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It's been more than 2 years since this gang sat around a table and guzzled bottles of a beloved cult wine. I guess we were just all busy with our own stuff and no one got around to organize something. Once again I became the instigator, and this time we managed to round up enough people for a proper dinner. I was pretty happy that H-man was around and could join this dinner, and we've shared a few bottles of Sine Qua Non over the years.
I didn't want to be the one picking a restaurant this time, so after a few rounds of suggestions, we settled on
Jiangsu Club (江蘇銘悅). I was once a big fan in one of its former incarnations, but I haven't been back in almost 9 years. I was really looking forward to seeing how the food would be after all this time.
A couple of the guys seem to be regulars here, and we collectively put together a pretty big menu for this big night.
I can't resist these
seaweed peanuts (苔菜花生), especially when I'm hungry.
Chilled chicken in chilli peppercorn sauce (江南麻辣口水雞) - this is... not exactly Jiangsu cuisine... and normally I would expect this to be pretty spicy. Not the case tonight.
Sliced pork with garlic and dark soy sauce (蒜泥黑毛豬白切肉) - another dish that came from Sichuan and not Jiangsu. Much to our surprise, this packed more heat than the chicken.
Stir-fried river shrimps (清炒河蝦仁) - love this classic dish. The tiny river shrimp were so nice and tender. So tasty. Didn't really need the vinegar.
Braised prawns in sweet chilli sauce (乾燒虎蝦) - we got the big tiger prawns right after the tiny river shrimp, but the sauce here packed a lot of flavors.
Steamed cod with huadiao wine (酒釀蒸銀鱈魚) - while the fish may not be classically Jiangsu/Shanghainese, the preparation certainly was.
This came with some fermented rice lees (酒釀), and the flavors were definitely on the sweet side. I liked that the cod came in very thick cut.
Jin Hua ham scallion pancakes (金華火腿蔥油餅) - they do two types of scallion pancakes here, and this particular style had finely-diced Jinhua ham (金華火腿) together with the spring onions.
Braised lamb ribs with chilli sauce (香椒手抓羊肋排) - this looked very impressive.
Loved the spices that came along with the lamb ribs. And I loved the flavors of the lamb.
Scallion pancakes (十三香蔥油餅) - I like that they also do the thin, flat version of these. It's the style I grew up with and what my grandma used to make. These were definitely more crispy and fragrant.
Twelve flavours braised prime rib with homemade marinade （十二味扣牛肋骨) - the beef ws definitely tender, and worked well with our collection of reds.
Braised Iberico pork belly with tofu sheets (百葉結燒黑毛豬方肉) - a pot full of braised fatty pork belly is a beautiful sight.
And the pork belly came with fat that was partially melted after braising. I love the classic sweet and umami flavors, and also the knotted tofu skin.
Next came the lump of clay that contained our next dish.
H-man was given the honors of cracking the clay, and I wasn't surprised that he was a little hesitant and reserved at first. We needed to egg him on...
Hangzhou beggar's chicken (杭州富貴雞) - this isn't a dish that's widely available, so I'm glad I insisted on ordering it. It certainly looked very moist.
The meat was shredded and served with all the mushrooms and stuffing inside the chicken. Wonderful fragrance.
Braised eggplant with shredded pork (魚香茄子) - our only veg dish. They did a very good job with this, I wish I had more stomach space for it.
Fresh made fish noodles and scallop in lobster pumpkin bisque (皇湯玉帶子軟魚麵) - I'm glad Fergie insisted on ordering this dish, because the fish noodles were sooo bouncy and good. The scallop was also very bouncy and springy, while the lobster bisque had really nice flavors.
Sautéed shredded eel with rice casserole (花鱔絲砂鍋焗飯) - this was highly-recommended by our host, which made a lot of sense. Shredded freshwater eel is a beloved part of the cuisine from this region.
Unfortunately the ratio of eel to rice was wrong, and there just wasn't enough flavor here.
The main event, of course, was the lineup of the wines. Eight bottles of Sine Qua Non from Manfred and Elaine Krankl, spanning whites, pinot noir, grenach, and syrah.
Unfortunately for me, my sinus started to flare up a couple of days ago... so I went to see my friendly ENT doctor to get some steroids to help me breath - and smell - better. Turns out more than half the table are seeing the same doctor...
2004 Sine Qua Non The Rejuvenators - 56% roussanne, 24% viognier, and 20% chardonnay. The nose was very oxidized, very ripe, and in fact over-ripe. Very fragrant, though, and I could almost smell some almonds along with Chinese angelica. Definitely very hot on the palate, but also somewhat rounded. The finish was slightly bitter when the wine warmed up. There was definitely cork taint here, and it became more obvious about 45 minutes after opening.
1998 Sine Qua Non Backward and Forward - 40% chardonnay, 30% roussanne, 30% viognier. This was obviously more mature, with more oxidation leading to a nutty nose. As the wine opened up the nose got more and more fragrant, with marzipan and a little flint. Still got the acidity on the palate, which was pretty nice.
2005 Sine Qua Non Over and Out - 100% pinot noir. This was sooo nice, so fragrant and almost floral, with lovely spices and eucalyptus notes.
2009 Sine Qua Non Turn the Whole Thing Upside Down - 84% grenache, 11% syrah, 5% mourvedre. Still got the tannins on the palate but this was softer now.
2005 Sine Qua Non The Naked Truth - 90% grenache and 10% syrah. This was bigger on the palate, felt thicker and more viscous, but just felt the concentration of the wine without the tannins.
1999 Sine Qua Non The Marauder - 100% syrah. This was pretty fragrant with lots of sweet fruit. Really smooth on the palate now, although not quite silky yet.
2004 Sine Qua Non Poker Face - 96% syrah, 2.5% mourvedre, 1.5% viognier. This wine was more upfront and lively, and very enjoyable.
2008 Sine Qua Non The Duel Syrah - 93% syrah, 4% grenache, 3% viognier. Good concentration here, but this was the least enjoyable of the three syrahs.
What a fun evening! It's been a while since I saw a few people at the table tonight, and nothing brings out the laughter quicker than a few sips of delicious wine. It's been almost 9 years since this group got together to share our love of Sine Qua Non, and hopefully we can do it a little more frequently in the future.
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