Brian's Eats and Travels: Torres Wine Dinner at Stoked

Mission

Mission: To respond thoughtfully and responsibly to my experiences of drinking and dining at restaurants with regard to the quality, service, preparation, presentation and overall experience received thereat. The standpoint is one who respects the crafts of the chef and sommelier and who seeks to understand their choices in the kitchen and cellar and grow in knowledge. In this, I will seek to be fair, reasoned, direct and constructive and aim to keep my ego in check on our mutual journeys through the worlds of food and wine.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Torres Wine Dinner at Stoked - good, not great...

Part of a desktop clearing exercise December 2016. More a report for posterity than a review. Some good photos of IWFS friends. Be a few more like this over the next couple of weeks.

6th April 2016

Muzzy. Bleugghh. Didn't sleep too good. It was that last fricking Muscat at the end after the Brandy, sicky sweet and full of alcohol that did it. All the booze racing through the system and keeping the heart thumping and stimulated. Bastard. No self discipline to say no to the final glass. Not many notes on the food or wine. But got some great photos which were worth the post.

We have always enjoyed the Torres we have seen in the Supermarkets, especially the Santa Esmeralda - lovely sweet and prickly juice, wonderful when ice cold on a burning sun kind of day ahead of a sit down slightly chili-fied sumptuous Chinese spread. Todays wines were new to us so would be interesting to see how they fared.

First thoughts. Brilliant presentations of the food on the plates. The food outshone the wines completely. Wonderful prawn and bread. Getting regaled upon by the staff and table to suck the head - used a spoon instead. It was huge taste. Sucky sucky yum.

Excellent pork and olive dirt salt, and the use of lightly seared Zucchini (courgettes?) as vegetal crunch was wonderful. Dessert was most pleasant and frisky fresh. Downside was that the Steak was a bit tough - Lenglui had to leave it on the plate. I regret to say that I did too - not sure why it was so tough but I did find it difficult to chew. Should have asked.

Wines were good. The Chard was full firm and tropical in the mouth and the Reds were equally characterful, but somewhat stiff in price terms even after the most generous discounts being offered. Not easy to fork out RM200 for a Chard or RM300 for a red. Sorry. Rather hold out for Yin-How's excellent sales in January and snap up the bargains. Brandy was pleasant but not enough to warrant a purchase. But we bought a case of the Albarino cos we liked it. Bit more oily and full and makes an occasional change from the usual Oyster Bay SB we drink. Great when cold - going to have it with Paella at some place called Fat Olive tonight. Texas says the place is good. We shall see...

Trio of Canapes

Torres Pazo das Bruxas Albarino 2014

Carabineros Prawn

Ice Plant, Cherry Tomato on Vine, Black Olive Soil

Torres Milmanda Chardonnay 2012

Wood Roasted Iberico Abanico

Portobello Mushroom, Lemon Garlic Zucchini, Ardoino Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Torres Perpetual 2012

Cantabrian Chuleton Steak

Kipfler Potato, Capsicum, Penja Pepper Sabayon

Torres Gran Murales 2005

Passionfruit Curd

Fresh Fig, Chocolate Soil. Vanilla Ice Cream