Our first dinner as members of the International Wine and Food Society was at Sage in the Gardens. Greeted with copious amounts of 1999 Champagne with some lovely prawn in batter and soy sauce, we all chit chatted and got photographed prior to sitting down for the meal. Billed as "Super Special Fine Fare at Sage" by Chef Daniel, it was mostly good. Carpaccio of Kanpachi Fish with Avruga Caviar and Kombu Shoyu made for a pleasant textured mouthful ably washed down with a 2008 Val de Sil Godello. This was a new wine to me, reminiscent of tasty white burgundy with a hint of oak.
Favourite on the table was the Pate en Croute of Duck with Foie Gras in Red Wine sauce. Came across as a duck siew pau but with pastry that melted and filling that exploded on the tongue. Paired with a nicely structured and slightly lean 2004 Aloxe Corton from Bouchard Pere et Fils this was a stunner.
We opted for the Wagyu Beef Tenderloin paired with a Chateau Fombrauge 2003. The beef felt a bit too aged, missing the heat and bounce that Wagyu often has and a little below the par we'd previously had at Sage. Was a good pairing with the St Emilion, full of berries and velvet. Friends on the table said the Steamed Garoupa was okay. Only okay.
Dessert was Mixed Berries and Ice Cream with Black Truffle Sabayon and paired with a most pleasant Tokaji presumably from Hungary. Lovely texture and balance to the tokaji, not so sickly sweet as some of the dessert wines we usually come across from Canada and Australia. The addition of the truffle to the ice cream was a surprise and one most of the table couldn't quite get to grips with. The pungent truffle fought with the cream and citrus berries, producing a conflict on the tongue which the tokaji didn't quite resolve.
Chef's Table at the Sage
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