Title: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Author: Truman Capote
Synopsis: It’s New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany’s. And nice girls don’t, except, of course, for Holly Golightly: glittering socialite traveller, generally upwards, sometimes sideways and once in a while – down. Pursued by to Salvatore ‘Sally’ Tomato, the Mafia sugar-daddy doing life in Sing Sing and ‘Rusty’ Trawler, the blue-chinned, cuff-shooting millionaire man about women about town, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveller, a tease. She is irrepressibly ‘top banana in the shock deparment’, and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.
Refreshments: Martinis of course -classic gin ones are the best.
Review: Not sure how or why it’s taken me so long to read this book, and a short book it is too, but I finally got around to it thanks to a family member buying it me for Christmas. Capote has amazing flair for creating distinguished and unique characters, something that doesn’t really need to be said but I’m doing it anyway. His most iconic creation Holly Golightly is a most charismatic young lady who has men falling at her feet, she’s damaged, completely self-centred and utterly wonderful. We are offered little in the way of information on the narrator, a writer himself, and also those who remain stuck fast in her orbit -although notable exceptions are those of Miss Wildwood and ‘Rusty’ Trawler.
A beautiful story revealing the flaws in human nature and the dark shadows that lurk under the frothy topping of the American dream.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Where: Hélène Darroze, at The Connaught Mayfair
What: Two Michelin-Starred restaurant “a thrilling expression of French culinary craft, delivered with a contemporary flourish, enjoyed in a truly elegant setting.”
When: Sunday Lunch in February.
Food & Drink:
There’s the option of three, five or seven courses -we went for the five which includes one dessert. You’re provided with the menu which comes, as you see in the photo above, as a game of the most delicious marbles ever. Each of the marbles has just one word which describes the key ingredient of each dish.
I selected: Onion, Scallop, Turbot, Pigeon and Pineapple with accompanying matched wines -because it was a treat.
I don’t want to spoil the surprises and overall experience of going to this incredible restaurant for anyone, so I won’t wax lyrical too much about how astoundingly delicious every plate of food was. especially the onion. How someone can pack that many different tastes, textures and smells from one vegetable is ridiculous and I for one will never take it for granted again.
One of the signature dishes and one which my dining partner -and birthday boy- chose was the Signature Savarin. Light as air cake with tart, and refreshing, sorbet of green apple finished off with one of her brother’s, Francis Darroze, Armagnacs poured over the top giving it a leathery and boozy punch.
The wine pairing was exceptional and the sommelier was one of the best I’ve encountered. Incredibly informative and also conversational, happy to share more insight when pressed and alerted us to an Artisan Wine Fair that will be taking place in Shoreditch in May. One of the most memorable of the wines paired was the one with the turbot which was a glass of Condrieu, “La Petite Côte”, Yves Cuilleron.
The passing of each dish was a bittersweet affair as I knew we were edging closer to the end of the culinary delights coming out of the kitchen. Good lord this was incredible and with the prices definitely a dinner for a special occasion, hopefully one we can repeat again very soon.
Rating: 10 out of 10
The Friendly Shelf 