Clueless at the club

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The MNSC boys are doing two dinners this week, two days apart. We almost made it three in a row, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. The Ox played host tonight, and we found ourselves back in The Grill at the Hong Kong Country Club.

After a weekend of stuffing myself in Shantou, I was more than happy to take things easy tonight and order à la carte. Soup and salad for me, then... But our host ordered a few starters for us to share.

Jambon persillé - a classic dish I am always happy to see. So nostalgic to see aspic with ham, and the fragrance of parsley just works so well with the gribiche sauce.

Country Club Caesar - interesting that they added a bunch of soft boil quail eggs here.

VGE soup - as famous as this soup is, I have actually never had it... since I never had the pleasure of dining at L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges. My only brush with it so far was a tribute from Bruno Verjus, tasted 3 years ago at Table in Paris. So... I'll have me some of this!

Cutting an opening in the puff pastry top allowed one access not only to the hot soup, but the cubes of foie gras and also the truffle. Very happy, even if this wasn't the original.

Crispy suckling pig, French artichoke purée, pickled baby onions, roast potatoes - OK... it's actually been quite some time since I last had suckling pig cooked Spanish style, so I figured I should get this one. Love the paper-thin crispy skin, and of course the tasty fat underneath. The meat itself was nice and milky.

I couldn't take in any desserts, but I was more than happy with the mignardises since the palmiers and financiers were very, very good! Oh and the chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts were no slouch, either.

But the focus, of course, was on the wines being served. And the Ox brought an interesting lineup that NONE OF US manage to figure out in a blind tasting...

1996 Salon - more lemon citrus than mature marmalade. This was much fresher, more elegant. The acidity came out strong on the second sip, which was just as expected.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - very nice and toasty nose. Good acidity on the palate together with nice maturity, and this was drinking very nicely. Not surprisingly this was the more forward of the pair.

First flight: served 1½ hours after opening without decanting.

2001 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - this was a little dusty but also had the toasty popcorn on the nose. Farmy with some sweetness later. 95 points.

2002 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - nose of leather, and clearly more rustic. 95 points.

2003 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - nice sweet red fruits on the nose. Pretty soft. 94 points.

Second Flight: served after 2½ hours in the decanter.

1994 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was the more bretty of the two. But surprisingly I preferred it. 96 points.

1995 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - nice and smoky. So classic. 95 points.

Third Flight: served after 3½ hours in the decanter.

1999 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was very oxidized and very ripe. 95 points.

2000 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was sooo beautiful, with a sweetness that included some grassy notes. Smoky and meaty, too... and then a bit floral about 20 minutes later. 99 points.

2001 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - the nose had plenty of coconut butter, with good ripe fruit but not quite jammy. A great wine with good concentration. Almost a bit of Chinese medicine and minty. 97 points.

This evening was full of surprises, and after 25 years of tasting wines together, the verdict remains the same - WE SUCK. Let's hope the boys do a helluva lot better in two days!