It has been sometime since we have held a competition so we thought we would have one now.
It is very simple to enter, we want your recipe for your favourite Autumn dish.
What for you epitomises this lovely season? It can be anything you like.
To enter all you need to do is email us your recipe at covert.hari@yahoo.co.uk with the phrase Recipe Competition in the subject line.
We will then look at them and test the best ones and then pick a winner which we will share with you all in our November Newsletter.
All entrants will then go into a free draw to win a free place at our next event in November where they will be invited to attend and have their dinner on us!
So simple – just send us your recipes as soon as possible
Closing date is Friday 20th October at 5pm
You can also send more than one recipe and increase your chances!
Well, we thought for our October event we would highlight a few of our favourite dishes and try something a bit different as well.
It will take place in our home venue only on Saturday 14th October so spaces are limited.
We will kick the evening off with a welcome drink and some seasonal nibbles… We love the challenges of providing something tasty and topical to our diners and seeing them explore some new flavours or experiences!
Bang Bang Chicken Salad
We will, for our first course, do a classic Chinese inspired starter… Bang Bang Chicken Salad. This is cold poached shredded chicken that is dressed with a peanut butter and sesame dressing. My friend Chef Kam Po But has taught me well (Please watch this space – for a return visit from him… we are working on it)
Next course is a bit different…instead of our normal cheese course we thought we would serve a fish course so will be serving a pan fried salmon fillet garnished with roasted beetroots and a beurre blanc (butter sauce) flavoured with horseradish – a simple combination that should provide some great complimentary flavours!
Beef Olives
The main course will then be a dish we have done before – a classic beef olive… a slowly braised, rolled & stuffed top rump steak served in a rich stout sauce. We will serve this with some creamed potatoes and a classic braised red cabbage – a truly comforting flavour combination with the beef olive!
Finally, an Orange Polenta Cake served with Greek Yoghurt and runny local honey will be the way to round off what will be a great autumnal feast.
We do hope you will join us for what we are calling our “Fe(a)st” and we will also have soon our plans for November and December to complete yet another year of “Covert” dining.
We are now taking bookings and request a £5 deposit per person to secure your places with a balance of £30 per person required on the night.
We just ask you to complete the form below and we will call you within a 48 hour period to take your booking deposit over the phone and confirm your places.
Time : 7:30pm Prompt for welcome drink and nibbles
Dinner: 8:00pm
Suggested Donation: £35 per person service not included
Menu
Welcome Drink & Seasonal Nibbles
****
Bang Bang Chicken Salad
****
Salmon Fillet with roasted beetroots and a horseradish beurre blanc
****
Slow Cooked Beef Olive with Stout Sauce
Creamed Potatoes
Braised Red Cabbage
****
Orange & Polenta Cake with Greek Yoghurt & Local Honey
****
Coffee or Tea with Petit Fours
Menu Subject to Market Purchases and Ingredient Availability
So for our September pop up event we thought we would do just the one night as we have had a mega busy month so far and well we need to recharge our energies a tad.
We will do just the one night on Saturday September 23rd which believe it or not will then be just 99 days away from the end of 2017… where has this year gone we hear you all say.
We will kick the evening off with a welcome drink and some seasonal nibbles and then our first course will be a autumnal favourite of a freshly made risotto with roasted butternut squash, goats cheese and some toasted Kentish cob nuts.
Main Course will be another firm favourite of a pink roasted Barbary Duck Breast served with a plum sauce and served alongside a classic Gratin Dauphinoise and some ubiquitous Haricots Vert…
Cheeses
Next in true Hari tradition a selection of cheeses… our infamous porridge oat biscuits and some chutney (we have been making a few recently and will see which fits the bill best)
Finally to finish another autumn classic an – Apple Tart Tatin served with a generous dollop of creme fraiche and we will also include a snifter of Muscat de Rivesaltes – our stalwart dessert wine from the south of France!
Tea or Coffee will finish it all off with a Petit Four (or five) …
We are taking bookings now and request a £5 deposit per person to secure your places with a balance of £25 per person required on the night.
We ask you to complete the form below and we will call you within a 48 hour period to take your booking deposit over the phone.
Time : 7:30pm Prompt for welcome drink and nibbles
Dinner: 8:00pm
Suggested Donation: £30 per person service not included
Well it seems Monday 21st August is a total eclipse of the sun in the USA and a partial one in the UK/Europe so we thought for our August dinner we would host an end of the world dinner!
The plan is to gather together like minded individuals who wish to celebrate what historically was sometimes seen as an omen or good portent for the future.
Wars stopped, some even thought it was the end of the world… well in this case it will just be the end of another Hari Supperclub dining night and we would hate for you to miss out on it…
It will take place on Saturday 19th August in our home venue (all will be revealed to diners once you have booked) Diners will be served some simple seasonal nibbles with a welcome drink on arrival and then as a first course we thought a simple salad of summer leaves along with a garnish of freshly grilled squid and king prawns in a garlic butter dressing.
Next we will serve a Teriyaki marinated and baked fillet of fresh Salmon with a garnish of rice noodles and Chinese Pak Choi. A light summery dish that we hope will match the summer mood.
Finally the dessert this month will be a summer favourite – Jelly & Ice Cream but one with a bit of a twist. It will be made using our local Elderflower Vodka from Anno, local fresh raspberries and some homemade Strawberry Iced Parfait served with a warm homemade shortbread biscuit.
Finally we will serve freshly brewed Coffee or Tea with a homemade Petit Fours
We trust it will not be the end of the world after the upcoming eclipse but why not come along and enjoy a sunny supper with us… booking can be made via our booking site from Monday July 31st 9:00am so do not forget to set those clocks /alarms to make sure the end is not nigh!
Date: 19th August 2017
Time: 7:30pm Arrival with Welcome Drink Dinner from 8pm
Venue: Hari Covert’s secret home venue (diners will told a week beforehand where to come to)
Cost: £10 Reservation Deposit via our Ticketing Site Here £15 Balance payable on the night (service not included) cash preferred.
Drinks: Bring your own drinks to consume with the dinner – water and glasses will be provided on the tables.
Menu
Assorted seasonal nibbles with a welcome drink
****
Dressed Summer Salad leaves with Grilled Squid & Prawns in garlic butter
****
Teriyaki Marinated Baked Salmon Fillet with Rice Noodles & Pak Choi
****
Anno Elderflower Vodka Jelly with Kentish Raspberries with Iced Strawberry Parfait, Butter Shortbread
Following on from the success of our dinner events back in January with what we called “Pot Luck” we are going to repeat the format at our May 13th dinner that will take place at the Crowborough Community Centre in their Gallery Café.
It will be a seasonal menu that will kick off with a welcome glass and some simple nibbles and then we will serve up a three course menu that will also involve an element of theatre!!! You will only find out the menu on the night! We will however aim to cater for any dietary needs like Vegetarian/Gluten Free wherever we can and as long as requested when making the booking.
We are requesting a £10 per person reservation fee when you book and then on the night a minimum donation of £10 per person – however if you feel it was worth more then please feel free to leave more in the table envelopes (cash preferred)
As with all our events you are invited to bring your own wines/drinks to have with the meal and we will provide glasses, ice buckets and water on the tables.
We hope you will come and join us for this “Covert” dining experience… just look at some of the comments left in our guestbook from our last visit to this venue…
Guest comment from March event
Guest comment from March event
Guest comment from March event
To book your places just head over to our ticketing site here
We look forward to welcoming you all to our Pot Luck again event that will be a little bit of May Madness…
Well we thought we would celebrate the recognition of being deemed “Officially Quirky” by hosting a quirky dinner featuring some unusual ingredients and flavour combinations.
Having met with the owner of “Quirky Kent” recently we felt it was only proper and fitting to offer the chance for all those lovers of things quirky the chance to sample a Hari Covert event of the same name!
So for two nights (Friday April 21st & Saturday April 22nd) we will serve up a four course supper at our secret venue for the all inclusive price of £30 per person.
So what is on the menu… well following from a welcome drink (we are dreaming up something Quirky) and some quirky seasonal nibbles on arrival we will kick the dinner off with a panna cotta… now I know you all think why start with dessert well we are turning it on its head and starting with a savoury one infused with the flavour of wild garlic and we will garnish with toasted Kent Cobnuts and some crispy Ikan Bilis the Asian dried salted anchovies I have imported especially from Singapore. This will be a interesting combination of flavours and textures.
For the main course we will then serve shredded pork cheeks that
Pork Cheek with “Mole” Sauce
will have been slow braised in a rich Mexican inspired Mole Sauce with just a hint of chocolate. Some freshly cooked Spätzli (pasta) and red cabbage will garnish what will be a flavour packed dish.
We will then serve what many consider to be a quirky way with the cheese course (it is in fact the French way so very quirky by English standards) – just the one,but one of our
Winterdale Shaw – Picture @TWFoodie
favourites… Winterdale Shaw Cheese from the top of Wrotham Hill, an unpasteurised carbon neutral cheddar. The milk comes from 200 yds down the road from the Friesan dairy herd and a 1000 gallons needs little heating using their solar panelled heat exchange pumps! Some 10 months later the cheeses matured in their flint lined cellars are ready for eating! Homemade Porridge Oat Biscuits and our homemade Banana Jam will be served with it.
Finally to complete the quirky nature of our dinner we felt it should be chocolate beer and sauerkraut… in a cake form… yes you heard right we combine chocolate, beer and pickled cabbage as a cake – we promise you it really does work!
Coffee & Tea (thinking of getting a Quirky Blend for the night) will complete the evening.
Well that date is fast approaching when couples habitually inhabit those tables of two’s in a restaurant and look lovingly into each other’s eyes across the dinner table!
You can tell I am a fan of this night of romantic love big time – Not!
It is generally hype to fill perhaps a quiet week night (a Tuesday this year) and dreaded by restaurants when it falls on a weekend night as they fill up in under capacity!
I have such strong memories of a “Valentine Night” in a restaurant I was working in when a couple came in for dinner who had obviously had a row and I think the guy was there under duress.
They ordered two” well done” fillet steaks and requested they be served with peas (we were upmarket and served a medley of vegetables)
I sent the waitress back with the message “Old Chinese Philosopher Confucius says Man who eats “Meat and Peas” on same plate is very unhygienic”
The waitress thought for moment and then giggled and said I can’t tell them that… I said please try!
Some restaurants get all creative with overpriced pun induced menus using not in season produce – e.g. Asparagus, Strawberries etc or pink coloured foods! I even tried one year doing a Valentine themed dinner here for my Supperclub and found it a tortuous night so vowed never again!
I am much more in favour of seeing you all cooking something special at home and perhaps pushing the boat out with a meal lovingly prepared for a loved one. It makes much more a statement than splashing out on a substandard meal in a restaurant.
So this would be my suggestion on a good seasonal menu
You will note I have provided links for all the recipes so why not give it a go and impress a loved one and cook them up this special treat… it will not break the bank and I am sure it will impress the other half!
Failing that why not come along later in the month for our February dinner event that we are calling “Game On“ as we will be featuring assorted Game dishes from Venison to Guinea Fowl. You can book the dinners here on our dedicated ticketing site!
Alternatively if you what to learn how to prepare these or any other dishes there is always the Covert Cook School where we can help you build your confidence and assist those untapped wooing skills…
Far better than going out with all those other sad ones!!!
Well with Christmas fast approaching we can announce some exciting plans for 2017 and this might well make an interesting Christmas gift for someone that appreciates their food…
We will be announcing our full line up of dinner dates for 2017 in a few days but a note for your diary will be our planned event for March 2017 that will be a much bigger dinner in a new location for us.
We will be taking secret dining to the town of Crowborough just south of Tunbridge Wells where for one night only on March 25th we will be serving a four course dinner to guests in the Gallery Community Cafe a space within the Crowborough Community Centre that we will be renting for the evening.
The poster below explains a little more and our booking site for this event will open on Monday December 12th at 09:00am.
Reservation Tickets will only be on sale until Tuesday 28th February 2017 so make sure you reserve your places early to ensure you get in.
To book your places please go to our dedicated booking site for this event here
As the weather has turned a bit more chilly we thought we would now reveal what will be in store for our Christmas menu.
We have decided to make it a “non Turkey” celebration this year but will however be serving up a crispy Confit Duck Leg as the main course, one of our favourites…
The starter will be a re-working of the potato and black pudding terrine that was served up by Chef Visen at the recent Anno Gin dinner.
We will serve up a warmed slab of a Potato and Chorizo Terrine which we will be served with a smoked paprika mayonnaise and some toasted salted almonds.
Following the main course some Colston Basset Stilton cheese (a must for Christmas) will be our cheese course. To then finish our celebration we will be serving a trio of miniature tarts which will include a mini mincemeat one laced with Anno Sloe Gin!!!
This will be a great way to get your Christmas celebrations underway… at the moment we have a private party on the Friday night so only the Saturday night will be available. Please do book early to ensure you get your desired places.
Dates: Friday 16th & Saturday 17th December 2016
Venue: Hari’s Secret Location
Time: 7:30pm Welcome 8:00pm Dinner Served
Suggested Donation: £40 per person (service not included)
We thought with summer now becoming a distant memory our menu would reflect the change of seasons. We felt it should perhaps include some of the bountiful produce still available and represent the seasons.
Following a welcome drink and assorted nibbles we felt to kick the meal off we would start with a dish inspired with Mackerel and gooseberries – a combination made in heaven as the fruit cuts wonderfully with the oiliness of the fish.
The main course will be a slow cooked shoulder of lamb with a Moroccan influenced spicing served with Cous Cous and a bean salad dressed in a yogurt and mint dressing
This will be followed by our selection of cheeses served with the porridge oat biscuits that take some three days to make… then finally for dessert a fresh plum and almond cake served with mascarpone.
This will then be served with a glass of Muscat de Rivesaltes specially imported from our french home.
Dates: Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th September 2016
Time: 7:30pm welcome drink 8:00pm Dinner served
Suggested Donation: £35.00 per person (service not included)
Menu
Mackerel & Gooseberries – our interpretation
****
Spicy Moroccan Lamb Shoulder served with a herb Cous Cous
Green Bean Salad with a yogurt & mint dressing
****
Hari’s selection of cheeses with Porridge Oat Biscuits
& Homemade Banana Jam
****
Plum & Almond Cake served with mascarpone cream
****
Coffee or Tea served with petit fours
MENU SUBJECT TO MARKET PURCHASES
AND INGREDIENT AVAILABILITY
To book your places please complete the following form and we will contact you within 24/48 hours to confirm your booking with a credit card number
It has been sometime since we have held a competition so we thought we would have one now.
