IWFS Kuala Lumpur Hong Kong Jolly January 2019 Day Two

Lenglui outsde the Ying Jee Club

IWFS Kuala Lumpur Hong Kong Jolly January 18 - 22 2019 - A recollection of Five Days of Food and Wine in Hong Kong, and how I became a Lap Cheong mule

Day Two - Saturday January 19th 

Everyone raved about the breakfast here at Hotel Jen, basically I think because it was a Malaysian menu - nasi lemak, curry laksa, roti canai and other homespun delights from the, er, homeland. I can't normally face the Malaysian cuisine first thing after a skinful - well, after anything really; too much oil and spice - so I opted for the Western style. Very salty and overprocessed bacon but the scrambled egg and beans were excellent with a round of bread and butter. I did try some roti but it was too hard and chewy and got quickly expectorated back on to the plate. The Coffee was that creamy style powdery tasting gunk from a machine - bit grim for me. I tried the black with some hot milk that also failed - the milk had curdled into a thick glob of alien looking life-form that tumbled into the cup and floated there, seemingly waiting to jump up and attach itself to my face. Yuck. I gave up and had brown tea. Had sadly forgotten to bring the reliable packets of instant Cafe 21 and spent part of the day unsuccessfully looking to find some. Bum. 

Inside the Ying Jee Club

We were basically free for the whole day and had a lunch planned with Lenglui daughter Lorraine at some place in Central called the Ying Jee Club (a two star Michelin) and would be joined on this gastro venture by the Money. Lenglui wanted to do the tram but we eventually plumped for the Underground since the station was right behind the hotel and there were elevators going down. The hotel desk advised that it would be three stops and to look for the A signage which would bring us out onto the appropriate road (De Veaux, I thought I saw, but the address said Connaught) and to look for Nike, since the restaurant was in the same building (called the Nexus). 

This was where the RoamingMan modem started to prove its worth, telling me which way to walk and naturally sending me down a wrong road just as we had passed the place. It told us to turn right but I think it thought we were on the other side of the road (the correct one, as it would turn out). We about turned, crossed the road as it told us and then it wanted to take us back to the other side of the road. I have now learned that when it does this you are pretty close to the destination. We were actually standing outside the Nike and never saw it until I saw a sign saying Nexxus Building - hiding in plain sight and we just could not see it. The Ying Jee Club is on the upper level of the Nexxus and as we were a shade early and the door was barred against the world, Lenglui naturally went shoe shopping. There was a Jason's Supermarket on the lower level to which I headed and told an incoming Lorraine where mother could be found. I think she would have been able to have guessed.

Sichuan Dumplings - massive tasty

I do enjoy roaming around supermarkets overseas. I find it fun comparing and seeing what is the same and what is different. Jason's has outlets in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and many of the brands on display were indeed similar (though perhaps a shade higher in price). Only real difference was in the fresh fruit and meat sections so nothing much different to comment on and nothing to buy. Still, always good to recce and see how. I continued my perpetual hunt for Onion sauce granules and again came up empty handed. Guess it is not made anymore. Bum. 

Char Siew - wicked sweet and spiceously fiery

Went back upstairs to find the Lenglui surprisingly unsuccessful in making a purchase and off we all trotted to the now welcoming arms of the Ying Jee Club staff. We got ushered to a table for four but quickly relocated to a table for five when The Money turned up with The Bank. Sipping some very pleasant and delicate Chinese Tea, there seemed a communal opt out against having wine with the lunch. It somehow felt more correct and better fit the sense of the occasion. Anyway, the wines were fiercely expensive and we would be drinking ourselves silly come the evening.  

Can't remember, but dam tasty

The Ying Jee Club webbie offers punters to "Enjoy a Michelin-starred Experience (of) Exquisite Cantonese Cuisine". It goes on: "Nestled in the latest food hub, Nexxus Building in Central, Michelin Two-star Ying Jee Club epitomises the highest standard of excellence in Cantonese cuisine. The name, Ying Jee Club, symbolises prosperity, success and business in Chinese. The elegant restaurant is spearheaded by Executive Chef Siu Hin Chi, who has garnered 18 Michelin stars for the past ten years, a legend within the industry."

Signature Salt Skin Chicken - ho seck hor...

"His impeccably presented dishes bring fresh spins on traditional Cantonese favourites, all dedicated to ignite the senses of discerning palate. Complementing the masterfully crafted culinary experience, is an eclectic wine list for over 300 bottles from around the world. Savour deliciously vibrant cocktails on the ground floor cocktail bar, is the best prelude for an exquisite meal. 

Duck. Darned. Good. Yes. 

"Overlooking the central business district on Connaught Road, the stylish, two-storey Ying Jee Club, is sculpted by renowned interior architect designer Steve Leung and design director Janet Choy. The graceful setting is accentuated by an emerald green backdrop, exuding a calming energy. This jewel tone is paired together with recurrent golden highlights, further creating a stunning contrast with the subtle wooden panel floor and orchestrating a wonderful ambience. Ying Jee Club seats 104 guests, with four private rooms, perfect for business meetings and intimate family gatherings."

A dessert. I think.

The Michelin Guide standard of English grammar feels occasionally a bit questionable and in need of a good proofread - feels to be something wrong with "our most comfortable places" and "Michelin Guide's Point of View". The actual verbatim review is "Rather than gimmicky promotions, the owner prefer (sic) diverting more energy and resources to the freshest ingredients and refining the chef's cooking techniques. Diners are greeted by an elegant and contemporary dining hall adorned by marble tables, velvet seats and metallic trims. The menu is traditionally Cantonese with a touch of finesse. Their signature crispy salted chicken is silky and tender without being overly oily." Which is a very accurate and brilliantly condensed description of what you get. 

Rosemary Bread Roll. Lovely bite

The reviews of the Ying Jee have not been kind to the place (HK Tatler, SCMP and Time Out) though they all focused on dinner whereas we were having dim sum. And speak as I find, this felt like an excellent Dim Sum lunch, though the menu suggests that it would not have been cheap. Menu is saying Dim Sum dishes range from HKD70 to HKD120 to which one needs to add the tea. Lorraine got the bill for everyone so we did not see it. The individual dishes I had were total yum, with special mention going to the signature Salt Skin Chicken and the sticky sweet but absolutely delicious Char Siew. There felt a whack to the dishes that somehow is missing from the standard Dim Sum you get at lunch elsewhere - it felt definitely elevated in taste terms. And I think I know a bit about Dim Sum, having consumed many lunches over the years. Can see why the Michelin stars get awarded.  Ambience was modern corporate, with a minimalist feel across the place which gave an efficient feel to the place and admirably underlined by swift and swish service from the staff. Light, bright and brisk. Can't remember what else we had, but the photos tell the story. Lenglui would sing the praises of the Ying Jee to the rest of the Jolliers for the rest of the trip, sharing photos and business card via the Whatsapp. It was excellent. Would happily go back. Though preferably on someone else's ticket. 

Ying Jee Club

Shop G05, 107 - 108, Nexxus Building

41 Connaught Road

Central, Hong Kong

Tel 2801 6882

email reservation@yingjeeclub.hk

Lunch finished and I followed the Money and the Bank to opposite the Princes Building which was where they would get their shuttle bus that would take them back up the Peak to their home in the clouds. Lenglui and daughter had gone for a quick shop and leaving me to my own devices before rejoining for a 4pm snifter at a rooftop bar in the same building. So I spent a pleasant two hours plus wandering around the Princes and nosing in and out of the stores. Spent a good amount of time in Oliver's Supermarket and its excellent range of fine foodstuffs and wines. They were not dissimilar to the things we increasingly find in Jason's and Cold Storage here in KL so I suspect similar owners and suppliers exist in the background. And joy of joys I found some packets of Onion Sauce mix! They are total magic with a tub of Sour Cream and makes for a wickedly tasty dip full of fire and vim. Used to be made by McCormicks, but now no more on the KL shelves and no know why. This dip would turn out a shade mild but still tasty and perfect with sliced celery and carrot and potato chips. Have to organise the Money to pick up some for import. 

Oliver's

Prince's Building

Tel 28107710

Mooched around the Bookazine bookstore browsing a few things and finally buying the Hong Kong Tatler with its 50 Best Hong Kong Restaurants, hoping to read up ahead of the three that had been lined up for the Jolliers. Didn't get the chance to read it. Still haven't got round to reading it. There you go. 

View from Sevva Rooftop

Sevva Entrance

As said, we had arranged a rendezvous at the rooftop bar for a swiftie and a view over the harbour and causeway to Kowloon. But I had forgotten the name and was not sure of how to get there. There was free wifi at the Prince's and I tried whatsapping the others to find the name of the place where we all would be meeting. Didn't get a response. Finally figured out that if I did a search for Prince's and Rooftop I might get a result. And I did - Sevva. One of the doormen showed me where I could get the lift and as I stepped out of one, Lenglui Lorraine and Kit stepped out of the other! 

We enjoyed a chilly but visually brilliant forty minutes on top of the world, cheek by jowl with some impressive neighbours and having the space to overlook some of the old Hong Kong buildings dwarfed by their neighbours. It was naturally expensive (wines by the glass were HKD170-200 whilst Cappuccino was HKD75) but a worthwhile splurge. The place had those vertical flamethrowers for heat, but you have to find that Goldilocks distance where you stay warm but don't get scorched. Some nice decorative touches on the inside where some punters were enjoying afternoon tea. Of course. 

Sevva

Prince's Building

25th Floor, 10 Chater Road

Central, Hong Kong

Tel 2537 1388

www.sevva.hk

Lap Cheong at the West Villa

Figuring there was still time ahead of dinner, it was determined that we would all go shopping for lap cheong, that full fat and meaty Chinese wax sausage. It had been had on good authority that some of the best lap cheong on the planet came from a restaurant in the Lee Garden building name of West Villa. Well, and okay -  our intelligence was that the traditional mecca for this delicacy is the legendary Yung Kee in Central. This is the place where one of Lenglui's friends (we call her the Duchess) and her entourage insist on visiting every time they are in the town and embark on going and buying up the entire shop's lap cheong and century eggs. And she will brook no contradiction on the point - she is a Duchess, after all. And a Duchess must insist on only the best Chinese sausage. O yes. But this West Villa also had a name whereby a different Duchess and one who really knows her food swears by West Villa. So. I sensed a taste off at some future date if we could keep from eating the things before our return home (we could). Lenglui, Lorraine and Kit pretty much bought the entire stock in the West Villa and left the place loaded with plastic bags full of pork and goose liver waxed sausage. I think there was some goose feet in there somewhere as well. The lady cutting the strings and packing the booty looked very happy. I couldn't understand a word during the entire transaction, but the others seemed able to converse well enough. I just carried the bags and said "ho seck" a few times (means "very tasty"). It usually gets a smile.

Getting the skinny on the Lap Cheong from the Restaurant Manager

West Villa Restaurant

5/F, Lee Gardens One, 33 Hysan Avenue, 

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

We also found the Wine Shop where the Money had sealed some wine deals for the Jolly. I recalled the previous evening at their gaff on The Peak the name Enoteca on some of the boxes of booze in their apartment. I saw the name advertised in the elevator that we had taken up to the West Villa and suggested we make a stop on the way back down for research purposes. And Lo and behold, here it was two floors beneath the Lap Cheong mecca and it would indeed prove a profitable though costly visit. There were some delectable lovelies on display and at fair to excellent prices. Mostly high end Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Italian with a smattering of very collectable New World. Lorraine saw a couple of screaming buys and on confirming with homebase snapped up a couple of Lynch Bages and Conseillante Pomerols. I also secured two of the discounted Conseillante 2002 along with some other nice Frenchies - three bottles of 2016 Domaine Leflaive Macon Verze and a 2013 Troplong Mondot for drinking with buddies with whom we spent a most memorable outdoor lunch at the winery in April of that same year. We also were able to get discount as a result of the Money having an account there and she gained points as a result of our purchases. Everybody wins. Perfect. 

The business card says Enoteca also have outlets in the ifc mall and also on the Kowloon side and in the New Territories. Most impressed with the wine selection and the prices and the service setup. They also apparently do tastings, though they did not seem overly committed to letting us taste some booze that others there seemed to be happily sniftering. So it goes, and perhaps no bad thing - as said, there would be a lot of booze forthcoming at the Chairman dinner. 

Enoteca

No 307-308, 3/F Lee Gardens One

33 Hysan Avenue, 

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Tel 2887 8270

The Chairman restaurant

I hung around for a while whilst Lenglui and Kit mooched around the shops. Could not find a seat at the Starbucks so I sauntered downstairs to where another small coffee outlet was located and parked awhile with the purchased booze and the Lap Cheong. We all met back up and figured it was time to take a taxi back to Central to where our dinner restaurant The Chairman was located. The taxi stand at Lee Garden One initially confused me - there were people standing both sides of the taxi stand post and I had to confirm with one couple whether they were waiting for a cab. The taxis seem pretty plentiful (it was not raining) and five minutes brought our saviour and his trusty steed to take us to dinner.

Our Jolly blurb had told us that The Chairman "has been making waves with their efforts to promote forgotten Cantonese cuisine, connecting with chefs from the Foshan area to bring new inspiration and recapture techniques and ingredients from history. Thus following the "farm to plate" approach adopted by many seeking an edge in this industry. It is also in the Hong Kong Michelin Guide for 2018 and in the Top 20 Best Restaurants as voted by Hong Kong Tatler. 

Michelin gives it a plate and two forks (which seems to mean good standard and good cooking) and says the restaurant "looks to small suppliers and local fishermen for its ingredients and much of the produce used is also organic. Showing respect for the provenance of ingredients and using them in homemade sauces and flavoursome dishes - such as steamed crab with aged Shaoxing, crispy chicken stuffed with shrimp paste and almond sweet soup - has attracted a loyal following. The restaurant is divided into four different sections and service is pleasant and reassuringly experienced."

Waiting for the Chairman to serve

We pulled up at some seedy looking backstreet dominated by what looked liked an opium den from the outside - all red and black and dim lighting. I waited in the cab pending confirmation by the Lenglui and Kit that this indeed was the place. It would indeed turn out to be so - we saw The Money coming down the stairs on some mission and we swept into the place and upstairs to where our dinner would be held. There were three tables split across two rooms and it did look quite cramped. We dumped our bags and lap cheong booty at what looked like spare table space and stood around whilst the staff under supervision of The Money started cracking the bubbles. 

Our booze for the night - none left at the end - we can get thirsty

Can't remember much about this dinner, except for the fact that we were all pretty cramped and occasionally cracking elbows in our jostling for the food. Had to occasionally fight for refills as I had somehow become seated furthest from the bottles and was occasionally on the verge of gagging and passing out from thirst due to such deprivation. I enjoyed all of the food at the time, though little memory of individual tastes remain. Again, no written notes made - would not have been possible given the lack of space on the table for a notebook - and not much in the way of food photos from me or seemingly anyone in the Jolly. All were in a very jolly mood and more keen to take photos of each other (or selfies with others) and share them on the Whatsapp. I started with a couple of songs and this time managed to get some of the Jolliers to join in - got the Governess to do a rendition of Bee Gees "To Love Somebody" and Ajmal Jolly to belt out "Stand By Me". Definite Party mood. My camera seems to be slowly dying - I put what I think are freshly charged batteries in it and it refuses to spring to life, I increasingly need to massage the batteries and thump the camera into sparking life. Though this time, the batteries seemed to be indeed dead. No amount of delicate closing the battery latch nor rescussitation seemed able to generate contact between power and device. But it still takes great coloured snaps when it is on form. Maybe just use Lenglui's iPhone. And remember to bring a charger. 

The Money, The Bank, and The Doctor

Cheers??

The Governor and Governess. And The Doctor.

Jolly Party People!!

More Jolly Party People

Hans and The Lenglui

Mossie, Dr Jag, Winston and The Money

"Got booze?" "Got..."

Doc Bachan, Suzuki, and Allie

Dato' Tony and Vanessa

Chairman Menu

Dato' Jeremy and Datin Kalsom

First Course - individually served

Smoked Baby Pigeon with Longjing Tea and Chrysanthemum

Wild Clams Stir Fried with Chili Jam and Basil

Henriot, Blanc de Blancs, champagne Magnum (Reims)

Second Course

Crispy Taro Cake with Smoked Duck

Roasted Lamb Belly, Caramelised Onion with Chinese Buns

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2012 Les Hauts de Larrivet (Pessac-Leognan)

Third Course

Soup of the Day

Fourth Course

Steamed Fresh Flowery Crab with Aged ShaoXing Wine 

Fragrant Chicken Oil and Flat Rice Noodles

Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 2015 (Beaune)

Fifth Course

Sauteed Prawns with Shrimp Roes (XO Sauce)

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2012 Les Hauts de Larrivet (Pessac-Leognan)

Sixth Course

Oxtail Stew with Port and Dried Mandarin Peel

Chateau Pontet-Canet 2008 (Pauillac)

Seventh Course

Steamed Kai Lan with Pickled Chinese Vegetables

Chateau Pontet-Canet 2008 (Pauillac)

Eighth Course

Fried Rice with Prawns Trio - Fresh Prawns, Sund-Dried Prawns and Shrimp Paste

Chateau Pontet-Canet 2008 (Pauillac)

Desserts of the Day

Duo of Osmanthus and Wolfberry Ice Cream and Sweet Almond Cream

Ajmal and Mubina

Chairman Wines

Henriot, Blanc de Blancs, champagne Magnum (Reims)

Light yellow, The nose shows immense finesse with almond and hazelnut notes blending with a very elegant touch of toast. Deliciously silky, creamy texture on the palate. A Blanc de Blancs that is lush yet elegant, expressive yet racy. 

Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 2015 (Beaune)

A rich and powerful wine with a remarkable persistence and a nose dominated by aromas of acacia, sweet spices and white flesh ripe fruits. This fleshy wine offers peach, apple, lemon, honey and spice flavours. A fine structure lends support, providing balance and driving the lingering finish of citrus and baking spices.

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2012 Les Hauts de Larrivet (Pessac-Leognan)

This is a big and juicy wine full of blackberry and dark-plum flavours. The second wine of Larrivet Haut Brion, it is fruity with dominant Merlot and round and perfumed Cabernet. 

Chateau Pontet-Canet 2008 (Pauillac)

A candidate for "wine of the vintage", Pontet- Canet's 2008 boasts an opaque purple colour as well as copious aromas of sweet blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrant fruit intertwined with lead pencil shavings, subtle barbecue smoke and a hint of forest floor. Full bodied, with fabulous richness, texture and tremendous freshness, this first growth-like effort is more developed than the uber powerful 2010. 

wine notes provided by organiser

The Chairman

18 Kau U Fong

Central
Hong Kong
Tel 852 255 2202

Don't remember much about the ride back to the hotel, except that there was one. Pretty pooped and ready for bed, we crawled straight under the covers. A good day. Hopefully would be another one tomorrow. Zzzzzzz....

Click here for Day Three of the Jolly>>>

Restoran Sun Kar Hee - okay, I guess...

September 3rd 2016

Got really angry trying to find this one (and I really abhor with a vengeance these outlandish expeditions into the unknown in search of new tastes for old dishes). Out in the middle of some Kampong jungle area named Taman Kok Lian on the east side of some dopey nowhere. Fricking madness. On the map it looked simple enough to get to - hang a right off Jalan Ipoh and just follow the roads. It would have helped if the roads were not piled up with debris and barricades from what seemed to be abandoned repairs and building - couldn't seem to get into the area. And actually getting to the area proved to be a safari through outland forgotten urban jungle in which a few houses seemed to have been planted and subsequently abandoned to despair and ruin. And dark. Eventually after trying about five different attempts to get into the area, the roads became slightly more accessible and suddenly there was a long block of shophouses and a Chinese Temple and hundreds of cars looking to park up and eat. Unbelievable. Only in Malaysia. Thankfully getting back was straight out onto the highway and five minutes to our turnoff. Now if only someone had told us the reverse to get there in the first fricking place…

Our hostess had come out to look for us and guided us to a verge on which we parked the car with a prayer it would still be there on return. This was a strange area - surrounded by jungle with blocked off roads. Felt…  not entirely safe for me. Strange vibe on the place. Perhaps I was just too freaked by the madness of getting there. The restaurant also felt strange and somewhat of an anomaly - a large corner block upstairs with enough rooms to hold a banquet or two at the same time. Slap in the middle of nowhere. Yet clearly surviving and doing reasonably well. We got ushered into an upstairs room. This one was to be with the same group I wrote about for the Oriental dinner we had last month, the one that evolved from Lenglui's Line Dance kaki and relatives and which focuses on the Chinese cuisine places. The one with the Comedian. Who was also here on the night with spouse. And who again brought no wine. But I managed to skewer the joker - more on this later. Dick.

I opted to first go to the bathroom to simmer down from a hugely frustrating drive to get here and on sitting got handed a glass of cold white which helped hugely. I guess they had been talking about me while I was out of earshot and Lenglui would have suggested a glass of booze to calm the shattered nerves. It really annoys me - wasting time getting lost in some outlandish backend of freaking beyond just because someone has said the food is the best on the planet and we all should try it. I would cheerfully strangle the SOB who planted this idea in the Chinese consciousness. Because in my experience most of the time the food is nothing to really write home about.

Which for most of the dishes would prove the case on this occasion. It was pretty standard Cantonese cuisine - braised belly pork with (very tasty) bread, garlic fried vegetables, and a couple of other dishes which I can't remember now four days after the event. There were two somewhat standout dishes - first was a seafood broth made of the scrapings from the claypot rice pots after a good cooking and mixed with hunks of crab, prawn, and various other bits of seafood. The broth came together as a hearty whack in the chest and the soaked rice made for good slurping. The second dish was the Sotong - the burnt carbon edges suggested it had been roasted over some charcoal fire but just enough to impart a wonderful char to a squid that had lost its rubber and gave way to a perfect bite. Not sure of the preparation - perhaps a soaking in some brine to soften the boy - but little more. Okay, this was possibly worth the head and heartache to get to the place.  But only just.

Anyhow, back to the Comedian. I normally get parked next to the wine because as IWFS Secretary it is assumed that I know more about wine than everyone else and can assume the opening and pouring duties. Well, and maybe. For this occasion, I had brought a Tocornal SB out of Chile and presumably the TMC supermarket and an old G D Vajra Barbera 2008 which we had bought from a visiting winemaker some years back on the recommendation of a wine sifu at the time and which we had never quite liked. It had been parked with the clearance wines in the rack and needed to get drunk. I had been pouring the Tocornal for Comedian (which had proven quite grim on the throat and as a result of which I was taking evil pleasure in pouring it for him) and had moved to the reds and neglected to pour any for him. This had put the thirst on him and he waltzed over in search of some liquid on the premise of "my friend's glass is empty" and verbalising something like "what do we have to drink now?" I turn to him saying "I don't know, which wine did you bring?" He dissembled and I pursued - twice. He mumbled something and after a short lurk at the icebucket stumbled back to his seat. Bugger couldn't answer me. See if he learns a lesson from this. I somehow doubt it - cheap chinamen don't change spots easily. The other wines were fair - a frisky SB from Cola, a somewhat earthy and harsh South African Shiraz and a drinkable Heartland Cabernet from the LTO. The G D Vajra proved quite friendly with the food and far less fierce than memory served - still good forest fruit, medium bodied, firm finish and in fair balance. A new friend on the table who seemed to be only sipping the other wines helped himself to a second and third round of the GD - guess he knows his wine. 

Not sure I would go back to this place. The Seafood broth and Charred Sotong were very good and probably worth the mental drama for a taste, the food and wine service was efficient and with decent stem glassware and ice buckets (I had forgotten to pack the glasses on this occasion) and the aircon was fiercely cooling. And now that a presumably easier way to access the place from the highway rather than the trek through the jungle is available, the drive is certainly less fraught. But I somehow think that this won't do it - the roadworks are awful and the parking on a Saturday was madness. One for the intrepid and the dedicated only. But our organiser clearly enjoyed it - she sucked down the fish head and two crab bodies, in addition to whatever else she had piled onto her plate on the first round. Fair enough - if no-one else is going to take it then got to get sucking. Especially when the total cost gets shared by everyone on the table. Beautiful when the gods smile like that, eh?

Restoran Sun Kar Hee (also Kedai Makanan Sin Kar Hee)

28 Jalan Manjoi

Taman Kok Lian

Jalan Ipoh

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel 03 6253 1240

Pontet Canet and Noble House Food - Yum!

Display for the Pontet-Canet

Mmmmnnnhhh….

That dull ache at the back of the neck and across the temples. sure signs of a good full and satisfying night. 

This is the morning after feeling following the previous evening's pairing of Noble House Cantonese cuisine with various vintages from the cellars of Chateau Pontet Canet. Organised by Ivy Lim from Vinum, the paring would showcase the vintages of 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2010 and offer a taste ot the Tesseron cognac to see if the assembled liked it enough to want to buy.

Most times, this muzziness gets in the way of being productive. Not strangely so with the writing, though one does still need a coffee kickstart to get the brian in focus and the words flowing. Hard life, eh? I should complain. Be nice to get some income from all this nonsense though. Any suggestions anyone?

Armed and ready...

There was a fairly full turnout of just under fifty for the dinner. Seems the numbers had been increased to accommodate the demand for the dinner. Indeed, at RM380 for all the food and the wines being poured, it was a very good deal. And starting with the Bruno Paillard champagne being generously poured into our flutes set a most delightful easy tone for the night. Nice biscuit on the nose, clean and firm, somewhat acidic fruit - sharply bracing but pleasantly so. Everyone got warmly greeted by Melanie Tesseron from Pontet Canet who seemed to half recognise faces from her previous visit to KL last year. I didn't - felt and looked a totally different crowd possibly due to a different organising wine distributor. Professionally warm and smooth - as said in a previous posting, Mme Tesseron is a superb ambassador for the Chateau and the wine. See my previous post for Chateau Pontet-Canet at Prime Restaurant.

On the table were goodie bags with a glass bung and drip pourer and a cute thank you note from organiser Ivy. Nice touches. They do make the effort to show we as punters are appreciated. That's how you keep a customer. 

We were seated in a private room that was large enough to take all forty diners with good space for pre dinner mingling and relaxing. Set with traditional round tables, the ambience was easy, light and with lots of space to breathe between seats and tables. Little earth tone touches on the walls and visual displays contrasted the generally light coloured tablecloths.

Lenglui, Lengjai and Melanie Tesseron of Chateau Pontet-Canet

Kicking off the evening with a Powerpoint and a friendly chat, Melanie shared the history of the vineyard and its accolades through the years. Highlight was us learning that the horses they use to till the land and carry the produce like to eat the grapes. As a result they literally put the cart before the horse so that they get picked before Dobbin can get his teeth into them. Presumably it also works the same way a carrot would before a donkey. Someone wondered whether the horses like to drink the wine as well, but that was sotto voce. 

Pan Fried Foie Gras with Teriyaki Sauce and Stuffed Scallop. And handphone.

The food followed fast. First course of pairing a scallop with seared Foie Gras and Teriyaki sauce felt a shade over the top, with neither really helping the other in terms of taste. Separately, though, they were stunning, the scallop especially - firm yet light, great bounce on the chew with the freshest of tingles on the tongue and teeth. And coated with a light crisp batter lent a delightful (I think) peanut oil crunch to the experience. Stellar. I think sometimes a restaurant will add loads of Foie Gras to a menu to give the impression of grandeur and getting bang for the buck. Often, it doesn't really add anything - they would certainly have been better as two separate dishes. 

The Bruno clared the gunky sauce very nicely which tamed his acidity to a more easygoing level and let a bit of stewed apple come through.

Lenglui, Vinum's Ivy Lim and friend YC

Somehow the wines got crossed and the first course got paired with the 2008. Whether a happy accident or a deliberate choice, it proved a better match. Soup can rarely pair with anything and had the bold and fruit driven 2003 come out with it, they would have done each other no favours. As it was, the lighter, tighter, lean and clean 2008 made for as good a bedfellow as one could reasonably hope for. Good berries, cassis and chocolate with some green pepper. Nice chewy tannins with good acidity, though the fruit felt a bit thin in balance terms. Drinking nicely now, it didn't feel as there was much left in it. It felt a bit ordinary, though it would eventually prove to give more sleekness and complexity further down the bottle. 

The Double Boiled Soup was that odd combination of salt and sugar and oil that somehow comes together in a full bodied satisfying blend. The beef had been wrapped around bunches of enoki mushroom and half mushroom and cilantro which made for a nice fresh bite. Came across as a kind of fusion Sukiyaki in Chinse broth. Interesting. And international.

Double Boiled Superior Soup with Beef and Enoki Mushroom in Japanese Paper Work

Some Bruno had miraculously escaped earlier oblivion and actually made for a pleasant match with the soup, bringing out more fruit in the fizz. 

The 2003 was big and full on. Massive fruit on the nose and mouth, big body and firm tannins, all very nicely balanced. One felt that this one had a lot longer to go. The story was that 2003 was a big sun summer so the fruit got a bit baked on the vine and concentrated the flavours. I got a slight stalky note somewhere, a hint of bitter pepper. But it was only on one taste - the rest was quaffed and sipped with the reverence one should normally accord such delightful wine. 

The Pigeon was very tasty. It had that air of game about it - that whiff and taste of age and oily wildness that pinches the cheeks and somehow makes you want to hawk and spit and swallow at the same time. This one had a dry crisp skin, with a smoky taste that suggested it had been charred over oak chips. It was also very salty, suggesting a dab of soy sauce or MSG had been rubbed into it. Darn tasty, and the 2003 went gangbusters with it, exploding the mouth with its fruit and tannin and melting the pigeon into lean cuisine. Some started with the knife and fork but ended up using fingers. Small birds need the human touch. 

Roasted Pigeon. And handphone.

The 2000 had a somewhat tight nose at first blush, though the swirl revealed lots of nasal layers and the promise of complexity. Immediate spice and tobacco and full earth.

The Lamb Cutlet was nicely warmed and peppered with excellent fat and basted with a smooth hoisin sauce, giving it a barbecued and slight charred feel as a result of being grilled. It was most tasty and excellent, borderline outstanding. Got fire, got heat, got pepper, got sweet, got juicy meat and texture - eat this and die. Ho Seck as the Chinese might say, though Dam Siok would also fit the bill.

Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Garden Green Salad

The 2000 did very well, though its sleek complexity lost the battle with the Hoisin sauce. It needed bigger fruit to stand up to it. In this, the 2003 was the better match on the day. It faced down the sauce with its bold mouth and flavours and both lamb and 2003 CPC each brought out layers of taste and suppleness in the other. Total back of the net. The 2000 felt a shade old. Not to say that there is no life left there, not at all. Just a little out of its depth given the relative youthfulness of the other wines and the power of the sauces in the food. A sipping wine rather than the food chuggers than the 2003 and to a lesser extent the 2008. 

Pan Fried Australian Beef Steak served with Garlic Fried Rice topped with Foie Gras

The Beef Steak had a sweet smoky taste to it, as though it had been basted with the same sauce. Texture wise, it was excellent, just that….  the sweet sauce rendered it to taste pretty much the same as the previous dish. Perhaps the sauce from the lamb had got stuck on the tongue and it was this that was getting in the way. Kind of like the tongue had been sugared out and everything was tasting sweet. Well, and maybe no - Noble House does ilke its sweet sauce. There really felt like a generous dab of it on the steak, which was a pity. Contraryt to perception, we westerners do like an occasional bit of variety between our dishes. 

We had a VERY good time! 

The Fried Garlic Rice with Foie Gras was revelatory. The sweet oily fat of the FG paired wonderfully with the dryish starchy rice and mellowed across the mouth in a sumptuous gunky chew and textured swallow. Nice blending of textures. So good. Perhaps a bit too much rice on the night, though I understand it is often considered good manners in a Chinese situation to not eat the rice - to do so can be seen as a signal that the preceding dishes were insufficient to satisfy. Certainly felt a bit bloated at the end of it all.

Again, the big fruit of the 2003 on the table worked well with the steak, though the 2010 was total magnificence. Full in the mouth with a frisk of pepper  and beautifully balance, it gave off spice and umami when paired with the sweet steak. The 2010 is a big sucker of a wine and clearly in need of good food to showcase it. Total, total belter. Though at SGD360 a bottle it's a bit of a whack to the wallet. Much as my head tells me to buy, my Scotsman heart winces at the thought of parting with that kind of cash for a bottle of wine. Can get a lot of outstanding Chilean and American for that kind of wedge. 

Chinese Pancake and Tesseron Cognac

The 2008 was still on the table and some was still getting poured and gratefully received. It got better down the bottle, maybe needing a bit of air to bring it out. None of the wine had been decanted, and whilst I am not a fan of either in some situations a wine can benefit from being poured. The 2000 might also have benefited, though perhaps there were not enough decanters to cater for the forty plus in attendance. Nicely elegant, this 2008. Reminiscent of a 1997 Rauzan-Segla I had years ago when I was just getting into wine - understated power, good sleek and a bit lively. 

We were winding down and the brandies made it to the table with the Chinese Pancake dessert. All of the glasses had paper labels on their stems indicating what wine was contained and the cognac glasses were no different. Very nice touches. It takes time and care to do this which are not always in large supply at wine dinners. And there didn't feel any stinge on the wine pourings. Vinum is to be commended in this. The 76 felt sweeter whilst the 53 was more fierce and fiery. Cognac is not a strength in the palate and is not something that gets drunk regularly enough to claim connoisseur. But it was a pleasant end to a most enjoyable and pleasant evening. Chef came out and got introduced and Melanie ended up getting photographed and signing empty bottles for the guests to have as a souvenir of an excellent night. Everyone was clearly happy with the evening, the wines and the food. 

Can I have your autograph please? 

In retrospect, the mains were quite Western in content and presentation, though the preparation was in Cantonese style. Indeed, the fork and knife on the table next to the chopsticks gave the lie to the idea that this was in any way true Chinese cuisine. But it was very tasty. As noted elsewhere in this blog, my Chinese food guru refuses to eat at the Noble House, saying it is too "gwailo" and sweet for his taste. Fair, but the lamb was beautiful and the steak was good. Just a bit of a shame that they tasted the same.  The vintages showed the infinite variety of style that Bordeaux is capable of producing. The 2000 was showing nicely with great elegance and balance, the 2003 has tremendous power across all levels and clearly has a long time yet in the bottle, the 2008 was somewhat lean and austere whilst the 2010 had a depth and complexity that is probably worth the price being charged for it. Vinum were also giving 10% off their Bordeaux selection in Singapore, and special prices on the Pontet Canet for the night. Still thinking about this - the 2010 has a large price tag, double that of the 2003 and 2008 though Ivy just sent me a text saying that the 2003, 2006 and 2008 have all gone. Belter though it is, it's a bit beyond the comfortable range - can buy a lot of decent and reasonable claret for the price of a single bottle. But then that's me - skinflint when it comes to spending. We'll see - still got a few days to consider. The 2010 is very nice….

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Pan Fried Foie Gras with Teriyaki Sauce and Stuffed Scallop

Bruno Paillard Brut Premiere Cuvee NV

Double Boiled Superior Soup with Beef and Enoki Mushroom in Japanese Paper Work

Ch Pontet-Canet 2003

Roasted Pigeon

Ch Pontet-Canet 2008

Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Garden Green Salad

Ch Pontet-Canet 2000

Pan Fried Australian Beef Steak served with Garlic Fried Rice topped with Foie Gras

Ch Pontet-Canet 2010

Chinese Pancake

Tesseron Cognac Lot No 76 X.O. Tradition

Tesseron Cognac Lot No 53 X.O. Perfection