Beware!!Not a healthy salad!!

Chris Low: Beside bringing back some good wine and dining experience from Bordeaux, France this April. I brought back recipe from my friend Bruno Macarez's mother in-law...she is the lady owner of Chateau de Ribebon. This dish is so good that Lionel and me have an idea to remake this dish in our friend's daughter birthday party where i pretended i can cook again...

So what is the fuss of this dish?. A Salad of rocket lettuce pack with trio of smoke duck breast, duck terrine, duck foire gras, hammon and a good hand full of deep fried duck fat. It took about 2 kg of raw duck fat to get just enough of tiny bit of the crispy duck fat for 10 people...and the rewards for the chef and his commis chef who prepare the dishes for that evening include...Champagne Crystal 1996 and Champagne Salon 1996 and the highlight of that night was horizontal of vintage 2000 Bordeaux which in clude Figeac, L’Angelus, Canon La Gaffeirre and Ducru-Beacaillou.

Chateau Owner who nearly married a fu-chow girl?

Chris Low: Was attending our friend Yin How's wine tasting on Monday and the ambience reminds me of the warm atmosphere of a lunch we had in Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou early April this year. Where it was fun and so many newly met friends giving their opinions and thoughts of the wine and food we enjoy.

The lucnh start with a Stir fry squid ring which look like a 'kong poh squid' but it was great.

The main dish is special, Casserole of Turbot with spring vege...well, not every time you can enjoy a meal that a chateau owner-Mr.Bruno Borie cook for you! And to top up the afternoon, a vertical of Ducru Deaucaillou. The is the most memorable lunch so far in my life. No Joke!

Ask and you shall receive

Chris and Lionel: We've added a new section to our blog called ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE AN ANSWER which you can see on the right column of this blog.
So drop us an email at thecorkbrothers@gmail.com, or just comment on our postings, to ask us anything you may want to know about which wine we think goes with what kind of dish. We'll post your questions and offer you our humble take on any kind of conundrum you present us.

Ask and you shall receive

Chris and Lionel: We've added a new section to our blog called ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE AN ANSWER
So Drop us an email at thecorkbrothers@gmail.com, or just comment on our postings, to ask us anything you may want to know about which wine we think goes with what kind of dish. We'll post your questions and offer you our humble take on any kind of conundrum you present us.

Shenzhen Food Adventure-Day One

Chris Low: Was in Shenzhen over the weekend for a business trip and was pampered by my friends Benson and Mr. Zhang over a private dinner at (Fung Huang Low) in Louhu district. We had a few bottles of wines but the star of the night was Champagne Pommery Cuvee Louise 2002; it worked magically with stir fried squid with red chili+ light soya sauce and steam fish.

A special mention here of the flat noodle served - I never had kway teow that's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside-SO GOOD!

Shenzhen Food Adventure-Day Two

Chris Low: Continued my food adventure in Shenzhen and was invited to a wine dinner in Laurel Restaurant at Century Plaza Hotel. The evening started off great with Champagne J.De Telmont Grande Reserve Brut. Then i was impressed with the 2004 Chateau Lascombes and Chateau d' Armaihac which is so accessible at this young stage;paired harmoniously with the Braised Jumbo Mushroom with Sea-Cucumber and my favourite dish of the evening, the Braised+Simmered Pork Belly (though i think Malaysia's dark sauce bak kut teh would also be great with Ch.Lascombes)

Fish with red wine????

LIONEL: Had dinner with a close friend and fellow vino at one of my favourite chinese restaurants in KL, Elegant Inn at Menara Hap Seng. This restaurant which has its roots in the humble suburb of Taman Connaught, has arguably the best fried rice in town.

The old ambience alas is gone in this new outlet, it is more modern and but the man behind the kitchen is still at the helm. We started dinner late and dove straight into a red, having not seen the bottle, I swore that this was a Bordeaux from the left bank( Cabernet Sauvignon dominated) and from a vintage of no more than 10 years old. Imagine my shock and horror that the only thing I got right was the region.

It was a Chateau L'Arrosee, Grand Cru Classe from the right bank( Cabernet Franc, merlot dominated) from 1986, a 22 year old wine that tasted almost as fresh as the day it was released!!! Fantastic, it had enough accidity and balance to handle the fried beancurd and wasn't over-powered by the Crabs in salted egg yolk.

This was followed by a Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1996, which was amazing with the braised(Loong Tun) giant garoupa with roast pork. yum, yum!

Proves great wines with great food always is well worth the effort!