Pop-up venues are huge in London right now – creating advance hype, serving all the customers they hopefully draw with their buzz and dying down again within a few weeks or months. I admire them for the huge amount of work it must entail! One of the success stories are the Forza Win team, who had a fantastic summer season and came back recently with a new version of Forza Win(ter). They bill themselves as an Italian communal dining experience and are quite simply kick-ass. I was lucky enough to win tickets and tacky Christmas jumpers thanks to the Nudge, so headed along on a chilly winter’s night with Kate to sample their amazing porchetta roast.
We arrived to a random brown door near Bethnal Green with little idea of what exactly to expect. Inside, an old pickling factory had been transformed with circus style tents and a rustic bar. In the yard, huge grills were stacked with rumps of pork from Ginger Pig that were glistening with crackling. Apparently there were 96 people attending and 100 kilos of meat, a pretty good ratio…
We started with a beautiful minestrone and pesto that had been made that afternoon, and Kate and I sampled the mulled white wine – quite a different flavour to the glühwein I’d tried at other events but equally delicious. Forza Win emphasise the fresh nature of their products, with everything sourced in Britain and as locally as possible. I can testify to the delicious meal this produces!
Next up was the main event. The porchetta had been marinated for 24 hours before being cooked over Kentish Oak, and was amazing – it melted in the mouth. Served with a kale and chestnut salad and delicious roast polenta-encrusted potatoes, it was the perfect winter feast. The slabs of meaty goodness were brought to our table and a brave diner in each group had to volunteer to serve – fortunately we had a master carver in our midst and he made short work of the porchetta.
Mesmerised
Dessert was a cherry pannacotta – the perfect light and delicious ending to the meal.
After dinner we were entertained by Josh Flowers & the Wild who had us all clapping along to their acoustic set – the cello solos were a highlight!
Forza Win(ter) has now finished its season but they are doing a New Years event that sounds fantastic – check their website for more details. And they have promised they’ll be back, hopefully in the spring – can’t wait!
