The French are known for their fine wine, but one restaurant is making a splash with a new kind of drink menu. La Popote in northern England has an extensive menu featuring nearly 140 varieties of wine. Now, the French-style restaurant is jumping in the deep end and making a daring move to indulge those who don’t drink alcohol by offering an entire menu of nothing but bottled water. Those who dine at La Popote will have a choice of three different bottles of still water and four options of sparkling water, as well as complimentary tap water. The idea of the water menu was prompted by co-founders Chef Joseph Rawlines and Gaëlle Radigon, who were invited to a tasting at the water bar Fine Water Academy. They tried five or six varieties of water, then they did a second tasting that they paired with certain foods such as Manchego cheese, Comté cheese, chocolate, Parma ham and olives — and like with wine, the taste changed. That’s when the pair learned that “water isn’t just water.” The measurement of minerals in water is what drives taste and flavor. How the water is served is also an important factor to consider. The best flavor comes from serving it at room temperature with ice and a slice of lemon. Water is like wine — if it’s too cold, it kills the flavor. The prices of the water menu range from $6.80 for a large bottle of the Crag brand to $26 for a Portuguese sparkling water called The Palace of Vidago. La Popote is tapping into the global trend of decreased alcohol consumption with its new water menu that allows diners an alternative option.
