Match of the week
Chicken with pomegranate molasses and orange iced tea
One of the areas of food and drink pairing I’m always trying to crack is soft drinks - so it’s good to find an inspired match that really hits the spot - not too sweet as most soft drinks are for me.
It was at a restaurant called Honey & Co I’ve been meaning to go to for a while - a tiny cafe in Warren Street that serves the most delicious middle-eastern inspired food. (The owners both used to work at Ottolenghi.)
This was my main course - a gorgeous colourful dish of chicken marinated in pomegranate molasses with cracked wheat, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.
The iced tea had been spiked, I suspect from the colour, with fresh pomegranate juice and was served with a slice of blood orange and a (slightly over-generous) dash of orange flower water. Rein that back just a touch and you’d have the perfect drink.
It was also great with my starter of shaved fennel, blood orange and feta seasoned with Turkish chilli flakes (I would guess) and a pinch of zatar (a mix of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and sumac).
I really don’t think wine or beer would have been better.
If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.
And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.