Now I don’t know about you, but I love getting people together for good food, good drinks and good conversation.But I have to admit, I’m not the greatest cook. I love to bake and will happily spend hours in the kitchen whipping a batch of cupcakes or make a cheesecake. But cook a three course dinner? No thank you. I’m just not confident enough in my cooking abilities to make anything that would taste just as good, or even better, than a restaurant. Which is why I intrigued when an invitation popped up in my inbox offering me the use of a private chef for a dinner party. I mean how could I refuse?
Well I couldn’t. The whole idea is that the chef comes to your home, to cook a menu you’ve picked. They bring the food and the expertise. All you need to provide is the home, equipment and guests. What could go wrong? Well not a lot really. The whole experience was relaxing and a great way to try food that I would never have attempted to cook. The whole menu was Indonesian inspired and it was delicious. To start we enjoyed two canapes, the first was tuna with mango and chili’s on a lettuce leaf. While the other was a quails egg onto of a piece of tofu soaked in Soya Sauce. Both of these were different but such a lovely way to start the evening.
For starters we enjoyed Chicken Satay. Now I love chicken satay so was really excited to try this. And I have to say I was not disappointed. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the peanut sauce was just delicious. It was easily the best chicken satay I’ve ever eaten.
The main was a dish I’ve never eaten before. We enjoyed Beef Rendang with Turmeric Rice and crackers. Although I wouldn’t normally choose a beef dish. I was so pleased to try this. It was one of the best beef curries I’ve ever eaten. Although the curry is dry, it’s incredibly tasty and packed full of spice and flavours.
And then for dessert we had Pandan panna cotta with a mango coulis and roasted almond flakes. Again, this was not something I would have picked. But it was a lovely and light dessert to end the meal on.
To host your own dinner party or hire a private chef in Hertfordshire, just visit the La Belle Assiette website and pick your chef and menu. It really is that sample. Prices start at £39 per guest and go up to £89 per guest.