quiet London backstreet looking for the nondescript entrance to Fernandez & Leluu, one of the foodie destinations of the moment. The fact that supper club king Jim Haynes, an American in Paris who’s been running his own version for almost 35 years, was going to be there, just added to the excitement.
Crossing the threshold, I was ushered in by Uyen and pointed in the direction of the cocktail shakin’ barman at the back of the long room. Paintings lined the walls and objects from vintage 16mm video cameras to glass jars full of dark teas sat on dark wood modernist furniture.
The effect was of a 21st century salon, where London’s food blogging world clutched rose petal adorned cocktails, bellinis and gently bubbling glasses of prosecco. Everywhere I looked people were talking, meeting virtual friends in the flesh and otherwise creating a atmosphere thick with chat and gossip.
It had the feel of a foodie inner sanctum. And there, in a pool of calm air, was Jim, eyes glinting as he spun yarns and anecdotes in a gravelly voice.
A blogger in action
That the conversation was flowing as freely a the cocktails was down to the superb preparation and hosting by Fernandez & Leluu and some great networking by the Qypers who set the whole event up and are past masters at getting people talking.
Instead of the usual tables and chairs, this was a supper club, Paris style. Everyone was standing, moving between friends and conversations as the mood took them. This presents particular challenge to the cooks. Food has to be easy to hold and eat, and not be anything too easy to slop, spill or scatter. F & L didn’t just rise to the challenge, they conquered it.
A flock of helpers poured forth from the kitchen dispensing plates of starters left and right. And what starters they were. The fresh summer roll was in a completely different league to those i’ve had in Shoreditch or on Mare St. It burst with pork, prawns and fresh herbs as you bit into the diaphamous rice paper wrapper. Nuts and chilli gave an extra dimension to the fresh meat and herbs. It was juicy, crunchy and moist.
The pork filled spring rolls were also superb, light and crunchy without any hints of oilyness. King prawns, a pork terrine and the pulled chicken salad were all equally fabulous. It was all I could do not to lick my plate.
The mains
After a decent interval to grab another cocktail – the ‘Brambles’ and the rose petal ‘tails were both superb – mains were conjured forth from the kitchens by the helper elves. Plates bearing a folded piles of roasted rare beef fillet, fluffy mini baked spuds, mushrooms cooked in wine and fresh springy cubes of focaccia.
The beef was a particular triumph, tender and tasty, it had a beautifully caramelised exterior that provided an almost treacly complement to the soft dark pink and gently flavoured meat. The micro baked spuds were perfect fork food too. All around (after posing their plates artfully on any available surface for photographs) food was being piled into mouths with greater and lesser degrees of grace.
Dessert
Finally, the dessert. A masterful combination of bread and butter pudding, fresh strawberries, white chocolate and raisins. It all combined into a creamy scrumptious and fruity whole. On the evidence of this food, Fernandez and Leluu is somewhere I would come back to again. And again, and again…
After eating Jim spun us a few stories and came out with some memorable quotes, among which these stood out for me: “I’m an existentalist, I live in the present. Whatever I am eating at the moment is my favourite food”, and “I’m always moving forward, I never move back. Even if I moved to London, I wouldn’t be coming back, I would be moving to London.” Both of which chimed with something right at my core.
Big thanks to F&L for cooking and hosting a superb night, to Sian and Rachelle at Qype for getting me there, After Eights for bringing Jim along, Jim himself for many great anecdotes and for inspiring so may others, and to Luiz, Tom and Jen, Kang, Niamh, Su-Lin, Douglas, Billy, Lacey and everyone else there for making it a killer event.
shame we didn’t get to say hello, next time maybe! Great night all round though, impressive amount of people squeezed in the F&L’s lovely flat too, looking forward to a return visit.
I agree! Next time though. I’m amazed at how many people there were there.
Sounds amazing! Although all I can think of when I see the name Jim Haynes now is After Eights
it’s one of the better events I’ve been to – the atmosphere was something special. And of course the free box of after eights were delicious
Great to meet the smiling face behind the brilliant words of Grubworm. Look forward to seeing you at one of our events again very soon
Sounds like such a great night!
@MissRachelle – thanks! T’was good to see you too and I will be sure to come along to more events
@Greedy Diva – it certainly was.
Hi, thanks for the mention, it was great to catch up with you too. The event was fantastic, Uyen and Simon worked so hard for it, and I am so happy for them.
For some reason I can’t sleep so I am perving on food pr0n and this is making me want some of the pudding again…
@The London Foodie – likewise. It was fab and I can see why you have been to F&L so often
@Tom – the pudding was good but those rolls…mmm-mmm. Sleep is always difficult when you’re on a food pron bender
Brambles, food by F&L – tell me there were as many After Eight mints as you could fit in your mouth and I’d call that evening perfect.
@ginandcrumpets there were free boxes scattered around for those who felt the after eight hunger come upon them. And after eight cocktails that were reportedly not bad. And there were some free packs to take home. D’you think that would’ve done you?
After Eight cocktails, you say? Not sure about those (minty cocktails all taste like mouth wash and hint at my dark, alcoholic future drinking habits) but if I could have filled my pocket and bag and a wheely trolley with After Eights and then scattered them over my bed like edible chocolate money and rolled around in them, then I would’ve been happy.
@ginandcrumpets – show me the after8s…SHOW ME THE AFTER8s ;-D