Keeping up with the Thymes BRING ON THE FESTIVE WINES

With Summer seemingly only just out of the way(where does the time go?),the season of goodwill is just around the corner — people everywhere are up to their armpits in pudding mixture and greetings card lists; turkeys'looking extremely anxious and Santa's little marketing-men laughing all the way to the bank!

With a new menu for Autumn, an additional weekly changing lunch board,the Christmas party menu,a new wine list and a char ity dinner for November it is hard to keep up. But the Thyme team prefer it this way, keeping their interest high they take pride in the food that is served.

everyone.

Our main menu will change every three monthsand the black board, aimed at the lunch hour, on a weekly basis. From a roman tic dinner to an important cel ebration, we cater for them all. A family business with a can-do ap proach means we will always try to arrange any special requests.

But good food doesn't have to be about bow hes and silver plat ters. Attentive staff and an infor mal atmosphere compliment the food very well at Thyme.

But it's not ALL bad. After all,it's the one time of the year that we get to indulge in things gastronomic that we only dream about for the other eleven months. It's the per fect excuse to scour the shops for those special treats that wiU make Christmas lunch one to remember. The food element is quite straight forward — we more or less know what we like and traditionally what's to be expected — but when it comes to selecting what to drink with the meal, then it can be a bit of a minefield.

So, naturally this month I'll be recommending some goodies that grown in Alsace, France where it produces intensely pungent wines, which can be a bit hard work. But here, in Somontano (The Spanish region in the foothills of The Pyr enees)it makes dry,elegant wines, still with spice aromas, but more subtle and with refreshing fruit fla vours. It's a real departure from samey Chardonnay and definitely worth a try.

If you really want to experiment, why not opt for the amazing 35 y.o. Amontillado Principe (C9.35, Sacarellos, as before), by Bodegas Antonio Barbadillo. The colour of old gold with toasted almond

The new menu is as delightful to read as it is on the tasebuds, for example, the Seafood Slammers are a talking point in both presentation and flavour. The Mille-Feuille of Chargrilled Wild Salmon & Mediterranean Vegetables may not be easy to pronounce but the English trans lation does not do the dish justice. Or try the Thai Haddock Fishcake with Jenga Chips and Minted Pea Puree for a variation of a tradi tional favourite. Vegetarians and Vegans may also be surprised at the interesting dishes on offer.

These days food and wine are just as fashionable as clothes and it's important for chefs and res taurateurs to stay ahead of the game. Just as David Beckham wouldn't be seen in the same out fit twice we like to give our cus tomers the chance to try some thing new every time. Whether you just want to enjoy good food with a friend in your lunch hour or have an important client to entertain,we have something for will hopefully take some of the guess-work out of planning the fes tive feasting.

After renovations including a brand new theatre style kitchen and new dwor and furnishings throughout, the restaurant opened in June of this year and owners Steve and Susie Clayton are very pleased with the inter est shown in the restaurant so far. With a 100% customer satisfac tion record and great comple ments from the customers we be lieve we have a winning formula and Gibraltar will see a lot more from Thyme Restaurant in the years to come.

Try it for yourself. Thyme Res taurant. 5 Cornwall's Lane, Gi braltar Tel: 49199.

Call me old-fashioned,butI usu ally kick proceedings off with a perky glass of Champagne, and because it's Christmas,I always go for quality. Pol Roger Brut NV (£18.95, Lexi'is Stagnetto,41 Main St, Tel: 42550) is certainly a quality drop.Thisfamous house,favoured by Winston Churchill, has just cel ebrated 150 years of production and consistently achieves excellent re sults. This is dry and elegant, but not too light so,although perfectfor an aperitif, it easily stands up to starters like Scottish smoked salmon,or even a light chicken liver parfait.

If you prefer not to have bubbles with your food, but want a white wine tasty enough to stand up to all the Christmas flavours,then try Vinas Del Vero Gewurztraminer (£4.90, Sacarellos, 57 Irish Town, Tel: 70625). The grape variety, Gewurztraminer, is traditionally aroma,this traditional Amontillado is rich and warming,but essentially dry, just with a nutty-sweet edge. This is excellent with cured cheeses, or if you're planning a game terrine it's perfect.

Now to the main event,and with all the trimmings, stuffing's and sauces, you really can't be picky about food and wine matching,so 1 tend to go for something that will suit most people's taste. Firstly Melior Crianza 2000 (£5.05, Leiois Stagnelto,as before),from the Ribera del Duero region in Northern Spain,this is an easy going red that will not offend anyone! It's very well made and a spicy, blackberry aroma is followed by well-balanced fruit and tannin, and is the ideal 'foil' for all those festive flavours. If you're entertaining a lot of peo ple, it won't break the bank either!

But, if you want a wine that packs more ofa punch,look no fur ther than Enrique Mendoza Penon de Ifach 1998 (£7.44, Wines Direct, Unit 2 Portland House, Tel; 47922).

I'm fast becoming a fan of these lovely winesfrom Alicante,and this one is really special. It's an unusual blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir,and its suc cess here lies in the wine-makers art of blending. All the flavour ele ments are beautifully knitted to gether to give a silky smooth, lus cious, full-bodied experience that never disappoints.

Moving swiftly on to dessert,you could of course stick to the red wine,but to really bring out the fla vours in your figgy pudding how about the luscious Pedro Ximenez Viejo(£6.51, Wines Direct,as before), Made from sun-dried grapes, which concentrates the sweetness, and left to mature for many years, it is dark,rich and opulently sweet with a dried plum flavour and un mistakable aroma of raisins, a real pudding wine.

Now to a bit of a treasure that is too often overlooked on the wine merchants shelves, Henriques & Henriques 10 y.o Malmsey Ma deira (£17.95, Anglo Hispano, 5-7 Main St, Tel; 77210), Madeira (the drink, not the island) was discov ered by accident (well, 1 suppose the island was as well, in a way!)

The story goes that wines from the island were taken on board ships and fortified with alcohol to survive conditions at sea, and were baked in the tropical heat of the voyage, developing all sorts of interesting flavours on the way. So here is the result,a rich orange/brown colour, with a raisiny — sweet nose,off set

Call me old-fashioned, but I usually kick proceedings off with a perky glass of Champagne

by appetising acidity. The richly textuj^ palate hasa delicious cara mel flavour, with a bitter twist on the finish that is wonderfully cleansing. Although great with the pud, it works wonderfully with Stilton!

Finally, 1 couldn't talk about drinks for Christmas without rec ommending a port,and if you're a port fan you must try Churchills 1997 Traditional

Late Bottled Vintage (£8.75, Anglo Hispano, as before). LBV means it has been bottled after four, rather than two years in wooden casks,and 'traditional' means that it is bottled without any filtration, so that the wine can continue developing in the bottle. This process gives a wine with depth of flavour and el egance. It is medium-sweet, full-bodied with lots of fruit fla vours. The good thing is it is ready to drir^ now,this year,so go on treat yourself, IT'S CHRISTMAS!

Situated right on the water's edge at Marina Bay '^ioi^cos ofTers you a full a la carte menu and exceptional daily specials

We're open alt day,7 days a week, so come on down and enjoy excellent food and ambience at realistic prices.

Admiral's Walk, Marina Bay Tel: 73379 Fax; 79061

6". Irish Town Tel: 79791

Fax: 72250 Bar Restaurant Top Sporting Events Always on 5 large overhead TVs Traditional Homemade Pub Food including Fish Si Chips, Steak Si Ale Pie Quiches etc

AIR-CONDITIONED FRIENDLY FAMILY

Food Served from: 9.30am-10pm Mondays to Saturdays, 12am - lOpm Sundays