Paul turned 25 again, for the 10th time!

18 Sep 2010: Paul and Julie invited us and other friends to his birthday dinner at On Lot 10, our favourite restaurant, which I probably reviewed more than once! So this time I would just say simply “I’ve never had a bad meal at On Lot 10 – what I really admire is the winning formula of the consistent quality of simple but delicious bistro-style cooking, dishes for sharing by large groups and efficient service dished out with military precision. In my view, two aspects have so far firmly put On Lot 10 in the private kitchen category: the rule of two glasses per guest and the inadequate cheese selection, which you could improve by discussing with the chef in advance!)


Salad, frog's legs,
steamed artichoke, rillette, etc.

 Paul ordered a selection of starters including really delicious and very tender frog’s legs (perfectly seasoned with garlic, parsley and a squeeze of lemon at the end!), water cress salad, grilled sardines, pig’s head rillette, country pâté and foie gras.



Roasted fish with tomatoes
and Mediterranean herbs



Salt-baked seabass

Then we had the famous fish soup, which was really tasty, bursting with flavours, perfectly seasoned and well-textured, without being too smooth. We had two fish to share, one baked in a salt crust and the other baked with tomatoes and herbs. The fish was so tender for both dishes, that it readily dissolved in your mouth. If I were to choose one I preferred that evening, I would have gone for the one baked with tomatoes and herbs, as the acidity and the intense flavours in the tomato-garlic based sauce was probably a more worthy partner with the Chablis on this evening. The salt-crusted fish was delicious too but perhaps just a little too delicate when compared to those intense flavours in the fish soup and the starters.



The famous suckling pig dish



Entrecote on a bed of cos lettuce
and duck fat potatoes

Two meat courses followed, the famous suckling pig and its now famous apple sauce (as my neighbor David asked for his own helping of apple sauce as his main course), and the really sensational côte de boeuf served with potatoes cooked in duck fat and chopped up cos lettuce that would soak up the lovely jus. Paul took my advice to discuss cheese in advance with Chef David and he had ordered a lovely epoisses for us, perfectly melting…….(I went back to the Chablis for the cheese course.)

As for dessert, a birthday cake of course – chocolate and raspberry cake…….delicious! I ate every scrap, which probably explains why I still felt rather full this morning…..(By the way, the indulgence last night did not stop me from taking my breakfast on the Cathay Pacific flight to London, where I am typing this…….I had a most delicious chicken congee served with rice flour rolls (Chinese style bite-sized cannelloni?) stir-fried with XO sauce. I had probably needed the warming congee to get over the excesses of last night!)

Paul is HK’s version of Burghound. He is so researched in all things about Burgundy (including local gossips!) So you can imagine the wines he chose for his birthday.
We started with a golden-coloured Lanson 1976, which really surprised me with its freshness (it was a magnum). Honey, acacia, marzipan, ripe pears, toasty character. Not exactly Paul’s birth year but we would not hold it against him! 17/20

Two whites followed: 2004 Jean-Noël Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Blanchots Dessous. Lemon yellow. A youthful nose of floral, citrus and mineral, slowly developed in the glass to reveal apple, smoke and brioche. Good acidity. Length finish. 17.5/20

The 2002 Raveneau Chablis Butteaux was my favourite white wine of the evening. Lemon-gold colour. Layers of complexity, showing character of mineral and citrus at one level, figs and melon at another, followed by vanilla, spices, nuts and toast. Racy acidity. Lingering finish. Definitely not quite ready for drinking yet, will benefit from further bottle age to become much more integrated, but it had class, elegance, complexity and length, showcasing great terroir and even greater winemaking! 18.5/20

Three reds (first two chosen by Paul and the third brought by David): 1998 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. A burgundian classic, charming and elegant, with a delicate silky texture, well-integrated character of red fruit, floral and spice. A faint hint of brettanomyces was detected, which did not affect our enjoyment of this great wine, in the least bit. Perhaps just a little sharp on the finish. Drinking at peak now. 17/20

My vote went to the 1999 Rousseau Chambertin. It was simply superb! Classic masculine interpretation of the terroir of Burgundy, powerful, intense, concentrated and complex! Still tasting rather youthful, showing ripe red fruit and spices, before developing floral, coffee/mocha and wet leaves character. Drinking well now, with some aeration and over next 10 – 15 years! 19.5/20

The 1989 Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune by Geantaz-Dervieux is a very rare wine (as we were told) – thank you, David! Gracefully matured Syrah, showing complexity of some red fruit character still, but very soon, the nose was taken over by notes of coffee, warm spices, leather, savoury and animal. Good length. A very classic interpretation and very well-made Syrah. It went quite well with the chocolate cake, I thought! 17.5/20

It was such as an indulgent evening! I feel truly spoilt by all these great wines! Thank you Paul and many happy returns to you (and hopefully, you will include us again when you turn 25 again next year!) Thank you, Julie! Congratulations on the new business tie-up and best of luck with it!