Chai tea junket and Moscato d’Asti

I don’t normally go for the wine pairings with tasting menus as it’s one of the most expensive ways of ordering wine but thought it was worth a whirl at a recent pop-up by chef Stephen Harris at the much-lauded Noble Rot wine bar.

It paid off from the point of view that I discovered this excellent pairing I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of. In fact I wouldn’t have thought of the dessert at all having conceived a great loathing for junket as a child.

In fact it was more like a particularly wobbly pannacotta, delicately flavoured with chai (spiced Indian tea) and served with orange and passionfruit but not too powerful to overwhelm the utterly delicious Ca d’Gal Moscato d’Asti with which it was partnered. (And which the bar is currently selling for a very reasonable £5 a glass.)

Harris, as some of you will know, is chef at The Sportsman at Seasalter in Kent, a restaurant I still have to get to so it was good to have the opportunity to try his cooking closer to home. There’s some family connection with one of Noble Rot’s founders Dan Keeling which has resulted in Harris helping them shape the menu. The indulgent halibut braised in Bâtard-Montrachet has already become a bit of a signature dish.

And if it's still on the by the glass list don’t miss the opportunity to order a glass of P J Kuhn’s stellar 2013 Jacobus riesling from the Rheingau which they’re selling for just £4 a 75ml ‘taster’. I’m not sure you even need any food with that ...