I tried the MasterChef-run, award-winning restaurant in Blackheath and it was fine dining like I’ve never had before.
Copper and Ink, located in Blackheath Village, is run by former MasterChef 2015 finalist Tony Rodd with partner Becky Cummings, alongside Head Chef Rob Parks, who was a MasterChef semi-finalist in 2015.
When I was introduced to Tony, he explained the vision for Copper and Ink, which was to create a fine dining experience without the need to travel to central London to have it.
Guests who visit Copper and Ink can expect to dine on a monthly changing menu using seasonal produce and ingredients, with dishes inspired from around the world.
The menu has been known to feature dishes from countries such as Scandinavia, France and Japan.
When showing me the kitchen area and talking through the menu, Tony explained that one of the restaurant's key initiatives was to design a menu based on what was in season.
For Tony, he felt it was important to make a menu that used locally sourced produce, and that didn’t rely heavily on importing produce and adding to the restaurant's carbon footprint.
As a result, the menu changes every month, using produce that Tony has sourced from suppliers in Blackheath and Greenwich.
Staff are also invited to have their input into the menu every month, suggesting new flavours and national dishes from different countries to try.
Copper and Ink also boasts a wine menu curated by sommelier Becky, featuring a unique, cosmopolitan selection of wines that change on a monthly basis, from countries like Transylvania and Japan.
When I first entered Copper and Ink I really gravitated towards the vibe. It struck me as a relaxed place where people from all walks of life could come and enjoy some fine dining.
With its experimental menu and wine list, it’s the perfect place for self-acclaimed foodies like me to visit.
The décor is modern with hanging flowers on the ceilings and spaces to hang up your coats, and we had a fantastic table offering views of Blackheath at night illuminated by the rain.
The restaurant has an upstairs and downstairs area and is usually thronging with diners during weekends.
The menu
We were invited to try the seven-course taster menu, along with wine parings for each course.
We were greeted by our very funny and cheerful server Tom, who simply exuded passion for the menu he was serving.
As the menus change monthly, the offerings are always different, and you won’t be able to try them after you’ve had them once.
We first began with a selection of snacks, including a freshly made bread and chicken butter, which was actually really rich and had a slight salty flavour.
We were also given a little French onion soup to try, as well as some anchovies with a creamy sauce, and my personal favourites were the savoury madeleines made with chorizo.
Now, I had previously not been a fan of French onion soup after sampling a very salty one during a holiday, but this was honestly delicious.
It was warming, rich and went well with the crunchy sticks we were given to dip into the soup.
Our first course of the taster menu was scallops, which were paired with a delicious rosé wine that had a crisp and cooling flavour to bring out the chilli that was in the dish.
The scallops were cooked with a pickled cabbage dressing and crunchy chickpeas. This dish was spicy but it also has a little kick as well, which was really complemented by the wine.
Our second course was pollock and clams, which had been cooked in the most incredible creamy hazelnut sauce.
You could really tell the restaurant takes its culinary cue from the changing seasons, as the sauce gave me a real warm, autumnal feel.
It was paired with a wonderful Paso Robles from the USA, which was made with lemons and had a really crisp, citrus taste.
The third course we tried was the pigeon, which came with a Moroccan-inspired tagine sauce and a little pulled pigeon pastry, and was finished with an apricot sauce.
This had a rather gamey flavour, very different to other dishes I’ve eaten in the past, but I really loved the rich sauce against the sweetness of the apricot.
This was paired with a truly lovely Pinot Noir from Patagonia in Argentina and had really delicious notes of rose, making it a light red wine against the richness of the dish.
We then moved onto what was, in my opinion, the star of the show - a wonderful short rib that had been cooked for 24 hours, made roasted pumpkin and dauphinoise potatoes and a creamy sauce.
The meat of this was so tender and the pumpkin gave it that wonderful autumnal feel. Honestly, this dish was such a warming and flavourful dish, and I would have this again and again if I could.
This was paired with the Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch in South Africa, which was a truly rich red wine to complement the meat.
It was rich without being too acidic, and it was also slightly sweet with notes of cherry. It was during this night I realised I had fully reached “adulthood”, marked by my appreciation of all these wonderful wines.
We were then given the option to try an additional dish, which would be an additional supplement if you were trying it.
The dish was described as a take on the classic Welsh rarebit, with cheese and a rich date sauce, which was spread on a walnut and date loaf with pickled muscat grapes.
This was served with a Domaine de Grange Neuve from Monbazillac in South West France and was a very sweet wine to complement the date sauce.
This was my favourite out of all the wines, it was nothing like I’d ever tried before.
Personally I think of this as a very fancy cheese on toast, but with so much more flavour and crunch.
Moving onto desserts, the taster menu featured two desserts to try, which was welcome after so much savoury food.
The first dessert was an apple and blackberry compote with a walnut crumble, served with cooked pear, blackberry ice cream and a slice of dehydrated apple.
This was served with a Pinot Blanc Beerenauslese from Burgenland in Austria, which had sweet apple and blackberry notes to complement the dish.
If Autumn was a dessert, then this would be it. It had all those wonderful tastes of fruit in harvest, along with the slight nuttiness of the hazelnut crumble.
Finally, we tried what was described to us as a “fancy Toffee Crsp”. Head chef Rob wanted to create a dessert inspired by this much loved treat and I think he did a stellar job.
The dessert consisted of a soft milk ice cream, a rich chocolate mousse and a salted caramel tart with a crisp layer of salted caramel on the side.
This was paired with the Fabula from Pisano in Uruguay, which was described as having a really rich toffee flavour.
This dessert was absolutely delicious and had a great combination of rich flavours, and I can definitely attest it tasted like a Toffee Crisp, albeit it a fine dining version.
During the dining experience we were taken on a culinary journey from South Africa to Argentina, and it felt like my taste buds had been on a trip around the world.
This is truly a unique experience that every food-loving south east Londoner should try at least once.
The unique thing about this restaurant is that you could visit every month and never be bored, on account of its new and exciting menu each month, with its seasonal combination of flavours.
You can truly tell that so much passion and love is put into this restaurant, and I really enjoyed sampling Tony and the team’s delicious creations.
I’ll certainly be returning again soon.
The fine dining menu costs £75 per person with wine pairings, and changes monthly with a new seasonal menu.
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