Malfy Gin Tasting

So the adventurous Kat is finally back after a long hiatus and an even longer lockdown! And what better way to celebrate our return than returning to our favourite eatery, Jack and Jill Food Co!

After an emotionally taxing and physically draining couple of months, we were heavily in need of the holy triad (good food, great drinks and awesome company) in order to relax and enjoy ourselves. And as always Jill Nowers and staff certainly did not disappoint.

Upon our arrival, we logged our details and had our temperatures taken as is now required. We were led to our quint table, set for 3. The setting was very intimate with tables spaced well away from each other. To get the night going we ordered from Andre’s impressive gin range as we waited for the festivities to start.

Ever the warm hostess, Jill greeted her guests and approached each table to explain that for starters and in honour of Malfy, the Italian Gin that would be the star of the night, she had prepared a Caprese Salad, presented in the form of Italian antipasto, bruschetta.

The starter was made with Jill’s in-house rustic bread, rubbed with garlic and olive oil before being grilled and topped with aromatic tomato pesto, slow roasted balsamic roma tomatoes and topped with smoked local mozzarella string cheese along with basil pesto drizzle.  

Gin has been steeped in Brit history and long been associated with the Dutch; though Malfy representative, Keanu Batista, shared that history books might have had it wrong all along, as Italian monks have been distilling juniper berries, since as early as 1050 for medicinal purposes.

Keanu showcased the 4 stars of the Vergnano family, Malfy Originale, Malfy Con Limone, Malfy Gin Rosa and Malfy Con Arancia, and enlightened us on the history, different tastes, botanicals and distilling process of each bottle. And he presented us with the rare gem known as Monkey 47, birthed by the infamous Black Forest in Germany and made up of 47 different botanicals as his presentation came to an end.

 

Jill and team again pleased our senses with a mains that included 3 slider burgers each made of beef meatball with chilli tomato sauce, lobster with pea mayo and crab cake with slaw and chipotle mayo, served with a side of whole garlic mayo and truffle fries, which are undoubtedly the crispiest chips yet fluffiest fries one has everrrrr tasted! I do not kid when I say I could easily spend the rest of my life eating nothing but those fries! They were heavenly.

The night ended on a high as we ate passion fruit sorbet with homemade wafer cone, strawberry reduction and lemon meringue slices.

 

The gin tasting already has us in the mood for December and we look forward to all the great times to be after such an intense and restrictive period.

 

Remember to keep safe and wear your masks out in public adventure kittens! COVID 19 is still very much a part of our lives and we still need to practice caution as we explore together.