Monday, November 9, 2009

A selections of good old Bordeaux, great Bubbly and a CDP.









This dinner that is long waited and planned for...it all started in Malaysia.
Lionel, Mike and me was having dinner in Kanichikan Yakiniku, PJ Malaysia. A magic question pop out by Mike which sounds like when is the last time the Cork Brothers went to Singapore.

Lionel said; Chris is the one who travels around Asia; i will only ritually visit Singapore every December to join our dear friend +business partner+ A professional race car driver's Christmas gathering. Well the main ingridient of the gathering is good food and great wines.

Here come Mike: Hmm. I wonder 1961 Chateau Margaux will be something interesting for you?

Here we were, in Absinthe Restaurant at Bukit Pasoh Road.
Menu 1
Duo of fines de Claire Oysters and Balik Salmon with Mirin Dressing
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King Prawns Sautéed with Spicy Chorizo and Pine Nuts, Mushroom Foam
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Pan Fried Foie Gras with Warm Blinis and Morello Cherries
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Traditional Fish and Seafood Bouillabaisse with Saffron Aioli and Croutons
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Roasted Rack of Welsh lamb with Braised Belgian Endive, Sweet Potato and Cumin Croquettes, thyme Jus
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Cheese Selection
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Vanilla Bourbon Crème Brûlée and Ginger Bread Ice Cream
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Menu 2

Chilled Ravioli of Lobster with Lime Sabayon, Pink Guava Julienne and Shiso
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Carpaccio of Venison Filet with Celery Remoulade and Black Truffle Dressing
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Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Star Anis Jus, French Beans & Small Cress Salad
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Rib of Beef “Black Angus”, Potato Gratin, Steamed Vegetables and Béarnaise Sauce
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Warm Valhrona chocolate fondant, vanilla ice cream and strawberry chutney.


And the wines;

Champagne Lanson Brut 1996 and Champagne Lanson Rose 1996.
Troplong Mondot 1997, 1961 Chateau Margaux, Clinet 1995, Leoville las Cases 1995, Montrose 1995, Haut Brion 1995, Latour 2002, Paul Jaboulet CDP 1990 and A very nice Placito from Sicili.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Jalan jalan makan makan HCMC


dessert sample

Pan sear wagyu with spring vege and burgundy glaze.


Medallion of Chicken, cepe mushroom with cappuccino of parley and demi-glace



Sweet bread, cepe mushroom and beet




Pan Fried Foir Gras with caramelised onions and port reductions



warm fruit salad serve with crispy rice crackers


Various steam rice "custard" serve with crispy pork skin and dried shrimp, side with a tangy fish sauce.


Daily stable food in Vietnam "Pho"

This is the Chicken version


"Pho" Bu or Beef Noodle soap. like the raw herb and vege. the chili is fierce hot!
with happy Chris Low at the back ground.





Chris Low: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was a mystery country to me until June this year. Way before i step into this country, all i know about this communist country is from movie like "Good Morning Vietnam" and American TV series " Tour of Duty, Vietnam".


Until i visited the War Museum in HCMC, my view about the image of Vietnam totally changed and i wanted to know more about this country. And as what Cork Brothers always do, we discover the Vietnamese culture true the basic needs: Food!
Lionel and me visited HCMC in early June for 2 days. And i return to visit our business partner Mr.Thien in August with a bang...more wine and food encounters!
We were introduce to Southern Vietnamese food which includes various Spring rolls serve raw or deep fried. Fresh seafood from the river like fresh water prawns braised in thick soy and fish sauce; snails blanched and chopped with pork then braised with light broth; and "Pho"
Ultimately, the based is rice made product, fish sauce, fish sauce and better fish sauce + lots of healthy "unknown to me" raw salads, basils, bean sprouts and vegetables.
But what i like is "Huei" cuisine from the middle Vietnam. Slightly more intense from the Saigon styles. I need more visit to talk about this type of cooking. At this stage, all i can says is: "Unique and delicious!"
Street food to fine dining restaurant's...HCMC has lots to offer. And so wine friendly!
Will definitely sample more!





Bloomberg on the "Lafite effect"

Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Kevin Hassett

One of the strangest developments in financial markets this year is the “Lafite effect.” It offers a valuable lesson about investing.
This financial crisis has walloped just about everything. It has even pushed down prices for fine wine.

The Vintage Wine Fund, which invests “in fine wine with an objective of steady, high capital growth,” declined 33 percent in 2008. This is newsworthy. In a 2008 paper, economists Lee Sanning, Sherrill Shaffer and Jo Marie Sharratt at the University of Wyoming demonstrated that wine investments provide enormous positive returns over time, with almost no correlation to the market as a whole.

Their study provides a textbook example of the problem with risk analysis. Until that time, the correlation of wine with the overall stock market was essentially zero. A hedge fund that bet on that remaining true would have lost big, because this time everything moved together.

One set of wine investors survived unscathed: those who bought and held the fine French wine Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
According to data compiled by wine exchange Liv-ex, the average list price for a bottle of 1982 Lafite was $3,386 in July, the highest ever. That’s about $280 higher than it was last year, and more than $1,100 higher than in 2007. Not bad for a bottle that you could have purchased for about $20 back in the 1980s.
So strong is the 1982 Lafite that its value largely withstood a downgrade, to 97 from a perfect 100, by U.S. wine maven Robert Parker. If you consider how much wealth has been destroyed in the past year, you would think that such a markdown would have devastated prices. Think again.

Lafite Index
The run-up appears to have affected all things Lafite, not just the 1982 vintage. The effect is so striking that Liv-ex created a new index to track the prices of the Lafite vintages from 2000 to 2006. That index is now only 4.4 percent below its long-term high. Few investments have done better.
The question for an investor is this: Is the Lafite price spike yet another bubble, or are there sound fundamental reasons?
One sound argument that might explain the increase is that there is a special “Lafite effect” associated with Asia. As wealth has increased there, the demand for luxury commodities such as Lafite has skyrocketed. “Right now, it’s almost an insult in some places to serve something other than Lafite,” Liv-ex’s director, James Miles, told me last week.
With the Lafite supply limited, this high demand for the supreme trophy wine has pushed prices through the roof.

As Asia Goes
Since Asia will presumably continue to grow in wealth, one might expect that demand will skyrocket and that today’s prices will someday look cheap.
The Lafite price might just as well drop sharply, and the argument for a decline is probably more compelling.

For one thing, prices might be higher now because of a speculative bubble.
Also, Asian consumers might become more sophisticated and grow to appreciate other wines, which they now shun, that are close substitutes for Lafite. If they do that, today’s prices might be a high water mark for some time. The 2000 vintages of both Lafite and La Mission Haut Brion both received perfect scores of 100 from Parker, for example. Right now Lafite costs more than twice as much.
The decision on investing today in Lafite probably turns on this question of whether it will become more socially acceptable to serve fine wines other than Lafite in the wealthiest corners of Asia. Today’s high prices suggest there are enough people willing to bet that Asian demand for Lafite continues on its trajectory.

By Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is a Bloomberg News columnist. He was an adviser to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. The opinions expressed are his own.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Investor pour into liquid assets

By Ellen Kelleher
Financial Time. July 17 2009

The returns on Château Lafite and Château Latour have outpaced the FTSE 100 over the past 12 months, prompting wine aficionados to add more bottles to their cellars instead of buying shares.

With just an estimated $3bn invested either directly or through listed and unlisted funds, fine wine remains a niche play. But it is attracting considerable attention from wealthy investors in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as the UK.

Since May, the price of 2008 Château Lafite – a Bordeaux fine wine – has jumped 56 per cent from January, according to Stacy-Lea Golding, investments director with Premier Cru, a wine investment company.“I think it’s a prime opportunity to buy in,” she says. “Prices have been affected by the financial crisis – and we’re seeing sharp adjustments over short periods of time.”

Between January and June, Liv-ex, the index of the top 100 investable wines, rose 3.3 per cent while the FTSE 100 returned 1.6 per cent. Long-term returns are even more impressive, with Liv-ex gaining 115.5 per cent over the past five years compared with a 1.9 per cent return by the UK’s largest 100 companies.

“Demand from Asia has been sustaining the wine market,” reports Justin Gibbs, a director with Liv-ex. Wine funds appeal to novice investors who are more comfortable investing with the help of managers. The “unit trust” model also helps investors to spread their risks.

Last month, Beijing saw its first fine wine auction, where two bottles of Château Lafite were sold for four times their estimate – at a 70 per cent premium to many UK merchants’ prices.

The size of the wine market has ballooned from $1bn to $3bn over the last decade, says Gibbs, with 20 funds springing up in response to growing demand.
Buying largely in Bordeaux, fund managers store investment-grade wine in bonded warehouses. The recent rise of sterling against the euro has helped funds based in London to buy at favourable prices.

Joss Fowler, a fine wine specialist with Berry Bros & Rudd, the London merchant, says investors should focus on two factors when buying wine: quality and the label.
“You have to aim at the top and buy the very best,” he says. “In the past five years or so, we’ve seen this market open up and certain bottles are improving as they are aging and becoming scarcer, which makes them more valuable.” A case of Château Latour or Château Lafite could yield 10 to 15 per cent in a year, by Fowler’s estimates

“You can build more yachts and Rolls-Royces and dig more swimming pools, but it’s difficult to bottle certain Bordeaux vintages,” he says.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A night at the right bank...

Ch Smith Haut Lafite Blanc 1995
Ch Ausone 1988

Le Pin wanna be?
La Gomerie 1999



Troplong Mondot 1999








"rejected friend eggs"





A rare occasions that i end my dinner with chinese tea, not a dessert wine. but much appreciated.
~~~~~~~~
Chris Low: We had a chinese meal at our regular Cantonese Restaurent- Elegance Inn with some 1er selections of great growth right banks and a age bordeaux blanc.
This time, we invite one of our dear friend-Chef Max Chin as our guest blogger ans this is what he has to say.
Max Chin: "Being invited to a Chinese dinner last evening at Elegant Inn @ Hap Seng Building. Meal wasn't as great as the wines accompanied.
Excel Bordeaux Grand Crus line up with Smith Haut Laffite (white), Ausone, La Gomerie and Troplong Mondot which indeed all amazing in its own pristine class and tastes. Am I converted into a Fil de Bordelaise with these Grand Crus...Je sais Pas ??? My "Cork Bros" would need to work harder!
Lionel: Oh yes, did you tell them the fry egg is very good?
Leslie: I love eggs...i dont mind the rejects...







Sunday, June 21, 2009

Wine Investors raise glass as market revives

By John Stimpfig
Published: June 19 2009 16:03 Last updated: June 19 2009 16:03(Financial Times)

Had this report appeared six months ago, it would have provided some very sober reading for wine investors. Not least because the end of 2008 coincided with the first significant correction in the fine wine market for more than a decade.

During the first half of 2008, Liv-ex, an index of the top 100 investable wines, climbed by a steady and impressive 9.5 per cent before stalling during the summer. In the final quarter of 2008 it fell by nearly 25 per cent; in October it lost more than 12 per cent of its value – the biggest monthly movement since its inception in 2001.

There are no prizes for guessing why. Despite the fact that the fine wine market had seemed impressively impervious to the hurricane blowing through the financial markets for most of last year, it clearly could not remain immune indefinitely. The collapse of Lehman Brothers was the turning point, as many private and institutional investors desperately sought to avoid losses in the ensuing dash for cash.

They were not the only ones looking to liquidate their wine holdings: merchants had seen the writing on the wall and had already begun to empty their inventories. Distressed sellers and restaurants also started offloading, while a number of wine funds found themselves on the receiving end of growing numbers of redemptions.

Never before had such a flood of investment-grade wine appeared on the market simultaneously. At one stage, it seemed to almost grind to a halt as prices tumbled.
The wines that lost the most value were, of course, those clarets that had gained the most in the bull run of the previous two years. Initially, that meant the top 2005s, which had surged in price and were in plentiful supply. Some prices fell by up to 50 per cent.

However, as things got worse, it was not just the 2005s that started to feel the pressure. Older vintages such as the 2003s and 2000s were also sucked in, as forced sellers continued to dump stock. The contagion also spread to rarer and more mature vintages, pulling down prices of 1996s and the 1990s in their wake.

The situation was perhaps the most challenging of the modern wine investment era, for a variety of reasons. First, the economic downturn was far more serious than anything in the past 50 years. And unlike the Asian crash of the late 1990s, this crisis was truly global.

Moreover, as Justin Gibbs of Liv-ex points out: “This time around, the amount of wine held for investment purposes had increased significantly, leading to a greater sell-off when the market turned.”
But amid the doom and gloom, several merchants and fund managers saw grounds for optimism. As early as December, Stacey Golding of Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments called the bottom of the market. “Historically, fine wine has been the last investment to fall and the first to recover. Early indications, however, are showing that now is the best buying opportunity since 1997,” she says.

Andrew della Casa of the Wine Investment Fund is even more bullish. “Notwithstanding the ongoing turmoil in the financial markets, we believe that investment-grade wine will generate positive returns in 2009, with double-digit growth returning later in the year.”
Why such fighting talk? No doubt fund managers were hoping to re-establish some much-needed confidence. They also hoped to promote wine’s credentials as a safe haven in stormy economic conditions.

Others look to the past to predict the future. “In previous periods of financial and economic turbulence, there were short sharp decreases in wine prices followed by a period of stability and a relatively fast return to good fundamentals,” says Will Beck of Wine Asset Managers.

Fortunately, the market did not drown in wine last winter. Instead, it somehow managed to soak it up, largely thanks to the sheer level of interest from Asia. Miraculously, demand there remained rock solid, effectively underpinning the market.

At the end of last year, one merchant was selling £150,000 worth of wine a day through its recently opened Hong Kong office.

Other merchants and auctioneers have also registered record sales from the region. Of course, Hong Kong’s zero wine tax and duty helped, as did sterling’s weakness.
“For the Japanese, our wines are almost 50 per cent cheaper than they were at the end of 2007,” says Richard Harvey-Jones of Seckford Wines.

The beginning of the year saw a degree of confidence return to the market and some cash-rich traders and investors felt the time was right to go back in for a bit of bargain hunting.
As the selling pressure of the previous quarter subsided, 2009 also saw the return of price stability.

January and February saw increases in the Liv-ex 100, with a slight dip in March followed by a small bounce-back in April, of 2.4 per cent. Last month also saw a slight gain. As a result, the index is now up 4.5 per cent for the year to date.

Other grounds for optimism include the brightening macro-economic picture and the staunching of a flow of redemptions experienced by a number of funds.
Better still, new money is coming into funds. Further evidence of the nascent recovery is the narrowing of bid-offer spreads. Meanwhile, merchants and traders such as Wilkinson Vintners are busily replenishing stocks. With four or five new funds circling the market, this could provide yet another shot in the arm for fine wine prices.
“If 50 per cent of these new business projections are met, the effect on prices should be notably positive,” comments Gary Boom, managing director of Bordeaux Index.

Other areas of the fine wine market have also performed beyond expectations. For instance, this year’s
Bordeaux en primeur campaign was a turn-up for the books in almost every respect.
Going into it, there were fears that another undersold and over-priced vintage could affect the wider Bordeaux market. Fortunately, those concerns were not realised.

Instead, many wines were sold through the supply chain, providing yet more evidence of consumer confidence and an improving market.
The auction houses also appear to have bounced back after wobbles at the end of 2008. Estimates have undoubtedly dropped to lure bidders back to the saleroom. But it seems to be working.

For instance, the latest Acker Merrall & Condit sale on May 30 in Hong Kong netted $4.8m for the New York auction house, topping its March sale which raised $4.5m.
Beijing also saw its first fine wine auction this month, where two bottles of Lafite fetched four times their estimate – at a 70 per cent premium to most UK merchants’ prices. Clearly, the Asian love affair with Lafite still has some way to go.
As a result, nearly every commentator believes the Lafite brand will continue to dominate. Only last month, the 1986 and 1995 achieved gains of 10 per cent, while vintages such as 2008 and 2004 look well-priced.

So is now still the time to buy?
Certainly, the market looks much more secure compared with the turbulence of last year.

Many professionals, including Mr Boom, believe it should experience a significant bounce within the next five to six months.“It’s starting to look good again. Some prices are up to 35-40 per cent off last year’s highs and things are picking up. As long as nothing goes seriously wrong in the world economy, it’s a question of when, not if.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Monday, June 1, 2009

The highest total for any series of wine auctions this year

Chris Low: Acker Merrall & Condit’s Second Wine Auction of the Year in Hong Kong realized an impressive total of almost 97% sold and HK$37.5 Million • An Incredibly Rare Lot of 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg achieves HK$532,400 • The highest total for any series of wine auctions this year.

Hong Kong – Acker Merrall & Condit’s second Finest and Rarest Wine Auction of 2009 was held in Hong Kong May 30th and realizes an impressive total of HK$37.5 Million (US$4.82 Million). Together with its March auction which fetched HK$35 Million (US$4.5 Million), Acker Merrall & Condit’s sales in Hong Kong this year have achieved an impressive total of HK$72.5 Million (US$9.32 Million), the highest total for any series of wine auctions in Hong Kong this year.

This highly successful sale presented an amazing array of over 1,100 lots of the world’s most sought-after wines and champagnes including over 2,000 bottles of Bordeaux, 3,000 bottles of Burgundy and 1,200 bottles of some of the world's finest champagnes.

The competition was intense at the packed auction with wine collectors from around Asia bidding enthusiastically for their dream lots in the saleroom at the Island Shangri-La Hotel. There was particularly active bidding activity over the Internet as well as via absentee bids throughout the sale.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wine investment: Best In Class whn adjusted for risk.


Chris Low: Lionel and myself was interview by Nanyang Shang Pao on the potential of wine investment in Malaysia. The story covers how wine investment works, what you need to know if you would love to start an wine investment port-folio, risk management and investment strategy investing in "liquid gold" fine wines.


PS. The story is featured in Mandarin.

you can read more here.

http://www.nanyang.com/index.php?ch=9&pg=29&ac=960755

Investing in Fine Wines-Now may be the best time

Chris Low: Red an interesting story from THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Please read more from the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/business/businessspecial3/21wine.html?_r=1

If you want to know more how wine investment works. Please go to one of our partner website
www.vintageassets.net or send your email to invest@vintageassets.net

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

KNK Japanese+Korean fusion BBQ

Jacob's Creek Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay with cold dishes, then marinated chicken leg, scallops and Saba for white meat BBQ
USDA beef touge, USDA back ribs, wagyu beef and A4 kobe Vs Jacob's Creek Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay Rose

Chris Low: Every last Friday of the month. Lionel or myself will cordinate what we call "The Friday Lunch" . April events was held in KANNICHIKAN YAKINIKU in Ampang and hosted by Pernod Richard Malaysia and Mui Hua
The ingredient is so good quality and value for money that Lionel brought the family for a extended hours lunch a week after this lunch. What i think special in this restaurant; beside the great quality and fresh ingredient are the amenities provided in this restaurant.
The little BBQ pit they provide comes will very strong yet even charcoal fire; Exhaust system that suck out all the cooking fume and smoke and you walk out of the restaurant with very minimum post-grill odour.
And the sparkling wines we serve for this lunch from Jacob's Creek goes so well.
As the ice chilled Sparkling wines cool you down from the flame of the BBQ pits, it also provide enough acidity and body to work with the various seafood, white meat and red meat serve.
Great lunch.
And yes, i went back to that restaurant again 2 weeks later. And planning another one in June with another group of vinos and makan friends.



Bordeaux 2000 Tasting

Ice chilled Dom Perignon 1999 for aperatif
All the wines are serve blind

Some tips for you, which one is the mystery 2005?


Reveiling the wines at the end of the dinner. Mouton 2000 was the darling of the night.

Chris Low: Lionel and myself are invited by the YPO Malaysia chaper to host a special dinner for the GREW. To make this dinner interesting and educational, we blend in wine investment element and a wine option game. It was a great evening with good food, great wines and meaningful networking!


Wine serve in the GREW evening
1999 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon
2000 Canon la Gaffeliere
2000 Ducru Beaucaillou
2000 Mouton Rothschild
Mystery wine: Chateau German 2005 Cote de Castilion
4 days after that, together with my friend See Kin and Mun Cheng, we had a 2002 Ducru Beaucaillou. Altough more ready to drink compared the 2000 Ducru, but i can tell that the 2000 Vintage is really big and long life. Another wine for our grand chilren.
And had the 2000 (that we opened sinces 3 days ago) again in the same evening with Hakka food and pork dishes. Hmm, St Julien is a good match with Pork dishes. Oik..oik

Angelus dinner

braised Pigs ears in soy sauce serve cold with watermelon. Goes non stop with bubbly.
Angelus 2000,2003

Château Bellevue 2004


Le Fleur de Boüard 2005


Le Fleur de Boüard 2004

Representative from Angelus and Chris Low
Chris Low: Attended Angelus dinner middle of March in Singapore. This dinner was hosted by Hock Tong Bee Pte Ltd.
Would be envy and happy for those lucky few who manage to get some of the Angelus 2000.
Altough this is the 3rd event that i had this wine in last 12 months but i must say this wine is evolving and shaping into one of the greatest Angelus i had so far.

I picked up the Merlot dazzling fruit characters, balance and was blended with
Cabernet Franc that was slightly over-ripe but rich bouquet.
The is blackish-purple colour and show aromas of blackberries, plums and blackcurrants with delicate smoky notes and liquorice. My humble opinion that this is a long-ageing wine.

We also tasted in this wonderful evening which paired with wonderful menu prepared by Xin cuisne below:


Crystal dumpling with premium mushroom
Scallop and banana in dragon beard filo
Asparagus and pork slice with garlic vinaigrette
Champagne Renaissance NV Premier Cru

~
Suckling pig on shredded yam and pumpkin cake
Le Fleur de Boüard 2004
Le Fleur de Boüard 2005

Demi-tasse of double-boiled chicken tonic and cabbage

Pan-fried foie gras on trio fragrance rice
Château Bellevue 2004


Chinese premium highland green tea
Baked rock lobster with cheese, bacon and shimeji
Le Pardon de L’Angélus 2005

Single cut lamb chop with fish diced duxelle in light batter.
Château Angèlus 2000
Château Angèlus 2003





Lobster Encounters

Chis Low: It was Lionel's idea after he had some great lobster meal at Elegance Inn menara Hup Seng (lobster stir fry with goose liver and another style was lobster stir fry with salted egg york)A dejavu of the global economic crisis? Because the lobster is only RM38 per 100gm!In a fine dining Cantonese restaurant.
And he share this lovely dining experience to me on the next day and i immediately propose; why don't we do it ourselves? Coming Sunday, here i was with 2 nos (close to 6kg for RM550)live Australian live lobster. Trust me, to kill both of the the giant shellfish is like having a session of arm wrestling with a full grown man. But the rewards is sweet.



We prepared the shellfish in 3 ways: Shashimi one of the tail for starter, lightly batter and pan fry the other tail so that we can make a macaroni cheese and lastly i steam the heads and claws with light soy sauce, brandy and some old ginger from Bentong. And the results? 5 hungry souls satisfied with Chris Low uric acid raised to the top of the profile!And we finished the meal together with Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne.
Merely one week after the home cook lobster meal at Lionel's house. I rejoin my Singaporean "makan kaki" for a dinner in Imperial Treasure-Great wall City. This round of lobster meal is slight more intense...on the wine side. Thanks Robin for lovely Burgundies for that night. We had an St-Aubin from Domaine Leroy and lovely Vosne- Romanee 2006(surprise me that is so drinkable at this early stages)


And i always argue or debate with my vino friends that Bordeaux is perfect match with Cantonese cuisine and this was proven right again with Chateau L' Evengile 1985 and Chateau Cos d' Estournel 1990.










Light seared Scallop with egg white omelet and truffle oil. And the Champagne Jacquesson Vintage 1996 lift up the dish so well.
Cantonese style salt and pepper lobster tail, this went extremely yummy with the Bordeaux.
LOSBTER..anyone?








Friday, February 20, 2009

Farewell Dim Sum Brunch end January

Lionel: I hosted a small farewell dim sum brunch for my friend Carla, the outgoing GM of The Carcosa just before CNY. It was at one of my favourite chinese restaurants, The Elegant Inn at Menara Hap Seng.  They had just started serving dim sum a few months ago and I have to say, although the selection is small, it has to be one of the best in KL.

Totally, decadent as I chose to pair this wonderful brunch with champagne. The first was a bit of a oddity, a 1988 Dom Perignon which was given to us to try as it hadn't been stored very well and the neck level was already down to almost shoulder level on the bottle.

Now, for those uninitiated, dim sum and champagne is a pairing made in heaven. The delicacy of the dishes and the wine meld together seamlessly, and the bubbles just cleanses the palatte ever so gently to accomodate the next delightful morsel!



I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the ingredeints that went into the soup, damn nice with the champagne too!
Fried carrot cake
Fried Yam dumplings, yum, yum
These are the prawns wrapped in cheese and beancurd roll!
It was oxidized of course but still winderful, the honeyed secondary caracthers were all there and maybe even more so, hardly any bubbles left but what an interesting drink it made. Wonderful!
Steam Prawn dumplings of course
Now, I can't remember what these were called. they were like paus but with cream paste flavoured with mint. lovely
A hallmark of a good HK trained chef is if they can produce a "Chew Yim" salt and pepper dish, sounds simple but very difficult to do well. This is white bait friend in salt and pepper, perfection!
Of course, one bottle of champagne isn't enough. So a bottle of Drappier 2002, yum yum
Siew Mai or prawn and meat dumpling
Best Malai koh in town, yes not many people do this and most of them are terrible. This is melt in your mouth stuff, must try!
AS you can see almost didn't get a chance for the picture, very, very good egg custart