Zomato Meet Up at The Plumed Horse

Hello all!

As it has became quite apparent to you all by now, I love eating. It's quite possibly one of my favourite things to do really. So I was very excited to head to the Plumed Horse for the Zomato Meet Up. A place which has caught my eye many a time seeing as I am a pretty much a  'Leither' now. After opening their doors in 2006, the Plumed Horse has won many awards and is a must visit place if you are a fan of fine dining! 

Quite often, fine dining restaurants can come across a little intimidating. They tend to be very lavish and dare I say, over the top but The Plumed Horse doesn't come across like that at all. It is of course incredibly lovely inside but still has a quite relaxed and cosy feel. As soon as we entered we were taken straight to our table which was set out lovely. Again nothing too over the top but still effective. I especially loved the black glasses for the water. My inner goth needed them badly.

We all decided to go for the Taster Menu, which is something I have never actually done before so was pretty excited to try out new things. I tend to be the sort of person who sticks to what they know when it comes to food but I am trying to push myself to try new things. 

We had the choice to pair or menu with wines or beers. Since majority of the table went for the beer pairing, I decided for a little bit of variety to go for the wine. I did have a wee taste of the beers but I am glad I went for the wine pairing as they were lovely! 

So let's begin shall we: 

Plumed Horse Canapés with Joseph Perrier Champagne

To kick off our feast, we started off with some adorable looking canapés. Smoked Mackerel, Tomato and Cheese. Now you were actually supposed to eat these in the right order so you are taken away to a little food journey. Alas I seemed to be in a daze when that was said to us and of course started off with the wrong one. Never the less, it was still incredibly tasty. I wasn't a massive fan of the mackerel but that was just down to personal taste. The cheese was bar far the winner for me but anyone that knows me will understand that I just can't resist a cheese based canapé.

Velouté of Peas & Pancetta Foam paired with Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2013

  

Hands down, one of my favourite courses from the night. From the look of how clean everyone's bowl looked after, I am pretty sure it was a hit everyone. I've never had Pancetta foam before and thought it worked wonderfully with the peas. The wine also complimented the dish perfectly. It was a zesty little number which went really well with the lightness of the soup. 

Confit Wild Turbot, Fennel & Citrus Salad with Macon-Verze Domaines Leflaive

I said before, this really was a night of trying out new things. When it comes to fish dishes, I am not going to lie, I tend to stick to what I know, cod, haddock, seabass etc. So Turbot was not something I had come across before. I'm glad I finally did though. It was a beautiful looking dish, the bright orange of the Salmon pearls really made it pop. The fish itself was cooked to perfection and was devoured pretty quickly by myself. This was also my first time trying fennel and alas that was not so much a winner for me. Again this was probably due to personal taste, as the texture just wasn't to my liking at all.  

Scallop with Oyster, Peas and Baby Onions

And then it was time for the dish that I was least looking forward to. The last time I tried Scallops, I wasn't a massive fan and Oysters is something that I have avoided for a while now. In general I am not a lover of shellfish to be honest. I ended up really enjoying the scallop, I still found the texture to be a little odd but it was full of flavour. I did try the oyster and I can safely say that is just not for me!

Sautéed Breast & Slow Poached Ballotine Of Grouse, Fricassée of Girolles, Root Vegetables & Truffle Sauce paired with Crozes - Hermitage 

I think we were all pretty blown away but the amazing presentation of this dish. Alas my photography skills are not showing off how wonderful it looked. Everything just worked so well together, It was a real earthy and autumnal looking dish. The grouse breast was pretty much perfect and paired with the truffle sauce, it was a winner for me. The ballotine on the other hand didn't do it for me at all. The texture was very soft and I just felt it didn't really add anything to the dish. This wine was my favourite of the whole night. There was a lot of white on offer which did work with all the fish dishes but I am a red girl at heart. This particular one was so smooth and possibly too easy too drink! 

Fourme d'Amber, Pistachio Purée and Orange

Oh how I love a cheese dish. It's always one of my favourite parts of a meal if I am being honest. I'm the sort of girl who could happily just eat a block of cheese. Fun fact for you all, Fourme d'Amber is one of France's oldest cheeses. Yes it is a blue cheese but didn't have that strong in your face taste. Don't get me wrong, I love a strong blue cheese but after all the food we had just consumed, this was a perfect little addition. The pistachio purée was a brilliant addition. In general all the flavours were pretty perfect. 

Raspberry Soufflé, Dark Chocolate and Balsamic Vinegar Sorbet paired with Maculan Dindarello 2013

So here we are, my all time favourite part of any meal. The dessert. I personally think you can really judge a restaurant by how good their dessert is. So many places will put in so much effort for their mains but completely forget about the dessert and you end up with a half decent cheesecake.. Not in Plumed Horse. This bad boy was quite frankly, one of the best desserts I have had in a long time. From the vibrant colour of the soufflé to the delightful sharpness of the sorbet. It was just an incredibly delightful dish. The fact I didn't feel all bloated or sickly after was also brilliant. Too many times you come away from having a dessert and feel that pang of regret if it's too heavy or too sweet

Petit Fours  

After all that food it was time to order a coffee and relax with some delightful Petit Fours. They were all so tasty but that stand out for me was the Highland Park Chocolate Ganache, I must admit that I may or may not have had two of those.....(I definitely did have two) 

I really enjoyed my visit to the Plumed Horse. I went in not knowing what to expect, especially when it comes to trying out new things but I came away that night feeling very pleased. The service was brilliant, the staff were always making sure we were fine and keeping us updated on what each course was and the details of each drink paired with them. From the beautiful surroundings to the wonderful company to the delicious food, it was a brilliant night. If you are looking to treat yourself to something a little special, I would highly recommended getting yourself down to good old Leith and checking out the Plumed Horse! 

Till the next time!

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