Pop Up London Restaurant At Stoked...John Doe's the Name (HURRY, ONLY TILL 1st NOVEMBER)

I'm rushing this so that in case you read this in time, you will have a chance to pop over to sample the British goodness.  Here until the 1st of November, the owners and chefs of John Doe, Mark Blatchford, Paul Fox, in conjunction with Stoked KL, are having Pop Up (Word Du Jour these days, "Pop Up"), meaning, you get a glimpse of the London restaurant.  (which apparently is the latest happening place there).

Actually the dinners are already fully booked, but with a lil bit of luck, someone will drop out, and you can get a spot. but lunch is still available for Saturday 31st and Sunday 1st November.

Righteeho, what did we have?

Well, I saw the belly of the Bertha (a wood and coal fired oven brought all the way from Blighty) stoking up some octopi, (what IS the plural of octopus?) ..

with its tantalizing tentacles... I forgot, I meant to see if the suction cups works on the tongue...

But first, Ash Roasted Leeks, with lentils and tarragon dressing, paired with a lovely Chardonnay, the Heritiers Lafon Milly Lamartine 2013, (Macon, Burgundy), and that was when I realised I've been drinking the wrong chardonnays all my life, hence my distaste for it.  This was in a league above.

Now, the leeks done this way were rather unique, and the caramelization brought out leeky flavours I never knew existed.

There aforementioned Octopus, ...Cornish Octopus to be precise, presumably hailing from Cornwall, (I didn't know any marine life existed in that English Channel), served with Chickpeas, Paprika and Aioli.  The texture of the octopus was rather tender, not like the usual rubbery bouncy Straits of Malacca variety.  Perhaps the cold waters of the Cornish seas are responsible.  Paired with the Domaine Trimback Reserve Pinot Gris2012 (Alsace, France)...unfortunately, to be honest, the wine came rather late, so there was no pairing per se, but both were good to stand alone.

Again, I regret I forgot to try to let these suction cups stick to my tongue.  Oh, the aioli was larveli by the way.

Although from this angle, it might look like a duck's some other part, it's actually three hearts (I guess that means three ducks gave their lives for this dish),...Looking back, I think I am a duck's heart's virgin.  I don't recall ever eating it.  It's an acquired taste, I'd say...I thought it was pleasant enough, with interesting texture, not unlike that of a pig's intestine, and since I love offal, I can't find fault in the texture.  It was, contrary to the menu, served with some kind of balsamic reduction I think.

Less fortunate mortals would have had to choose between the Duck's Heart or Chicken Sate (spelt SATAY locally), and I have to say, that chicken skin is amazing.  The chicken sate, well, it WAS satays-fying enough, but I wouldn't drive all the way to Kajang for that.  However, the pleasant surprise was in that salad pile...a unique tropical burst of flavours, onions, coriander, carrot, ...

These were paired with Domaine Vieus Telegraphe Telegramme Chateauneuf Du Pape  2012 (Rhone, France), a lovely red, semi full bodied so as not to kill us all with the power-ness of the meats, ...interesting name, telegraphs and telegrams, very pre war...

Moving along, MY favourite dish of the day, Coal Baked Crab Claws With Keralan curry sauce, cucumber and tomato salad, and the most AMAZING coconut chutney.  Although my personal preference would have been Mud Crabs instead of that flower crab, I have to say the dish was superb.  Bits of basmati rice, with the curry, and crab.... and that fabulous coconut chutney.....Kudos to Mark and Paul,... Call me predictable, but apparently this dish was unanimously the favourite.

Venison Haunch with Bone Marrow and water cress... TOMARROW, TOMARROW, I love ya, TOMARROW, you're always a day...away...(from Annie the Musical)...

That marrow was seriously too rich for me...and I always thought I was a Victor when it came to marrow, (Combat fans might understand), ..but even a morsel of that and I could feel the wealth increasing.  The venison, ... hmmm, I'm not sure I liked it.  I found it a bit tough, although the flavour was there, and the sauce did it justice.  But since dinner slots are full anyway, no one else is gonna get to try this, so tough luck... in more ways than one.

 Berkshire Pork Chop with Salsa Verde, and what looked suspiciously like puy lentils....A good fat to lean ratio, with the lean being really REALLY lean, ...kinda like Jack Sprat and the wife...

Both the mains (you can choose either deer or pig) and crab are clawed with Tenutta II Poggione Brunello Di Montalcino 2010, (Tuscany)...which was a sublime wine, from Sangiovese grape, intense velvety tannins... perfect for game and pig...

Valrhona Chocolate Terrine with Roasted Pistachios, OMIGOODNESS, I'm actually not a hardcore dessert fan, (unbelievable as that may sound), but this, paired with their freshly brewed coffee, well, ....what can I say.....

Petit fours, ...those truffles have a little hint of stemmed ginger innit, which I love.

And as an encore, a special edition home brewed beer ice cream,...we were asked to guess, and my first guess was toddy..which really isn't that far off, moonshine is moonshine...LOVELY, BUT, unfortunately, I think this IS NOT part of the set...we just got lucky.

Paul & Mark...posing for the press...

Crab got my tongue????

The four wines...

For lunch, there is a crisp, rare white Godello wine from the steep terraces of Ribera Sacra, near the Galician coast of Spain as well a lithe, scented and elegant red Burgundy from the respected Domaine Hubert Lignier.

FOR RESERVATIONS, call
Stoked Restaurant
120-122 Jalan Kasah
Medan Damansara
Tel:03- 20948262