Tequila killed me at University. It was one fateful night on St Patrick's Day where my friends and I spent the night alternating our usual tipples with tequila shots. As far as I know that evening went like so: downing tequila shots to violently throwing up. I don't remember any enjoyment in between.
Since that day I can't bring myself to down any shots never mind just tequila so heaven knows why I was so adamant about going to a supper club put on by Jose Cuervo; the oldest producers of tequila in the world. Oh yes, thats right, my love of Mexican food - that would cancel out any potential tequila-inducing gagging.
The idea behind Jose Cuervo's brand Tradicional putting on this supper club is actually to teach those of us who once were dirty, cheap students but now are dignified with sophisticated palettes, that tequila should be drunk straight, slowly and ice-cold. And more importantly with friends.
Collaborating with food pop-up du jour, The Art of Dining, the supper club was held at my favourite venue in London; MC Motors. Its an incredible warehouse space in the heart of Dalston that even empty has the most incredible charisma. Exposed brickwork, crumbling paintwork, a mix of contemporary interiors and artwork with vintage furniture - the epitome of shabby chic. Together with the venue's moody lighting, fairground feature pieces and mish-mash furniture, The Art of Dining had created a convival Mexican dining room complete with brightly coloured artwork, cactai, coriander plants and refriend bean tins for cutlery holders.
Before moving into the dining room, everybody was offered tequila cocktails in the lounge and then
everyone chose their spots and sat down at the communal tables made out of brightly coloured reclaimed doors, where we were treated to a 5-course Mexican feast.
First up was the avocado soup, complete with tequila slammer drinker's favourites, lime and salt, as well as a message telling us that would be the last we'd see of any traditional tequila accoutrements. The soup was excellent. It was perfectly zingy, rich and delicious.
Fish tacos followed that were wonderful. The fish tasted like it had just come from the sea and had been made with a spicy marinade and tomato salsa. Combined with a sprinkling of coriander that I helped myself to and in warm, soft tortillas, these were frustratingly moreish for the portion sizes. Nevertheless we had another 3 courses to come.
Next up were the chili rellenos. Large chili peppers stuffed with spiced rice, pine nuts and currants. I must confess to thinking this didn't sound particularly special but they really were stunning. Sweet and sour, rich and flavoursome, again, we just wanted more.
Up next was a plate of pibil pork belly with black beans and cactus. I had the vegetarian version which was the same but with portobello mushrooms. The pork looked very crispy with not even a hint of oil or fat. Each dish also came with a good dollop of avocado and tomato salsa.
My only criticism of my dish, is that it was barely lukewarm. But, to be honest I didn't really care as it was still so tasty. The combination of the earthy mushrooms and beans with the fresh and sharpness of the salsas and herbs was mouth-wateringly good.
The final course was an agave crème brûlée with spiced peaches and pomegranates. I couldn't really fault this dish (other than, of course being too small!). The crust on the crème brûlée was perfectly crunchy with the custard underneath tasting gorgeously smooth, rich and vanillery. The combination of the peaches and pomegranates had a delicious crunch to them - almost like apples.
Suitably replete from beautiful food and plenty of wine and beer, the waiters then brought round the centre piece of the evening, a deconstructed sangrita. This was a rather interesting way of enjoying the tequila. We were invited to dip sweet cherry tomatoes into a mixture of either pepper, celery salt or sugar and then wash each mouthful down, slowly sipping some cold Tradicional tequila. I have to say that even though I hate tequila and can barely deal with it touching my lips, this wasn't a totally unpleasant experience.
I was really impressed. With the mad pop-up bandwagon crashing through London right now, you can expect to pay around £35-50 for a ticket to a pop-up supper club where you might be lucky enough to get 4 or 5 courses along with a cocktail and then you bring your own booze. The After Supper Club costs £45 a ticket and you get a bucket load of booze included with the 5 course gastronomy. Somehow I think that has something to do with this event being put on by a brand as supposed to a group of individuals, but too right - the brand has money and inevitably their desired outcome is for customers to try, enjoy and then buy their product. Since the brand is an alcohol - the clever thing to do is to get people pissed and then they'll drink more. Genius. Tradicional's After Supper Club: the ultimate experiential campaign.
There might be a few tickets still available - its on from Wednesday until Saturday this week. If you can - andale andale arriba arriba!
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