I had the pleasure of being invited to join a private dinner by EatAbout, hosted and cooked by the amazing MasterChef 2015 finalist, Emma Spitzer, in her lovely home.
Everybody knows how hard you have to work when you’re a start up. I’m a huge fan of them and believe in supporting them however I can, especially when they’re run by really driven and passionate people. EatAbout co-founders, Felix and Philip, are friends who are trying to bring good food into people’s lives, away from restaurants and hosted in a chef’s home.
At first I was trying to figure out if this was just another supperclub idea… but it turned out to be so much more than that. Essentially the set up is pretty similar to a supperclub, however, the difference is that these guys are working hard to hand select chefs who, not only provide good food, but also have the right space along with a warm and welcoming vibe.
I think supperclubs are a great idea, but they can be a little daunting at times. Usually you’re dining in someone’s home, so that already makes it a little awkward. But on top of that, it can be with complete strangers. Sometimes you strike lucky and meet some incredible people with interesting and funny stories. But other times, you could be stuck with people who can ruin the experience for you.
The great thing about EatAbout is that it’s a form of private dining. Just like how you’d book a table at a restaurant, you can do the same here, except it’s hosted at the chef’s home. There are many chef services around at the moment, but most of them will come to you. This so called ‘convenience’ just wouldn’t work for someone like me who doesn’t have a dining space, let alone all the crockery to go with it (which I’ll have when I eventually get my own amazing home, of course).
The group of people I had the pleasure of dining with at EatAbout’s private dinner were a great bunch of bloggers and foodies who love food as much as I do. We all thought this concept would be a great idea for special occasions, or when you want to get together with your friends and go out for a meal without the hassle of finding a restaurant who can accommodate a group.
It’s also BYOB, which Felix pointed out works great for groups of people because they would essentially only be paying retail price for alcohol, as opposed to restaurant prices. So people are already spending less on their meal. The costs are all calculated per head and paid for at the time of booking, so there’s no hassle of splitting the bill at the end. Although, I’m not quite sure how the person booking it will feel about paying out a huge amount of money from their own pocket and then having to collect it back from friends. But I’ll let them worry about that!
We all arrived and got chatting away whilst Emma prepped the food in her kitchen. Watching the master (chef) at work (see what I did there?) was wonderful and a real treat! 
I was already drooling just staring at all the food and being wowed by the presentation. We were sat at the table where our names had been written on cute little slates and were hungry and ready to go!
How do I describe this amuse bouche without going into meltdown about the fact that it’s not in my life anymore? This was curried hummous, roasted cauliflower and cashews with oils and garnishes and so much yuminess. Although I thoroughly enjoyed every dish on the night, this was the most incredible start to the meal that blew my mind. One which I hope to re-create myself at home.
The lovely and ever so hospitable Emma, came out of the kitchen before we tucked into each course to explain what the dishes were and where some of the ingredients were sourced from. 
The starter was a really generous portion of burrata, which I couldn’t have been happier about, with various types of beetroot and hazelnuts. Let me just start by saying that as soon as I tasted the burrata, I just knew it had come from my most favourite Italian Cafe/Deli/Restaurant in London, Pulia. It also happened to come fresh off the boat from Puglia (in Italy) that very day too! I have a blog post coming about this place soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
The flavour combination was just incredible. You have the fresh, creaminess from the best burrata, along with beetroot in various forms (some soft, some pickled) and then the added crunch from the hazelnuts, which was the perfect combination of textures too. 
The main was pan seared sea bass with chermoula (Emma’s take on the Moroccan version of pesto), spiced chickpeas and some tasty oven roasted tomatoes.
I’m not usually a big fan of lots of chickpeas unless it’s in the form of hummous, but I really liked this because all the elements of the dish came together. The fish was cooked to perfection with the crispy skin, and the chermoula was completely new to me, but a welcome addition. It didn’t overpower and really complimented the fish. 
At this point I was pretty full, but the sight of dessert soon made me forget about this. Dessert was Emma’s salted caramel (which is my most favourite thing) and chocolate pots with crème fraîche. It was just wow. The centre was super runny and gooey and each mouthful was a delight. My fellow diners and I were in dessert heaven! I wished I’d thought about taking a photo after the spoon went in, but to be honest with you, it was gone within seconds so there was no chance in that happening. 
We finished off the night with homemade truffles and some really delicious Moroccan mint tea, which I must say tasted even better than the mint teas I’d had in Morocco last summer! 
It felt like a dinner party round someone’s house, except none of us had to deal with the hassle of cooking or cleaning up afterwards. We laughed the night away and had no idea how it got so late, so quickly. I fear that we may have overstayed our welcome, but Emma was the most wonderful host and it was pleasure to meet the EatAbout guys and learn more about this great service.
It’s definitely something I’m going to be suggesting to friends and also possibly booking for another occasion soon! https://www.eatabout.co/
I was lusting over someone’s post about this event recently – it looks amazing!! Sounds like you had a fab time 🙂
Lxx
Elle Bloggs
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Hi lovely! I know, right? The food was seriously incredible. It was an amazing night 🙂 xxx
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