Food Adventures January to July 2017 - January

Table Setting for 50th Anniversary

Prior to the two month sojourn around Wales, France and Sicily across August through to mid October, I had been a bit taken up with a project that took me away from the food and wine writing (and the songwriting and recording) but I then got a bit of a breather to try and reflect over where the Lengui and I had eaten over the previous couple of months (well, seven actually). So I figured rather than try to document them individually, better to just load them all into a single narrative and see how it looked. So this is a full-ish listing of where, when, and with whom we ate and drank over this period. Some are barely one liners, others have a bit more detail. Whatever, it made for a more than usually long read so it got broken down into months for ease of, er, digestion. Not sure if it will prove useful, but when taken in total it does represent quite a litany of gluttony. Phoooooooo....

Jan 2nd Marco Polo friend's 50th Anniversary
Start the New Year as we mean to go on with good food and friends at the Marco Polo. Lots of boozing, singing and dancing. I was emcee. Apparently. Seem to remember kicking things off, then someone else taking charge. Which is fine - never get in the way of someone who wants to do your work. Fish was the standout, kitchen seemed a bit stretched. 

Old friends from the Philharmonic Society

Jan 8th Pik Wah with Tai Chi and a Roast Pig

The Pik Wah Restaurant is the default for the Tai Chi group to which Lenglui belongs and they decided to haul a Roast Pig to be carved up for the group. Located opposite the Methodist Church just up from Petaling Street in KL, we have been coming here for years and has always been good food. Can't remember the menu on this night, but the standards would have been here - the pork ribs, the prawns and the Soon Hock fish are always very good. The Karaoke singing not always so…  Roast Pigs and boozy nights with this group are always fun. No corkage on wines, but best to bring glasses. Solid food.

Pik Wah Fish. Not Soon Hock but well tasty

Jan 19th Uovo with Birthday Group

We had been here a few times previously thanks to Hustler who seems always to be well ahead of food curves here in KL. The owner also operates From Farm To Plate just up the road. Uovo is more uptown in its degustation serving, but the meat is exceptionally good - iberico ribs and wagyu beef. Service is excellent, no corkage on wines, good glassware. Not cheap but not unreasonable given what you get.

The Birthday Group Gang

Two January Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to Youse!!

Uovo Interior

Tasty soup and toasty bread

Food good or not? GOOD!

Scallop

Can't remember...

Iberico ribs - yum

Possibly the Crabmeat

Delicious and delightful angel pasta

Unbelievable - he brought some wine!!

Jan 22nd Uovo for my birthday

As above but with way more booze and food. And my portable Karaoke. And lots of sparkling wine. And cakes. Raucous. 

Cakes and Balloons

Happy...

Birthday...

To You!!!

Soleil with UK Foodies - excellent seafood, bloody cold room!

Feb 2nd 2017
Found this whilst drafting a series of food stories for the first seven months of 2017 which will be sequentially appearing soon. Felt like quite a decent write so figured to post it as a separate read. 

Short Version

Jayze, this was cold. The aircon was like an ice machine blaster and we were told there was no way to turn it down. Our original table in the private room was chilly for everyone who came dressed in short sleeve shirts. We got moved nearer to the open mall. It was still fucking cold. Damn near got frostbite, totally chilled to the total bone. The Soleil sun had no heat on this evening. And we did not need aircon in the bedroom to sleep that night. Brrrr. 

We had the chef's table degustation. which was omakase so no advance idea what it would be (but the maitre'd kindly went backstage and typed up the menu for me). Fantastic food. Full of taste and vim. Chef does his fish fantastically well. The little adds of herb and flower and season to immeasurably fresh ingredients made for a memorable evening. Some blips with the lamb and lobster ravioli for me. Wines were Cullen SB/Semillon 2010 which we brought and a 2007 Bordeaux Tour du Pin or something from the Soleil winelist.

Bill came out to about RM400 each when I had memories of Lenglui seeing the thing being under RM300. I didn't see the bill, though I suspect it was upped by the bottled water and coffee and teas ordered which did not appear on the menu - my experience is when this is so then it is not part of the deal and usually get charged for. Not a whinge, just an observation. The Shang used to pull this one, so when we see bottled water then I assume we pay. Also got no corkage on the Cullen as advised by Maitre' D which earned him a tip. Have to check the price of the du Pin. That could've whacked the bill into overdrive.

Overall a most pleasant experience mealwise and one I would heartily recommend to lovers of seafood. Chef really is a star with the fruits du mer. Just got to get them to turn down the fricking aircon. Or off. It really was bastard freezing. Gave me nosebleed. 

Long Version

Bloody cold. Aircon is a jet stream on my skull. Next time must bring a hat and a parka. Was not just the first table - the one we changed to was just as bad (well, it was for me - the others only started to notice later on in the evening). Good thing I wore a long sleeve shirt. Think I brought a jacket too. 

Very simple table setting. Who needs cloths?

The Amuse was a seared tuna in coucous doused with pepper, lemon (perhaps Yuzu cos it was a bit sharper than normal) and pesto. Good salt and blend of textures on this one - citrus and pesto made for a creamy zap with the fish. The menu says mint - I have no note. Went gangubsters with a 2010 Cullen SB/Semillon we got on sale from AsiaEuro that we had decided to crack.

The Amuse Bouche

Don't seem to have notes on the Beef Tongue, but memory says it was very good. It is a bit unusual to find beef tongue on a menu in this part of the world. My childhood memories of it were pretty yuck - my mother would buy it from the Central Market in Cardiff and it came home as a big round slice of greasy salted and odd rich tasting meat. I think I probably couldn't get past the idea of eating a cow tongue no matter how it had been prepared. However, needs must have musted when the belly yelled and in it would go between two bits of bread and butter for onward transmission down the hatch. This evening's offering was a far more delicate and tasty slice of blended fat and meat which went wonderfully well with the chilled green zap of the cold, crisp and amazing Lettuce granita. The tomatoes were wonderfully sweet little bites. The Cullen did pretty good service to this dish too - quite versatile, this wine.

Dish Two was the Irish Oyster and what a brilliantly fresh little chap it was. Straight out of the shell and onto the plate and combining the brined Tomato and avocado foam to give a taste of the seaside but without the gaack you get when swallowing a mouthful of seawater. The duck liver gave salt and fire whilst an undercurrent of leek gave a sweet crunchy bite. This was a superb little charmer, a totally refreshing and salty seabreeze tang and surf swoosh through the cheeks and throat. The remaining goo got slopped up with the Soleil signature bread and butter. Wonderful little dish. 

The Dish Three Grilled Fremantle Octopus was a crunchy little tentacle, with good salt on the sauce and good pepper on the beetroot puree. Got a nice hint of wood presumably from the fire on which the thing had gotten charred which got pleasantly underscored by the Tsatziki. Tasty enough dish, though a dab of olive oil would have done much. What is Botarga? According to Martha Stewart, it is the roe of gray mullet or tuna that has been salted, pressed, and air-dried and is a specialty of southern Italy. Which would explain the salt. 

Grilled Fremantle Octopus

By this time, the Cullen was giving off crispy apple with nicely chewy texture and taste. It was excellent with the Amuse, though perhaps due to the citric seawater hit it became a shade metallic with the Oyster. It would regain its mineral clarity with the Octopus, complementing its woody taste and texture like sunblock on a sweaty chest. The fact that we were still on the first bottle said much for the speed in which the dishes were emerging from the kitchen and getting consumed. 

Dish Four was the Pan Seared Scallop with Tagliatele in Cod Roe Butter and was top class. The Scallop was almost still snapping in its freshness, the Tagliatelle gave enough support for texture whilst the bisquey butter sauce was all salt cream cheeks and crisp fire and zip on the tongue. Belter of a dish, though perhaps a hint of capsicum in the sauce. Next time I will call for more bread and butter to soak up the jus - instant heaven. 

Pan Seared Scallop

It was at this time I started noticing the presentations on the plates. The thought and care going into them was clear. Different plate shapes and colours and sizes, arrangement of the elements, all coming out at the same time - commendable. Kitchen and table were working well together and the staff seemed more at ease with our six rather than the fifteen they had to cope with on a previous occasion with the IWFS in January. Made for a nicely relaxed evening. 

Next up was the Lobster Ravioli with Lobster Consomme, which initially felt a bit snuzz compared to the previous dishes presented.  For me, all crustaceans seem to taste better when less is done to them, and the mincing of the lobster seemed to take out all the juiciness we normally associate with it. Which was what seemed to have happened here - the meat had become strands of fibre which had lost their real ethos. Couple this with the dollop being covered with a thin skein of pasta and it was in grave danger of missing the point. It was like the Chinese big Sui Gau dumplings but without fire in the filling. However, it started to grow in the mouth and eventually was to linger for quite a while. The delicacy of the thing in combo with the very tasty and not overpowering bisque made for a long finish - not something I normally associate with food. It was…  fine. This was a fine dining dish. Had there been tablecloths on the tables, it would have been total fine dining. There you go. Have to see if they have any good value table runners at the IKEA to bring for the next time. 

Lobster Ravioli. Took some time to understand this one...

Dish Six was Grilled Scottish Salmon with Charred Vegetable and Sea Urchin Butter. Lovely sear on the salty salmon skin and there felt a hint of blue cheese in the butter which kind of initially shocked the senses but made for a brilliant combo. Some garlic shreds made for nice bite and crunch. My note says "Bit strange, but nice strange." 

The nicely strange Salmon

We had picked a 2007 Tour du Pin Bordeaux from the very fairly priced restaurant wine list in an effort to ask nicely for waiving the corkage on the Cullen (which worked). This was a velvet smooth mouth, cassis and deep plum feel and with good body through to a medium finish. It was bought ahead of the incoming lamb and had to be sipped with the fish given the inability of the Cullen to stretch for five people across six dishes. No biblical miracles happening with the wine tonight. The lamb would turn out to be a bit disappointing, but more from a textural standpoint rather than any intrinsic fault in the dish - it felt like a mouth shock coming as it did after some magnificent seafood and notwithstanding the delightfully sweet and sour calamansi sorbet. The Duck Leg popiah was a bit strange as well - rather than the delightfully thin things the Chinese Restaurants offer, this one was more like a tortilla stuffed with shredded roast duck. Probably would have gone better with a bottle of beer rather than the fine Bordeaux we were chugging. 

Lamb. Why?

Could have actually done without the lamb dish and gone straight to dessert. Which would turn out to be an amazing little bit of theatre with all the kitchen patisserie staff coming out to create the thing on a board, each adding their little bits of jelee or maccaron or other tidbit to the thing. Total art on the board which we would then mush up into our little tasty bites and crunches. I refrained, preferring to finish the booze before this total sugar overdose. I think I enjoyed the theatre more than the result, but I recognise that these cream and meringue and fruit and wafer style desserts are not my preference. Tasty enough, but total sugar and fruit sauces and syrupy sweets and citrus sours and stuff. Everyone else loved it. 

Planet of Soleil. Would soon become Jackson Pollock of Soleil

So can chalk up another success to the Soleil though at RM400 a pop some might feel a shade hard done by. Well, and maybe, but in comparison to what other establishments seem to be wanting to charge recently Soleil leans toward the middle. Add the facts of incredibly fresh produce, playful and tongue delighting preparations, charming presentation and very good service, then a better sense of worth and value kick in. It was most enjoyable. The smaller grouping perhaps had an influence - the Old Soleil always scored with its intimacy and personal attention. Just have to find a way to control the aircon. Way too cold. Will bring an electric fire next time. Or demand to sit in the kitchen. Cheers!

Menu

Amuse Bouche - Grilled Tuna  with Couscous and Basil Mint Sauce

1st Dish

Beef Tongue Maccarello with homemade Pickles, Heirloom tomatoes and Lettuce Granita

2nd Dish

Irish Oyster and Duck Liver Snow, Brined Tomato Jelly, Avocado Foam, Cucumber Broth

3rd dish

Grilled Fremantle Octopus, Beetroot Tsatziki, Herbs Salad and Botarga

4th Dish

Pan Seared Scallop, Tagliatele, Cod Roe Butter

5th Dish

Lobster Ravioli with Lobster Consomme

6th Dish

Grilled Scottish Salmon Charred Vegetable and Sea Urchin Butter

Sorbet - Calamansi and Apple

7th Dish

Roasted Lamb Rump, Charred Vegetables and Fried Duck Leg Popiah

8th Dish

Dessert - Planet of Soleil

Petits Fours

IWFS at SupperClub@TREC - excellent!

16th October 2017 - What a great evening. Fantastically prepared French cuisine and matched with some excellent wines from the Lyonnaise. Excellent value too. This was also one where the cuisine improved from the initial food tasting at the restaurant. Well worth a visit. 

Specially prepared menu for IWFS - class!

This one came about as a result of Michelle from AsiaEuro Wines saying that the Asian Principal for M. Chapoutier Wines Edouard Payot would be in town to share some knowledge and would IWFS KL be interested in an exclusive get together? The wines would be carefully selected by Edouard to ensure that the food/wine pairing would be superb. Committee deliberated and when the magic words "AsiaEuro and M Chapoutier are generously subsidising the cost of the 6 high-end wines from M.Chapoutier for this event" were shared the deal was sealed. 

Michelle had also suggested the restaurant for the event - a Modern European outlet called the SupperClub KL @ TREC. This had been hailed as KL's Latest Entertainment and F&B Hangout which is located next to RSGC Golf Course along Jalan Tun Razak. TREC apparently stands for Taste • Relish • Experience • Celebrate and a visit there reveals that there are indeed many outlets at TREC to do all four. One of our friends insists on calling it SHREK and we don't have the heart to persuade her differently. 

The SupperClub KL is an upscale French Gastrobar and restaurant operated by experienced restaurateur Sebastian Haegal, who also operated the Flam's outlet on Jalan Telawi in Bangsar. The blurb has it as an "urban chic space features a large bar, dining lounge, a boudoir and outdoor terrace. Later in the night, it transforms into a swanky nightclub."  IWFS Committee went for a food tasting at the SupperClub and brought some tasty wines to chug and sip (corkage for which got generlously waived) to confirm the quality and were suitably impressed. Chef is Romaine Fabre, a Frenchman hailing from the prestigious Culinary Institute Paul Bocuse in Lyon. Romaine had worked in various Michelin star establishments in France and Switzerand, before coming to Malaysia and landing a gig at a French eaterie in Ipoh a couple of years back. All systems were go. 

Lenglui with, er, lengluis

Was a bit of a struggle to get there - Tun Razak at 7pm can be a bear with traffic trying to turn from Bukit Bintang. So either way you get backlogged. Once on the particular stretch, though, stay on the inside and look for the sign. Parking is good and plentiful, though much of the nearer spaces are taken up with reserved signs and fierce admonitions of threatened clamping if you park there before 9pm. 

On first entry, it is kind of New York night club dark and atmospheric and neon blue, but the dining area is sufficiently well lit to see the food and company. Low level music made for ease of conversation, as did islands of bar tables and stools which doubled for both drinks and dining. But the neon blue light on the porcelain in the washrooms was a bit too trippy for me. And I have never quite got comfortable with young smiling men in dimly lit bathrooms turning on taps and handing out towels. Time for some wine. 

This was the Belleruche CdR Blanc, and a very friendly and fruity blend of various grapes that produced a light and crisp sip that went down most easily. Perfect for aperitif and icebreaking and catching up with everyone. It seemed to be getting everyone well in the mood to enjoy the night. Always a good sign. Due to the traffic, we got there a bit late so I missed the bruschetta and canape things. Never mind, less is sometimes a good thing. We had had them at the food tasting.

Canapes

Got sat and President David did the traditional thanks to all involved in the organisation of the dinner. This one was pretty much all May Peng, though the Money had taken over the bookings side during my absence. He introduced Michelle from AsiaEuro and invited Edouard to say a few things about the wines and then it was heads down and here we go.

The second wine was the Crozes Hermitage “Les Meysonniers” white which, in contrast to the first, was more full bodied and a bit chewy in the mouth. Probably the Marsanne grape which I always find a bit over medium in body and somewhat oily. Though this expression showed more suppleness and a leaner body than previously experienced. 

It was being paired with the Oyster dish, and the oyster with coconut was a revelation, the sweet flakes sending the oyster into a grainy chewy type experience. The caviar gave an extra hit of salt whils the cucumber lent soft crunch. A very good ensemble. I have no note on the pairing.

Oyster and Coconut - brilliant

The third wine was the Hermitage Chante Alouette Blanc, 2013 and everyone went raving nuts over it. I was struggling to see why, but figured what the heck and ended up buying two bottles anyway. Lenglui liked it so what to do? Got a nose of almonds, rich chewy mouth, honey, chestnuts, cinnamon syrup feel. 

The egg dish was excellent. The soup was light and delicate, with a lot clean tasting fresh things going on. The touch of spinach elevated the cauliflower soup to something beyond its central taste. But it was the bread that really knocked the sucker out of the park. Crunch, carbo, salt and gluten. Triple yum. 

The fusion of cream, vegetable, egg and truffle resulted in a texturally pleasing goo which cut the wine magnificently. It took some of the tang and oil off and released almond and persimmon notes. Okay, maybe there was something in the wine I missed.

Cauliflower Soup with Poached Egg - magnificent

Around this time, I noted the literal translation of the third wine was "singing chicken" and recalled the French round song "Alouette, gentil alouette" I learnt in the Infants School (or Kindergarten as we would now know it). When sharing this with the Money, she flatly refused to believe there was such a song, even in the face of confirmation by her Lengjai, and went straight to President David insisting on a performance by me. Which seemed to hit a few memory spots of the older members who equally recalled singing it in younger days. Edouard refused to join the song, claiming he would prefer to dance naked on tables rather than sing. Handsome man that he is, I guess some of the ladies present might have enjoyed that. Maybe some of the men too...

The fourth wine was the Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonnier Rouge 2014 which gave off a bramble and forest berries nose and, for me, an initial odd salt and chemical taste blended with young cherries. May have been a bit of bottle stink or age. Either that or I was getting drunk. Probably somewhere between the two. The wine got better down the glass and bottle; medium body, a bit tight and lean, though in good balance, with fragrance and fire though a hint of blowsy. Or maybe I was just getting more drunk. Seem to recall someone saying they couldn't decide whether it was more Rhone-ish or Lyonaisse. I couldn't tell - the chemical hit had suggested Fukushima more than anything. And these things sometimes need context and get sipped against other expressions of the region. I would happily give a view at another time with other bottles on the table. On someone elses tab. Naturally. 

We got hit with an extra complimentary dish by the chef who served up his Risotto. There were only four spoonfuls per plate but it was full on magical - a chicken stock, salt and cheesy whack of rice and gunk in the belly that hits as only solid Risotto can. Outstanding dish. 

I had opted for the Beef Rossini which was very good. Top end tender beef perfectly seared and full of taste, rich Foie Gras, Robuchon buttery mash, wickedly excellent beefy jus, with the mushroom and truffle giving that spot on hint of earth. A total blast of texture and taste heaven and oh so good in the mouth and belly. What stopped all of this being excellent was the fact that mine and others on the table had clearly and unfortunately spent a bit too long waiting to get served and as a result came out a bit cold. Had it been served on hot plates to keep the food warm, it would have been contending for dish of the year and darned excellent. There we go - kitchen is stressed trying to chuck out the food. Dessert would also prove slow, though no one seemed to complain too much about it. Especially when the wines were still getting poured. 

Beef Rossini - if hot, would have been excellent

Wine number 5 was the big boy Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine 2014 and naturally went belter with the beef. Initially a lot of pepper and (for some reason) chili on the back of the throat and tongue sides and a bit lighter in texture than expected. When sipped with the jus, the peppered fruit got sweetened and gave off a rich and chewy dark spice plum feel. It also got younger with the food, more lively and zip zap in the finish. Lovely combo. The CdP is drinking nicely and has probably got a couple of years for the sweetness to mellow into something less sugar. Though I do prefer my CdP with a bit more fullness in the body. Anything less than medium in a CdP feels wimpy, non?

The Muscat was tasty in a crispy, sugary, grapey kind of way, though would probably have done better as an aperitif rather than a dessert - not enough whack or texture for this late in the evening. Still, didn't stop me from pinching the bottle and refilling the table glasses. Myself included. Of course. When the dessert finally came, it was a tasty low sugar match with loads of zingy strawberry fruit and biscuit crunch. The sugar in the wine got cut nicely by the zippy bite of the fruit and the cream came in to soften and bring balance to all. In restrospect, the wine was extraneous - coffee would have been perfect. 

Dessert - delightful

The service at SupperClub was very good, better than many alleged high end operations in the city Folded napkins on returns to the seat, wines poured well and in correct glasses, all plates at the table came out together (most of the time, a couple of odd blips in the middle), unobtrusive removals. Felt very well trained and professional. Kudos. Hope they can keep the staff. 

As I write this nearly two weeks after the event, I am still wondering how a young French boy can do a Risotto that can stand with the best of them. Massive taste but subtle touches as well, not your bog standard boil-in-a-bag and add truffle oil. Not sure how long he will stay here - enjoy him while you can. 

In sum, the entire experience was very, very good - the food was excellent, the wines were excellent, they paired nicely and thoughtfully, and the ambience, service and company were outstanding. And all for RM300 a pop. And 10% off the purchase prices of the wines which a goodly few of the assembled rightly took advantage of. And easy and secure to park. Doesn't get much better. 

SupperClub KL @ TREC 

Lot 12-14 Electric Boulevard 

Jalan Tun Razak 

Kuala Lumpur 55000

THE MENU

APERITIF

Mini Duck Bruschetta

Toast with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream

Toast with Goat Cheese Cream and Walnut

Truffle pastry puff stick

Cotes du Rhone Belleruche Blanc 2015

FIRST COURSE

Poached Oyster, Avruga Caviar, Cucumber with Coconut Milk Foam

Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonnier Blanc 2015

SECOND COURSE

Cauliflower Soup with Poached Egg, Creamy Spinach, Duck Lardon and Truffle

Hermitage Chante Alouette Blanc 2013

MAIN COURSE

Beef Rossini, Black Angus Tenderloin topped with Pan Seared Foie

Gras with Truffle Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Duxelle and

Fresh Truffle slices

Or

Chicken with Morels Cream and Mashed Potatoes

Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonnier Rouge 2014

Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine 2014

DESSERT

Strawberry Lovers : declination of strawberries in different textures , with vanilla pastry cream , pistachio and yogurt sorbet

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2014

THE WINES 

Belleruche, Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc, 2015

This wine is a blend of Grenache blanc, Rossanne, Viognier, Clairette and Bourboulenc. After cold pressing and fermentation in stainless steel vats, it is left to age for 5 months on the fine lees. This bright yellow hued wine displays an intense and expressive nose with aromas of apricot, fennel and floral scents. On the palate, it is fresh and rounded and finishes with hints of aniseed.

Crozes Hermitage “Les Meysonniers” Blanc, 2015

The Marsanne grapes are harvested by hand on maturity from vines of between 20 to 40 years old. This pale yellow wine with brilliant green lights, is fresh and supple on the palate. The first nose is on quince, peony and roasted almonds.

Hermitage Chante Alouette Blanc, 2013

Hermitage wines possess a rich historical past. They were enjoyed in the Roman times under the name “Vienne” wines and were later called “St. Christopher’s Hillside” wines. Later on, they were known as “Tournon wines”.

The “Hermitage” name first appeared in the 17th Century in memory of the Crusade knight, Henry Gaspard. After the Crusade, he lived as a hermite on a hillside where he planted the first vineyard. Alexander Dumas and Tsar Nicholas II, were amongst the early connoisseurs of this highly prestigious wine.

The Chante Allouette is made from Marsanne grapes from 3 vineyards; Le Meal, Les Murets and Chante-Allouette. The wine is aged for 10 months to 12 months, and during this period, it is frequently tasted to determine the perfect timing for bottling. This brilliant green gold wine has a complex, yet subtle nose of quince, walnut, honey, acacia, ginger and a hint of linden tree. This elegant wine is full flavoured on the mouth with a long finish with hints of almonds.

Crozes Hermitage “Les Meysonniers” Rouge, 2014

This intense purplish red wine, with a defined nose of red fruits, blackcurrant and raspberries, is made from syrah grapes hand harvested at maturity from 25 year old vines. It is round and ample in the mouth and finishes with flavours of stewed fruits and vanilla.

La Bernardine, Chateauneauf- du- Pape, 2014

This wine is made mainly from Grenache with small proportions of Syrah and Mourvedre. The grapes are carefully selected during harvesting to ensure the best bunches are used in this wine. The aging is done in concrete tanks for 12 to 15 months. This intense crimson red wine displays a complex yet subtle nose of blackcurrant and plum, followed by roasted coffee, cinnamon and cherry. On the palate, it hints of spice and fruit, with a lengthy finish.

Muscat Beaumes de Venise, 2014

Beaumes originates from an old French word “Balmes” which means caves, and Venise from the name of the province “Vennaisson”. This dessert wine is made from muscat petit grains, which are harvested over several pickings of fully ripened grapes. This golden hued wine has a powerful nose of candid fruits and flowers. It is well balanced, has great length and a good and steady aromatic persistency.

Nicolis Wine Dinner at Stoked - Nice!

Monday August 21, 2017

This ended up as a fun and light hearted evening full of noise and chatter and good food and wines. This is being written a full two months after the event, thanks to rescuing some photos of the evening from a phone purge and finding a copy of the menu with some notes thereon. The memory of the food is a bit fuzzy, but the photos speak for themselves. Well tasty food and well tasty wine!

The well tasty veggie chips and horseradish dip

Oyster Gelee - yum!

Yin-How excels at bringing in very tasty wines from a range of producers to the restaurant to pair with the food output of the kitchen. And naturally we are very happy to support! Especially with two Amarones on the table. Has to be said, though, this is not a style I tend to buy, mostly because the ones previously tasted have been sweet fruit bombs that sent my dopamine cells ecstatic and snapped the gauge off my sugar level tester. Also the prices make me squeak. I get it that the labour intensive production and holding times for maturation require a higher premium; it's just that I don't really want to pay through a duck's butt to die faster of sugar related overload. Already doing a good enough job with the wine sales that seem to be cropping up with increased regularity and the irresistible prices that some of the distributors seem to occasionally offer. There is only so much wine one can drink and store, n'est-ce pas? Yes.       Actually, no - everyone I know is a sucker for a wine bargain, myself included. Have to find more occasions to share the good stuff. 

The August adventure for Stoked brought the wines of the Nicolis family from the Veneto region of Italy to the table, and Giuseppe Nicolis, the second generation owner of the winery would be hosting the dinner. Nicolis is one of the established smaller sized producers whose wines have consistently been well received by critics, and Giuseppe would showcase the full range of his Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone wines, and would also include one from the rare single vineyard Ambrosan. 

Herbs Foccacia and Balsamic

In his promo email, Yin-How shared that the Amarone of Nicolis was one of the first wines that piqued his early interest in the grape, showing him the depth and complexity that wine was capable of. He says that "the name Amarone instantly conjures up a classically powerful, slightly off dry and unique style of red wine." He has clearly tasted the good stuff - as said, my previous Amarones had been boozy blackberry jams in consistency and taste. I was hoping for enlightenment on my road to Damascus. Well, Damansara if you live in KL...

So it was that a full house of 32 sat at 7.30pm for our canapes. We were with Mr and Mrs Texas who had quickly got stuck into the bowl of foraged flowers and vegetable chips that went belter when dipped in the horseradish dip and washed down with the welcome white. Wine Searcher says that the Sasso Bianco is a bit rojak in terms of the varietals that go into the blend, though indicatives include Trebbiano, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. The Mantellassi website also notes that this producer makes many wines including those from grapes Grenache (Garnacha), Vermentino (Rolle), Chianti Blend, Cabernet - Sangiovese, Sangiovese, Eau-de-Vie, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Searcher also says that this is one of the least expensive Maremma Toscana wines, circa RM33 as exchanged into Euro (about E6). It was a bit meh on its own but perked up nicely at the sight of food. Nice easy poolside pizza white. For the dishes, the flowers were chewy, the chips had lovely salty bite, the oyster was zippy in the spice and the bread was wafer crisp and melted on contact with the mouth. Lovely stuff. Calls for more horseradish went unanswered. 

Sweetbread and Tomato Sofrito

Don't really have much in the way of notes for the dishes and the wines, but the standouts were the tomato herb sofrito and the sirloin. The Softrito was whisper light and wonderful texture and salty sweet across the tongue and made for a good mush contrast with the sweetbread. The sirloin was beautifully cooked and full of tender meaty bite and chew though the kale on the dish felt somewhat raw and a shade earthy. My Monkfish was a touch overdone yet still tasted good, though I didn't quite get the gnocchi; dusty grey balls looking like moonrock or whale's balls and drenched in a sicky sweet soy sauce. Tastewise it made for a good pairing with the fish, but it didn't leap off the plate into the eyes or the camera. As ever, can't remember dessert. 

Winewise, the 2008 Amarone was the acclaimed star and I saw a little of the light with this one. Way less jam and far more welly than my previous samples, this one had full firm fruit, lovely tannin and structure, balanced alcohol and a decent but not overwhelming thwack in the chest. The 2010 felt a shade less powerful up against its big brother, though still did enough to merit three ticks on the menu. Sometimes you need a taste of class to understand the fuss and bluster. We ended up buying the 2013 Seccal for its overall friendliness of approach, firmness of body and texture, and ease of sip and drinking. A versatile drop that will stand with ease in the company of manly boozers or fine bibbers across a steak table. Regret to say that the Amarone is still a bit the wrong side of price friendly to the Scot in me. Just as well it was sold out - Scotsman could make the excuse "ah, that's a pity, would LOVE to have bought a couple..." Maybe next life. 

Monkfish and gnocchi. Yes.

This was my first introduction to the culinary offerings of Stoked's new master at arms in the back room. Somewhat different in approach from the previous chap whose real passion (I feel) remains the fish. This one shows more integration in what is on the plate and the scavenge, er, foraging bent in his background is clearly en vogue. Whatever, he can certainly cook a decent steak. And there is always some good thought put into what kind of offerings will go with the wines being presented, rather than the slight feeling of wine clearance one occasionally gets at some of the other pairing dinners. 

Sirloin and Laguiole Bone utensils

Nice to see a range of plates being used and the addition of Laguiole bone cutlery for the beef was most pleasant. Staff were well controlled and wine pours across the room looked fair. Though perhaps Yin-How's glass got a shade more attention given his long association with the producer. Nice to remember old wines and their makers. Some of them do indeed come to be friends. 

Sgr Guiseppe Nicolis explains his wines

Nicolis Wine Dinner at Stoked Restaurant & Bar

Menu

Foraged Flowers, Tamarind

Chips of Local Vegetables

Oyster Gelée, Spicy Herbs

Herbs Foccacia, Balsamic Leather

Mantellassi Sasso Bianco Maremma 2015 RM105

Veal Sweetbread, Tomato Herbs Sofrito

Valpolicella DOC Classico 2015

Mushroom-Glazed Cod, Gnocchi, Port Jus

“SECCAL” Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore Ripasso 2013 RM145

Dry-Aged Ribeye, Grilled Onion & Kale

Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2010 RM280 (Vinous 90 points)

Ambrosan Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2013 RM375 (Vinous 91+ points)

Mixed Berries, Yoghurt Sorbet, Filo Pastry

Coffee / Tea

Petits Fours

NB wine prices were after discount but with GST

Ben's KLCC - Butter Chicken Curry is Belter!

October 19th 2017

Been away for the last two months on a bit of an odyssey taking in Wales, France and Sicily, with lots of food and drink adventures generated along the way. As they are not really Kuala Lumpur dining, I think perhaps they require location in a separate weblog for ease of distinction. It will probably be called "Brian's Travels and Eats" following the simple yet memorable example of that of my mate Julian and his excellent blog "Julian's Eating". Will keep everyone updated as and when things get posted there. Especially on Sicily - brilliant food, excellent wines, wonderful people, and well reasonably priced. Would definitely go back there. Maybe get to see Mt Etna this time - bugger rained us out for our three days on the slopes. 

Anyhow, reason for this post is to give a shout out to Ben's in KLCC and look to kickstart the food writing after such a long layoff. Lenglui and I have been frequenting Ben's on and off for the last five years or so, mostly as a dinner spot ahead of a show at the MPO with our still missed Dr Gan (three years this Halloween).  It was and remains solid well prepared and tasty food and not priced so that your wallet squeaks too loudly. 

We found ourselves there for lunch on Deepavali first day 2017 and for some reason it all came together. I had the Butter Chicken Curry with rice and a lovely Mint Raata with cucumber and cranberries in yogurt with plain poppadum, washed down with a pint of draught beer and all speedily served by friendly professional staff. Paired with the company of the Lenglui and the view over the KLCC pond and dancing water against the internal city skyline, it all made for a surprisingly memorable lunch. I concede it might not be the first choice destination for many, but I was nicely impressed enough to want to pen this report. The quality of the ingredients, the mix of tastes, the perfection of the beer on a dry throat with curry and rice, all welded together by getting sat with a window view on a sunny day in the centre of KL. Haven't felt so good after a lunch in the city for a long time. Most pleasant indeed. I did not photo the food because I didn't expect to write anything about it. Strange how it goes, eh? Sometimes you got to thank someone or something for times like this. Hope to return to enjoy it again sometime soon!

The skyline view over the pond from Ben's at KLCC

NB Lenglui had the Monster Nasi Lemak which she said felt a bit ordinary - it came with a serving of battered soft shell crab which she felt didn't really add anything in taste terms. I didn't try it so maybe I shouldn't speak out of turn. I've had Steak Sandwich, Fish and Chips and Salads there on past occasions, all of which were solid. I'd easily go back for any of them. Though this Butter Chicken Curry and Beer was belter. Well worth a try.