Pin It
Last weekend I went up to Shanghai since it was a long weekend in HK. There were two primary reasons for the trip: the Chateau Lynch-Bages dinner organized by the Commanderie du Bordeaux, and house hunting. What was surprising about my trip was that, of the 4 meals I had in Shanghai, both dinners were French! But what a pleasant surprise!
The venue for the Lynch-Bages dinner was Allure at the Royal Meridien. The pre-dinner tasting consisted of the lower-end wines made by the Cazes family, such as Villa Bel-Air in Graves and L'Ostal Cazes in Minervois. Interesting to taste but not exactly the reason why we were there.
The wines served for dinner were the 2005 Blanc de Lynch-Bages (always an excellent dry white), the 2004 Cordeillan-Bages (glad to have finally drunk this wine), the 2003 Ormes de Pez (not a bad effort), and finally the 2001 and the 1996 Lynch-Bages. The 2001 was still a bit tight, but the 1996 was just beautiful to drink now and is a classic Pauillac.
But the highlight of the evening was actually the food. I was very impressed with the menu. The oxtail and goose liver tart was excellent. The sauteed cod was very yummy, especially with the little slices of bone marrow on top. And the lamb shank was very, very nice.
On Saturday, my friend Kevin invited me to a dinner at La Platane in Xintiandi, run by Justin Quek (formerly of Les Amis and Au Jardin in Singapore). The food is therefore unsurprisingly excellent.
We took it a bit easy in terms of wine, sharing two bottles between 5 of us. The first is a house Australian syrah made for the restaurant. Incredibly, it tasted so much like a Cote-Rotie I would never have guessed it was Aussie! The wine was drinking beautifully and I am sure that it would not have cost an arm and a leg.
The second bottle of the night was the 1999 Sine Qua Non The Marauder, which was part of the case that I shared with Kevin. The wine had obviously softened quite a bit since I last drank it a few years ago, but it still packed a wallop of minerals (to me the nose is still full of iron and hence reminds me of blood...)
We shared a few delicious appetizers but the main event was the cote de boeuf, a big hunk of beef that was just done perfectly. It was charred at the edges and tender and juicy inside. Wow! Makes me want to go back for more.
I'm definitely going to pay these restaurants more visits in the future when I'm up there...
October 28, 2007
October 6, 2007
Drinking a very special wine with dad
Pin It
I flew in to Taipei today for a dinner with my parents, on the occasion of dad's birthday. We all knew that Typhoon Krosa was coming towards Taiwan with a vengeance and that I could be stuck in Taipei, but it's a chance I had to take.
As usual the venue for dinner was Paris 1930 at the Ritz Landis Hotel. They have one of the best chefs in town for French cuisine (if not the best), and I have been celebrating special events there for the last few years. We chose from the special menus and I was not disappointed. The chef was pretty creative, and the use of foam and other light touches were employed.
The main event, of course, was the wine. I had brought in the last of the 2 bottles of 1940 Haut Brion that I purchased a few years ago, and we drank it even though I knew it was suffering from bottle shock. Unfortunately I didn't have the foresight to bring it in on an earlier trip to Taiwan and it only had 4 days of rest after being knocked around in a checked-in luggage.
The nose was reminiscent of the last bottle that we drank, and of the other older wines from similar era. The fruit was still there, but this time the "preserved plums" was very evident. Mom loved this wine. I have never seen her so eager to drink anything with alcohol as she did tonight. She commented that this was "her type of wine" because she liked the acidity and the maturity.
Since we drank the wine without decanting (for fear of the wine collapsing in the decanter), the wine was fairly acidic on the palate at the beginning. Of course we knew mom really, really liked all types of Chinese preserved plums so this is definitely up her alley. As aeration occurred in the bottle, the tannins gathered strengh and the acidity faded on the palate. This, of course, meant that mom enjoyed the wine less as time went on.
Since the wine had been knocked around a little and we didn't decant it (hence no chance to run it thru the usual coffee filter), it was fairly cloudy. As we neared the bottom, I stopped pouring because we were obviously going to get the sediement. Wouldn't you believe it, mom insisted on emptying the bottle! She waited until the sediment had time to settle in the glass, then drank the clear (if you can call it that) wine in one quick swoop before the sediment had time to move.
It's been a while since the 3 of us had such an enjoyable meal together. I'm glad we had the occasion to do this and to taste such a special wine. Now I look forward to buying more wines from dad's vintage, and also to mom's birthday next year when we drink a bottle from her vintage!
I flew in to Taipei today for a dinner with my parents, on the occasion of dad's birthday. We all knew that Typhoon Krosa was coming towards Taiwan with a vengeance and that I could be stuck in Taipei, but it's a chance I had to take.
As usual the venue for dinner was Paris 1930 at the Ritz Landis Hotel. They have one of the best chefs in town for French cuisine (if not the best), and I have been celebrating special events there for the last few years. We chose from the special menus and I was not disappointed. The chef was pretty creative, and the use of foam and other light touches were employed.
The main event, of course, was the wine. I had brought in the last of the 2 bottles of 1940 Haut Brion that I purchased a few years ago, and we drank it even though I knew it was suffering from bottle shock. Unfortunately I didn't have the foresight to bring it in on an earlier trip to Taiwan and it only had 4 days of rest after being knocked around in a checked-in luggage.
The nose was reminiscent of the last bottle that we drank, and of the other older wines from similar era. The fruit was still there, but this time the "preserved plums" was very evident. Mom loved this wine. I have never seen her so eager to drink anything with alcohol as she did tonight. She commented that this was "her type of wine" because she liked the acidity and the maturity.
Since we drank the wine without decanting (for fear of the wine collapsing in the decanter), the wine was fairly acidic on the palate at the beginning. Of course we knew mom really, really liked all types of Chinese preserved plums so this is definitely up her alley. As aeration occurred in the bottle, the tannins gathered strengh and the acidity faded on the palate. This, of course, meant that mom enjoyed the wine less as time went on.
Since the wine had been knocked around a little and we didn't decant it (hence no chance to run it thru the usual coffee filter), it was fairly cloudy. As we neared the bottom, I stopped pouring because we were obviously going to get the sediement. Wouldn't you believe it, mom insisted on emptying the bottle! She waited until the sediment had time to settle in the glass, then drank the clear (if you can call it that) wine in one quick swoop before the sediment had time to move.
It's been a while since the 3 of us had such an enjoyable meal together. I'm glad we had the occasion to do this and to taste such a special wine. Now I look forward to buying more wines from dad's vintage, and also to mom's birthday next year when we drink a bottle from her vintage!
October 4, 2007
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Pin It
I finally got a chance to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail last week during a business trip. The trip from Taipei to Taichung station took 50 minutes. The ride was pretty smooth, and we had seats in business class which was pretty spacious. I have no doubt that this will replace most of the domestic airline traffic as more people get accustomed to it.
The one major drawback of taking the train was the communication aspect. You simply can't get any network connection on your cell phone! During the entire 50-minute trip, I wasn't able to lock on to a single network for more than 2-3 minutes at a time! There were endless tunnels throughout the trip it was incredible. Some of these tunnels only take 5-10 seconds to pass through, but that was enough to disrupt the signal.
I heard from other people at work that the situation isn't any better in the south of Taiwan. I tried calling them a couple days ago as I waited for them to arrive in Kaoshiung, and basically couldn't get through until they reached the station. For business travelers like us, it would be wonderful of THSR spent some money to fix this problem. Of course, I understand that they'd have to make some $$ first...
I finally got a chance to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail last week during a business trip. The trip from Taipei to Taichung station took 50 minutes. The ride was pretty smooth, and we had seats in business class which was pretty spacious. I have no doubt that this will replace most of the domestic airline traffic as more people get accustomed to it.
The one major drawback of taking the train was the communication aspect. You simply can't get any network connection on your cell phone! During the entire 50-minute trip, I wasn't able to lock on to a single network for more than 2-3 minutes at a time! There were endless tunnels throughout the trip it was incredible. Some of these tunnels only take 5-10 seconds to pass through, but that was enough to disrupt the signal.
I heard from other people at work that the situation isn't any better in the south of Taiwan. I tried calling them a couple days ago as I waited for them to arrive in Kaoshiung, and basically couldn't get through until they reached the station. For business travelers like us, it would be wonderful of THSR spent some money to fix this problem. Of course, I understand that they'd have to make some $$ first...
September 5, 2007
Tokyo Trip: Tapas Molecular Bar
Pin It
I've long heard about Tapas Molecular, the mini-El Bulli dining experience at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. So I made a reservation to dine there during my stay this time. There are two seatings each night and unfortunately I only managed to book the 6pm seating.
This takes place literally inside the bar of the hotel, with 6 seats at the counter. There are two chefs who "cook" in front of you - Jeff Ramsey (I was tempted to ask if he was related to Gordon, but given his American accent I thought better than to crack the stupid joke) and his Japanese assistant. The seating was for 2 1/2 hours and we had to go through some 20 courses, so I expected to be busy eating little mouthfuls.
I had the misfortunate of using a malfunctioning memory card, so the photos from the dinner are lost. Fortunately I do have a mini-menu so I can vaguely remember some of the courses.
There are some similarities to what you would find at El Bulli, such as the Olive Cloud (nothing but a mass of olive-flavored bubbles) and the Carrot Caviar (like El Bulli's mango caviar, and you get a demonstration on how it's done). But clearly there are Japanese touches that are unique to Tokyo.
The Handmade Soba is interesting in that it's a course with audience participation. Everyone is asked to push the paste out of a plastic syringe into a cup of hot water. The paste hardens somewhat as it reacts to hot water, and you have a similar experience to eating the Japanese buckwheat noodles.
Blue Hawaii is fun in that everyone is given an empty soda fountain glass (found in American diners) with a metal straw. As suction is applied to the straw, the air that hits the tongue tastes like the classic cocktail.
Finally, the most amazing experience has got to be what Jeff referred to as the magic fruit. Apparently originally from Africa, this is now grown in Japan and looks like a simple cocoa bean, with soft flesh wrapped around a hard seed core.
We are first asked to taste the fruit in front of us, such as slices of lemon and lime. Of course they would be sour, and not something that I would normally take to. Then we are asked to chew on the magic fruit for a few seconds, consciously coating our tongues and the insides of our mouths with the juice.
Now we are asked to taste the lemon and lime a second time, and voila! The taste has completely changed! What was sour is now apparently sweet! The slice of lemon now tastes like a slice of ripe, sweet orange. And glasses of white wine now taste like sweet dessert wine. Apparently the fruit manipulates the signals from the tongue to your brain, and this affect can last up to 90 minutes for some people. Quite amazing!
The dining experience is slightly marred by the rushed pace of it all. Going through 20+ courses in 2 1/2 hours is a bit too much, and is probably the biggest difference between this place and El Bulli, where there is only one seating per evening.
I've long heard about Tapas Molecular, the mini-El Bulli dining experience at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. So I made a reservation to dine there during my stay this time. There are two seatings each night and unfortunately I only managed to book the 6pm seating.
This takes place literally inside the bar of the hotel, with 6 seats at the counter. There are two chefs who "cook" in front of you - Jeff Ramsey (I was tempted to ask if he was related to Gordon, but given his American accent I thought better than to crack the stupid joke) and his Japanese assistant. The seating was for 2 1/2 hours and we had to go through some 20 courses, so I expected to be busy eating little mouthfuls.
I had the misfortunate of using a malfunctioning memory card, so the photos from the dinner are lost. Fortunately I do have a mini-menu so I can vaguely remember some of the courses.
There are some similarities to what you would find at El Bulli, such as the Olive Cloud (nothing but a mass of olive-flavored bubbles) and the Carrot Caviar (like El Bulli's mango caviar, and you get a demonstration on how it's done). But clearly there are Japanese touches that are unique to Tokyo.
The Handmade Soba is interesting in that it's a course with audience participation. Everyone is asked to push the paste out of a plastic syringe into a cup of hot water. The paste hardens somewhat as it reacts to hot water, and you have a similar experience to eating the Japanese buckwheat noodles.
Blue Hawaii is fun in that everyone is given an empty soda fountain glass (found in American diners) with a metal straw. As suction is applied to the straw, the air that hits the tongue tastes like the classic cocktail.
Finally, the most amazing experience has got to be what Jeff referred to as the magic fruit. Apparently originally from Africa, this is now grown in Japan and looks like a simple cocoa bean, with soft flesh wrapped around a hard seed core.
We are first asked to taste the fruit in front of us, such as slices of lemon and lime. Of course they would be sour, and not something that I would normally take to. Then we are asked to chew on the magic fruit for a few seconds, consciously coating our tongues and the insides of our mouths with the juice.
Now we are asked to taste the lemon and lime a second time, and voila! The taste has completely changed! What was sour is now apparently sweet! The slice of lemon now tastes like a slice of ripe, sweet orange. And glasses of white wine now taste like sweet dessert wine. Apparently the fruit manipulates the signals from the tongue to your brain, and this affect can last up to 90 minutes for some people. Quite amazing!
The dining experience is slightly marred by the rushed pace of it all. Going through 20+ courses in 2 1/2 hours is a bit too much, and is probably the biggest difference between this place and El Bulli, where there is only one seating per evening.
August 28, 2007
Tokyo Trip: Pilgrimage to Kyubey
Pin It
For the last 8 years or so, each time I am in Tokyo, I have made it my mission to have lunch at Kyubey (久兵衛), my favorite sushi restaurant in the world. This trip was going to be no exception and I was headed for Ginza.
I had made the booking thru Quintessentially and they had managed to get me a counter seat in front of the third-generation owner, Imada-san. Unfortunately, due to a detour earlier in the day and the horrendous traffic in Tokyo on Friday, I was 40 mins late and missed him. Needless to say it was very disappointing. Instead, I was seated in front of the chef who served me on my last trip to Kyubey, 2 1/2 years ago. I remember that he had been to Taiwan a couple of times.
In any case, lunch started with some sashimi. Wonderful pieces of toro (トロ), of course, and nothing but the freshest. Then it's more of the old favorites :
odori kuruma ebi (踊り車海老) - live fresh shrimp
aburi toro (炙りトロ) - a very thin sliver of fatty tuna seared to perfection
Incredibly sweet uni (雲丹 ) - which was scooped out of a small Tupperware box containing what I can only guess as the natural juice, and even though the color was a few shades darker than what I had hoped for, it tasted incredibly sweet and better than any I've ever had
And of course the anago (穴子) two-ways - with the sauce and with salt + sprinkle of yuzu (柚子) rind.
In the middle of this, the chef had served up bits of tuna that were cooked yakitori-style, which was a signature dish of Imada-san. Apparently he left instructions for the chef to deliver this with his compliments.
After what seemed like endless servings, we finished with negi toro roll and the sweet egg that has almost the same texture as castera (カステラ) - the Japanese honey cake.
Once again it was a wonderful dining experience, and one that topped my last visit. The damage was JPY 20,000 - more than I have ever paid at Kyubey before, but could be a result of my voracious appetite. Would I complain about the bill? NEVER! It was worth every yen. And I look forward to my next visit.
For the last 8 years or so, each time I am in Tokyo, I have made it my mission to have lunch at Kyubey (久兵衛), my favorite sushi restaurant in the world. This trip was going to be no exception and I was headed for Ginza.
I had made the booking thru Quintessentially and they had managed to get me a counter seat in front of the third-generation owner, Imada-san. Unfortunately, due to a detour earlier in the day and the horrendous traffic in Tokyo on Friday, I was 40 mins late and missed him. Needless to say it was very disappointing. Instead, I was seated in front of the chef who served me on my last trip to Kyubey, 2 1/2 years ago. I remember that he had been to Taiwan a couple of times.
In any case, lunch started with some sashimi. Wonderful pieces of toro (トロ), of course, and nothing but the freshest. Then it's more of the old favorites :
odori kuruma ebi (踊り車海老) - live fresh shrimp
aburi toro (炙りトロ) - a very thin sliver of fatty tuna seared to perfection
Incredibly sweet uni (雲丹 ) - which was scooped out of a small Tupperware box containing what I can only guess as the natural juice, and even though the color was a few shades darker than what I had hoped for, it tasted incredibly sweet and better than any I've ever had
And of course the anago (穴子) two-ways - with the sauce and with salt + sprinkle of yuzu (柚子) rind.
In the middle of this, the chef had served up bits of tuna that were cooked yakitori-style, which was a signature dish of Imada-san. Apparently he left instructions for the chef to deliver this with his compliments.
After what seemed like endless servings, we finished with negi toro roll and the sweet egg that has almost the same texture as castera (カステラ) - the Japanese honey cake.
Once again it was a wonderful dining experience, and one that topped my last visit. The damage was JPY 20,000 - more than I have ever paid at Kyubey before, but could be a result of my voracious appetite. Would I complain about the bill? NEVER! It was worth every yen. And I look forward to my next visit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
