Guy hates rhubarb, which meant the rather bizarre Wild Honey cocktail of prosecco and rhubarb juice got a thumbs-down, but as our eyes flew over the wine list, we noticed a bottle from Santorini in Greece. Never seen that before in a London restaurant.
Once again, the hand of serendipity intervened: both we and our new friends had been to the black-sanded Aegean gem.
More nostalgia as we drank an excellent wine grown on the slopes of the volcano that is claimed to have buried Atlantis. And congratulations to Wild Honey for putting together a wine list of such flair and imagination.
Although there is a wide selection of fish on offer, this is a restaurant for meat lovers, and the menu is both complex and original. I wanted to try everything. We argued the toss, but I won and ended up with the farinette, a pancake with snails, garlic and parsley.
Guy had ragout of hare, with fresh macaroni and parmesan - a very Italian dish and utterly perfetto in execution.
The medics went for the slightly healthier option: gurnard with anchovies on toast, and a soft egg with smoked duck breast. We waited breathlessly for their opinion. Scrumptious, they said.
Guy chose the venison while I went for the veal, which was as tender as a Frank Sinatra ballad. The medics chose belly of pork with pearl barley risotto and sea bream with winter vegetables and endive marmalade. Again, scrumptious.
The trouble with food this rich and moreish is that you're unable to leave a polite little heap on the side of your plate, and so we were all too full for pudding. But like our new medical friends, I intend to come back.
Forgive the pun, but Wild Honey really does put on a delicious spread.
