Birthday fondue

After the relative disappointment of the fondue at City Limits, it was a serious treat to be taken to Tiroler Hut in Westbourne Grove for my birthday. We began with a good selection of bread including some rye bread and an especially delicious variety filled with caraway seeds. With a crisp, chilled glass of Gruner Veltliner this was an excellent start to the meal and the fondue which followed did not disappoint for it was correct in its cheesiness, its booziness and its all-round "oh my God I could eat this stuff till I exploded-ness". That was not really an option as the portion was not gigantic but nor was it stingy by any means. The bread was decently crusty and it was a treat to be reminded of the places to which a good fondue takes you. We had some raw vegetables for dipping which were, frankly, a bit of disappointment and a waste of time. Who wants to waste their fondue on a piece of raw parsnip when there's a hunk of bread waiting to be covered with the golden cheese? For pudding we had a chocolate fondue which was just excellent. At first we thought that there wasn't quite enough, but actually the size of the dish was excellent and there was a great selection of fresh fruit (grapes, strawberries, plums, satsumas and apples) to dip in, as well as some wafers and marshmallows. The chocolate was extremely chocolatey and the grape-choc, plum-choc and straw-choc flavours are pretty deeply imprinted in my mind. Service was good throughout and we managed to escape just as the truly cheesy aspect of the restaurant was kicking off: oompah-classics played on a synthesiser by a man dressed in lederhosen... A top dinner all-round for which thanks to fondue fan number 1.