Lovely dinner at Chez Rose

Brief note on a private dinner we had with The Geezer at the Chez Rose November 4th 2013.

The restaurant seems to have opened mid 2009 and is on the same premises that was once Klimt's. Taken over by the people that operate Jake's Charbroil Steaks, with Chez Rose they are looking to offer Continental European style fare. They've kept some of the Austrian style dishes for which Klimt's was legend but have added more meat and seafood to the menu. Chez Rose also naturally does a great steak, which we'd had previously at a dinner there with Wagyu beef and seafood for about twenty (which got a bit unmanageable after a while but was still very good fun). This time there would be ten of us on a long table with a specially designed menu. The Geezer has become good friends with Chez Rose and they let him know when the good food is coming in. It's always who you know, isn't it?

Brilliant oyster and salmon sashimi - totally fresh and dreamy and needing no more than a squeeze of  lemon and a fork. Dollop of wasabi on the salmon was a good blitz of radish in the nose but the fish really was exceptional. Sweet and firm, fresh out of the water. Felt like a grizzly bear in the rapids who'd just caught one going upstream. 

Stanley SB was a new one and a pleasantly crisp accompaniment. Good sharp lemon for the oyster and nice zingy acidity for the salmon. Good matches.

Brocolli soup had a dollop of cream swirled into it for a hot mouthwarming whack. The cream naturally sweetened the brocolli puree nicely to give great texture and taste.

For some reason a New Zealand grown Albarino came to the table. Didn't know they were growing it there, it came over like an unsweetened Riesling, all fruit and finish, though somewhat more full in body than the Spanish styles. Maybe one to watch.

The grilled Salmon Arrabiata was perfectly done, with fresh tomato and grilled cheese poured on top to make for sweet wholesome and hearty mouthful of food with good salt and bite. Not sure that pairing a Petit Sirah was the best choice, but it drank well enough. Not as brambly as its cousin, it still had enough bite and grip to engage. The tomato sweetened the acidity nicely enough though the mid weight fruit didn't really do the salmon any favours. Tough dish to match in fairness - salmon texture with tomato cheese needs something acidic for the fish and sweet for the tomato. The remains of the Albarino worked quite nicely. Next time should maybe try a Rose. Fits the name of the Restaurant as well!

The lamb quality was excellent and grilled to perfection. The first came out with a dollop of herb butter over the top. A comment at the time was that this felt a bit too much - the butter got in the way of the juices of the meat. The hostess quickly got the kitchen to prepare a butterless version to compare and saw the point - less can sometimes be more. 

The Oliverhill Jimmy was a reasonably big and bold standard Shiraz, though somewhat more balanced and not as aggressive as many in the market. Good forward fruit, even tannins and full finish, this is a good people friendly wine. A shade too powerful for my taste with the lamb, though the remnants of the Petit Sirah paired well. 

More wine came out - a honey mead as memory serves to pair with dessert (of which I have no memory). Interesting mouthful - dessert wine sweet but the lighter texture of a white burgundy. Would be champion with apple pie and ice cream.

In all, a very good night of food, wine and friends. The ambience is cleanly open continental with good aircon and a friendly vibe. A little bit Edelweiss - tall and bright, clear and white with marble tables and tiled floor. More party than intimate. Go there with a group and you'll have a good time. There's also a verandah for those who prefer alfresco dining. 

Chez Rose is on the same block as the equally legendary Hock Lee Supermarket. Well worth the detour and the RM1 parking fee (after 8pm) which the automatic car park charges, but you get to park in front of the Restaurant and sometimes they leave the gate open after 11pm so you might get a free. 

Chez Rose Continental Restaurant

6-5 Jalan Batai

Damansara heights

50490 KL

Tel 03 20921978

cynthia@jakes.com.my

Medley of premium seafood:

Freshly shucked pacific oysters

Smoked marinated baby octopus

Air-flown chilled salmon trout sashimi

2012 Stanley Estate Sauvignon Blanc

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Brocolli soup in espresso cuppa

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Grilled Salmon “Arrabiata” topped with spicy tomato & mushroom sauce,

gratinated with mozzarella cheese

Oliverhill Petite Sirah

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Grilled premium rack of lamb topped with mint bernaise

Oliverhill Jimmy Section Shiraz

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Pannacotta with cherry coulis

Top end Chinese Cuisine at Marco Polo Restaurant

Marco Polo Restaurant August 24th 2013

Lenglui organised this dinner for our Tai Chi group because the Marco was giving excellent discount on their Suckling Pig. Also the Marco has good karaoke systems and the group surely loves to sing. Not always well or in tune, but they do love to sing.

The Sifu had heard about dinners where each dish is accompanied by a different wine and had never experienced this. So it was that I took it upon myself to have a stab at pairing and satisfy the curiosity. Nothing elaborate, just to introduce the idea that different varietals have different tastes and that these varietals can pair better or worse with food. I knew that the group would not spring for higher priced wine so I went for the cheapest I could find. The Hardy's range suited the bill nicely, having the full range of varietels. I also figured that utilising a single Winemaker would help in avoiding confusion - keep to the varietals rather than explain labels and regions.  

We got there at Seven to give the booze a final chill and found three expectants there already. The Geezer had just come from a tasting and had brought some decent stuff which he was clearly ready to open and skull back. We managed to restrain and opened our Hardy's Sauvignon Blanc 2012 to pacify. Pleasantly and sweetly crisp with a good mouth feel and a throat sparkle that sated nicely. He decanted his Mondot 2008 in advance and promised to drink it later so as to not impair the wine pairing. Later turned out to be twenty minutes. I scored a glass later in the night - full bodied Bordeaux, bit tannic with medium fruit and good alcohol, though something in it didn't quite jive - felt like a green pepper somewhere that left a tang where there should have been silk. Maybe a bit of age will help. The Geezer clearly liked it. But then, he does have a tendency to like everything.

Others arrived and got greeted with the same SB. Very nice aperitif wine. Two bottles around twently people was not quite enough so the stragglers got Hardy's Chard 2012. Less light in body with good apples and peach and honey. Not too complex but enough zing to interest and enjoy. It was geared to go with the Deluxe Four Season Combination which was lovely - croquettes and scallop and sausage and an amazing pig cheek that set off the Chard brilliantly.

The Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Fish Lips was well received by all, with a broth to savour and fish lips that melted. Didn't really pair with the wine but then soup never does, does it?

The Hardy's 2011 Shiraz was a disappointment - fruit a bit lacking with the alcohol a bit forward in the mouth and the finish - though no one really complained about it. The tannins set off the pig skin collagen and crisp skin well enough and the pepper gave a nice kick. A bit too much leather and pencil in the mouth and a bit thin in body. A better Shiraz will be ordered next time.

The Shiraz also got paired with the Sea Cucumber and vegetable to try and combat the thick gooey sauce it normally comes in. Here, the alcohol did help in cutting the gunk, but the wine was clearly not of enough standard to compete. Those who had some Chardonnay left benefitted from their discipline - it went better.

Sauteed Water Cress and Garlic was to be paired with Chinese tea, but by this time everyone was fighting for the Karaoke. I gave some tips on how to taste wine but people seemed more interested in drinking the stuff than understanding the nuances of Sight, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Swallow. So it goes. My experience in the entertainment industry says to never get in the way of someone having a good time. 

Due to a late increase in budget, a duck was able to be ordered and very tasty it was too. The Duck at the Marco is legend and tonight didn't disappoint. Lenglui had brought a good few friends to enjoy the promotion over the past few weeks so maybe this was their way of showing appreciation. Indeed, many friends on the night had said it had been the first time they had been there in many, many years. I think the Marco is back on the map of a growing number of people. The standard of both food and service is excellent. 

Last out was the Noodles and Sliced Garoupa. I had brought some 2008 Toro Piedro 168 Cabernet that I figured needed drinking. A tannic beast a few years back, I figured five years in bottle should have tamed it. Got it from old friend Robert Tan from QL Wines as a thank you for entertaining at one of his wine dinners and it was the last of the case. I also remembered that the Geezer liked his meaty wines and figured he'd enjoy it. He did, as did I. Good full fruit and lovely balance with firm tannins and full body, it made for a silky mouth and finish and a great way to chug the end of the night. It also helped soothe the largely off key vocals of the assembled karaoke afficionadoes. You really can't be sober at karaoke sessions and it is difficult to explain the pain that off key singing invokes when your own pitch is generally perfect. The Cab helped numb the senses enough to see through the singing and reflect that getting friends together around food, wine and song is more important than any strange noises made by the pitch impaired. Finally…  booze does have a use.

Another memorable night at Prime

Kuala Lumpur October 28, 2013

Got a late email from the Doc notifying about the wine dinner.  Billed as "Appreciate the Timeless Taste of MITOLO" it would pair Mitolo wines with the Chef's best. Also got the same email from El Presidente but also saying that IWFS members would get 20% discount. So tough to say no when these people are being so boozer friendly.

The blurb from organiser Albert Wines said the Mitolo grapes are sourced from McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, and that the wines are apparently "praised by some of the world's toughest critics." Okay. Given the 20% discount for Prime food and the wine, the gig was definitely worth a punt.

Lenglui had originally declned but changed the mind when she saw the traffic snarl that would have lay ahead of her to get where she was scheduled to be. It was bad - at least an hour for it to clear. That's KL sometimes - the traffic can snarl for little to no apparent reason. Often a breakdown or a bump in the absence of heavy rain. Like this, better to hole up for an hour somewhere and let it pass.

Doc and friend Sunny were there though we shifted tables to accommodate El Presidente in a group of five. Maitre d' Elan was on hand to make sure all glasses were filled and everyone was comfortable. Difficult not to be comfortable at the Prime with their huge enveloping chairs. Really is a warm, comfortable restaurant. Lovely ambience, maybe a bit corporate but great lighting and lots of cheery browns. The modern touch is the kitchen staff all dressed in black. Gives an efficient sheen to the place. 

Palate Teaser

First on the table was a light amuse bouche style starter that was supposed to pair with something that looked cocktail like in a whiskey tumbler and which was way too sweet. Soda water with something called Aperol. Okay I guess, though not sure what it was supposed to do. In contrast, the Palate Teaser was dleightful. All the litttle bites were brilliantly tasty. Of particular note was the tomato and strawberry Gazpacho, a spoonful of sourish sweetness that had zing and verve and cheekily tickled the, er, cheeks.

The scallop was freshly firm and crunchy, and topped nicely with the Celeriac Espuma and truffle to taste. Paired with the Jester Vermentino 2012, a light Pinot Grigio style wine that nicely stayed out of the way of the food. Quite refreshing, not much in the way of fruit, but most pleasant.

Seared Sea Scallop

Next up was the Chicken Galantine with Foie Gras and Duck Confit. This looked similar to a Roulade of rolled chicken breast sandwiching a wedge of FG and DC. The chicken had that good firm succulent tenderness in the mouth, though the volume of meat meant that we couldn't really taste the Foie Gras - there was just too little of it to do anything to the meat. The strip of Duck Confit fared slightly better and lent the ensemble a salt crunch zap that got nicely sweetened by the fig chutney which, with the pickled shimeji mushroom, made for a full on sweet rubbery bite. 

Chicken Galantine with Foie Gras and Duck Confit

The matching Jester Shiraz 2011 was pleasant and balanced, with full sweet berry, medium body, quite supple and an overall easy drinker but with teeth and a slightly metallic edge. It drinks more like a slightly mean Merlot with some pepper in the aftertaste. With the food it paired well enough, with the food dousing the edge on the wine, though not really enough to elevate the pairing beyond "nice enough". Neither brought out any extra qualities in the other. 

The lamb was very sweet with great taste and texture and WAY better without the avocado which basically messed up the lamb! Didn't seem to add anything other than a neutraliser of the juices in the meat. But it did softens the texture which perhaps was the aim. Okay, but the avocado left a fruit oil sheen in the mouth which tinted everything that went in with it. Carnivores who prefer the juice of the meat would leave it to the side. Carnivore. 

Slow Cooked Sous Vide Seared Lamb Loin

In contrast, the dried Olive Tapendade was genius. it gave a textured taste of the olive to the lamb without that oily throat coat that often accompanies meat basted with olive oil. The biscuit wafer veil lent a crunch texture to bed the whole thing and fill the mouth with total pleasure.

The GAM is a sleek, supple, well made Shiraz of class and breeding. A very easy drinker. Full and firm, though it got a bit thin when drank next to the Samitar which came out quite quickly. This is a powerful beast with a kick like a filly that's just had a jab with a vet's dart. Brambles, bit of spritz on the tongue. Rich, full, layers, chocolate, berries, zapzap pinches on the tongue tip. Great balance across the tannins and high-ish alcohol with the big fierce fruit. Good grip going down. Quite masculine - vinous version of macho Aussie outbacker playing footie in the vineyard.

The beef is lovely. Great sear, clean meat, leanlean beef. The eggplant puree is cute, taking off the purine in the beef. These chefs really know their food molecules, and some of us are generally happy they don't deconstruct them too much. Sometimes Momma Nature puts molecules together in a certain way for a reason, and messing with this can get, er, messy. Not here, not with this. Nothing but grilled juicy meat that does so many wonderful things on the tongue. 

The Serpico. Absolutely one of the best single Cabs I have tasted. They dry some of the grapes amarone style and then crush. The smoothness is amazing - like a best blend of whiskies, only way smoother. Got supple, sleek, great fruit and balance and a mellowing sunset heat as it goes down. Be a devil to match with food though - it tastes too good on its own. Having it paired with the dessert seemed a bit strange at first, but tasting it made sense. Eat the dessert then drink the wine. An after dinner Cabernet - silky, chewy tannins, most pleasant coffee notes with chocolate. A thoroughbred stallion rather than some of the tannic monsters out there. Oh, so very, very nice. Belter belter belter. Drink this all night thank you very much. Must buy.

Dessert

The dessert was lighter than it looked. Great light texture, bit of a chocolate sorbet taste with lots of sweet fruit. Zippy but smooth. Far better with the coffee than the wine. 

A most excellent evening of great food matched with some really lovely quality wines. And the traditional takeaway of Prime's brilliant cookies is always a nice aftertaste to take home and enjoy the morning after. Always happy to go back to the Prime - it consistently makes for memorable evenings. 

The Mitolo Wines for the evening

PALATE TEASER

Marinated Chicken with Tapenade and Cold Ratatouille on Piota bread

Cold Smoked Salmon and Crab Roll on Russian Blini's, Creme Fraiche

Strawberry and Vine Ripe Tomato Gazpacho with Yoghurt and Olive Oil

Greek Feta Olive, Preseved Roma Tomato and Bell Pepper Drizzle with Virgin Olive Oil

Aperitif: Aperol Soda Ice

TO START

Celericac Espuma, Seared Sea Scallop, Crispy Filo Pastry, Black Shaved Truffle

JESTER VERMENTINO  2012

APPETIZER

Chicken Galantine with Foie Gras and Duck Confit, Fig Chutney

Caramel and Sea Salt Walnut Crumble, Pickled Shimeji

JESTER SHIRAZ 2011

IN BETWEEN

Slow Cooked Sous Vide Seared Lamb Loin with Sweet Amoled Paprika

Avocado Puree and Dried Olive Tapenade

Hazelnut Veil

GAM SHIRAZ 2009

MAIN

Provencal Crust BBQ Charcoal Grilled Black Angus Tenderloin

Eggplant Puree with Orange Zest and Pimento Polenta Cake

Creamy Shaved Asparagus Tzatziki Salad

Porcini Sauce

SAVITAR SHIRAZ 2009

DESSERT

Deconstructed Black Forest

Cherry Gel, Dark Chocolate Cremeux, Cocoa Nibs, Cherry Tuile, Vanilla Bavaroise, Moist Chocoklate Cake, Amarena Sornbet and Cherry Foam

SERPICO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008

Illy Coffee or Selections of Dilmah Tea

Prime Cookies