Despedida Wine Dinner for Clem Nieto @ Impressions.

Despedida dinner for Clem with the winos last night, the 28th February 2013. Since Clem, who is to return to California tomorrow, brought some special white Burgundy, lobster was definitely on the menu. I suggested that we hold the event again at Impressions, and, unsurprisingly, everyone immediately agreed. We were six in all: Clem Nieto, Rene Fuentes, Alex Tiu, Richard Joye, Jay Labrador, and myself.

Apéritif of (grower) Champagne Victor Dravigny "Hommage" Brut Rosé - J-Lab's bottle. Lively, perky rosé showing straightforward, nice purity with clean lines of juicy ripe strawberry and red currant. Well made, charming, if rather straightforward.

Executive Chef Cyrille Soenen hands on as always.

Amuse bouche #1 - Mushroom Meringue on Truffle "Soil" - probably the prettiest, cutest amuse bouche I've ever had anywhere. Whimsically earthy, tasty and entertaining.

By this time, we had started on the 2000 Champagne Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Nicolas Francois Billecart" Brut - My bottle, in lieu of a 1999 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Brut per J-Lab's advice re: drinkability (I just pretty much follow anything J-Lab says when it comes to champagne as bubblies and sweet whites are within his expertise and I somewhat know by now his palate preferences). Opulent, big, rich, generous, openly toasty, brioche & pastry buttressed, slightly honeyed baked apple, pear and peach. Very hefty. Eager to please, very stylish. Still coming together, but may be enjoyed now.

Amuse bouche #2 - Turkey Confit with Beetroot Purée and Potato Allumettes - I think the very first time I've had turkey confit. This reminded me of the old Restaurant CiÇou in Makati for some reason.

The star of the evening for me: Gillardeau Oyster & Scallop Tartare on Tartine, with Avruga and Citrus Dressing. Absolutely superb, complex, and wonderfully balanced. It blew me away.

With this outstanding shellfish 1st Course, we had moved to the evening's 3rd champagne, namely,  Champagne Jacques Selosse "Initial" Brut - Clem's bottle. Fresh, vibrant, lively, clean lines of ripe green apples, pear and citrus fruits, white minerality, notable focus, streamlined, neat. Precise acidity. Remarkable balance. Easily the best champagne that night, and a stunning pairing with the dish. Superb.

Champagne cheers from Manila!

Service was crisp and attentive as always.

The 2nd Course was another seafood delight: Pan-Seared Brittany Lobster with Mushroom Risotto and Sea Urchin Foam. The description alone tells one how delicious it was.

With it, 2000 Remoissenet Grand Cru Le Montrachet du Domaine Thénard - Clem's bottle. Sublime in its fresh bouquet of honey-and-butter-touched ripe apple, pear, & hazelnuts. Mirrored on the palate in a buxom, luscious body with additional nuances of minerals, underlying orange rind and lemon curd. Unctuous, delightfully oily mouthfeel, perfectly rounded, with precise heft and length. A big, remarkably balanced white Burg; it just had to be a Montrachet. Absolutely beautiful in itself and with the lobster dish. What a treat.

Maraming salamat muli, Don Clem!

The night's champagnes & still white.

Our 3rd (Meat) Course was Cyrille's signature 48-Hour Veal Shank served with...

Carrots & Mushrooms; Garlic & Shallots Confit.

Table-side carving & plating.

Among the many lined up, only three reds were selected to pair with the meat course:

1993 Biondi-Santi Tenuta Greppo Brunello di Montalcino - Richard's bottle. Concentrated, viscous, dense, with a loamy bouquet of mildly spiced dark raspberry, strawberry, cherry compote, and a moderate sanguine-meaty touch. In the mouth, it mirrored its bouquet in a soft, slightly low acid manner, with underlying dark, molten fruit. There is bottle-aged sweetness; nuances of sweetish tea join in the back and moderately long finish. The general assessment was that the subject bottle is a bit past peak, but still quite nice.

1994 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Case Basse - Clem's bottle. Its bouquet and dominant flavors similar to the above-discussed wine, but slightly more reserved, more masculine, fruitier, spicier, with added tar, cedar and violets. In the mouth, it was comparatively more rigidly structured, fresher, and with healthier acidity. The dark red fruit evidently more youthful, neater, and focused. It is also marginally less earthy, but with similar sanguine and meaty notes. Virtually no bottle-age tea leaves or sweetness in this one. We all agreed this can go for quite a bit more than the previous Brunello di Montalcino. Impressive.

1986 Château Palmer - Alex's bottle. I last had this (also from him) during a year-ender lunch at Tivoli for Keiichi on the 27th December 2012. My notes from that lunch are as follows:

1986 Château Palmer - from Alex. Another silently serious, masculine wine with particularly notable freshness at 26 years from vintage. Wonderfully balanced, smoothly full-bodied, molten dark fruit, walnuts, pipe tobacco, warm black gravel, bit of anise, clean leather, hint of truffles. Impressive depth in this. I could fall into this wine and you'd never find me. Loved it.

This bottle was more confident, expansive and with a more pronounced crescendo and longer finish. A suave, handsome, manly wine. More impressive than the previous bottle. Excellent. It was pretty much unanimously the red of the night.

There were several other reds up at bat (among others, a 2000 Carruades de Lafite from Rene, and a 1964 Bodegas Faustino Faustino I Gran Reserva from me), but we stopped at three. Well, four, actually, since Alex simply had to have a "pre-red red" (a young CdP, the name of which escapes me as I didn't have any) which he popped together with Clem's earlier mentioned 2000 Remoissenet Le Montrachet.

With the 4th (Cheese) Course...

1983 Château Guiraud - Richard's bottle. Bouquet and flavors of wild honey and spiced touched dried apricots, orange marmalade, crème brûlée and vanilla bean. Slightly over medium-bodied, moderate concentration, good balancing acidity & viscosity, decent freshness. A solid, dependable Sauternes that, unsurprisingly, worked well with the bleu (especially), dried figs, nuts, and grapes.

My niece, Nicole, & friend at the pastry station.

Our dessert - a palate-resuscitating, cleansing, lightly-footed, brightly fruited Minestrone of Compressed Fruits with Fresh Strawberry and Mint Broth. Lovely dessert after such an indulgent meal. Good show, Nicole! I had finished my share of Richard's Sauternes with the cheese course, but Richard opined that the Sauternes went well even with this dessert.

Alex, Nicole, & Clem

Mignardises

Clem with Impressions' young pâtissiere.

Clem, J-Lab & the bottles.

Cyrille eventually rejoined us at the table for a chat and a couple of glasses of Sauternes. Thanks again, Cyrille & Team Impressions for yet another superb dinner! Bon voyage, Clem! Many thanks again, and have a safe and pleasant trip! ¡Salud! Until the next!

Edouard's 2010 Château Siran.

Had a tasting lunch today, the 27th February 2013, at Elbert's Steak Room, to test the pairing dishes for La Commanderie de Bordeaux Manila's Château Malescot St-Exupéry event. In so doing, I got to taste (well, more than a taste, we finished the bottle between the two of us) Edouard's...

2010 Château Siran - Rich, fleshy and well-polished, showing an open nose of warm asphalt infused cassis (very Margaux appellation to me), licorice, spicy red berries, hints of dried herbs. Past mid-mouth and through the finish, the spicy red berries are joined by nuances of vanilla/oak and cinnamon. A bigger, riper, more powerful, savory rendition of Siran, but retaining its Margaux typicity and hallmark petit verdot spiciness. Broad, big-boned, open, generous, muscular, expansive, full-bodied.

Pretty good show. Quite different from his 2009 vintage, but, I think "Vive la différence" well applies. Young, of course, the wood notes to integrate well in time I'm quite certain (materially less toast to the oak barrels per Edouard). I'd like to taste this again in 5 years just to see how it is coming along.

Saturday Night Swiss-German Dinner w/ My Boys @ The Appenzeller.

Catha was out last night, Saturday, the 23rd February 2013, for her IWFS Manila Ladies Branch's Annual Wine Crawl, so I took my teenagers out to dinner at The Appenzeller, a nice, homey Swiss-German restaurant-bar along the Alabang-Zapote Road, almost exactly perpendicular to Ayala Alabang Village's Acacia Road. We took a table in the non-smoking section. Mauro followed as he had to take another car so he could go to a party after dinner.

Shared appetizers were the usual Steak Tartare...

...& Deep-Fried Camembert, both of which the kids love.

We all had Oettinger Weißbier throughout the meal.

Mauro & Joaqi each had an order of Wienerschnitzel & Fries.

As one can see, the servings are quite large here.

Renzo had the Pork Sausage & Caramelized Onions w/ Potato Salad.

My usual Boiled Veal Sausage w/ Sauerkraut & Potato Salad.

Love these boys' nights out. Prost! Until the next!

Saturday Night Family Dinner: Bubbly & Craft Beer @ Hanakazu

Saturday before last, the 9th February 2013, was back at Hanakazu (108 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque) with Catha & the kids sans the eldest who had schoolwork to attend to (or so he claimed).

Complimentary appetizers from the chef-proprietor.

I always order extra of the Baby Squid.

Toro Sashimi flown in fresh from Japan. Love this stuff. With it, some Champagne Krug Grande Cuvée Brut - from the same batch I brought home from Hong Kong early last month. My notes from last Saturday, naturally, still apply:

I've always loved Krug's aromas - alluring honey, ripe apricot, fresh bread, candied ginger, slight nuttiness, complexed with a breath of oxidation - all generously mirrored on the palate in a hefty, yet light-footed body. Not as complex as vintage Krug, of course, but, wonderful in itself nonetheless.

Excellent Hamachi Sashimi from Japan.

Also got a whole, fresh Saba - half as sashimi...

...the other half grilled (not very interesting grilled though).

Nigiri Sushi: Anago, Ikura, & Ama Ebi...

...with which I opened a Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner - a sweetishly honeyed malted, moderately hoppy, luscious, full-bodied imperial pilsner to which an Iron Chef lent his name. Unless it is a good bubbly, I've pretty much given up having white wines with Japanese fare. I enjoy beer and saké with it so much more.

Of course, we also had the obligatory (for me, anyway) Ebi Tempura, which Hanakazu does very well. As far as this dish goes, to my mind, Hanakazu's is easily on par with that of Tsukiji, both of which I consider the best in the country (in the absence of the defunct Sushi Kappo Kobikicho).

Joaqi's Beef Yakimeshi, which he said was "Just ok".

Soft-Shell Crab - a bit too muddled for me. A big pass on this.

Nice, refreshing, complimentary Honeydew Melon for dessert.
Kampai! Until the next!

Back at the Tivoli for a Mini Dégustation.

Tuesday the 15th January 2012, I attended a dinner at The Tivoli hosted by Charisse Chuidian, the Mandarin Oriental Manila's Director of Communications, for Alicia Sy, Cyrene dela Rosa, Sanjeeb Gopaldas, and I. We had the Tivoli's current dégustation menu (which changes quarterly as I understand). As I usually do, I brought my own bottles of wine to dinner.

The Menu

Nice enough bread selection, flavored butters, & creamy liver pâté.

Starting with the rustic Pâté de Campagne amuse bouche, I opened a bottle of 2009 Domaine Laroche Chablis Premier Cru Les Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes - a bit tight at first from the ice bucket, it fleshed out as it warmed in glass, showing nicely ripe apple and pear with an underlying cold stone theme, citrus and orange rind surfacing just past mid-palate and extending into the moderate finish. Clean, decent purity, moderate steel and mineral profiles. Nicely balanced 1er cru Chablis.

With this wine, we continued through the above depicted 1st course - a duo of seafood - Orange & Crab Meat Canelloni, and, Sea Urchin & Salmon Roe on a Baguette Slice, adorned de riguer with Microgreens. Quite pleasing. The notably fresh sea urchin's creamy nuttiness was nicely cut by the salmon roe's inherent saltiness, the microgreens  adding herbaceous complexity. The mentioned Chablis went better with the crab meat canelloni, but was muddled by/with the more complex sea urchin & salmon roe.

The 2nd course was Quail Consommé with a Watercress & Shallot Wonton, the bowl streaked with concentrated earthy, sweetish Onion Reduction. A graceful soup course, delicate and subtle, yet the flavors made a statement.

The 3rd course: Scallop "à la Plancha" with a Warm Green Lentil Salad & Citrus Butter Sauce. Very well executed, the microgreens adding nice touches in complexity, not only visually. I only wish the portion was bigger. Other than that, I was quite impressed.

Charisse & Executive Chef Rene Ottlik.

Lemon Sorbet

The 4th (main) course was Australian Veal Tenderloin, Pan-Fried Veal Sweetbread, with Olives, Polenta, & Mushrooms, with which I opened a 2002 Louis Jadot Pommard Premier Cru Epenots -  decanted for aeration for around 1½ hours by the time it was served. The Epenots lieu dit is a few kilometers west-southwest of the old town of Beaune in the Côte de Beaune, its wines are generally  heavier boned, deeper in fruit, and a bit rustic.

The subject wine, after breathing, was a few notches over medium-bodied, displaying moderately smoky, minerally, well-ripened black cherry, dark plum, raspberry, slight tomato topnote, bit of anise, hint of pine needles, cedar, and oak spice. Underlying suggestions of ceps. It's healthy acidity lent good cut to the beef and earthy sweetbreads. Pretty good, though not exciting, it did do its job nicely enough.

The 5th (dessert) course was Cinnamon Parfait with Rum-Marinated Figs & Chocolate Ravioli.

The second dessert was quite entertaining: named "Chocolate Surprise", it is a ball of chocolate generously bathed with chocolate sauce with puddles of passion fruit.

Inside the ball lay passionfruit mousse on a spongecake base. Together with the rich dark chocolate sauce, it was quite delicious. I really enjoyed the chocolate's interplay with the passionfruit/citrus flavors. Loved it. I felt like a kid again.

Friandises

Sanju, myself, Alicia, Cyrene, & Charisse

The above discussed menu is approximately Php3800+ per person and, as I recall, is available only during dinner service - a fair enough price for the dishes, relaxed, elegant ambiance, and crisp, attentive service. For so long as I am allowed to bring my wines, I'm game for another go at this. Thanks again to Charisse for the dinner. Until the next!