Nurrrrr-ishing dishes with style

26 July 2014: We were invited to a relatively newcomer to the restaurant scene in Hong Kong. Nur (www.nur.hk), by chef Nurdin Topham, who came to us with years of experience gained with Raymond Blanc at Le Manori Aux Quat' Saisons in the UK....and also Noma, Copenhagen.  The chef's philosophy is to treat fresh produce with respect and to use as much local fresh and organic produce as possible.  The décor, as the food, brought an immediate impression of lightness and freshness.  The tables were well spaced, but close enough to give a lively ambiance to the dining room.  There was a terrace and a single couple was brave enough to enjoy their meal in the humid heat.  The amuse-bouche platter looked almost like a platter of petits fours, so delightfully delicate and colourful!  There are two menus - we had the one called Light.

The Egg dish

The starter of Tomatoes was stunning, packed with sweet and fresh heirloom tomato flavours (all differently coloured) and intensely flavoured tomato water, delicately enhanced by a gossamer of basil essence.  This most refreshing starter was followed by a dish called Crab, which was king crab, pomelo and garden herbs (the herbs are grown on the terrace of the restaurant), another very refreshing creation, but enhanced with the bitter sweetness of the pomelo.  The Salmon dish that followed used organic Irish salmon, with cucumber, smoked buttermilk and dill. This went brilliantly with the 2010 Tasya Reserve, Grace Vineyard that our hosts brought!  Next was the Egg dish: Taiyouran egg, whole grains, shiitake mushroom, with garlic chive.  The warm and crusty house baked organic sourdough bread was gorgeous, spread with mushroom butter!  Two of us then had the Beef dish: roasted Mayura Wagyu skirt, served with black garlic paste.....and the other two had the same dish, replacing the beef with roasted beetroot, equally tasty and nicely textured, with the beetroot perfectly roasted!  Dessert was Watermelon: watermelon and rose, apple custard, sprinkled with pomegranate.  It did not sound like much, but the dish packed with freshness and intensity....very wholesome!  We left the restaurant feeling so 'well-fed', in the best sense possible, with such wholesome, fresh, tasty and artfully presented creations!

Watermelon!

We had brought our own wines but corkage was a little on the high side.  I did not have a chance to look at the wine list....I'll make sure I do that at our next visit, which hopefully will be very soon!

 

Unusual Delicacies at Kin's Kitchen and a Sensational 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires

Lau Kin Wai proudly recommending to us some of his own creations! 

25 July 2014: Dinner at Kin's Kitchen （留家厨房) - we were regaled with some rather unusual dishes....made with ingredients for which I don't have the English names. 

The fungus from Yunnan! In season now, till end August!  Hurry!

The four best dishes that got our unanimous votes were: 1) 干巴菌抄蛋 (Scrambled egg with a seasonal wild fungus from Yunnan); 2) 头抽玉米 (stir fried fresh corn with a really tasty soya sauce); 3) Slow roasted pigeon (cooked at 75 degrees for an hour and a half); 4) 凤眼果炆鸡 (braised chicken with this kernel, a mix between gingko nut and chestnut, really interesting!). All so tasty and unique!

Slow-roasted pigeon; the scrambled egg with fungus (already half gone!)

Quite a fortuitous coincidence that we had taken a bottle of 2003 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc to dinner, when Lau told us that Sauvignon Blanc would do something rather amazing to the fungus. So we tried it.....the fresh taste of the mushroom suddenly took on some rather pungent flavours.....almost sulphurous....not sure what chemical reaction that was.....but it tasted as if it had been stir fried with the essence of a thousand-year-old egg (皮蛋)! Amazing! The fresh corn was so simple, yet so full of flavours! The problem with Chinese kitchen is that all the food came rather suddenly and altogether! Quite difficult to manage!

The braised chicken with the gingko/chestnut cousin!  Again only available this month!

For our wines, we started with a 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires. Made with Chardonnay from 4 Grand Cru vineyards and 1 Premier Cru vineyard from the Côte des Blancs. Pale lemon. Fine bubbles. A rich bouquet of toast, shortbread, lemon confit, ripe pear, apricot, overlaid with smokey notes. Liquorice, marzipan and candied fruit and hints of minerality filled the finish. Opulent and fleshy, with perfect proportions in every aspect, eager to seduce. Finishes long and still vibrant. A very expressive wine and an absolute delight to indulge! It seemed nicely evolved now on the palate....Drink now and over next 4 - 5 years if you are less keen on the mature style. 18/20 (This yummy bottle was given to us by a friend on another occasion - thank you so much for sharing this with us!)

The 2003 Domaine de Chevalier was much fresher than some of the bottles that we had opened from the same case. Lemon colour. Creamy texture. Pineapple, quince, lanolin and lemon. There was sufficient acidity to keep the palate fresh. It went rather well with the food, and not just in such an amazing way with the scrambled egg with fungus....but it also did a great job with the drunken abalone! It's not a wine for long term cellaring but in the right condition, it makes a great food wine! 16/20


The 1995 Léoville Barton tasted quite meaty and fleshy, with less precise delineation, but packed with blackberry and cassis fruit, with notes of roasted herbs. It lacked a certain precision to be truly exciting. Nevertheless, it was balanced, well-made and certainly a tasty drop! 16/20


The 1995 Mas de Daumas Gassac was sadly corked! So disappointing! Thank goodness, our host even brought a supply of the Léoville Barton, just in case!  Thank you!

Do hurry to get to Kin's Kitchen for these seasonal offerings!  Quite unusual!  Very special!

2002 Montrachet, Marquis de Laguiche, Joseph Drouhin

27 July 2014:

2002 Montrachet, Marquis de Laguiche, Joseph Drouhin: Medium gold. Lemon peel, apricot, toast, smoke, honey, ginger,with floral notes of acacia/honeysuckle. Waxy and weighty on the palate, a full-bodied structure, denoting power, intensity, concentration and muscles……balanced by firm and lively acidity. Grippy finish. Today this very serious and classy wine seems austere and unyielding….I think it will benefit from 3 - 4 more years of bottle development to blossom into utter perfection. We had it decanted for an hour, and managed to coax it to give a little!

Drink from 2017+. 19+/20

2008 Milmanda and 2004 Giusto di Notri

12 Jul 2014:

2008 Milmanda, Torres: Lovely gold colour. Very expressive nose of apricot, pear and lemon, with notes of ginger and vanilla spice. Weighty and full-bodied, richness of texture and intensity of flavours coat the palate, nicely balanced by a reasonable dose of acidity but I would have preferred more for a neater finish. Beautifully integrated oak elements....a harmonious finish that leaves a long impression. A very well-made Chardonnay from a single vineyard at the foot of the castle walls of Milmanda castle in Conca de Barberà. (Fermented and aged in French oak barrels.)  15.5/20 (I bought this bottle in the Torres shop in Barcelona in 2011 - waited all this while to try it!)

2012 Chianti, Duomo, Vinoreale
A blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo. Medium bodied, nice juicy fruit, balanced Chianti but not a memorable one. Acidity on the low side.....Short finish. Drink now. Better as an aperitif.  (We were given this bottle to try......I tried to look up more information from the website on the backlabel but could not find anything....)

2004 Giusto di Notri, Tua Rita
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Cherry, kirsch, blackberries, plum, liquorice, hint of scorched earth. Opulently textured with very ripe material. A full bodied wine, fleshy but not lacking in elegance at all. Grippy tannin, finishes long and smooth.  Delicious now and over next 6 - 8 years. 16.5/20 (This wine held very well for our curry evening: beef rendang, egg sambal, chicken masala and minced pork and eggplant! )

A couple of bright stars from 1974!

9 July 2014:

We did the 1964s earlier....now it's the turn for 1974s......and thank you to the birthday boy for bringing them to dinner at Upper Modern Bistro!

1974 Louis Roederer: Amber gold colour. On the nose it was caramel and honey, toffee apple-like, with notes of roasted hazelnut. We had it served in a white wine glass. Delicate mousse, creamy texture, with a long caramelised finish. Almost like dessert...There was a good deal of complexity, coming in layers on the palate but it didn't quite have enough acidity to give it that extra dimension and lift! 16/20


2004 Chablis Les Preuses, William Fèvre: Pale gold hue. Nose of lemon peel, almond, pear, herbal, lightly spicy. Rich in texture, almost full-bodied. Crisp long complex saline finish. Great detail, precisely structured with such purity. Very classy. 18/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Simi Winery: (I did not look at the back but I guess this would be predominant Cabernet Sauvignon, with a minor percentage of other Bordeaux blend grape varieties?) Deep garnet colour. Mineral graphite note, paired with earthy, cherry, plum, with a slight herbaceous note which surfaced with extended aeration in the glass. Medium bodied, delivered great freshness, intensity of flavours and silky tannin. An excellent effort for the vintage! 16.5/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon, Inglenook: (Francis Ford Coppola purchased this winery in 1975 intent on restoring the former glory under Gustave Niebaum the founder and his grandnephew John Daniel Jr - so this would have been the last vintage made by its previous owner which was Hublein Incorporated.) Started off being slightly maderised but settled down a little with some aeration. On the palate, it was rich, fleshy, layered and chewy still. The fruit, still very much present, was very ripe (probably over-ripe), dried fruit and cooked prunes, with some dusty and liquorice notes. I didn't like so much the lowish acidity....found it a little cloying and uninspiring. 14.5/20

2001 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva, Bruno Giacosa: (This bottle was opened at 3 pm, double decanted after opening, and then decanted at the restaurant from 8 pm till about 10 pm.) Deep garnet colour. Hot tar, tobacco, plum, redcurrant, earthy, liquorice spice on the nose. On the palate, it showed an opulently smooth texture, with perfectly balancing acidity. A powerful wine of immense structure, but rather elegantly presented and nicely proportioned. The finish was exceptionally long! An awesome wine (but I really think it should wait another 6 - 8 years before we enjoy it again)! 18.5+/20

1983 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet: (Decanted for an hour and a half before we tried it) This seemed rather subdued when served next to the Giacosa! A very attractive bouquet of red fruit, black pepper, herbs, leather, violet, with savoury and earthy notes. Really gorgeous, silky smooth on the palate, with wonderful acidity keeping the palate refreshed, Plenty of finesse and depth. Not a particularly long finish but I did not sense any dryness at the finish. Not a huge Hermitage, but a very elegant one it was and nowhere near its decline. Drink over next 5 - 6 years. 17.5/20

What a treat! The food was totally on form last night....I got my favourite pig's trotter dip, smoked salmon toast and artichoke macaroni. Those who went for the meaty main courses said that the chicken main course was really good! And of course, you cannot miss Jeremy's selection of cheese - I picked for us Comté 48 months, Coulommiers, Abbaye de Tamié, Fourme d'Ambert, a cheese like Saint Félicien but called Petit Mosellan and a couple others slipped in by our very friendly waiter (think one was Colombier). Absolutely delicious...and definitely worth saving room for it!

2000 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campe

30 Jun 2014:  Dinner at La Locanda by Giancarlo Perbellini (Ocean Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui).  Just for this evening, we were luckily spared from the rainstorms that have become rather a permanent feature this summer.  So we were able to enjoy the view of neon-lit Central from the outdoor terrace - it was captivating and reassuring.

La Spinetta and the yummy frolla

2000 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campè. Deep ruby. Blackberry jam, tar, liquorice, rose petal essence. Firm ripe tannin, chewy texture, could do with more acidity , a bit cloying towards the end. Seems a bit heavy-handed and lacks the elegance one would expect of a top Barolo.... This served its purpose to go with rich food such as the suckling pig on the menu but as soon as dinner was finished, it became less inviting! This wine still has a long life ahead and it will be interesting to see if the passage of time will bring about some interesting transformation and evolution. 15.5/20 (2000 was the first vintage of this wine by the Rivetti family....I suspect the more recent vintages would be much more refined.)

Risi e Bisi

We tried the risi e bisi....which was really the star dish of the evening.....perfectly cooked al dente risotto rice, topped with creamy pea foam......with the savoury parmesan further embellishing the flavours of this dish. Very smooth and nourishing! 

The second star dish was the frolla.....a stack of really tasty cooked ham shrouding a huge dollop of creamy stracchino cheese,on top of a crispy tart...laced with balsamic vinegar......this was really yummy! The ham tasted very fresh.


We had expected more of the suckling pig dish but it had too much fat in it and the skin was not crispy enough. The brussel sprouts and onions were rather yummy though! And the sauce perfectly seasoned. 

The suckling pig dish

The crispy chicken leg

I had the crispy chicken leg dish, with creamy potato. The potato cream was really delicious - and the texture and flavours enhanced with the diced root vegetable, and the chicken jus. The chicken though tasted as though it had been pre-cooked before the final touch of crisping up in the grill......??

Would we go back? Definitely! I want to try the Mozarella and Carrozza (pan-fried sandwich with mozarella cheese, potato and anchovy cream). Plus there is an extensive pizza menu! And though we did not choose from the wine list (except for the white wines by the glass), the selection seems well thought-out and not outrageously priced!

   

Two Old Bottles: 1959 Latour and 1966 Haut Brion

29 Jun 2014: 

1959 Latour: Deep garnet hue. An intensely aromatic tertiary bouquet of leather, cedar, violet and blueberry....very ripe fruit on the palate, blackberry jam, kirsch and some earthy notes..,it displayed a virile structure of firm ripe tannin, still not completely resolved, lively acidity.....a wine full of character, muscles and energy, but well proportioned. A mature wine in its prime, complete in every sense. With perfect storage, can be enjoyed over next 20+ years! 20/20

1966 Haut Brion: Deep garnet, though not as deep as the Latour. A very enticing bouquet of cedar, leather, blueberry, lead pencil, tea leaves, with blackcurrant and ripe plum on the palate. Silky palate, very elegant acidity, superbly balanced. A seductive wine in total harmony today. So irresistible (that it disappeared rather too quickly)! Drink now and over next 10-12 years. 19/20

And no, they were not enjoyed on the same evening!  That would be too indulgent!