So it has come to that time of year when the Christmas festivities begin.
I must admit that our team Christmas meal came somewhat earlier than other years – the 20th of November to be precise, but our rationale was two fold ;
One – it was pay day
Two – it meant we could actually get a table in the restaurant that we wanted without having to share it with hoards of other people.
I had given the task of finding a suitable venue to a member of my team, however when he failed to come up to scratch I took over.
I first visited the Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar, (part of the intercontinental Hotel near New Scotland Yard), last Christmas just after it had opened. On that occasion I was served one of the most delicious breakfasts that I had ever had, so I kind of knew that it was somewhere that would suit our needs.
In total there were eleven of us for a late lunch and by the time we arrived for our reservation at 2.30 pm the restaurant was mostly empty. I had forwarded all of our menu selections the week before so not long after we had been seated and the Magnum of Rioja poured we were served our delicious starters.
I had ordered the Rabbit and Lobster starter. I had no idea in what form this would come but I was greeted by two deep fried balls with a small peashoot and peanut salad.
Initially underwhelmed by what adorned my plate I was soon looking for superlatives to describe the taste sensation that was happening in my mouth.
The crunchy exterior encased a velvety mixture of rabbit and lobster, not quite a purée but more like a smooth pâté.
The richness of the dish meant that the serving was more than adequate, however I did save room for one of my colleagues Ribs.
The majority of my team had ordered the Blue Boar Ribs and what came out was a small bucket containing four of the biggest, most succulent ribs I have ever eaten. These ribs must have come from some form of prehistoric hog, as they couldn’t have come from any domestic porcine source.
Plates all cleared, glasses refilled we were presented with our main courses.
The majority of us had ordered the Ribeye steak, and again we were not disappointed.
On first look it appeared a little small for our gargantuan appetites, however by the time our side dishes of skin on chips, new potatoes, fine beans and creamed greens arrived we were more than satisfied.
My steak was cooked perfectly; which you may expect, however the amount of times I have had to order my steak blue to get it even close to rare is unbelievable.
Further down the table others were tucking into the Blue Boar burger with its bucket sides of chips and coleslaw.
At this point there was very little conversation except for the low murmurings of hungry men’s appetites being satiated.
Wine quaffed we were then into the desserts.
Not having an especially sweet tooth I opted for the selection of English cheddars and was
presented with a selection of three crumbly gems to devour.
Probably the highlight of the desserts was the Baked Alaska that came out. Bronzed and spiked the merrangue and iced cream dessert tickled the taste buds of my colleague.
And that brought down the curtain on the food side of our little bash, however as you can image that was not the end of the night, not by a long stretch for some!
I can’t speak highly enough of the. Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar. The food was excellent, cooked perfectly, with portions of just then right size, the service was attentive without being intrusive, and all round reasonably priced – bearing in mind the quality of everything, you get what you pay for.
I would heatedly recommend the Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar, whether it be for a stylish breakfast of a delicious lunch.
Somewhere I will definitely be returning to.
Just who is Two Hungry Men? 