I recently sampled the food and wine at The Room for Taste monthly event at One Devonshire Gardens on Wednesday, 7th September. Quite simply it was a wonderful experience and if food and wine are your passion, I would highly recommend it. This event provided the opportunity to sample wines produced by Vina Bajoz from the region of Toro in Northern Spain and was hosted by Nicola Thornton, the Export Director for Vina Bajoz.

However, to start at the beginning: on arrival diners are invited into the stylish cocktail bar and served a selection of delicious Room Canap?s, which included, steak tartar, tuna and quail. These were accompanied by a light white Rioja, which suited these appetisers extremely well. We were then invited to the restaurant to experience 'informal dining' and continue to sample the wines from Vina Bajoz..

While informal, the setting, food and wine were all first class as was the service. What made it special was the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, which was created in part by the charming and helpful staff who were approachable and happy to chat about the food and wine. The menu is set but the food was thoughtfully chosen and beautifully presented to complement the wine. We were served with a duo of appetising starters: Pork, chorizo and pistachio ballotine, chilli and red pepper jelly; Pan seared red mullet, sage and beetroot risotto. These were paired with Tinta de Toro 2003 Vina Bajoz, a lovely white wine with a touch of oak. Both starters were extremely tasty, but I have to say I favoured the mullet which was delicious. At this point, Nicola called for our attention to briefly describe the wine and the area that it comes from and we were encouraged to make tasting notes. While an expert on these wines, Nicola was also a font of local knowledge and entertained us with anecdotes about the people of Toro and the region.

A duo of main courses was duly served. These consisted of delicious roast loin of Perthshire lamb, parsnip puree, red wine and oregano jus; and Basil stuffed sea bream with confit sweet potato, saffron and lemon dressing. These were paired with Toro Crianza 2001 Vina Bajoz. Again, my favourite was the sea bream; I do like my fish! At this point, the diners all appeared very relaxed and we began chatting to one another. My friend and I were sitting next to a very interesting couple from Japan who proceeded to tell us that they had been working in Glasgow for one year and loved the city. This was their second visit to "The Room for Taste" event. They had been so impressed with their first visit, which focussed on French wines, that they had returned. Another couple sitting next to us were wine connoisseurs and while knowledgeable were very interested to chat about other things. The man did offer to write this review for me!

Finally, we were served a selection of Spanish cheeses served with homemade bread. This was accompanied by Finca la Meda 2002 Tinto de Toro. I must say this wine was excellent and following a discussion and question and answer session with Nicola it turned out that she had saved ?the best for last?. Everyone was in agreement that this was the favourite wine of the evening. While there was a wide array of food, it was beautifully presented and the portions were just enough to sample and enjoy the different tastes on offer.

The evening was highly enjoyable and entertaining providing the opportunity to sample wonderful wine and food. At a cost of ?35.00 per person for dinner with wines, the diners agreed that this was excellent value for money and would encourage friends and family to attend future Room for Taste events. No better promotion than word of mouth!!!