Meatology and Veramonte Wines - mostly good!

August 26th 2016

Phoo…

Belly buster of a week on the food trail. Two Western style wine dinners in TTDI and two Chinese blow outs in the wilds of the KL environs. Thank the Lords for Waze. Well, most of the time - bugger still likes to take us on the wild goose hunt rather than the direct routes we know. Though most of the time it does seem to know best.

First up was Meatology Restaurant, which involved pairing fine meat with wines by Chilean producer Veramonte and introduced by visiting Brand Manager Sarah Hajjaji. Lenglui and I had actually visited this vineyard en route to catching a ship in Valparaiso out of Santiago in 2009. We figured we needed some booze for the boat and insisted the driver stop at a vineyard - Veramonte was the first sign we saw and there we supped and bought. The vineyard was like a vast ranchero with modern renovations to delight the tourists. But no cows. I remember the top end wines being stunners (Cabernet 2005 and 2006) and we bought what we could. We also managed to get the non drinkers to carry a couple extra for us and circumvent the apparent quota of two bottles per person for bringing on board - they most graciously agreed. Nice people.

We rarely see such good stuff make its way to these shores, a point I reminded Sarah of a number of times through the evening. Not sure if she got the message, but I live in hope. The most we see are the introduction Reserva varietals and the "Primus" which is an occasionally velvet and rich blend of the Veramonte varietals (Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Carmenere). But those Cabernets at the vineyard are seared into the memory - belting wines they were.

We arrived a bit late and found ourselves getting seated away from the main room where a predominantly young crowd were getting boisterous and noisily boozed. This turned out to be a blessing - we were able to sip and eat and enjoy some conversation with both ourselves and Cynthia and Sally from Cave and Cellar, organisers of the evening. 

The restaurant has been up and running for about a year, with apparently an upstairs area to cater to larger groups. Previously going by the name of "Boathouse" (for eleven years according to one source), the name changed following the launch of a book written by Chef and Operator Yenni Law. 

Foodwise, the dishes were pleasant enough. The zesty Mussel and Clam shot perked up the mouth whilst the Balsamic Bacon salted the whole. This all made for a lot of work for the Sauvignon Blanc to clean up which it efficiently did. The duck felt a bit flabby - bit like a day old chip of Tau Foo in texture and not much taste. As said, the SB was efficient in its cleansing and made for a good quaffer. I think it was 2014, so certainly peaking in friskiness terms. Worth to hunt down in the supermarkets for quick drinking. 

My Seafood Bisque felt a bit cold, though perhaps this was my fault for arriving late (horrendous traffic on a Friday night and parking was madness). Tasty enough, though nothing that at this time of writing that stands out as memorable.

In contrast, the Escargot with Blue Cheese was a sparky salty creamy delight - all goo and chew and springle zaps in the cheeks. The snail texture was firm enough and the whole ensemble sang nicely. Would come back for this one.

Quite why it got paired with the Merlot was a bit strange. Okay, the cheesy aspect would match the gentle acid of the wine, but the fruit and tannin seemed well at odds with this kind of food. The Merlot itself was a pleasant mouthful of fruit and cool finishing, but ultimately pretty non descript. Pleasant but a bit thin and bland for my taste. I like my Merlot full and fleshy and ripe - a floozy rather than the fair and chaste maiden this Veramonte seemed to be offering. In this context, it did not overpower the dish. But by the same token it did not do much to enhance the thing. This Merlot might be a useful pizza party wine to glug and chug and clink with friends. But not one I would serve at the table for the more demanding palate. 

I had the Ribeye whilst Lenglui and Texas had the Pork. I had a quick taste of the Pork which was a bit fiery on the tongue. Actually make that a LOT fiery on the tongue. Lovely fierce chili tang and bite and the pork was nicely done. Not my style of dish, but one that clearly would appeal hugely to the Malaysian palate. My ribeye was done nicely and tasted good, though a shade too much salt and seasoning for my taste. But still good and again one I would come back for. 

But the star was the Panna Cotta, an absolute delight of light creamy melt in the mouth loveliness that food dreams are made of. It was perfect combo of sweet creamy lightness with a hint of herb and a sugar crunch that fused together in a pure moment of wonder. Star star star. Loved it. My diabetes went ballistic but screw it. 

The Primus was indeed a blend in the standard Bordeaux style but the result was somewhat thin and lacking the whack one might expect from something that bills itself as "The Blend". The notes talked about "deep, dark opaque garnet. Exotic spice, toast and hints of tobacco and mint. Ripe red and dark berry fruit with spicy notes. Round mid palate with elegant yet powerful tannins." Didn't get it. Mine was firm, reasonably full in body though not so much that it would win any bodybuilding contests. Fruitwise, more plum than berry, yes to mint and low spice, and the mid was fair. Not a large finish, though after the third refill it seemed to gain more of a whack in the chest as it went down (must say the pourings were most generous on the night). It went reasonably well enough with the steak but naturally died with the tangy pork. Might have been stellar with the lamb. I have had Primus previously with Pork Rib at Checkers (2007, 8 or 9 - I forget) and it was vaguely reminiscent - pleasant mouth, not a big finish. Nice wine, but perhaps Meatology's big tasting beef overpowered it a bit. 

Had a quick chat with Chef to share my thoughts. She seemed to take them on board, but ultimately who am I to argue with a veteran meat chef and book writer? She knows her meat and the best ways to cook the sucker. And getting all the food out reasonably hot to forty plus punters is always an achievement. Still, all these places are in competition with each other and need to maintain an edge to get the customer's gig. 

Would I go back? On balance, yes. I would like to to see what Chef can do when there is not a large crowd to cater to all at the same time. Regret to say that I don't see in in the near future. It is a trek and a slog to get there and find a parking spot, though perhaps earlier in the week might prove a better choice. And there is always Uber, which Texas took on the night to get there way ahead of us (though he happily accepted a ride back). We shall see. Steak of choice remains Chambers at present (see previous write up). Not sure what the Meatology corkage policy is - give them a bell beforehand to check. 

Meatology Restaurant

16 Lorong Rahim Kajai 14

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

03 7727 4426

Cave & Cellar 

47, Jalan PJU 1a/16, 

Ara Damansara, 

47301 Petaling Jaya, 

Selangor, Malaysia

MENU

Pre Dinner Canapes

Mussel and clam meat picante

Bacon Roll and Balsamic Glaze

Smoked Duck en Croute

Veramonte Riserva Sauvignon Blanc

Dinner 1st Course

Seafood Bisque laced with Brandy

Veramonte Riserva Sauvignon Blanc

Dinner 2nd Course

Creamy Escargot with Blue Cheese Spinach Cream

Veramonte Riserva Merlot

Mains

Pan Grilled Grass Fed Australian Ribeye with Shallot in Red Wine Jus

or

Grilled Lamb Loin with Tomato Raita

or

Baked Fiery Pork Ribs with a Spicy Tang Coat

Veramonte Primus Blend 2010

Dessert

Panna Cotta with Organic Palm Sugar served with Rosemary perfumed Cream Cheese and Macaroon

Chateau Musar wines at Denise@TTDI - okay...

Chateau Musar Wines Tasting Event at Denise Wine House@TTDI April 20th, 2016

Chateau Musar Reds

This was a joint collaboration between the IWFS and Dionysus Asia, the purpose of which was to offer IWFS members an opportunity to explore and experience wines from a rarely explored wine region. May had been approached by the wine distributor and a deal worked out whereby they would supply the wines for tasting but IWFS would pay for their food. At RM65 it was a steal and the twenty spots got quickly snapped up by the members.

Chateau Musar grapes come from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Jancis Robinson's Wine Course notes this valley is located "on an inland plateau as high as England's highest highest mountains" which allows the winery to produce "some very exciting bordeaux-like red wines…inspired by a visit to the Bartons of St-Julien." 

Kit, Ania and I left a bit early in anticipation of heavy traffic getting into TTDI. It did get a bit slow past the Jalan Damansara toll but eased out after the first TTDI traffic lights. Actually took about 30 minutes. 

IWFS KL Members thoughtfully chugg... er, sipping on the Musar white wine

The Denise Wine House was well appointed in a shophouse on one of the main drags in TTDI. On approach it looked like a parking nightmare, though this would dissipate on turning the bend and straight into a perfect spot for later exit. Inside, there were rails and shelves of bottles that were quite esoteric in origin and a shade stiff in price, though presumably that is the premium for their esoteric nature - the unusual always demands a margin. Walkign through to the back led to a small dark candlelit room in which barrels and tables were located and chairs on which to sit, drink and eat. Mostly polished wood, it was cosy and cool. There was a small wine cellar in airconditioned glass to the side and a TV with a laptop against the wall for presentations. Most pleasant, especially when the lights got turned on and we could all see each other.

Originallly it was planned that Sales Director, South East Asia and West Pacific Sales Director Mr. Ralph Hochar would be on hand to talk about the wines. As it panned out, he would prove unable to attend due to a family emergency. We hoped that all would be well soon and passed our best via Dionysys' Desmond.

The halal charcuterie - was very tasty!

Some of the dishes contained pork and non-pork food options were made available to members unable to partake. Those of us on such tables made a temporary reseat onto one where the cured meat was available. It was quite good - Spanish and Italian salami I have seen in the Supermarkets. Went well with the light red 2009 Hochar. 

The food was allegedly with a Lebanese twist, which seemingly proved to be Pine Nuts in various concoctions on each. There was enough of it, but outside of the wonderful Balsamic Salad dressing and Iberico Pork Chop the food was pretty forgettable. Especially the pasta which ended up as a lump of cold noodle mess on the plate. Vanessa collected everyone's to feed the street dogs around where she lives. Hope they enjoy it more than I did. 

But the food did provide a useful foil against which to taste the wines, and certainly did allow different characters to show through. All were pleasant and eminently drinkable, though a shade on the thin side for personal preference. I do like a bit of crisp in my white and heft in my reds and not enough seemed on display in these Lebanese offerings. Nice, but not that nice. 

Two of the reds - which to choose?

 On the night, people seemed to prefer the 2000 Red. We also got a 1999 Red to contrast and which was claimed by the Wine man to be one to cellar for another 30 years. Well, and maybe - for me, it felt like it was peaking though I am no expert as to whether this style of wine can be laid down for the next generations. I have had some Spanish and Portuguese aged wines and found I was not really able to appreciate them. Though in fairness, the 1999 had some similar textural qualities so maybe the Wine Man had a point. Teh Governor said he would not be buying - his policy is now Buy To Drink. Though he continues to confess a weakness for bidding on Christie's Wine Lists. 

Pitt Lee, May and Kalsom

The evening wound down with offers by The Wine Man of 15% discount on purchases. some people bought, though as said I didn't think it was "that" nice enough. David decided it was time to open a bottle of South African fizz for all of us to try and by the time we had scarfed that and swept up the reds we were all feeling quite nicely oiled. I called time and got us all home safely, notwithstanding a long detour necessitated by unexpected road works on the Jalan Damansara. One day these road works will end. Yeah, right…

Prakash and YC

Was a good noisy evening of food and drink and well worth the drive there and back. The Denise is a pleasant place to suck on a bottle and chew some salami with friends, though perhaps a shade more functional than the somewhat easier atmosphere and chairs that can be found at Ceggo Boardroom in Taman Danau Desa. Bebe's food there has the edge as well with her Rosemary and Truffle oil Pork Shoulder. But the wine girls at Denise were very pleasant and generous - worth seeking out if you're in the mood for a snacky rather than a full on main course style dinner. 

Denise Wine House @TTDI, 

60 Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, 

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel 03 7727 7033

THE FOOD

Lebanese Salad with CHATEAU MUSAR JEUNE WHITE 2013

Gazpacho with CHATEAU MUSAR JEUNE ROSE 2013

Charcuterie with CHATEAU MUSAR HOCHAR PERE ET FILS 2009 and CHATEAU MUSAR RED 2007

Pasta with Lebanese Twist with CHATEAU MUSAR RED 2000

Iberico Pork Chop with CHATEAU MUSAR RED 1999

THE WINES

CHÂTEAU MUSAR JEUNE WHITE 2013

Varietal: Viognier 35%, Vermentino 35% ,Chardonnay 30% 

Appearance: Pale lemon in colour. 

Aromas: Fruity and herby aromas – of apricots, white peaches, pears, honeysuckle and elderflower. 

Flavours: Fragrant and vibrant, aromatic wine with a hint of nuttiness on the rich, yextured palate with gentle acidity and a peachy finish.

CHATEAU MUSAR JEUNE ROSE 2013

Varietal : Cinsault 100% 

Appearance: A light salmon, pink colour. 

Aromas: Peaches, pears and white stone fruits with a hint of mandarins and rosewater on the finish. 

Flavours: Fruits of quince, apples and Seville orange marmalade, nice balanced with soft well integrated tannins and good acidity with a cranberry juiciness on the finish.

CHATEAU MUSAR HOCHAR PERE ET FILS 2009

Varietal: Cinsault 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%, Carignan 15%, Grenache 20% 

Appearance: Deep dark ruby colour. 

Aromas: Rich dark berries – black fruits, plums and dark chocolate. 

Flavours: Intense and vibrant, enriched with ripe forest fruits, plums, black cherries, prunes with layers of dark chocolate following through. Beautiful balanced, complex with a good tannin structure.

CHÂTEAU MUSAR RED 2007

Varietal :Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan 

2007 was a good year for the Cinsault which displayed red berry and concentrated cherry fruits, reminiscent of Amarone. As the Cabernet Sauvignon rested in vats, it showed intense coffee bean aromas and ripe fruit, typical pf a warmer vintage.

CHÂTEAU MUSAR RED 2000

Varietal :Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan 

Appearance: Deep dark red. 

Aromas: Complex, intriguing mixture of figs, prunes, leather, dark tea, tobacco, black olives with spices and a certain earthiness. 

Flavours: Ripe black cherries, figs, damsons – even chocolate and olives. Good acidity with nice smooth tannins resulting in a wine which is full-bodied, rich and velvety, with very long length.

Topshelf and Villa Maria Wine - not bad!

Topshelf in TTDI

August 17, 2015

Started writing this one about two months after the dinner - seemed to be no time before or since a Douro River cruise. Also been a lot of dinners and drinking all this month of October, though mostly house parties and, though they have been magnificent food and wine adventures, they do not really seem to be the stuff of blogging. But it takes a toll. Waking up after a grim night's sleep does not put one in a particularly creative writing mood. There is a definite need for some serious drying out and a respite from the booze. Though at this time that does not look at all in prospect. Very large weekend and week ahead. It does catch up and there is a need to plan and be disciplined on the nights off. The sleep I get on these is beautiful. 

Got this Wine Dinner through the Doc Wine and it all looked good. We have been to Asia Euro's Villa Maria wine dinners on a number of previous occasions.  Leonardo's in Bangsar springs to mind circa 2011 cos we bought the Cellar Reserve Pinot for Lenglui's big birthday that year. There was also one at Senja in or around 2013 cos they gave out a free Credit Card USB drive and business card holder which are still lurking around the apartment somewhere.

Interior of Topshelf

This one was to be at a newish restaurant receiving good reviews from the foodie community. Topshelf is located on the far side of Taman Tun, where presumably the rents are reasonable and the parking is easy.  Their Facebook page bills it as "Casual French dining located in the heart of Taman Tun… serving up classic French dishes like Coq au Vin, Beef Bourguignon with neighbourhood friendly prices. They say their wine list is modest, with select boutique labels alongside offerings from the big boys to cater for all tastes and wallet sizes. 

We have been to one other place in this area, and which nearly made the blog but for some reason got left in the Pending folder and has not been able to tickle the brain sufficiently to return and finish it. Maybe one day.

The Bar

The traffic was quite easy getting there at rush hour, though I had to pull a barge-in from the wrong lane to everyone's consternation and honking. We followed the Waze instruction and got there bang on 7pm. Found a space just up from the place and in we marched. Initially, it looked a bit dark, with a total window frontage letting in natural light giving that glare feeling. But it soon mellowed as night fell into a cosy modern cafe/bistro feel. But it was darn noisy - all hard walls and glass and low ceiling which made for the place having the acoustics of a steel box - voices bouncing and echoing off the walls and windows and get naturally amplified and reamplified. Would be great for our accapella group Six2Eight but it was deafening for civilised conversation - I could barely hear what anyone was saying across the table.

Chef Christopher came out to welcome everyone and introduce Simon from Villa Maria who gave some brief background on the winery and the wines. Only note I made was he said that 2014 was a hot year which meant less acidity and more fruit driven wines resulted. Okay. The night would tell.

Wine Doc with Villa Maria Rep Simon

We had been sipping the 2014 Sauvignon Blanc which was also to be paired with the Amuse Bouche Lobster Ravioli. Billed as a wine of "vibrancy" and "freshness" it was proving a pleasant quaffer with a clean acidic grip and spritzy finish. Though the general consensus was that it was not worth the special RM128 asking price. This would be the common refrain for all the wines on the night - nice, but not THAT nice. (indeed, we got it on special for RM90 a month later which felt a bit more realistic. Can't say where from). 

One of our table thought the Lobster Ravioli looked a bit deconstructed, though for me it looked more like a dumpling you might find at the Dragon Eye. A shade on the cold side, there was a nice hit of mint on the firm bite through the lobster meat. Also got radish, carrot, and apple tastes and textures. I would have killed for a cracker for some texture (where was the bread?) to give some undercut to this.  The Bouillabaise was a bit on the thin side, though maybe this was no bad thing - anything firmer would have emasculated the Ravioli - and it gave the Lobster just enough season for taste. It also gave the wine lots of soft fruity layers  - Dragonfruit and Passionfruit - along with a thyme herby hit. Very pleasant together, these two. 

Lobster Ravioli

Not much in the way of top up so far, and the Chard got poured quite quickly. Strange wine, this one. Billed as "food friendly" I got a sashimi fresh fish like hit, almost sake. It drank very nicely - this one was indeeed vibrant, with orange peel, little bit of oil somewhere, and in great balance. Also got apricot, raspy acid and some sour pear. AND got citrus and spice from some oak. Nice to drink but definitely needed food (WHERE WAS THE BREAD??) although exactly what kind of food it could best be matched with would be a tough one - there was so much going on in the thing. Maybe best left as a barbie wine, parked in the ice bucket and quaffed with friends and fried prawns. That would work. 

Out came the mushrooms, which had great texture and a good vegetal hit from the basil and rocket which fought a little with the pesto zip. For me the parmesan cheese let the whole thing down - all these soft textures needed some carbo or crunch to underpin and bring them together (WHERE WAS THE #$@$$$ BREAD??)  - today's parmesan was soft. There seemed to be a lot of acetic bite in this dish - splashes of balsamic maybe - which helped kill off any thought or real possibility of matching between food and wine. Both food and wine were good in their own ways, but a veritable fail in matching terms. 

Shrooms and Pistou

After some hounding of the kitchen by one of our group, the bread arrived sometime before Dish 2 plates were about to be cleared. The butter arrived about three minutes after, by which time most of the bread had vanished in a soaking of the remaining second course goo on the plate. In fairness, it was very very tasty sourdough style bread, with excellent crust and miele, as the French call it - that soft doughy bit in the middle. But it would have been total gangbusters had it been ready in time for the aperitif and 1st course sauce. Presume the kitchen had a hard time getting 1st and 2nd courses ready and someone forgot the bread. But as said it was darn tasty when it came. There you go - sometimes is best to just shut up and eat your food as and when it comes. 

I had opted for the Beef cheek and it was excellent. Great texture, just the right amount of season for enough beef taste in the meat without overpowering. With a full but even jus, the blend of both was outstanding. The mash was creamy and did a wonderful job of softening the jus just enough to take the slight salt tang away. The total combination was excellent, and made the more so with some toasted garlic buttered bread which gave it a sweet oily zippy kind of zap on the tongue to liven up the potato and meat mush in the mouth. The whole made for a creamy beefy coating of oily butter and fat in the mouth which perkily nipped the cheeks on its way through. All was totally well with the world.

The wonderful Braised Angus Cheek

The Cellar Selection Shiraz with which it was being paired came across as well made, with light bramble and dark fruit nose, good balance and medium weight, easy grip on the tannin side and a clean blackcurrant finish. Easy and pleasant to drink, later on in the glass the nose gave off some surprising notes of spring herbs and hedgerows - like somehow the wine had taken you into a field and the springtime breeze was bringing nature's scents directly to you. Kind of made you feel young - always nice when this happens. And even more so when the winemaker is generous with the pourings! Managed to get them to part with a bit more of the reds than the whites for some reason. So it goes.

Baked Seabass

I had a glass of the Pinot which felt jammy at first but gave way to some frisky cheek pinching dark fruit with reasonable grip and some chestnut on the finish. Darkly sweet yet sweetly lean, for some reason it put me in mind of Bella from the Twilight series - broody, beautiful, mysterious, lot of depth. Not entirely sure that the Seabass made much of an Edward Cullen to counterpoint for her - perhaps some fatty duck or goose would have been better suited as a partner into which she could get her teeth. 

Dessert came and went with my usual lack of ceremony and notes and got totally vacuumed off the plate. This Mille Feuille was excellent - fruits, sauces and pistachio ice cream made for a brilliant finish. I have no note on the Gewurtz, but memory serves that it was a bit thin to really stand up to the dessert. Nice wine, but you really need to be a fan to want to buy. We don't eat so much Asian food either at home or outside to warrant the purchase and storage. SB and Chards do us for our Chinese and Western destinations, though the chilled Gewurtz would be belter with anything spicy. 

The excellent Mille Feuille Framboise

Possibly because it was a Monday evening, everyone seemed to call it an early night. Also, the wine seemed to have stopped pouring and I think we all felt we'd had enough. As said, it went well enough with the food, but didn't do the business for late night chugging when no one seemed to be in the mood. Perhaps we had had enough of the echo chamber in which we were sitting and needed the quiet of the car ride home. 

All in all, at RM198++ a person, this was a very good deal and though part of me thinks perhaps they could have been a shade more generous in the pourings on the night it didn't matter. The wines paired magnificently with the most excellent food but did not really merit much drinking on their own. 

"Smile please." "What? Sorry I can't hear. Say that again?"

We will go back to Topshelf on a less noisy night. The food easily merits another try without a stressed kitchen and we understand it is quite a wine friendly place. I don't think anyone bought any of the Villa Maria on the night - at RM128 for the SB, Gewurtz and Chard, it felt a bit stiff for purchase. Same with the Shiraz and Pinot at RM158 and RM188 - not quite the right side of price friendly, especially with the Ringgit falling as it was. Doc Wine says there is far better which can be got at similar price and where the quality is off the map. He does know his wines and New Zealand is naturally his speciality - he has turned us on to some lovely and occasionally spectacular booze. Total disciple of the vine. Got to respect that.

Cheers!

Topshelf French Restaurant

61, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13, TTDI

03-7727 7277

http://topshelf.com.my/

Menu

Amuse Bouche - Lobster Ravioli

Minted Pea Puree, Lobster Vinaigrette & Bouillabaise Sauce

Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Appetizer - Shrooms & Pistou

Grilled Mushrooms, Homemade Petsto, Greens & Parmesan

Cellar Selection Chardonnay 2014

Main Course - Baked Caught Wild Seabass

Roasted Vegetables, rosti Potatoes & Tomato Jus

Reserve Pinot Noir 2012

OR

Braised Angus Cheek

Braised Angus Beef Cheek in Red Wine, Charred Endive, Potato Puree

Cellar Selection Syrah 2013

Dessert - Mille Feuille Framboise

Raspberries, Vanilla & Pistachio Cream

Private Bin Gewurtztraminer 2013