A Luxurious Treat for Champagne Lovers: The Ruinart Champagne Dinner at Ciel Bleu**
One glass of bubbles leaves you wanting more. That is precisely why it makes such a perfect aperitif, but when the glass is empty… At least, that is something that will not happen at the Okura Hotel over the coming month. In Europe’s largest suite, Ruinart is hosting a series of deluxe champagne dinners, where the bubbles flow freely alongside two-Michelin-starred cuisine from Ciel Bleu, on a table that comes to life right before your eyes.
The Ruinart Petit R Adventure
That calls for some explanation. For a few evenings, Ruinart is moving its Petit R Adventure (which you can normally book only in the Champagne town of Reims) to the Okura, where guests are taken on a visual journey through the history of the champagne house. For this occasion, the Imperial Suite has been transformed into Suite 1729. If you happen to be a regular at the Okura and are sitting there with raised eyebrows: that room number indeed does not exist. It refers to the year Ruinart was founded.
Dancing Between the Plates
At a large table overlooking the city, the founder of Maison Ruinart dances between the plates and champagne glasses, while dishes paired with matching champagnes are served. The result of painstaking work, which also takes place in the kitchen: on the day of the first dinner, the main course and dessert were still switched around at the last minute. Not because they were not good, but because they could be just that little bit better.
Super Sommelier
Between courses, Noël Vanwittenbergh demonstrates that champagne is more than an aperitif, and can sometimes come into its own even better alongside food. Take the prestigious Dom Ruinart 2010, a vintage that has spent so long resting on its lees that it almost smells musty. Until you taste it alongside Ciel Bleu’s guinea fowl with lardo and beurre blanc – not a punishment in itself, of course, but above all a pairing that brings out the best in both. With Noël, the ‘experience’ in Amsterdam immediately has an edge over the original in Reims; the passionate stories of the super sommelier alone are a celebration in themselves.
Stay a Little Longer
There is no need to worry about not finding your way home because the bubbles have gone to your head—you are dining in a hotel, after all. And if you are already so wonderfully busy celebrating life, you might as well add another night at the Okura. You will have to dig deep into your pockets in any case (the entry-level package costs €1,550), but in return you get perfection down to the last detail. The Petit R Adventure can be booked on November 10, 12 and 17; your last chance is December 8.
Also read:
- Forget the nativity scene: you’ll want to put this Schnappsmarkt under your tree
- You’ll want this: the wine-bottle Christmas tree
- 34 of the best and tastiest gifts for foodies to put under the Christmas tree
