This past weekend started off in one of my very favourite ways; with fantastic food! On Friday evening I visited LBV Bistro and Wine Bar. I’ve visited them recently (prior to this occasion) since the appointment of the two new head chefs – and now also partners – Chefs Lisa De Beer and Darren O’Donovan. They’ve now just launched ‘LBV Art’ which is their brand new pop up concept. The pop up will be running for the month of February and includes a 9 course tasting menu set on their outside terrace for an intimate, open kitchen, fine dining experience.

We arrived at LBV Art and we were quickly seated at a table opposite the open kitchen. The terrace was elegantly laid out with an inviting and charming feel to it. I browsed over the 9 course tasting menu in an anticipation. We were certainly in for a treat… The very first course, the amuse-bouche, was a beautifully cooked, flavourful, bitesize piece of chicken served with leek on a crunchy sweet potato crisp. It was delicious and the perfect start to an amazing meal. The next course was the cauliflower soup served with a parmesan crisp, almonds and beurre noisette (brown butter). This was absolutely amazing and definitely one of my favourite courses. The soup was smooth and creamy with lovely crunchy elements. It certainly was one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Another one of my favourite courses, was the ostrich fillet. This was served with smoked celeriac, berries, black garlic, potato and homemade rusks. The fillet was tender and ever tasty. It was so well accompanied by the black garlic. Loved this dish! The palate cleanser was another course which definitely stood out for me. It was fresh cool yoghurt with two warm little beads of green tea and rooibos tea. I found this to be such a unique and brilliantly executed palate cleanser; with an authentic South African flare. One of the desserts included a kind of deconstructed black forest cake. It was cake pieces served with ice cream, chocolate and plums. A sweet and refreshing dessert; I really enjoyed it.

The service at LBV Art was brilliant. The waiters were very attentive and there is an authentic fine dining feel to it with the added personal touch of having your dishes explained to you by the head chefs themselves. The terrace has a lovely feel to it and is the perfect intimate setting for an incredible tasting course menu on a warm summer night. The food presentation was stunning as always and the food itself, absolutely incredible. What’s even more impressive are the generous portions. I really enjoyed the wine pairing too; a particular favourite of mine was the Montpellier sauvignon blanc. I loved the new pop up experience. These two talented and creative chefs are certainly a force to be reckoned with. Their immense passion for food shines beyond their humility and is evident in each of their courses. I envisage a great future for both LBV Art and LBV Bistro and Wine Bar and I look forward to visiting again soon for the next pop up tasting menu.