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Tonight one of MNSC's own got married, at what surely must be Hong Kong's wedding of the year. Two of Hong Kong's most prominent families came together with their families and friends to celebrate the wedding of Sonia and Paulo, at the Hong Kong Convention Centre with close to 2,000 guests.
The guest list read like a who's who of Hong Kong, but what was more interesting for me were the guests from the world of wine, thanks to Paulo's relationships and his position as the founder of Altaya Wines. I'm sure there were a number of them I didn't recognize, but the long list included Frédéric Engerer, Thibault Pontallier, Jean-Guillaume Prats, Bernard de Laage de Meux and Jean-Charles Cazes from Bordeaux; Laurent Ponsot, Etienne de Montille from Burgundy; Ann Colgin from Napa; and critics Jancis Robinson, James Suckling, Jeannie Cho Lee.
March 11, 2012
Meeting Ann Colgin
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I'm a big fan of Californian wines, and I've been buying direct from some of the wineries for the better part of the last decade. Colgin Cellars has long been a favorite among the Californian "cult wines", and a few years ago I was ecstatic to receive my first email informing me that, after a 3-year wait, I was finally off the waiting list and officially on the mailing list.
So you can imagine my excitement when one of my friends invited me to join her for an intimate lunch with the lovely Ann Colgin and her beaming husband Joe Wender. This power couple was in town - like many power figures in the wine world today - for my friend Pineapple's wedding tonight. But that's the subject for the next post...
We met up at Summer Palace (夏宮) since it was convenient for the guests, and a good chance for them to try a Michelin-starred restaurant in town. Of course for me the food didn't really matter… I would have eaten at a dai pai dong or a McDonald's with them. Unfortunately for the guests, our host had left the ordering up to me, so I can only hope that they weren't too disappointed with the food.
I'm a big fan of Californian wines, and I've been buying direct from some of the wineries for the better part of the last decade. Colgin Cellars has long been a favorite among the Californian "cult wines", and a few years ago I was ecstatic to receive my first email informing me that, after a 3-year wait, I was finally off the waiting list and officially on the mailing list.
So you can imagine my excitement when one of my friends invited me to join her for an intimate lunch with the lovely Ann Colgin and her beaming husband Joe Wender. This power couple was in town - like many power figures in the wine world today - for my friend Pineapple's wedding tonight. But that's the subject for the next post...
We met up at Summer Palace (夏宮) since it was convenient for the guests, and a good chance for them to try a Michelin-starred restaurant in town. Of course for me the food didn't really matter… I would have eaten at a dai pai dong or a McDonald's with them. Unfortunately for the guests, our host had left the ordering up to me, so I can only hope that they weren't too disappointed with the food.
March 10, 2012
Revisiting an old friend
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My evening started at my beloved Caprice. No, I did not have dinner there, because by the time I realized I was free for the evening, it was already Tuesday and impossible to secure a table here. I was actually meeting up with a couple of friends here for a pre-dinner drink… or two or three.
Lancelot-Royer Cuvée des Chevaliers - mineral, sweet and honey, pear, sweet grass, candy and orange rind nose. Slightly sweet, round and rich on the palate. A very lovely and elegant NV blanc de blancs.
1975 Hermann Freiherr von Schorlemer Wiltinger Sandberg Riesling Auslese - very classic, with polyurethane, white pepper and mineral notes. Not too sweet on the palate, as the aging had mellowed out the sugar attack somewhat.
2001 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - wow! What an amazing wine! The first whiff was already showing a big, toasty and mineral nose, and this was before the wine actually warmed up a little and really opened up.
My evening started at my beloved Caprice. No, I did not have dinner there, because by the time I realized I was free for the evening, it was already Tuesday and impossible to secure a table here. I was actually meeting up with a couple of friends here for a pre-dinner drink… or two or three.
March 8, 2012
The best Peking duck in Taipei
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Tonight I finally did it. I returned to Song Kitchen (宋廚菜館) after almost 8 years. The place is legendary among Peking duck lovers, which means the restaurant is always packed full of hungry diners. It is quite possibly the hardest reservation to secure in Taipei. The reservation "system" is open once a month on the first of each month, where diners can call in to reserve a table for a date in the next calendar month. So our table tonight was actually reserved on February 1st, just over a month ago... Now why does this remind me of the reservation system for El Bulli?
Chinese cabbage salad (松柏常青) - on the house. Nice and refreshing, with crunchy peanuts and a little Chinese parsley for kicks in addition to cabbage hearts.
Tonight I finally did it. I returned to Song Kitchen (宋廚菜館) after almost 8 years. The place is legendary among Peking duck lovers, which means the restaurant is always packed full of hungry diners. It is quite possibly the hardest reservation to secure in Taipei. The reservation "system" is open once a month on the first of each month, where diners can call in to reserve a table for a date in the next calendar month. So our table tonight was actually reserved on February 1st, just over a month ago... Now why does this remind me of the reservation system for El Bulli?
March 1, 2012
Paddle service
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I was invited to join the Chairman and friends for dinner on short notice, and in fact haven't seen most of the group since our dinner together last September. Venue was 久食 Robata Yaki, which is apparently pretty new. I hadn't found a place for robatayaki (炉端焼) in Taipei yet, so this was a good opportunity to scout out such a place.
We had a big group of almost 20 people, and took up the entire counter section around the grill. As one would expect, all of the freshest ingredients were displayed right in front of us. I guess someone had taken care of the ordering for us, or perhaps the chef had decided to just send us whatever he felt like… omakase (お任せ).
I was invited to join the Chairman and friends for dinner on short notice, and in fact haven't seen most of the group since our dinner together last September. Venue was 久食 Robata Yaki, which is apparently pretty new. I hadn't found a place for robatayaki (炉端焼) in Taipei yet, so this was a good opportunity to scout out such a place.
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