Ever since Le Vacherin opened it’s doors in 2004, I have been itching to go. I remember I was working at 1 Lombard Street restaurant when my boss, Chef Herbet Berger, told me a good friend of his had opened a restaurant in Chiswick and that he was planning a visit. I added it to my mental list of places to visit and in 7 years, I still hadn’t managed to make it through the doors of Le Vacherin.

Then out of the blue came an invite to the ‘Annual Truffle Dinner’ at Le Vacherin… Well I don’t have to tell you that I jumped at the offer! Dinner at Le Vacherin WITH truffles? Being the truffle whore that I am, how could I possibly refuse? And so with great difficulty (a huge exaggeration) I headed to Le Vacherin, in a chic corner of Chiswick, for a 6 course truffle fest.

Chef Patron Malcolm John extended a warm welcome to me on arrival, impeccably attired, he joined us for dinner (a rare treat with Chefs) and hosted what turned out to be one of my most memorable meals of 2011. The menu absolutely brimming with truffled creations. To do it full justice, I felt it imperative to share the menu itself with you;

~Scrambled Hen’s Egg and Perigord Truffle with Alsace Bacon~

~Parmesan and White Alba Truffle Risotto~

~Seared Scallops, Apple, Celeriac and Truffle Remoulade~

~Ballotine of Wild Rabbit, Pastille of Confit Leg and Truffle Pomme Mousseline~

~Baked Vacherin, Truffle and Almond Crust~

~Valrhona Chocolate, White Truffle Macaroons, Truffle Honeycomb Ice Cream~

Every course was nothing short of superb. Each mouthful perfumed with the delicate and luxurious flavour of decadent truffle, both black and white. But it was the scrambled hen’s egg with Perigord truffle and Alsace bacon that blew me away. I could happily have eaten a dozen of them. Airy, featherlight egg, infused with black truffle goodness. My absolute favourite course, hands down. The white truffle macaroons were also pretty spectacular and easily beat Pierre Herme’s seasonal hazlenut and white truffle macaroons by a mile! (Bold statement, I know… But it’s the truth)

With my head in a spin from the truffle-induced coma of the decadent 6 course meal, I noticed Malcolm take centre stage for what was to become my first ever experience of a ‘Sabrage’. What is a Sabrage, you ask? Well, I wasn’t so sure myself, but when I saw someone hand a huge sword and a bottle of Champagne to Malcolm, the picture became clear pretty quickly. ‘Sabrage’ is a celebrated tradition of uncorking a bottle (usually of Champagne) using a sword. Ambulances at the ready, I would hate to see what happens when Sabrage goes wrong… But in the hands of a Sabrage veteran such as Malcolm, I was confident we were in the best of hands. And with a single swift blow, the Champagne cork went flying across the room, met with the rapturous applause of diners and staff alike. How bloody marvellous! That’s certainly one way to pop your cork (natch).

Le Vacherin have built quite a reputation for organising fantastic, fun black tie dinners such as the ‘Annual truffle dinner’. They also host an annual wine dinner, annual Champagne Sabrage dinner, Carnivore and Burgundy dinner as well as the incredibly popular ‘Annual Vacherin Dinner’ which celebrates the new Vacherin season, when the cows come down from the mountains in Mont d’Or for the winter. I get the feeling every night at Le Vacherin is a celebration so I wouldn’t wait for one of their special dinners to pay a visit there.

Le Vacherin are offering diners a generous 25% discount on food throughout the week, so to download your voucher and experience the wonderful Malcolm John’s cooking, just visit the website and download your voucher.

http://www.levacherin.com/

Le Vacherin – 76-77 South Parade Chiswick, London, W4 5LF

Tel: 020 8742 2121