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A few of us gathered for a casual wine dinner at the Legend Concept tonight. It's been a few months since my last visit, so I wanted to see whether I would catch the chef on a good night. Fortunately, I did. The general theme tonight for the wines was red Burgundy.
We started with a bottle of Riesling, which was poured out of a Jacob's Creek bottle. Initially I almost wanted to inflict physical harm to the owner of the wine...What was he thinking?! But on the palate it actually tasted nothing like what the crappy Aussie winery was capable of producing. The wine was very sweet on the palate - definitely late harvest. And the nose was full of toasty oak, minerals, and petrol - classic Riesling. As it turned out the owner was playing a trick on me, as the wine was actually the 1999 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese. An interesting choice as the wine to start with...
Next up was the 1990 Nicolas Potel Pommard 1er Cru Les Pezerolles. Unbelievably, there was massive amounts of tannins for a wine this age, and unfortunately the finish was short. The nose was reasonably elegant, with a bit of fruit still evident. The wine improved with time, but unfortunately it was still my least favorite bottle of the evening.
We moved to the 1994 Leroy Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vigneronds, which was a classic Leroy. There was amazing amounts of sweet fruit in the nose, along with obvious notes of leather. A very powerful wine with a good balance between acidity and tannin. Still going strong after a few hours.
I had some trepidation in opening my bottle of 1990 Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche. Rousseau wines are known for their elegance and not power, so I thought this would be overshadowed by some of the other wines of the evening. In the end I was pretty happy, as the wine turned out to beat my expectations, especially considering the source of the bottle. This was a classic, elegant Burgundy through and through, with a nose of leather, grilled meats, good amount of sweet fruit (although not powerful like the Leroy), plum and even a hint of mint I thought. There was a good amount of acidity on the palate, but initially the wine faded quickly in the glass. Towards the end, a bit of smoke emerged from the nose. A very enjoyable wine.
The last bottle of red was the 1996 Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. A very big wine, my first whiff of the nose showed plenty of sweet caramel, then gradually came a bit of leather. The wine has lots of oomph! and has such concentration and finish. After a couple of hours it did soften a little, but was still going strong. A tough choice between this and the Leroy for the wine of the evening.
We finished with a half bottle of the 2004 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Ayguets. This was a big dessert wine, with loads of orange marmalade, apricot, honey and a hint of ripe melon. Very, very enjoyable.
In terms of food, we started with a platter of fruits de mer - consisting of two different types of oysters (one being Tasmanian I believe) as well as Alaskan king crab. The oysters were lean, briney and not creamy and sweet at all. Taste was decent but I felt it did not pair well with the Auslese. The king crab was obviously frozen, and while there was a good balance between the sweetness of the meat and the salt, the texture wasn't quite to my liking.
The soup was a totally regrettable consomme with some vongole and tomato bits. Once again the chef totally failed to deliver on the soup, just like last time. I am still scratching my head about this one...
However, the chef started to redeem himself on the next course - scallops and spinach baked in pastry. This was a nice blend of the sweet scallop meat with the spinach, accompanied by some alfalfa sprouts. The pastry itself looked (and tasted like) Cantonese cha xiu sou (叉燒酥).
After a scoop of watermelon sorbet to cleanse our palate (unfortunately a little marred by the decision to leave the seeds in the blender), we were served the main course of roast quail stuffed with rice and liver. This was really nicely done, as the cubes of liver and the rice worked well with the bird. The cream sauce, mushrooms and baby pea shoots also worked well together as garnish. Yummy stuff, and much better than what I had on my last visit!
For dessert we had lemon cheesecake accompanied by mango and lobster ice cream. Huh? Well to be honest it actually reminds me of the lobster salad with fresh fruit that you sometimes see during Chinese banquets, except that you now have ice cream instead of mayonnaise...
Overall it was a pretty good meal, and redemption has been achieved...for now. Let's see what happens on my next visit.
August 29, 2008
Not quite worth Sevva-ing this time
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I made a return visit to Sevva today during lunch, along with a few other colleagues. We had someone who has never been to Sevva and was eager to try it out, so the anticipation was pretty high.
I wanted to try something different on the menu, so I chose the beef short-rib burger. The menu indicated that they drew inspiration from the Koreans, meaning it was similar to marinated kalbi - a bit sweet, fatty and tender. The burger also came with tomato and purple onions, plus fries on the side. Honestly, while I thought it was interesting to use kalbi as the meat, I wasn't wowed. I thought I was eating a glorified Mos Burger or McDonald's Fantastik... For the price that they charge, it was not good value for money. I'd much rather go back to Shake 'em Buns!
Two of my colleagues had the wagyu beef cheek and ox tongue pot pie that I had last time, and both thoroughly enjoyed it. The other colleague tried the Taiwanese beef noodle that she had heard so much about, but found it disappointing as there was too little beef, the broth was too sweet and the texture of the noodles not up to her expectations.
As two of us were disappointed with our food, we all decided to make up via dessert. The four of us ordered 5 desserts to share.
The signature crunch cake was interesting - it was a simple, light cream cake which came with some butterscotch/toffee crunch on the side. The crunch was really nice and fragrant, although I found the cake to be a little on the dry side.
The warm pear tarte a la mode was pretty good. It was done in the style of very thin tarte tatin, with sprinkles of nutmeg (I think...or was it vanilla?). Anyway it came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is always welcome.
We also had the signature turtle pie - which was chocolate but filled with hazelnut and othe crunch bits, and topped with whipped cream. This was OK but did not wow me.
My favorite was the chocolate fudge cake with marmalade. The layer of fudge in the midde was rich enough for my taste, and the topping of candied citrus rind was a perfect match with chocolate fudge. Yummy!
For me the disappointment came with the coffee jelly (can't remember the actual name...), a cup of layered pure coffee jelly as well as creamy coffee/cappuccino custard. I was picturing something much sweeter, but instead it was unsweetened coffee jelly, and the custard was also unsweetened.
Well, the meal today was saved by the desserts. I guess I should look for something else to order next time...
I made a return visit to Sevva today during lunch, along with a few other colleagues. We had someone who has never been to Sevva and was eager to try it out, so the anticipation was pretty high.
I wanted to try something different on the menu, so I chose the beef short-rib burger. The menu indicated that they drew inspiration from the Koreans, meaning it was similar to marinated kalbi - a bit sweet, fatty and tender. The burger also came with tomato and purple onions, plus fries on the side. Honestly, while I thought it was interesting to use kalbi as the meat, I wasn't wowed. I thought I was eating a glorified Mos Burger or McDonald's Fantastik... For the price that they charge, it was not good value for money. I'd much rather go back to Shake 'em Buns!
Two of my colleagues had the wagyu beef cheek and ox tongue pot pie that I had last time, and both thoroughly enjoyed it. The other colleague tried the Taiwanese beef noodle that she had heard so much about, but found it disappointing as there was too little beef, the broth was too sweet and the texture of the noodles not up to her expectations.
As two of us were disappointed with our food, we all decided to make up via dessert. The four of us ordered 5 desserts to share.
The signature crunch cake was interesting - it was a simple, light cream cake which came with some butterscotch/toffee crunch on the side. The crunch was really nice and fragrant, although I found the cake to be a little on the dry side.
The warm pear tarte a la mode was pretty good. It was done in the style of very thin tarte tatin, with sprinkles of nutmeg (I think...or was it vanilla?). Anyway it came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is always welcome.
We also had the signature turtle pie - which was chocolate but filled with hazelnut and othe crunch bits, and topped with whipped cream. This was OK but did not wow me.
My favorite was the chocolate fudge cake with marmalade. The layer of fudge in the midde was rich enough for my taste, and the topping of candied citrus rind was a perfect match with chocolate fudge. Yummy!
For me the disappointment came with the coffee jelly (can't remember the actual name...), a cup of layered pure coffee jelly as well as creamy coffee/cappuccino custard. I was picturing something much sweeter, but instead it was unsweetened coffee jelly, and the custard was also unsweetened.
Well, the meal today was saved by the desserts. I guess I should look for something else to order next time...
August 24, 2008
Yummy Moroccan
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I went to the driving range tonight to try to regain some of my muscle memory for golf. After the short session, my cousin Maria and I decided to head over to Elements Mall next door and try out Malouf's - the newest outpost for Melbourne's Greg Malouf.
Malouf's first venture in Hong Kong - Soho's Olive - is high on my list for Middle Eastern cuisine, so I was eager to try out this place. The place had nice, modern decor - with a comfy bar downstairs and the dining room upstairs. The music was a mix of lounge (can we say Hotel Costes?) and Mid East themed dance tunes. Very cool.
We started with the mezze platter - a mix of 5 starters. The merguez roll was tasty, and instead of the usual sausage, the meat was formed into a thin sheet and rolled with another sheet of dough, so it kinda looked like a Swiss roll. The crab meat and couscous cigar was also interesting, rolled inside a sheet of filo pastry. The falafel came in the form of round, flat discs like poker chips, and tasted nice with the yogurt dip. There was also a tomato and almond dip, and a mixed veggie chutney.
For main course I chose the bisteeya - the traditional Moroccan pigeon pie. This was really wonderful. The baked, flaky filo pastry contained shredded pigeon, almond flakes, along with finely chopped mint leaves and egg. The spices were wonderful, and the pigeon meat was very tender. The occasional bits of fatty skin added something extra to the experience. I didn't really care for the cabbage salad underneath - the dressing was a bit too acidic for me.
For dessert we shared the mulhalbia, the custard cream with strawberries and orange blossom water. On top of it all were thin strands of sugar just like the sai mai (龍鬚糖) I had in Ayutthaya. These were flavored with orange blossom water, and we had fun playing with them... I finished off with some Moroccan mint tea, and promised to return soon for another round of yummy food.
I went to the driving range tonight to try to regain some of my muscle memory for golf. After the short session, my cousin Maria and I decided to head over to Elements Mall next door and try out Malouf's - the newest outpost for Melbourne's Greg Malouf.
Malouf's first venture in Hong Kong - Soho's Olive - is high on my list for Middle Eastern cuisine, so I was eager to try out this place. The place had nice, modern decor - with a comfy bar downstairs and the dining room upstairs. The music was a mix of lounge (can we say Hotel Costes?) and Mid East themed dance tunes. Very cool.
We started with the mezze platter - a mix of 5 starters. The merguez roll was tasty, and instead of the usual sausage, the meat was formed into a thin sheet and rolled with another sheet of dough, so it kinda looked like a Swiss roll. The crab meat and couscous cigar was also interesting, rolled inside a sheet of filo pastry. The falafel came in the form of round, flat discs like poker chips, and tasted nice with the yogurt dip. There was also a tomato and almond dip, and a mixed veggie chutney.
For main course I chose the bisteeya - the traditional Moroccan pigeon pie. This was really wonderful. The baked, flaky filo pastry contained shredded pigeon, almond flakes, along with finely chopped mint leaves and egg. The spices were wonderful, and the pigeon meat was very tender. The occasional bits of fatty skin added something extra to the experience. I didn't really care for the cabbage salad underneath - the dressing was a bit too acidic for me.
For dessert we shared the mulhalbia, the custard cream with strawberries and orange blossom water. On top of it all were thin strands of sugar just like the sai mai (龍鬚糖) I had in Ayutthaya. These were flavored with orange blossom water, and we had fun playing with them... I finished off with some Moroccan mint tea, and promised to return soon for another round of yummy food.
August 23, 2008
Where to have dinner when you're battered by a typhoon
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My friend Wendy was in town, and stuck in HK with nothing to do on a day when the city shuts down, batten down the hatches and braced for Typhoon Nuri. She needed a place for dinner, and since she was staying at the Conrad and most of the city's restaurants were closed yesterday, we decided on my old trusty standby - Brasserie on the Eighth.
Given that I've been to this restaurant many, many times, I was determined not to order the usual suspects. Usually it's either steak tartare, bouillabaisse or caesar salad to start, followed by the grilled kurobuta pork chop that I love so much. Instead, I started with something that I haven't ordered here for a very long time - foie gras.
I used to stay away from foie gras whenever I dined here, because it was always too dry from overcooking. However, the Tasting Foie Gras last night was well done. The sauteed liver was well-seared on the outside while retaining its soft, juicy consistency. Naturally there were a few grape halves as well as a piece of fig confit as accompaniment. The little bon-bon of mousse was fine and smooth as I spread it over a piece of toast. Finally, the triangle of terrine was also reasonably good, with the nice texture of veins adding to the experience. Very good indeed! I guess I can start having foie gras here again...
For main course I had the slow-braised beef short ribs in red wine sauce. This is something I have had once before, and it performed well on this particular night. The meat was so, so tender...almost melting in my mouth. Of course, the presence of fat and a bit of tendon helped create this effect. A simple dish that was well-executed. The steamed vegetables on the side helped to balance the full, fatty flavor of the meat.
On my recommendation, Wendy had the steak tartare to start and the bouillabaisse as main course. She chose to have the Grand Marnier souffle while I decided to be good and stay off dessert...
I brought along a bottle of the 1997 Arietta Red, an interesting Cabernet Franc-dominated wine. Arietta is run by John Kongsgaard, one of my favorite Californian winemakers. As I expected, I was blown away by the nose of this wine. It was just so amazingly sweet through and through, with strawberries, cotton candy, and a hint of leather. The wine was very, very sweet on the palate, and I was frankly surprised by the strong presence of tannins in this wine. Being from 1997 and at over 10 years of age, I naturally expected the wine to have soft and lovely tannins on the palate. Well, there was still enough tannins for me to chew on, and the wine has been poured from a decanter! Definitely a powerful, full-bodied wine that was still drinking well more than 3 hours after opening. Interestingly, when I opened the wine at home, I had to remove lots of tartaric acid crystals that had formed on the bottom of the cork, which had also stuck to the inside of the neck.
I was glad to have braved the wind and the rain for this dinner. I'll know where to go during the next typhoon...
My friend Wendy was in town, and stuck in HK with nothing to do on a day when the city shuts down, batten down the hatches and braced for Typhoon Nuri. She needed a place for dinner, and since she was staying at the Conrad and most of the city's restaurants were closed yesterday, we decided on my old trusty standby - Brasserie on the Eighth.
Given that I've been to this restaurant many, many times, I was determined not to order the usual suspects. Usually it's either steak tartare, bouillabaisse or caesar salad to start, followed by the grilled kurobuta pork chop that I love so much. Instead, I started with something that I haven't ordered here for a very long time - foie gras.
I used to stay away from foie gras whenever I dined here, because it was always too dry from overcooking. However, the Tasting Foie Gras last night was well done. The sauteed liver was well-seared on the outside while retaining its soft, juicy consistency. Naturally there were a few grape halves as well as a piece of fig confit as accompaniment. The little bon-bon of mousse was fine and smooth as I spread it over a piece of toast. Finally, the triangle of terrine was also reasonably good, with the nice texture of veins adding to the experience. Very good indeed! I guess I can start having foie gras here again...
For main course I had the slow-braised beef short ribs in red wine sauce. This is something I have had once before, and it performed well on this particular night. The meat was so, so tender...almost melting in my mouth. Of course, the presence of fat and a bit of tendon helped create this effect. A simple dish that was well-executed. The steamed vegetables on the side helped to balance the full, fatty flavor of the meat.
On my recommendation, Wendy had the steak tartare to start and the bouillabaisse as main course. She chose to have the Grand Marnier souffle while I decided to be good and stay off dessert...
I brought along a bottle of the 1997 Arietta Red, an interesting Cabernet Franc-dominated wine. Arietta is run by John Kongsgaard, one of my favorite Californian winemakers. As I expected, I was blown away by the nose of this wine. It was just so amazingly sweet through and through, with strawberries, cotton candy, and a hint of leather. The wine was very, very sweet on the palate, and I was frankly surprised by the strong presence of tannins in this wine. Being from 1997 and at over 10 years of age, I naturally expected the wine to have soft and lovely tannins on the palate. Well, there was still enough tannins for me to chew on, and the wine has been poured from a decanter! Definitely a powerful, full-bodied wine that was still drinking well more than 3 hours after opening. Interestingly, when I opened the wine at home, I had to remove lots of tartaric acid crystals that had formed on the bottom of the cork, which had also stuck to the inside of the neck.
I was glad to have braved the wind and the rain for this dinner. I'll know where to go during the next typhoon...
August 22, 2008
A very cool commercial
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I must have been watching other channels on TV a bit more recently, since I've only just stumbled on this very cool commercial for the Discovery Channel.
It's a nice, catchy song featuring some of the stars of the channel's shows - like Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe and Mythbusters' Jamie and Adam. Being a fan of the channel, I naturally found this to be very cool.
I must have been watching other channels on TV a bit more recently, since I've only just stumbled on this very cool commercial for the Discovery Channel.
It's a nice, catchy song featuring some of the stars of the channel's shows - like Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe and Mythbusters' Jamie and Adam. Being a fan of the channel, I naturally found this to be very cool.
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