Via Twitter, @RexWineCo suggested I check out http://www.thelocalnose.com/ for listings of local wine events and I stumbled across an ad for the Katnook Dinner on Friday 28th Jan at Picotin Bistro & Bar. I signed up straight away as I've been a fan of Katnook wines since the early 90's, plus I can never turn down the chance of a good feed!
In a bizarre twist of fate it is this Twitter conversation that led me to Sarah Mayo and an offer of some freelance writing work on the Local Nose website. So, this write-up is a precursor to my Local Nose piece, for my pleasure, and hopefully yours; for the meal was a real pleasure - great food, great wine and great company. If you don't want to read anymore, here's my opinion in the first paragraph; book yourself onto one of the Local Nose events and meet some interesting people and try some excellent wines. You might get to try some fabulous food too if you're lucky, and we were.
Picotin is nestled in the slope of Turf Club Road, Bukit Timah, Singapore. We arrived by taxi via some roads that also included the word "club" in their names. Eventually the taxi driver cottoned on my non-Singaporean patois and dumped us outside what looked like a national park. It maybe a national park...
You'd never guess from the road that a gem-of-a-bar was hidden behind the tropical leaves, but on closer inspection we found an airy, relaxed watering hole with a real buzz.
We were ushered over to meet Alison Harvey from Katnook Wines by John who helps provide a chilled, unpretentious front-of-house atmosphere. Alison was similarly unpretentious, which is really refreshing in the world of wine.
We got stuck into some Katnook Estate Riesling as an aperitif which really complemented the very grand hors d'oeuvre that followed. Crab Croquetes with Saffron Mayonnaise, Foie Gras on Toasted Raisin Bread and Sea bass Tartare with Lime Dressing set the tone for the evening. The Riesling was displaying some classic petrol aromas with a succulent twist of lime on the palate to get the taste buds leaping.
As we sat at the table awaiting the first of 5 courses I thought how thoroughly informal it all was, and all the better for it. "Wine Dinner" sounds very starchy but this was far from it. Everyone was chatting and laughing as if they'd known each other for years. Some had, it turned out! This is the fun thing about these Singapore get-togethers; they're uncomplicated, and people always come back for seconds.
Next came the Chicken & Mushroom Ravioli with Pumpkin Puree & Sage Butter, paired with Katnook Estate Chardonnay. The ravioli was light and flavoursome, matching well with the almost Burgundian-style wine with it's undertones of satsuma and mint. One of the best Australian Chardonnays I think I've had, showing real elegance and poise.
Duck Foie Gras made a welcome return with the second course, this time with a red onion marmalade. My only criticism would be that there was maybe too much of it (a huge slab of the stuff!) - but who's complaining? Maybe the duck, but certainly not me.
The Katnook Estate Merlot was selected with this course, but Alison quickly pointed out that the wine was too warm. It had been left waiting too long and the aromas were muted and the smell of alcohol was too prevalent. Almost unheard of in the UK, the wine was sent away to be cooled, but when it returned the flavours of smoke, licorice and beefy Marmite were really coming through. It's hard in Singapore's humidity to get "room temperature" right!
With air-con and fans the wintery Braised Beef & Roasted Swede Puree tasted fabulous in the heat of Singapore. The soft, velvety beef, drizzled with a deep, rich gravy over sweet root vegetable went perfectly with the Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The vanilla oak and green pepper nose, combined with plump loganberry & blackcurrant fruit on the palate blended well with each mouthful of the beef.
Billed as Roasted Lamb Shoulder, but delivered as Half Rack of Lamb, with Asparagus & Red Wine Shallots, the next course was top notch. Pink lamb and caramelized onions, with the pungently difficult wine-matcher, asparagus is a hard one to pull off with a Shiraz but here the Katnook Estate Prodigy did the job very nicely indeed. The Prodigy was jam-packed full of dark chocolate, cherry, black olive and radicio flavours, each one in harmony, not competition.
The only wine-pairing that didn't work was the last. On it's own, the Dark Chocolate Cake with Black Cherry Ice Cream was a lovely finish. Likewise, the Katnook Estate Odyssey as a wine was a serious Cabernet, meant to age gracefully with good tannin and acidity balancing the leather, stewed fruit crumble and red apple flavours. Together, however, they just didn't work. But, it was a minor blip in an otherwise faultless evening.
Cigars puffed, phone numbers were exchanged and wine continued to flow but eventually the evening came to end as the stragglers fell into cabs and disappeared into the warm evening glow. We left Picotin with full bellies and big smiles, looking forward to our next adventure.
Thanks to Sarah Mayo at The Local Nose; Kelvin at HC Wines &Spirits and Alison Harvey at Katnook Estate Wines. Oh, and of course Picotin for having us!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Rubicon Wines: Tales of Haggis & Shiraz
Last Tuesday evening (25th Jan) was Burn's Night. I've been celebrating this Scottish knees-up since living in Edinburgh in the early 90's and nothing can stop me from reciting a bit of poetry and piping in the Haggis. Even when I lived in Melbourne, Australia, for a year, I managed to get a Haggis from a department store in town. Not this time! It seems that although the Singaporeans like nothing more that a bit of Pig Organ Soup they draw the line at lungs and oatmeal wrapped in sheep's stomach lining; what the hell's wrong with them?!
Disappointed, obviously, I had to settle for the next best thing - Australia Day! This involves eating pies and sausage rolls, stuffing barbequed meat into rolls and then into mouth and guzzling lager at speed and in quantity. This is exactly what we're been doing for years in England; we just call it Friday or Saturday night.
Even I wasn't thrilled at the idea and was naively considering a day off the booze until the evil Twitter, Facebook and Blogger triangle conspired to make me go out. While innocently trawling through a list of wine companies that might potentially give me a job, and signing up to all sorts of social media sites, I was virtually be-friended by Greg, of The Asia Wine Society.
The Asia Wine Society is also affiliated with Rubicon Reserve Wines and Greg was helping organise an Australian Day bash at the company's headquarters on Clarke Quay. The event was to consist of an unlimited (Free Pour) bar of wine and beer and as much BBQ, sausage roll & meat pie as you could eat. Was I interested in a complementary pass for me and the Missus? Is the Pope a Catholic?! As Greg is American and I am British, the idea of us both going to an Australian Day booze-up was like a Buddhist and a Hindu popping in for Holy Communion. Hey; there was plenty of bread and wine!
As I was networking, I thought it was only right that I didn't get completely smashed even though the opportunity was there...how I've changed...!
As Greg was so kind to invite me along I did a few notes about the wines on offer. The guys at Rubicon wines were keen to point out that these were more quaffing wines as this was a fairly relaxed event, but even so I found some really good stuff here and the retail prices were very reasonable. Here are my thoughts on the night's selection:
The best of the evening's wines was The Lakes Reserve Brut fromYaldara, a sparkler from Adelaide Hills. The cheapest wine of the night, at $25 it represents seriously good value.
Fresh lemon and grapefruit flavours abound with a creamy spritz - delicious!
My second favourite was the Goode Pinot Gris 2009 a great South Australian wine that should go down a storm here in Singapore. It seems made for Asian dishes: lots of lychee, white pepper and spice on the nose and palate. Rich yet refreshing.
Of the reds, I thought the Red Earth Shiraz was very interesting: Plum crumble. blackcurrant, cloves, bay and cola cubes were all present on the palate. At $32 this was pushing the price a little, but this is Singapore and prices are always steep so still a relative bargain.
I look forward to trying the more 'serious' wines at some point in the near future as this was a great start!
Thanks again to Greg and the gang.
Disappointed, obviously, I had to settle for the next best thing - Australia Day! This involves eating pies and sausage rolls, stuffing barbequed meat into rolls and then into mouth and guzzling lager at speed and in quantity. This is exactly what we're been doing for years in England; we just call it Friday or Saturday night.
Even I wasn't thrilled at the idea and was naively considering a day off the booze until the evil Twitter, Facebook and Blogger triangle conspired to make me go out. While innocently trawling through a list of wine companies that might potentially give me a job, and signing up to all sorts of social media sites, I was virtually be-friended by Greg, of The Asia Wine Society.
The Asia Wine Society is also affiliated with Rubicon Reserve Wines and Greg was helping organise an Australian Day bash at the company's headquarters on Clarke Quay. The event was to consist of an unlimited (Free Pour) bar of wine and beer and as much BBQ, sausage roll & meat pie as you could eat. Was I interested in a complementary pass for me and the Missus? Is the Pope a Catholic?! As Greg is American and I am British, the idea of us both going to an Australian Day booze-up was like a Buddhist and a Hindu popping in for Holy Communion. Hey; there was plenty of bread and wine!
As I was networking, I thought it was only right that I didn't get completely smashed even though the opportunity was there...how I've changed...!
As Greg was so kind to invite me along I did a few notes about the wines on offer. The guys at Rubicon wines were keen to point out that these were more quaffing wines as this was a fairly relaxed event, but even so I found some really good stuff here and the retail prices were very reasonable. Here are my thoughts on the night's selection:
The best of the evening's wines was The Lakes Reserve Brut fromYaldara, a sparkler from Adelaide Hills. The cheapest wine of the night, at $25 it represents seriously good value.
Fresh lemon and grapefruit flavours abound with a creamy spritz - delicious!
My second favourite was the Goode Pinot Gris 2009 a great South Australian wine that should go down a storm here in Singapore. It seems made for Asian dishes: lots of lychee, white pepper and spice on the nose and palate. Rich yet refreshing.
Of the reds, I thought the Red Earth Shiraz was very interesting: Plum crumble. blackcurrant, cloves, bay and cola cubes were all present on the palate. At $32 this was pushing the price a little, but this is Singapore and prices are always steep so still a relative bargain.
I look forward to trying the more 'serious' wines at some point in the near future as this was a great start!
Thanks again to Greg and the gang.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wine Review: Parker Estate Favourite Son Shiraz 2007
I picked this little fella up on the way through customs after a flight from Bangkok to Singapore recently. Pretty much a random pick from their pretty limited wine range; pick was based on label and the fact that the wine region was Wrattonbully - a place I've had good wine from before.On the nose, black pepper, chalk and mulberry
On the palate, concentrated fruit flavours of mulberry and blackcurrant. Warm spice and integrated vanilla oak punctuate the dense licorice and molasses.
The finish is warm, spicy and long.
Intense and jammy, with a trickle of acidity, this wine could benefit from further ageing. There is a touch too much alcohol on the nose and palate for my liking and even at duty-free prices there is not enough for me to come rushing back for a second bottle.
Satay Night, Sunday Morning
Last Friday we went down to Lau Pa Sat (mentioned here a few blog posts ago), this time for the famous satay. Lau Pa Sat is a food court full to the brim of foodie treats, all jostling for your attention, but on Friday night there's only one place to be, and that's a ring-side seat next to one of the charcoal grills cooking up a storm of satay. We got ourselves a jug of beer and then assumed position adjacent to the alluring smoky wafts emanating from Best Satay.
The poor guy manning the grill was cooking a constant stream of miniature meat kebabs to the hungry throng; there seemed no danger of him getting a break anytime soon, that was for sure. We started with the $12 plate of 10 of each of chicken and beef. The chicken satay were good but the beef satay beat them hands down; the deep, wood-smoke flavour really complementing the succulent meat.
Next, I ordered some prawn satay - essentially a massive prawn on a skewer with a salty, lightly spiced dusting on the outside of the shell. Meanwhile, Caroline went in search of some other goodies and I ordered some more beer. It would be rude not to. I de-shelled and devoured the juicy prawns, keeping back a couple for Caroline, hoping that she wouldn't want any. She brought back some chapatis and dips and so I finished off the finger-licking prawns...result! The great thing about these places is that you can try anything, from any of the stalls, and have as much or as little as you like. I usually have too much - it's too tempting.
Saturday was an Ikea-based write off as we were searching for furniture for the new apartment. The real highlight was, and will always be, the chance of scoffing a couple of $1 hot dogs and downing as much Pepsi as you can before circumnavigating the maze that is Ikea. By the end of the assault course you are sooo glad you prepared yourself with fast food sustenance as there is a real chance you will not make it out alive.
Another great tradition, along with Friday Satay and going to Ikea on the busiest day of the week is Sunday Dim Sum. Our destination was not Chinatown, but the Fullerton Hotel, a handsome building overlooking the Singapore river offering an unbeatable $30 per head Dim Sum buffet in their Jade restaurant. What were the idiots thinking? Surely they hadn't planned on the likes of me, scoffing 'til I pop? It turned out they had. Everyone else had the same idea. I've never seen people eat so much in my life, all with the thinnest veil of etiquette. There was certainly no shame in ordering absolutely everything on the menu. And people were.
The astounding thing was that the quality was also very high; each morsel was light and brimming with flavour. The Jade menu consists of 22 Dim Sum, 5 Soups, 7 Appetizers, 8 Main Courses and 8 Noodle/Rice/Congee/Dessert dishes. It was over half way through the meal that we realised that we could also order non-Dim Sum items! We managed 18 dishes out of a total 50 on offer. Pretty good going for beginners. To whet your appetite, here are the 18 we tried:
Golden cheese dumpling (cheesy)
Deep-fried taro paste wrapped with truffle & mushroom (truffley!)
Pan-fried radish cake (bubble & squeak?)
Pan-fried minced pork & chives (moist and delicious)
Baked BBQ pork pie (not a Melton Mowbray but all the better for it)
Steamed glutinous rice with chicken & mushroom wrapped in a lotus leaf (nice enough...)
Oven-baked egg tart (saved til pudding-time - warm, light as a feather pastry)
Steamed crystal shrimp dumpling (luxurious)
Steamed abalone siew mai (sea snail - a new experience - not unpleasant - a local delicacy)
Steamed squid & coriander dumpling (silky)
Steamed char siew pau (big bready dumpling with sweet meaty sauce - great)
Braised shark's fin soup with crabmeat, truffle, egg white in a chicken broth (a stand-out dish - Michelin-tastic) PS. hoping that this was mock-shark's fin not the real thing
Hot & sour soup with chicken (good but boring after the shark's fin soup)
Roasted pork belly with 5-spice (tasty)
Honey glazed BBQ pork (nice but on the dry side)
Deep fried prawn coated with wasabi mayo (yum)
Stir-fried prawn with celery (much more inspiring than it sounds)
Stewed beef brisket with bean sauce (soft slow cooked beef, melt in your mouth)
I think there might have been more.... but I can't remember!
This was all complemented by lashings of jasmine tea and a rather lovely glass of Moet et Chandon NV. The Moet went really well with the Dim Sum; there were flavours of baked apple, almond and tangerine. Moet is a great food Champagne it seems.
 |
| Wherever I lay my satay, that's my home |
The poor guy manning the grill was cooking a constant stream of miniature meat kebabs to the hungry throng; there seemed no danger of him getting a break anytime soon, that was for sure. We started with the $12 plate of 10 of each of chicken and beef. The chicken satay were good but the beef satay beat them hands down; the deep, wood-smoke flavour really complementing the succulent meat.
 |
| Don't worry - everthing's under control |
Next, I ordered some prawn satay - essentially a massive prawn on a skewer with a salty, lightly spiced dusting on the outside of the shell. Meanwhile, Caroline went in search of some other goodies and I ordered some more beer. It would be rude not to. I de-shelled and devoured the juicy prawns, keeping back a couple for Caroline, hoping that she wouldn't want any. She brought back some chapatis and dips and so I finished off the finger-licking prawns...result! The great thing about these places is that you can try anything, from any of the stalls, and have as much or as little as you like. I usually have too much - it's too tempting.
Saturday was an Ikea-based write off as we were searching for furniture for the new apartment. The real highlight was, and will always be, the chance of scoffing a couple of $1 hot dogs and downing as much Pepsi as you can before circumnavigating the maze that is Ikea. By the end of the assault course you are sooo glad you prepared yourself with fast food sustenance as there is a real chance you will not make it out alive.
Another great tradition, along with Friday Satay and going to Ikea on the busiest day of the week is Sunday Dim Sum. Our destination was not Chinatown, but the Fullerton Hotel, a handsome building overlooking the Singapore river offering an unbeatable $30 per head Dim Sum buffet in their Jade restaurant. What were the idiots thinking? Surely they hadn't planned on the likes of me, scoffing 'til I pop? It turned out they had. Everyone else had the same idea. I've never seen people eat so much in my life, all with the thinnest veil of etiquette. There was certainly no shame in ordering absolutely everything on the menu. And people were.
 |
| Photo: http://mocha-mochi.blogspot.com |
The astounding thing was that the quality was also very high; each morsel was light and brimming with flavour. The Jade menu consists of 22 Dim Sum, 5 Soups, 7 Appetizers, 8 Main Courses and 8 Noodle/Rice/Congee/Dessert dishes. It was over half way through the meal that we realised that we could also order non-Dim Sum items! We managed 18 dishes out of a total 50 on offer. Pretty good going for beginners. To whet your appetite, here are the 18 we tried:
Golden cheese dumpling (cheesy)
Deep-fried taro paste wrapped with truffle & mushroom (truffley!)
Pan-fried radish cake (bubble & squeak?)
Pan-fried minced pork & chives (moist and delicious)
Baked BBQ pork pie (not a Melton Mowbray but all the better for it)
Steamed glutinous rice with chicken & mushroom wrapped in a lotus leaf (nice enough...)
Oven-baked egg tart (saved til pudding-time - warm, light as a feather pastry)
Steamed crystal shrimp dumpling (luxurious)
Steamed abalone siew mai (sea snail - a new experience - not unpleasant - a local delicacy)
Steamed squid & coriander dumpling (silky)
Steamed char siew pau (big bready dumpling with sweet meaty sauce - great)
Braised shark's fin soup with crabmeat, truffle, egg white in a chicken broth (a stand-out dish - Michelin-tastic) PS. hoping that this was mock-shark's fin not the real thing
Hot & sour soup with chicken (good but boring after the shark's fin soup)
Roasted pork belly with 5-spice (tasty)
Honey glazed BBQ pork (nice but on the dry side)
Deep fried prawn coated with wasabi mayo (yum)
Stir-fried prawn with celery (much more inspiring than it sounds)
Stewed beef brisket with bean sauce (soft slow cooked beef, melt in your mouth)
I think there might have been more.... but I can't remember!
This was all complemented by lashings of jasmine tea and a rather lovely glass of Moet et Chandon NV. The Moet went really well with the Dim Sum; there were flavours of baked apple, almond and tangerine. Moet is a great food Champagne it seems.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hail the Cab
I find myself in a Singapore back street, upstairs in an old shop-house, with 13 bottles wrapped in aluminium foil. It could only be Brown Bag Night! This irregular, generally monthly, meeting of wine minds is the brain child of Robert Rees from Wine Exchange Asia. The venue is Speakeasy, 54 Blair Rd near Outram Park. But shhhh...keep your voice down; this is the kind of place that you want to keep to yourself. As the website, proclaims, it is Singapore's 'best kept secret' and there is something mysterious about it. With no signage out front and just a smattering of tables and chairs spilling onto the narrow pavement, you have the feeling you've walked in on someone's private party. But no...they are smiling and not telling you to go away..they want you here! Tonight we are here for wine but my eyes wander momentarily around the drinks menu. " Prohibition-era cocktails" are advertised. Either these are potently alcoholic, made with red-neck moonshine or they're devoid of any booze at all. I decide to order a bottle of beer.
Introductions & pleasantries over, we are soon sniffing wines and scribbling notes about the 1st 3 wines of the evening. Robert makes the group feel very at ease as he is no wine snob. He is enthusiastic and amiable and really keen to pass on as much knowledge as possible. The main theme of the blind tasting is Australian Coonawarra Cabernet but apparently a couple of rogue bottles have crept in so we're to expect an odd Shiraz or something at some point. In my confusion, I haven't even brought a bottle (as is the rule) so I have to hastily purchase one from the bar near the end of the night to keep face. My turns out to be one of the rogue bottles as, although it does contain Cabernet it does also contain Merlot and Malbec. Plus it's from New Zealand. My wine is eventually numbered 14. This marks it out very obviously as my wine. Nevermind.
Blind tasting is really tough as you have no reference point except your own senses. At the same time, you have no preconceived ideas from the label, good or bad. The first thing that hits you when tasting Coonawarra Cabernet is the green pepper / capsicum aroma combined with mint and eucalyptus. These three do not disappoint, but on tasting Wine No.1 I start getting the overriding smell of Imperial Leather soap! It could be the black pepper spice and oak. Some might call it Sandalwood, but it is not something I've associated with wine before. It is this smell association that keeps popping back in my head of the course of the evening.
Anyway, here are the wines we tried with my thoughts attached. They are very loose tasting notes but are a true reflection of what I felt on the night. There was a lot of consensus on the night but also some serious disagreement. But that's wine; one man's meat is another man's poison. The wines were tasted in groups of 3 and the result was announced at the end of each round.
Wine No.1
Zema Estate Coonawarra Cabernet 2004
This one had the Imperial Leather nose; peppery and spicy, but, well, a bit soapy.
Some licorice, waxy red apple and mint on the palate.
The finish was spoilt by some hot alcohol burn on the throat.
Wine No.10
Majella Coonawarra Cab 2008
Green pepper and white pepper on the nose
Juicy fruit shows well balanced acidity and tannin
A much more rounded experience than the other Majella wine here tonight (No.7)
*Best out of the 3
Wine No.11
Leconfield Coonawarra Cab 2008
Overriding aromas of stewed coffee and alcohol with very concentrated jammy fruit on the palate.
Maybe one to watch to see if it can bear fruit?
Distinctly un-Coonawarra
Wine No.12
Jacob's Creek Reserve
Coonawarra Cab 2009
I had my money on this not being from Coonawarra. And not being a Cab!
Almost Rhone-like with black pepper and a beef twang.
Interesting acidity and red apple fruit.
On re-tasting, the red apple fruit was a little more like raw potato.
What is this?
Wine No.13
D'Arenberg Coppermine Rd McLaren Vale Cab 2001
Lovely menthol and cherry spice on the nose, continuing on the palate with almond and chocolate.
Delicious acidity and subtle integrated oak
This is still going strong!
Ah...This could be wine of the night!
Wine No.14
Stony Corner Newton Forrest, Gimblett Gravels NZ 2007
(A last minute purchase!)
After the Coppermine, the competition has been dynamited!
This just tastes too concentrated, too high in alcohol and strangely like Mackerel.
It has been blown out of the water!
So, to conclude, a great exercise. The overall winners were:
3rd -Parker Terra Rossa First Growth 1998
2nd - Reschke Empyrean Coonawarra Cabernet 2002
1st - Coppermine Rd McLaren Vale Cab 2001
See Robert's report here via You Tube
 |
| Not taken by me. And obviously not taken at night. |
Introductions & pleasantries over, we are soon sniffing wines and scribbling notes about the 1st 3 wines of the evening. Robert makes the group feel very at ease as he is no wine snob. He is enthusiastic and amiable and really keen to pass on as much knowledge as possible. The main theme of the blind tasting is Australian Coonawarra Cabernet but apparently a couple of rogue bottles have crept in so we're to expect an odd Shiraz or something at some point. In my confusion, I haven't even brought a bottle (as is the rule) so I have to hastily purchase one from the bar near the end of the night to keep face. My turns out to be one of the rogue bottles as, although it does contain Cabernet it does also contain Merlot and Malbec. Plus it's from New Zealand. My wine is eventually numbered 14. This marks it out very obviously as my wine. Nevermind.
Blind tasting is really tough as you have no reference point except your own senses. At the same time, you have no preconceived ideas from the label, good or bad. The first thing that hits you when tasting Coonawarra Cabernet is the green pepper / capsicum aroma combined with mint and eucalyptus. These three do not disappoint, but on tasting Wine No.1 I start getting the overriding smell of Imperial Leather soap! It could be the black pepper spice and oak. Some might call it Sandalwood, but it is not something I've associated with wine before. It is this smell association that keeps popping back in my head of the course of the evening.
Anyway, here are the wines we tried with my thoughts attached. They are very loose tasting notes but are a true reflection of what I felt on the night. There was a lot of consensus on the night but also some serious disagreement. But that's wine; one man's meat is another man's poison. The wines were tasted in groups of 3 and the result was announced at the end of each round.
Wine No.1
Zema Estate Coonawarra Cabernet 2004
This one had the Imperial Leather nose; peppery and spicy, but, well, a bit soapy.
Some licorice, waxy red apple and mint on the palate.
The finish was spoilt by some hot alcohol burn on the throat.
Wine No.2
Reynella McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004
A curve-ball! A Shiraz and not from Coonawarra.
Real depth of flavour here with raisin, cinnamon & clove.
Creamy vanilla oak complementing baked fruit crumble.
*My fave of the 3 - but not a Cab
 | |||
| Pic stolen from a random blogger |
Wine No.3
Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet 1998
Powerful scent of green pepper and chilli.
Showing signs of aging - tomato ketchup and Worcester sauce.
Nice acidity balancing but creeping alcohol presence.
Time to drink up - but no.2 choice of the 3
Wine No.4
Rietine Tiziano, Tuscany 2004
Another one sent to throw us! Italian!
Really herby nose with some leather and cedar-spice.
Soft tannins, salty chocolate and bay.
A contender - but confusing until unmasked as non-Coonawarra
Wine No.5
Kilikanoon Killerman's Run 2007
Cabernet, but not specified as Coonawarra (regional blend?)
The Imperial Leather has given way to washing powder: is it the waiter?
Cedar oak on the nose and tobacco leaf (more Marlboro that cigarbox)
Flavours of cranberry, blueberry and sloeberry
A touch of cocoa but grainy texture reminds of powder not chocolate block.
Wine No.6
Reschke Empyrean Coonawarra Cabernet 2002
Straight away this is stand out: a powerhouse of a nose - pow!
The aromas of well made Bloody Mary and Gazpacho pack a real punch and
keep you smiling.
Tomato & Worcester sauce flavours are smooth & attractive with hints of chocolate.
Good acidity, countering the richness of the wine, means this would be great with food.
Lovely wine - wine of the night so far?
Wine No.7
The Musician (Majella) Coonawarra Cab 2009
Afterwards we learn this a critically acclaimed wine, hailed by the Wine Advocate - I thought it was odd! Each to their own I say
It certainly has a lot going on, that's for sure;
Lavender, violets and creamy coconut (oak) on the nose.
Very herbal - coriander also on the nose combining with the coconut.
This is starting to smell like a Thai curry!
There's green pepper and creamy oak on the palate with some spicy bay and black pepper.
The finish is chocolatey, with a hint of violets.
*An odd one for sure
Wine No.8
Parker Terra Rossa First Growth, Coonawarra - Bordeaux Blend 1998
This does taste Bordeaux-like - Oak, smoke and tomato from the aging.
Dark chocolate flavours mingle with the mellow fruit.
Best of the 3
Wine No.9
Tapanappa Wrattonbully Cab Shiraz 2004
We discover after that this is made by Brian Croser, top winemaker. However, in 2 blind tastings i've done, I have not enjoyed his wines...oops
Port-like on the nose and palate - a little sweet.
Raisins and currants,violets, cloves and thyme with a touch of chocolate
Lighter in body than most tonight with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Wine No.10
Majella Coonawarra Cab 2008
Green pepper and white pepper on the nose
Juicy fruit shows well balanced acidity and tannin
A much more rounded experience than the other Majella wine here tonight (No.7)
*Best out of the 3
Wine No.11
Leconfield Coonawarra Cab 2008
Overriding aromas of stewed coffee and alcohol with very concentrated jammy fruit on the palate.
Maybe one to watch to see if it can bear fruit?
Distinctly un-Coonawarra
Jacob's Creek Reserve
Coonawarra Cab 2009
I had my money on this not being from Coonawarra. And not being a Cab!
Almost Rhone-like with black pepper and a beef twang.
Interesting acidity and red apple fruit.
On re-tasting, the red apple fruit was a little more like raw potato.
What is this?
Wine No.13
D'Arenberg Coppermine Rd McLaren Vale Cab 2001
Lovely menthol and cherry spice on the nose, continuing on the palate with almond and chocolate.
Delicious acidity and subtle integrated oakThis is still going strong!
Ah...This could be wine of the night!
Wine No.14
Stony Corner Newton Forrest, Gimblett Gravels NZ 2007
(A last minute purchase!)
After the Coppermine, the competition has been dynamited!
This just tastes too concentrated, too high in alcohol and strangely like Mackerel.
It has been blown out of the water!
So, to conclude, a great exercise. The overall winners were:
3rd -Parker Terra Rossa First Growth 1998
2nd - Reschke Empyrean Coonawarra Cabernet 2002
1st - Coppermine Rd McLaren Vale Cab 2001
See Robert's report here via You Tube
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
So Nahm Good
I fast forward 4 frenetic days, ignoring momentarily tuk tuk racing, dancing lady-boys and ping pong shows to tell you about something even more exciting: Nahm restaurant in Bangkok's Metropolitan Hotel. The surroundings are tranquil and the hotel impeccable. A retreat from the assault-on-the-senses that is Bangkok. Any other hotel restaurant in this setting would deliver either staid, pedestrian tourist food or high-calibre French-inspired cuisine with a desperate Monty Python-esque waiter about to commit suicide over the presence of a dirty fork. Here the decor is tasteful, maybe a little plain, but when the food arrives you know why. Like walking down Bangkok's notorious main drag, the senses are so whipped back and forth (this time by the layers of heightened flavour compounds) that the room's lack of excitement is necessary to calm the soul.
The meal itself does not start perfectly when the wine waiter brings us a tepid bottle of Grosset Watervale Riesling. On complaining about the warmth of the wine, the waiter enquires as to whether we want it warmer! Er, no thanks. However, at this temperature the wine shows it's strength, and there is not an ounce of residual sugar spoiling the crisp, appley, lemongrass and lime flavours on the palate and the touch of petrol and rubber on the nose. After a gentle chill in the ice bucket the wine is just right. Grosset is one of the shining lights of the Australian wine making industry and this is bench-mark Clare Valley Riesling.
An amuse bouche arrives, with compliments of the chef. This is often the time when you should get your coat and leave the restaurant because the amuse normally leaves one not amused. At Nahm this is just the beginning of a mouth-tingling food-trip that you find hard to come down from. A little triangle of pineapple with a caramelised onion and black pepper sauce (i'm guessing here) slaps you to attention and the lesson begins. David Thompson is the master, the teacher - you have to sit back, stop chewing gum and take some notes.
The wine, although great, can barely compete with the multitude of flavours in Thompson's food. Each course or even mouthful requires a different wine to compliment it! Next is a selection of appetisers: pomelo and grilled prawns with toasted coconut, peanuts, palm sugar sauce and betel leaves; southern grilled mussels; blue swimmer crab, peanuts and pickled garlic on rice cakes; smoky chiang mai chilli relish with pork scratchings and quail egg.
This is like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory without the chocolate. There could be chocolate! Heaven knows! Flavours explode, bounce around, fall away, pop back again. This is elevating stuff.
You can normally tell when a restaurant is amazing - the only conversation you hear is about the food. You can't even think about anything else. let alone talk about anything else.
Next comes the main course(s) and boy, is there a lot of food..... You get to choose 1 or 2 dishes from different sections of the menu;
Our salad choice is lemongrass salad of prawns, crispy squid and pork with toasted coconut and it is so fresh and invigorating.
We have 2 soups; clear soup of roast duck with Thai basil and young coconut & hot and sour soup of chicken with straw mushrooms, lemongrass, chilli and lime. Both are refreshing and vibrant and made with a lightness of touch.
A real stand-out is from the relish menu (not sure exactly what that means); yellow beans and crab meat dressed with ginger, kaffir lime and shallots served with crispy fish cakes. 3 plates arrive, 1 containing the crab meat, 1 with crispy fish skin and another with lettuce, coriander and cucumber. You assemble the ingredients, piling high the crab on top of the lettuce then topping off with the crispy skin. So good.
In addition we get to choose a curry (red curry of red claw crayfish with ginger, peanuts and holy basil) and 2 stir-frys (stir-fried bean curd with prawns and pork & spicy stir-fried frog with chillies, turmeric, holy basil and cumin leaves).
By now you could have sensory overload, but the movement back and forth between dishes means that you can take a breather from the flavour intensity by trying something else. I really do like frog's legs so it's great to see that they're a Thai delicacy too. The red curry leaves all the namby-pamby coconut-creamy imitations behind; it is so intense and concentrated, but still has that fresh, light touch.
Almost forgot... the dessert! What chef can take crispy onion and apply it to a dish with a soft crumble textured cake, milk and fruit and give you something entirely new in concept but entirely comforting in flavour?
We also have fruit dipped in spicy sugar which has the same effect as popping candy - great fun.
I was going to report back on all the other great dishes we had on Saturday & Sunday in Bangkok in much less refined places but there seems no point now! This is the pinnacle. If you've ever dined at Marcus Wareing's restaurant in London you'll know all about what a chef can do with flavour. Thompson has done this here and deserves the recognition he's got, not only through his Michelin star but also through the respect of the Thai-born chefs he teaches.
Nahm, Bangkok - worth the trip, as this is a journey
The meal itself does not start perfectly when the wine waiter brings us a tepid bottle of Grosset Watervale Riesling. On complaining about the warmth of the wine, the waiter enquires as to whether we want it warmer! Er, no thanks. However, at this temperature the wine shows it's strength, and there is not an ounce of residual sugar spoiling the crisp, appley, lemongrass and lime flavours on the palate and the touch of petrol and rubber on the nose. After a gentle chill in the ice bucket the wine is just right. Grosset is one of the shining lights of the Australian wine making industry and this is bench-mark Clare Valley Riesling.
An amuse bouche arrives, with compliments of the chef. This is often the time when you should get your coat and leave the restaurant because the amuse normally leaves one not amused. At Nahm this is just the beginning of a mouth-tingling food-trip that you find hard to come down from. A little triangle of pineapple with a caramelised onion and black pepper sauce (i'm guessing here) slaps you to attention and the lesson begins. David Thompson is the master, the teacher - you have to sit back, stop chewing gum and take some notes.
The wine, although great, can barely compete with the multitude of flavours in Thompson's food. Each course or even mouthful requires a different wine to compliment it! Next is a selection of appetisers: pomelo and grilled prawns with toasted coconut, peanuts, palm sugar sauce and betel leaves; southern grilled mussels; blue swimmer crab, peanuts and pickled garlic on rice cakes; smoky chiang mai chilli relish with pork scratchings and quail egg.
This is like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory without the chocolate. There could be chocolate! Heaven knows! Flavours explode, bounce around, fall away, pop back again. This is elevating stuff.
You can normally tell when a restaurant is amazing - the only conversation you hear is about the food. You can't even think about anything else. let alone talk about anything else.
Next comes the main course(s) and boy, is there a lot of food..... You get to choose 1 or 2 dishes from different sections of the menu;
Our salad choice is lemongrass salad of prawns, crispy squid and pork with toasted coconut and it is so fresh and invigorating.
We have 2 soups; clear soup of roast duck with Thai basil and young coconut & hot and sour soup of chicken with straw mushrooms, lemongrass, chilli and lime. Both are refreshing and vibrant and made with a lightness of touch.
A real stand-out is from the relish menu (not sure exactly what that means); yellow beans and crab meat dressed with ginger, kaffir lime and shallots served with crispy fish cakes. 3 plates arrive, 1 containing the crab meat, 1 with crispy fish skin and another with lettuce, coriander and cucumber. You assemble the ingredients, piling high the crab on top of the lettuce then topping off with the crispy skin. So good.
In addition we get to choose a curry (red curry of red claw crayfish with ginger, peanuts and holy basil) and 2 stir-frys (stir-fried bean curd with prawns and pork & spicy stir-fried frog with chillies, turmeric, holy basil and cumin leaves).
By now you could have sensory overload, but the movement back and forth between dishes means that you can take a breather from the flavour intensity by trying something else. I really do like frog's legs so it's great to see that they're a Thai delicacy too. The red curry leaves all the namby-pamby coconut-creamy imitations behind; it is so intense and concentrated, but still has that fresh, light touch.
Almost forgot... the dessert! What chef can take crispy onion and apply it to a dish with a soft crumble textured cake, milk and fruit and give you something entirely new in concept but entirely comforting in flavour?
We also have fruit dipped in spicy sugar which has the same effect as popping candy - great fun.
I was going to report back on all the other great dishes we had on Saturday & Sunday in Bangkok in much less refined places but there seems no point now! This is the pinnacle. If you've ever dined at Marcus Wareing's restaurant in London you'll know all about what a chef can do with flavour. Thompson has done this here and deserves the recognition he's got, not only through his Michelin star but also through the respect of the Thai-born chefs he teaches.
Nahm, Bangkok - worth the trip, as this is a journey
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Spicy Lamb Chops
I could never be a proper food blogger; I woke up this morning in a haze and couldn't remember what I'd eaten! I think this is why most food bloggers take a picture of the food. Not to add interest to their blog but as evidence. My method of recall is simple; however squiffy I feel at the end of the night I still manage to go through the bill with a fine toothcomb and then file it away neatly in my wallet. I now know what we ate last night!
Went to Ex-Pat street again and to Once Upon A Bar....again. That's cos it's GOOD. It was comforting, but equally worrying that they recognised me from last time. I suppose it's not too weird: a jobless, scruffy, size 11 footed, flip-flop wearing English bloke in the middle of the Central Business District. I did try to hide behind a twinkly tree but they still spotted me. Plus, I'm the bloke who has to drink 2 pints, looking like he's trying to work out the meaning of life whilst waiting 45 mins for his missus to turn up! This is why I need an iPhone, so I can blog away and Tweet while waiting for El Jacko to get outta work. I'll sort that next week.
Right, yeah, so we had the obligatory Chicken Tikka starter, obviously. To add to this we had the best tandoori lamb chops ever! Better than in Tayyabs in London's trendy east end! They were so tender. They were an off-menu request after I saw an Indian bloke raving about them on another table. It turned out that he was the owner of the Indian food kitchen at the back of the bar. He went on to give me his business card. His name was Surender Singh; like a call to arms for the karaoke generation. I will definitely surrender to his spicy lamb chops at one of his other branches around town. And that is not a euphemism.
To the main course: Butter Chicken - plump chicken breast in a rich, creamy, lightly spiced sauce and Nali Gosht - soft, deep-flavoured lamb in a thick, fragrant sauce; all mopped up with light, smoky nan breads and onion rice. Delicious stuff.
Of course we'll be back: love it.
Went to Ex-Pat street again and to Once Upon A Bar....again. That's cos it's GOOD. It was comforting, but equally worrying that they recognised me from last time. I suppose it's not too weird: a jobless, scruffy, size 11 footed, flip-flop wearing English bloke in the middle of the Central Business District. I did try to hide behind a twinkly tree but they still spotted me. Plus, I'm the bloke who has to drink 2 pints, looking like he's trying to work out the meaning of life whilst waiting 45 mins for his missus to turn up! This is why I need an iPhone, so I can blog away and Tweet while waiting for El Jacko to get outta work. I'll sort that next week.
Right, yeah, so we had the obligatory Chicken Tikka starter, obviously. To add to this we had the best tandoori lamb chops ever! Better than in Tayyabs in London's trendy east end! They were so tender. They were an off-menu request after I saw an Indian bloke raving about them on another table. It turned out that he was the owner of the Indian food kitchen at the back of the bar. He went on to give me his business card. His name was Surender Singh; like a call to arms for the karaoke generation. I will definitely surrender to his spicy lamb chops at one of his other branches around town. And that is not a euphemism.
To the main course: Butter Chicken - plump chicken breast in a rich, creamy, lightly spiced sauce and Nali Gosht - soft, deep-flavoured lamb in a thick, fragrant sauce; all mopped up with light, smoky nan breads and onion rice. Delicious stuff.
Of course we'll be back: love it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)