FOOD - Fond, Start of Spring with Panty Events and Chef Scott Brodowski

Chef Scott kindly reminded me of our first meeting, it was at Chef Tony Singhs Supper Club ... remembering how long ago it was, could have been a long conversation. We settled on 5 years +.

I've been a fan of Scott's culinary delights on socials for many years and was delighted to see this new dining experience launched by Panty Events with Chef Scott driving the cuisine.

Fond is a 7 course dining experience held at The Pantry in Stockbridge. There will be one each season - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter held over the course of 12 months. Start of Spring was held last week and Start of Summer will be held towards the end of June. 

REVIEW OF FOND, START OF SPRING POP-UP, edinburgh FROM PANTRY EVENTS AND CHEF SCOTT BRODOWSKI

Ingredients for these dining experiences will all come from within a 50 mile radius of Edinburgh from small, local, independent producers who are producing the very best of what Scotland had to offer. Chef has fostered relationships with local butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetable suppliers, foragers and various other food and drink suppliers. The food is guaranteed to be fresh and the best of what is available on the day. Razor Clams were listed on our menu, but weren't available on the day so they were substituted for scallops. For me this is a sign of a good chef, when they can change up their menu at short notice without it being detrimental to the overall aesthetic, dish and menu.

1st Course - Amuse Bouche

Cheese Sable, whipped goats cheese, honeycomb and chervil

West Coast Scallop ceviche panipuri, lime, pomegranate and coriander

Duck Wonton, Japanese salad, hoisin sauce and spring onion

What a way to start the evening. Three scrumptious mouthfuls to delight the palate and blaze a trail for what was to come.

Every canape was different. The cheese sable was crunchy and then smooth with a little of the sweetness hitting the middle palate, the Scallop ceviche was outstanding and I love it served inside the panipuri - those pops of pomegranate where genius and really allowed the scallop to dance across your tongue, whilst the duck wonton was full on crunch with intense flavours.

This was paired with the Sylvoz prosecco DOC Treviso le Colture Brut NV. It’s a top quality fizz which had a very difficult job to fulfill but was the perfect pairing. It was light and delicate with orchard fruit and white flowers. Nothing to overpowering allowing the amuse bouche bites to really shine.

2nd Course - Purple Sprouting broccoli, foraged wild garlic pesto, toasted pine nuts, artichoke foam and micro basil

I very rarely use the term of OMG, but heck this was OMG. On arrival at the table you’re not quite sure where to start and in my experience foam dishes are usually quite meh! But OMG, this I could have eaten 1000 times over. The large rice cracker was the vehicle in which to scoop up all the flavours in this bowl. A very cleverly thought out dish regarding texture; the foam and the broccoli were soft but set against the extreme light crispy cracker this made for bites packed with flavour that were soft, gentle but very moreish.

3rd Course - Fresh Baked Bread with Whipped Butter Board, candied lemon, heather honey and wild flowers

I love butter (yes my waistline reflects this) so my little heart fluttered and I gained an extra inch just by looking at this delight. Such a simple dish but beautifully presented. The bread was soft with a slight chew and the butter light, soft and creamy. Loved the subtle saltiness of the butter against the sweetness of the honey and then the pops of sweet citrus from the lemon.

Courses 3 and 4 were paired with Picpoul de Pinet les Vignes Dur Mer Maison Azur 2021. Another sublime wine pairing. I bloody love a Picpoul and will always be one of my go to white wines. This one was delicate and fresh; full of concentrated peach, pineapple and lemon fruit, balanced with soft floral and crushed shell aromas.

4th Course - Home Smoked Shetland Salmon Mousse, salmon crackling, scallop, cucumber pearls and citrus gel

The most stunning looking dish and I did rotate this dish several times, looking at it from every angle. The precision I applaud as equally as the skill. Salmon lovers devoured this dish and whilst I LOVE salmon I am not a fan of smoked salmon (I prefer the hot smoked). I heartily tucked into the scallops and couldn’t get enough of the cucumber pearls.

5th Course - Borders Rabbit Saddle, Garden Pea and Parma ham, potato terrine, asparagus and caper butter sauce

At nearly belly busting point, this dish which was so easy on the eye arrived. Rabbit! A very refreshing change from venison and superbly cooked. The rabbit was wrapped in parma ham, keeping it succulent and moist but also imparting that slight smoky flavour into the rabbit. The caper butter sauce really brought this all together. Sublime!

Wine pairing was the La Muse de Cabestany Pinot Noir IGP Pays d’Oc Celliers Jean d’Alibert 2021. A big gorgeous ripe red packed with perfumed violets and juicy ripe cherries on the nose and a little rose petal and liquorice on the palate.

6th Course - White Chocolate Namelaka, crispy puffed rice, little meringue, preserved seabuckthorn curd

Yes there was more to come. Wow, this dish had so many wonderful components to it but worked so well complementing each other. The namelaka was extremely light and creamy. Its a cross between the dense creaminess of a ganache and the light airiness of a mousse. The white chocolate flavour is intense. Loved how there was a tremendous play on textures again - creamy namelaka, crispy rice, soft powdery crunch of meringue, the jamminess of the curd and a very fluffy structured milk flavoured type sponge.

Dessert was paired with Muscat de Beaumers-de-Venise Domaine de Coyeux 2012. This was refreshing and unctuous wine, sweet but satisfying exuded tangy, tropical and citrus flavours with delicate floral notes. Ideal for dessert and to finish off a meal, as it’s not a glass you’d have another of.

7th Course - Raspberry and White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Orange and PBJ

And because you can’t leave without having a wee bite of something sweet, some petite fours to finish off.

Chef Scott and the Pantry Events team certainly know how to wow. The food was without fault, the service friendly and efficient, the wines very well matched and for £65 per person is an absolute bargain for a tasting menu.

My suggestion to you all is to get yourself on their waiting list -www.pantryevents.co.uk/shop/fond-by-pantry-events so that you’re one of the first to be notified when the Start of Summer tickets are released. I can’t wait to see what Chef and the team bring to the table for the Summer menu… no doubt it’ll be imaginative, playful plates exuding an abundance of flavours, textures and presentation that will be an absolute joy!

The Pantry, NW Circus Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. www.pantryevents.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Tartan 10/10

I was invited by Fond to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own