Saturday Night Cornish Hens & Blind Tasting 2 Commercial Leche Flans.

Most of my friends well know my general aversion to eating chicken - I find it a boring fowl and would much rather have duck, pigeon or goose at any given time. A notable exception, however, would be Chicken Parmesan (specifically Kenny Quintal's recipe thereof).

Last night, 25th July 2010, was dinner at my dad's and the main course was to be Rosemary Roasted Cornish Game Hens with roasted potatoes (the former are really just small, stocky, fattened young chickens slaughtered at 5 weeks of age - not really game nor hens nor from Cornwall). My youngest sis and dad's cook prepared all the dishes (the others being Vegetable Spaghetti and Gorgonzola-Walnut Mesclun Salad) except for dessert. With our meal, I chose from dad's wine cav something I've not had before:

1999 Marqués de Polavieja* Reserva (Ribera del Duero) - A brand by the 133 year-old sherry producer Bodegas Williams & Humbert, this is, as I understand, made up of tempranillo with a smaller percentage of garnacha, aged for 12-18 months in French and American oak and 12 months in bottle.

Moderately full-bodied, ripely and darkly fruited (cherry, raspberry, underlying blackcurrant) with added notes of slight red spice, underlying leather, violets, licorice, bit of cedar, vanilla. Acidity is low, the fruit is soft and quite smooth; the wine has moderate-to-good push/drive. Straightforward, not really complex at all; well-concentrated and notably extracted (comes off as quite contrived, actually). That all said, if this is priced at around P1500-P1700/bottle, I'd say it would be a buy for a casual Ribera del Duero.

*nb: Unrelated bit of trivia - there was a Governor-General of the Philippines named Camilo Garcia de Polavieja under whose watch Rizal was executed.

Thereafter, we had a blind comparison of 2 commercial leche flans.

The lighter-colored ones at the top of the photo are leche flans "A", while the ones at the bottom are leche flans "B".

Leche Flan "A" - Lightly caramelized, markedly less sweet, not very creamy in texture (they used a lot of gelatin in this I think), a bit of an "eggy" aftertaste. Light on the palate.

Leche Flan "B" - Darkly caramelized (just short of bitterness), very creamy (a lot more milk and egg yolks for sure), sweeter. Heavy on palate. Immediately more enjoyable, but I can't eat too much of this as palate fatigue would quickly set in.

Leche Flan "B" won with 6 votes to 3; Hisako, Catha and Dad voted for Leche Flan "A" while the rest of us went for "B". It turned out Leche Flan "A" was purchased at the Saturday Market at Alabang Country Club and Leche Flan "B" was purchased from Shopwise.

Fresh fruits, coffees and snifters of cognac rounded off the meal.

1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890, Etc. @ La Tienda.

Dinner last night, 22 July 2010, was with longtime friends Tonji & Sylvia, Maricel & Maxie, Kenny and Catha. Unfortunately, Lisa, Boozze & Margarita were unable to join us. The venue was La Tienda for some of Chef Javi Lecumberri's authentic pintxos and chuletón. Most of the pintxos I write about in La Tienda are not on the menu, but, given a few days' advance notice, Javi is happy to accommodate customers' requests such as these.

Ken was already there nursing a beer when Catha and I arrived at around quarter to 7. I promptly ordered a platter each of...

Boquerónes...

Gambas à la Plancha and...

Chistorras

With these, I popped our first of 2 bottles of Josep Masachs Gran Reserva Cava Brut Nature- Bright, light yellow gold, impressive clarity, very tiny/fine but persistent bubbles, nicely fresh, dry, crisp, bright, clean and pure. Nicely complex. Very good cava, and it should be as it is one of the pricier locally available cavas at P1700+/bottle (Terry Selection).

Tonji, Catha & Maxie

With the above pica-picas and the seafood-based pintxos, we 7 went through 2 bottles of the cava rather quickly. I should have brought 3. I know better now.

Ken, Sylvia & Maricel

This is one of my favorites in La Tienda: Salmorejo - an Andalusian (particularly from Córdoba) version of gazpacho. The difference is that this is made only with tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper; no cucumbers, etc. that normally go into gazpacho. Javi's version is always adorned by a just-barely vinegar-cooked prawn, always incredibly sweetly-fresh. Love it.

Next was one of the Usual Suspects' favorites: Escalivadas con Anchoas. Miguel, when he is in town, always organizes our meals at La Tienda, and I can't recall a single one that didn't include this - mainly because I and several others always request it to be included. Fortunately, this is on La Tienda's regular menu. Kenny was very vocal in his appreciation of this, and, had 2 servings as I recall.

A Spanish serenade by La Tienda's own "Trio los Panchos".

Bacalao al Ajoarriero con Gambas, "ajoarriero" generally involves cod, olive oil, eggs and garlic.

The next course of Brocheta de Solomillo y Bacon con Arroz Cremoso, Foie Gras y Salsa de Oporto was as big a hit as it was when I first had it last 24th June 2010 (fellow foodie, Chinkee, said she was dreaming about it for days after). With this I poured my bottle of 1995 Bodegas La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - One of the bottles of this I brought home from Spain. This is the 2nd I've opened in the past couple of months and it was every bit as wonderful as the last one I opened during dinner at Rene and Aimee's on the 12th June 2010. My notes then, consistent with last night's bottle, are as follows:

My bottle. No decanting, just popped, poured and aired in the glass. Incredible nose of sweetish balsamico, cedar, rose petal, cherry, raspberry, licorice, vanilla bean and violets. In the mouth, it mirrors its aromas in a slightly over medium body; pure, clean, precisely structured, elegantly focused and balanced with underlying notes of clean leather and a whisper of ceps. Has a notable slightly feminine Bordeaux slant to it. Excellent wine. Absolutely enthralling wine. Incredible elegance, complexity and balance. My red of the night, if I do say so myself.

The bottle last night was opened and let breathe for around 1-1½ hours before service. No decanting. Tonji, Ken and Max (not to mention myself and the ladies) were very impressed with its expressiveness. I'm glad I still have one bottle left of those I brought home from Spain (being safely kept for me by JC at 2º Piso). For those interested in enjoying this fine, fine Riojan gran reserva, it is now locally available at Premium Wine Exchange for P6500/bottle.

Chuletón

Javi's chuletón was good as always and enjoyed as always (I made sure to choose the extra-fatty slices). The bottle of '95 LRA gran reserva 890 was quickly drained; so we ordered a bottle of the only mature tinto from the restaurant's wine list:

1999 René Barbier Gran Reserva - I've written about this good QPR tinto a few times before, most recently from John Harvey's 40th birthday dinner on 29th January 2010:

Distributed by Aaron's ADP Industries. Though I've had this at least thrice in the past year, each time was always with many other wines. This time, it being the sole red of the evening, I was able to liesurely enjoy and delve a little deeper into it.

Penedès is a wine region in Catalunya, not far south-west of Barcelona. Though it is better known for producing cava, Penedès also produces a lot of red wines from the likes of tempranillo, grenache, cariñena, monastrell (a.k.a., mourvèdre and mataró), cabernet sauvignon, merlot and others. The subject wine is mainly tempranillo. I do not know exactly the percentages, but I would say there is probably a small percentage of a weightier grape in this, probably cabernet sauvignon. Per Hugh Johnson, 1999 in Penedès was marked by mild winter and spring, with a dry, warm summer which led to a very good, abundant harvest.

Dry, very smooth, comforting and very easily approachable, this medium-bodied wine shows a mellow personality in its soft black cherry, minor wild strawberry, bit of underlying blackcurrant, cedar with hints of tobacco leaf, licorice, whispers of violets and leather. After sitting in the glass, slight notes of vanilla and cinammon emerged. Acidity is adequate, balance is good. This is mature at a little over 10 years from vintage.

At around P1800+/bottle on La Tienda's wine list and around P1200/bottle from ADP Industries, it's quality-price-ratio is hard to beat for a mature, readily/locally available gran reserva.

Torrijas con Helado

Javi's version of the Spanish take on the French pain perdu (a.k.a., French toast) always pleases me to no end. Not only is it a moderately sweet, cooling - I'd even say "refreshing" - dessert, it actually belies its rich appearance in that it is quite light on both the palate and in the stomach. Like most of the subject meal, this is not on the menu and has to be pre-ordered a few days ahead.

Another great meal with close, longtime friends. With good cava and reds, one cannot reasonably ask for much more. Muchisimas gracias, Javi. Hasta la proxima.

Lamb Chops & Rioja @ Je Suis Gourmand.

Having enjoyed Marc Aubry's dish of Lamb Chops with Fresh Chanterelles Risotto & Pesto so much during a lunch meeting with Aaron 4 days ago, I was back in Je Suis Gourmand last night, the 17th July 2010 - this time with Catha and our 2 older boys. We started off with a couple of our old favorite appetizers (unfortunately, the Roasted Bone Marrow was unavailable)...

Escargots à la Bourguignonne, and...

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Egg, as well as something from the on-going Fresh Chanterelles Promotion:

Fresh Chanterelles with Foie Gras & Puff Pastry

All the appetizers were delicious. It was difficult not to gorge on them, but I had only a couple of bites of each since I had to save my appetite for the main course. No worries about wasting anything, though, my 2 sons made short work of everything.

For our main courses, we all went for the Lamb Chops with Fresh Chanterelles Risotto & Pesto. The lamb component of the dish on the menu is actually lamb tenderloin, but I prefer chops. Apparently, so do Catha and the boys as they ordered the same thing as I.

As may be seen from the above photos, to go with the main course, I opened a bottle of 1991 Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva* - This particular bottle was one of a few Miguel got for me last time he was in Barcelona, purchased from one of the retail shops there (I don't recall exactly which, but I think it was at the Corte Ingles near his house). I've written about this wine twice before, i.e., during a lunch at Echaurren and at a dinner in La Tienda.

At 19 years from vintage, this wine needs aeration to open up. I opened it, poured off a couple of glasses to air and let the rest sit in the bottle for around 35-45 minutes. Its bouquet is of balsamico, cedar, red spiciness, dark red berries and cherries over somber blackcurrant, hints of leather and violets. Notably light-footed, it mirrors its bouquet on the palate, gliding rather than sitting.

Though medium in frame and heft (12% abv), it has notable drive and persistence. Acidity is quite firm, making it truly food-friendly. Deep, complex and elegant, this is about tertiary traits. It is no "wine for the bar" to coin a phrase from Jancis Robinson - rather, it is a wine meant for eating with and pondering over. I, personally, like it with lamb chops, chuleton de vaca and chuletillas de corderito. This is an Old World connoisseur's wine. I would not recommend it to those who look for or like only over-ripe, high-alcohol, sweetly/openly fruit-forward, low acid, heavily vanilla-oaky New World/modern reds.

Marc then joined us at the table for a glass of wine and a chat...

...leading into dessert.

Our eldest and I had identical orders of the above-depicted Coffee Ice Cream with Coffee Beans and Sauce, Catha had the Pears Poached in Red Wine and our second had Rum Raisin Ice Cream. Coffees and Armagnacs courtesy of Marc capped off a nice, relaxed evening. I'm happy to be back in Je Suis Gourmand. It always feels like home.

*Briefly, Bodegas R. López de Heredia ("LdH") is one of the 3 oldest wineries in Rioja and is the oldest (built in 1877) one in Haro, the town in Rioja Alta which is recognized as the capital of the well-known wine-producing Rioja region. The winery is known as the most traditional producer of La Rioja, adhering to the old, austere, elegant and food-friendly style.

According to María Jose López de Heredia (who now runs the winery with her siblings Mercedes and Julio Cèsar), in reference to their adherence to the traditional style: "We will die with our boots on." I, personally, do not think there is any great danger in the winery's demise any time soon - though they refuse to change their style to suit certain critics' tastes, I am aware that Josh Raynolds of Tanzer's International Wine Cellar recently (July/August 2009) gave this wine a score of 94 (for whatever that is worth).

LdH's Viña Tondonia comes from a single, large vineyard of the same name and the gran reserva is produced only in the better vintages. For the 1991 vintage, only 1250 cases were made; it spent 9 years in barrel and many more ageing in bottle before release. LdH is known for releasing its gran reservas many years after bottling; for example, its 1994 Tondonia Gran Reserva was released only around March 2010 - virtually 16 years from harvest.

The Manila Gentlemen's Club @ Terry's 2º Piso.

Dinner of the 16th July 2010 was at Terry's 2º Piso with the Manila Gentlemen's Club (MGC), a small group dedicated to the appreciation of wine, food and cigars. Though some members are currently out of the country, we still had 5 present (which constitutes a quorum): John Harvey, Richard Everingham, Michael Whiting, Aled Morris and myself.

Aled & John

I had reserved a table and requested a special menu from good friend Juan Carlos "JC" de Terry over a week before. Unlike all other special dinners I, as current/re-elected MGC Wine Master and formerly de facto Food Master, helped organize in the past few years, I had absolutely no participation in designing, pre-approving the menu and selecting the pairing wines for this dinner. This time, I left it all in JC's most capable hands - after all, in the entire country, there is nobody more knowledgeable, passionate or artistic as regards fine Spanish cuisine, Spanish wine and pairing the two than JC.

Nobody, including myself, knew what was in store for us that evening. Having had countless meals by JC, however, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be memorable, and, a cursory glance at the above depicted 5-course pairing menu proved me right. After a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries and getting down to the agenda, our feast began with pica-picas of almonds and...

~ Amuse Bouche ~

... a Trio de Josélito including Jamón Ibérico Calidad Bellota, Salchichon and Chorizo Gran Reserva. This luxurious amuse bouche was, as is typical in Spain (I learned this from Miguel during one our Spanish lunches), accompanied with sherry - but, instead of the usual fino or manzanilla, we started off with a bottle of Bodegas M. Gil Luque Leyenda Oloroso Sherry - From the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia's Marco de Jerez, this is a moderately complex, just a shade off-dry, nutty, sherry that I could drink all night. Very proper, very smooth. If I am not mistaken, this is goes for just under P1000/bottle at Terry's.

As earlier stated, having sherry as an apéritif, especially with almonds and good jamón is very typical in Spain and a habit I could all too easily develop. It's very affordable price certainly helps.

~ First Course ~

This first course was a Trio of Foie Gras made up of (1) Pan-fried Duck Liver on Crostini, topped with Membrillo (a Spanish quince paste - I think this is the one from Jumilla), scented with a Truffle-Honey-Balsamic Reduction; (2) Flan de Foie Gras with Truffle Shavings; and (3) Foie Gras Croquette with Black Cherry Marmalade.

The trio was absolutely delightful- complex, harmonious, indulgent but not overly rich or heavy on the palate - especially when paired with the 2003 Domaine Rolly-Gasmann Weingarten de Rorschwihr Sylvaner - this is the ripest, roundest, fruitiest and comparatively heftiest Alsace sylvaner I've had. It's probably the vintage speaking. Off-dry, actually a bit sweet and vaguely tropical, very moderate acidity, slight white florality, notes of plump, ripe, creamy lemon, citrus - hard to describe, actually. It went perfectly with the foie gras trio though - not too sweet - just enough to be a good counterpoint to the foie's richness, and, just enough acidity to refresh the palate. Very nice.

~ Second Course ~

Chipirones Stuffed with Brandade, Simmered in a Vizcaina de Piquillo Sauce

The chipirones (i.e., baby squid) were so soft and fresh, the brandade (a mixture - an emulsion really - of, traditionally, bacalao, olive oil and garlic) was creamy and very flavorful, and, the sauce was absolutely delightful - simultaneously tying everything together and, with the piquillo, adding precise contrast. Excellent. This was paired with...

2007 Domaine Rolly-Gassmann Réserve Millésime Riesling - Bright, nervy, svelte, clean, honeyed, ripe white grapefruit with a hint of peach, just the barest whisper of underlying petrol. Lots of honest, straightforward charm in this and it is dangerously drinkable. As a pairing, its purity, clean lines and brightness refreshed the palate well as the brandade has a pronounced flavor. This was a precise foil, and yet another of countless examples of how very versatile rieslings are.

~ Third Course ~

Lobster Newburg

This is a dish I remember from when I was much, much younger - sometime in my mid-elementary school days if I recall properly. I haven't had anything à la Newburg in decades I think - so this was a nice bit of nostalgia for me. In this rendition, JC used vintage port instead of the usual sherry. Rich, complex, the flavors were seamless, the lobster precisely cooked. Delicious. Richard's, I noted, lasted barely 2 minutes in his bowl. Res ipsa loquitur.

I had mine with some more of the above discussed Leyenda Oloroso Jerez which I thought brought a nice bit of added indulgent depth and complexity with its savory nuttiness and inherent, discreet oxidation.

~ Fourth Course ~

This was an extra special treat - some real Chuletón Vasco (i.e., Basque beef prime rib) that JC had brought in from Spain. I was very happy to see this on our evening's menu though I had it in 2º Piso with my Catha and the children not a week before.

JC with Team de Terry's Chef Luis Chikiamco and Crew

Chuletón Vasco

The fellows chat as Luis carves the chuletón in the background.

Be still, my heart. This was topped with shaved Pink Tibetan Crystal Salt.

This was served with Mushrooms, Piquillo Salardaise Potatoes and Garlic Confit, and paired with bottles of decanted 2001 Bodegas Olarra Cerro Añon Gran Reserva - I've had a few of these before and wrote about this last in mid-March 2010, but this is the first time I'd had it decanted for a few hours. From my linked notes, after 2-3 hours of decanting, the oak-related notes are more subdued and the delicate cedar notes lace the light-footed, slightly over a medium-bodied dark fruit and underlying discreet licorice, wood spice and hints of leather and violets.

JC said he expected it to be "more open", but we liked it fine. The two bottles didn't last very long, continuing with a light cheese course with a bit of membrillo.

In the meantime, JC joined the pianist in a bit of jazz...

~ Fifth Course (Dessert) ~

JC pours for Mike & Richard

Unfortunately, I dove into my dish of Valor Chocolate Velvet with Honey-Scented Vanilla Ice Cream before I could take a close-up shot of it. We noted that the honey used was not from bees, but from honey ants and the vanilla was real deal vanilla bean. Honey ants' honey...that blew us away - it was a very delicate and discreet honeyed flavor. Only JC would be so creative to use such ingredient - I don't know of any other restaurant here that uses this.

With this, JC poured us a bottle of 1999 Les Vins de Vienne Condrieu Cépées Caties - This is the darkest gold Condrieu I've had...probably the oldest too. Honeyed apricot, peach, orange blossoms and discreet, underlying nutty-creaminess. Just enough acidity to keep things interesting. Notable complexity and balance. Gracefully feminine wine. Nice treat.

JC told us that viognier-based wines are normally consumed within 2 years from bottling. He'd been keeping bottles of this wine as an "experiment" and it was only in the last few minutes before our dinner that he decided to serve it because it was very closed when he tested it earlier. After breathing, however, (I no longer recall for how long) it blossomed and displayed its fragrance and charm to his satisfaction. Thus, we got to enjoy it.

Mignardises which we had with more of the Condrieu.

JC then joined us for the Condrieu, answering our many questions about the menu, the preparation of the various dishes and regaled us with the history of some the recipes as well. He is really a treasure trove of culinary knowledge.

Some smooth, vaguely chalky moderately creamy, medium-bodied, cocoa powder-touched Cuban Raphael Gonzalez Coronas Extras (or at least they looked like coronas extras to me) and espressos brought the evening to a close.

Richard & Aled

It was yet another memorable meal for me at Terry's 2º Piso. Everything was great as usual. Un millón de gracias, JC. Hasta la proxima.

Some Recent Wines over the Past Week.

Dinner at home, 10th July 2010: Many wines served with several dishes for Hisako's belated birthday celebration. Aside from my immediate family, Tad & Chako's longtime friends, Horace & Karuna, attended. No photos as I was tired from golf and didn't feel up to taking any (I also wasn't sure if Karuna and Horace would be comfortable with my clicking away incessantly). I've written about the wines we had several times already so will not repeat myself so soon. A couple of noteworthy ones, though, were:

1996 Pagodes de Cos - 2nd wine of Château Cos d'Estournel from an excellent Médoc vintage. I used to order a lot of this some years back for casual drinking (I'd get it by the case at only US$32/bottle; now it is around US$45-$60/bottle). I entered this in 2 IWFS blind tastings of 1996 2nd wines of top châteaux and some well-respected cru bourgeois; the events were respectively held at Tower Club's Pinot Room and Bianca's, both in late 2006.

At the event in Tower Club, '96 Pagodes came out 4th as follows*:

1st Place - Poujeaux (44 pts)
2nd Place - Reserve de la Comtesse (29 pts)
3rd Place - Haut Marbuzet (25 pts)
4th Place - Pagodes de Cos (22 pts)
5th Place - Sociando Mallet (16 pts)
6th Place - Bahans Haut Brion (10 pts)
7th Place - Tie - Les Forts de Latour (9 pts)
7th Place - Tie - Pavillon Rouge (9pts)
8th Place - Potensac (7 pts)
9th Place - Carruades de Lafite (5 pts)
10th Place - Clos du Marquis (4 pts)

*My own top 5 at the time were:

1st - Poujeaux
2nd - Sociando Mallet
3rd - Pagodes de Cos
4th - Clos du Marquis
5th - Reserve de la Comtesse

At the Bianca's event, I lost my notes, but I distinctly recall that 1st place went to the '96 Les Forts de Latour, a very close 2nd place was the '96 Pagodes de Cos and last place was the former 1st place winner '96 Poujeaux (I noted that, in my opinion, that bottle of '96 Poujeaux was flawed and, perforce, should have been excluded from the line-up or replaced with a fresh bottle).

Point is, the '96 Pagodes was a very good wine...then. I'd long since run out of it, but, a few months ago, I was able to order some (45€/bottle) from France through one of Aaron's negociant principals. The subject bottle was one of those.

Slightly over medium-bodied, light-footed, cedar, blackcurrant, raspberry/cherry highlights, underlying plum, bit of jasmine tea leaves, vanilla, whispers of Indian spice. Not as concentrated, deep or hefty as the '96 grand vin, but it definitely does credit to its "big brother". Very easy to drink, this was - and continues to be - one of my favorite 2nd wines.

2004 Bodegas Ondarre Graciano - I've had only a few 100% graciano wines before, and all of them have been those of CVNE's Viñedos del Contino (i.e., their 2006, 2007 and, from barrel, the 2009).

The subject wine is a big bruiser (JC de Terry recommended that I decant it for aeration "for at least 2 hours", so I decanted it for 3½). Lush, plush, very full-bodied, very rich, concentrated and extracted, extremely ripe. Very mouth-filling, very dense, viscous, deeply fruited showing off flavors of a mixed compote of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry with notes of kirsch, café Americain, anise, slight balsamico, dark flowers and good doses of oak-related (obviously a lot of new oak used) vanilla, toffee and cinnamon. There's a touch of discreet, underlying minerality as well. Tannins are soft and rounded. Lots of power, but doesn't shout it out.

Notable freshness despite its density, formidable concentration and extraction. Notable complexity too. My over-all impressions were of richness, concentration and smoothness. Acidity is a bit low for my taste, but I imagine this will be very pleasing to those who enjoy the big, rich, oaky Napa-style. My wife liked this a lot.

This received 5 stars from Decanter (for whatever that's worth). Available at Terry Selections at a mere P1170/bottle.

Lunch at Je Suis Gourmand, 14th July 2010: A work-related lunch with Aaron. He said he'd bring a red. Since it was a working lunch, I wanted to minimize drinking so brought no white and just started off with a glass of rosé.

Marc Aubry has an on-going fresh chanterelles promo at Je Suis Gourmand. We skipped our usual appetizers (since we had no white anyway) and both ordered the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Fresh Chanterelles Risotto & Pesto, but replaced the lamb tenderloins with lamb chops (which I personally prefer anyway). With this generously sized and excellent dish, we had...

1999 Château Sociando-Mallet - Aaron's bottle; from an under-appreciated vintage and one of the best cru bourgeoise châteaux in my opinion (and in those of many others). It also happens to be a favored producer of 6-term IWFS President and Wine Master Bernie Sim.

Slightly over medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, notably ripe for a '99 St-Estèphe, properly earthy cassis/blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, bit of violets, subtle minerality and licorice, nicely integrated vanilla/oak notes. I liked the balance and the understated serious personality of this wine. It just proves even more that this producer punches a notch or few above its classification. Excellent for a lunch of roasted lamb chops and earthy chanterelle risotto.

I note that the size of the dish was quite substantial but I managed to finish it all. I would not have been able to if I had our usual appetizers of escargots à la bourguignonne and/or terrine of foie gras. At P960/order, it's a steal in terms of both quality and quantity.

Sunday Lunch at Home (4th July 2010).

We've been having the usual Sunday lunch with the in-laws at home the past couple of weeks since my mom-in-law is in the USA for a ZONTA-related trip. For yesterday, I asked my wife to make some paella. It was a simple but very good lunch. I opened some rosado to go with it.

Salad with Parma Ham & Pine Nuts

Paella

Solomillo de Vaca & Baked Prawns

2009 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosado

The paella was kept outside so it wouldn't get too cold.

Eating time.

My plate.

With the rosado this time.

I had several helpings of the paella. I really liked it because it had a nice underlying crispy layer. Got overly stuffed and felt like having a nap after.

Apparently, someone else had the same idea.