La Fete du Bouzeron et du Persille de Bourgogne

La Fete du Bouzeron

16 Apr 2012: Just before our main trip to Salzburg during Easter, we managed to squeeze in a few days  of visit to Burgundy.  We had some great tastings of the 2010 vintage at a few domaines, including Dujac, Meo-Camuzet, Patrick Javillier and Lejeune, and a few delicious meals at our favourite restaurants, including Lameloise (I loved my frogs' legs dish !), Ma Cuisine and Caves Madeleine, whose warm salad of red cabbage and bacon remains a highlight throughout the entire trip. 



The Frogs' Legs dish at Lameloise

 We also did something a little bit more interesting this time. We went along to La Fête du Bouzeron et du Persillé de Bourgogne on Sunday, 1st April (I looked up the local website prior to our trip and spotted this interesting Sunday activity!).  For the price of 7.50 Euros per person, we each got a souvenir wine glass, 6 tasting coupons (for either wine or jambon persillé) and a lucky draw ticket.  Bouzeron is an appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise, specifically dedicated to the much less glamorous cousin of Chardonnay, Aligoté.  If not for the gusty wind, which could be quite tiresome, it was a fine spring day, with bright blue sky and warming sunshine.  We thoroughly enjoyed the festival, which involved walking through the village, sampling wine (Bourgogne Blanc, Bourgogne Rouge, Crémant and Bouzeron) and jambon persillé at different stands, as well as other goodies,such as caramelised peanuts, macarons, chutneys, French fries and steak sandwiches, etc.   A band of colourfully-attired musicians also partook in the festivities and delighted onlookers with their cheerful tunes.  

A brief word on Bouzeron and this wonderful form of charcuterie.  The brochure described it as a springtime wine - "un vin de printemps".  It has an aromatic richness, with a nose nuanced with minerality, as well as notes of acacia, white flowers and hazelnut. On the palate, there is freshness and roundness, revealing the typicity of the terroir and the grape variety of Aligoté, which is so unique to this appellallation.  As for jambon persillé, it is a Burgundian speciality of charcuterie, made with ham, parsley, garlic and Aligoté (amongst other ingredients).  The natural marriage of these two products has thus made this festival possible.



A&P de Villaine watching the musicians at the Bouzeron Festival

 Monsieur de Villaine and his wife are both great supporters of the village and it was really nice seeing them taking a stroll round the festival, showing their support.  13 domaines exhibited their wine at the stands, including Bonnet, Borgeot, Briday, Chanzy, Chaussin, Cruchandeau, de la Mugnière, André Delorme, de Villaine, Jacqueson, Lechenault, Chateau Saint-Michel and Moreteaux.  We didn't really have the chance to taste all the wines from the different domaines but from the ones we tried, we felt that the de Villaine Bouzeron clearly seemed the superior Bouzeron....(perhaps we were just biased!).....

After the visit, we took a lovely stroll back to Chagny, on a hiking path named La Folie! 

The Temple of Haute Cuisine

16 Apr 2012: Before the Salzburg visit, we did a short hop to Lyon. Why? It’s all about Paul Bocuse, the master chef who made Lyon proud, who has inspired thousands of culinary students and aspiring chefs all over the world and who at the age of 86 (born in February 1926) is still at the helm of his eponymous restaurant after 50+ years. His restaurant at Collonges au Mont d’Or is the ‘temple’ of haute cuisine and no visit to Lyon would be complete without paying homage for any self-respecting gourmands. We arrived a little after 8 pm when it was still light, so that we could ‘admire’ the façade with its ‘kitsch’ (or ‘garish’/’immodest’) artwork. I wonder about the meaning of the artwork.

Monsieur Paul

The service from beginning to end of the experience chez Bocuse was impeccable. The attention to detail, the professionalism and efficiency was all extremely impressive. All 4 of us decided that we would go for the ultimate experience and that we would all take the Menu Grande Tradition Classique. The menu read like this:



Foie Gras pan-fried in verjus



Truffle Soup VGE

 


Sole with noodles in cream sauce

 


Chicken with morel and truffle in cream sauce

 Before the meal, we were given a very intensely flavoured rich pea soup with a dollop of truffle cream as amuse-bouche. This was really delicious and set the tone for the rest of the rich dishes. We all agreed that the foie gras was beautifully cooked and paired very well with verjus. Having had my fill of foie gras, I felt compelled to remove the foie gras bits from the piping hot truffle soup VGE (I had already carefully removed the buttery puff pastry from the soup so that there would be no contamination), but perhaps a little too late, as some of the foie gras had already dissolved into the rich savoury consommé, with the liquid fat visibly floating atop. A couple more spoonfuls of this cholesterol-challenging soup sent an alarming bell to my system that my constitution could not cope further. So there I paused. The next course was even more challenging – fillet of sole with noodles in a rich baked cream sauce. The fish tasted fresh but it was almost smothered by the intensely rich cream sauce which I found rather off-putting. Nor did I understand the rationale for the noodles. I took a couple of bites before giving up on this as well, thinking that having deprived myself of at least one and a half course, I would be in better shape to tackle the chicken cooked in bladder, with creamy truffle sauce. Well, the chicken arrived and was served. I did my best but admitted again to defeat at the third mouthful. Charles and I both looked admiringly at our neighbours’ simply roasted chicken, served with simple salad. The succession of insanely rich dishes had left me in hysterics, as I had then realized how the traditional menu was built on cream, cream and more cream – ‘Death by Cream’. When the pre-dessert of chocolate cream arrived, I could do no more than stare at it. Then we had cheese, dessert and petits fours. None of us could manage more than a few strawberries and raspberries.



Menu Grande Tradition Classique chez Bocuse

 It is incredible how cream featured so heavily in these traditional classics, and which gave French cuisine this bad-boy image of something heavy. I wonder how people in those days coped with it all – they must have had the constitution of an ox!

For wines, we started with a bottle of 2000 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, followed by a 2000 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet La Cabotte and a 2005 Clos des Lambrays. The 2000 Chevalier Montrachet La Cabotte was a lot more advanced in its evolution than expected but it was not oxidized, despite its bright golden appearance. A gorgeous wine with complexities of nougat and honey, with ripe fruit of lemon, melon, apricot and fig, liquorice and spicy notes. It had sufficiently acidity to balance its richness, giving it a rather harmonious presentation. It did match rather nicely with the truffle soup. It was so more-ish that we finished it rather quickly and we sought out a 2005 Leflaive Puligy-Montrachet Clavoillon in half bottle to accompany the fish dish. Unfortunately, it was heavily pre-moxed. The sommelier brought a second and it succumbed to the same fate. It was a little annoying that only after 2 half bottles had been pronounced ‘out of condition’ that the sommelier admitted to having lots of problem with this wine in half bottles. Could he have been a little more honest upfront, instead of trying his luck, that we might just accept the pre-moxed bottle? He then brought us a few glasses of the white Santenay on the wine list. The 2005 Clos des Lambrays was rather delightful to drink now. It boasted ripe red fruit, cherry and redcurrant, with earthy and Asian spice undertones. The firm tannin had mellowed quite a bit, still chewy, but much refined, and the acidity was rather nice. Finishes rather long. It was a great value Grand Cru, and it’s actually drinking well now and will continue to develop in the next 10 – 15 years.

I could not at all participate in the sharing of the bottle of Coteaux du Layon, having been saturated with rich food and sauces. So I opted for a glass of champagne to refresh the palate!

Richard said that he felt he had unfinished business at Bocuse and that a return visit to try the ‘other’ dishes was almost necessary. I equally feel the same, that we haven’t done justice to the restaurant’s high quality culinary skills. On reflection, perhaps we should have chosen more wisely - we should have gone for more modern creations from the menu..…. In any case, we have the photos to testify having paid homage to Monsieur Paul, at least once!



Bouchon in Lyon: Le Merciere



Salade Lyonnaise

 As for Lyon itself, it’s a most charming city with Roman origins, previously known as Lugdunum, evidenced by the relics of Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. Two main rivers La Saône and Le Rhône give definition to the City’s commercial infrastructure and social landscape, lending a romantic air to the City’s general being. Particularly worth visiting are the Musée des Beaux Arts, which would need to be selectively explored, based on the richness of its collections, the St. Jean Cathedral, the much smaller but prettier, Gothic-style Eglise St Nizier, which Jean-Luc described to us as having lacy towers, and the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. I also made a quick visit of Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse but was rather disappointed to find that it was rather small and a touch too ‘civilised’ without the hustle and bustle of a serious market, such as La Boqueria in Barcelona which I visited last year. For the ‘bouchon’ experience, of course, one needed to visit Rue Mercière. We took the advice of Jean-Luc, whose maternal side had Lyonnaise connections, and headed for Le Mercière. I had the Salade Lyonnaise and Richard had a most delicious whole roasted sea bream. Of course, not to be missed, a most appropriate ending to the meal: the famous bistro staple of pear tart!!!

Music and wine at Salzburg



View of Fuschlsee from the Hotel Restaurant at Schloss Fuschl

 16 Apr 2012: A visit to Europe is always a treat for me, but this year Richard made it more special by taking me to the Easter Festival at Salzburg (Osterfestspiele Salzburg). This festival is particularly special for its long and celebrated association with the late Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker, now directed by Sir Simon Rattle. This association, of course, will soon be changed as the Berliner Philharmoniker will be delighting the Easter crowds at the spa town of Baden-Baden instead after this year’s performance, renouncing its 45-year allegiance to the City of Salzburg. This ‘unexpected’ decision by the Berliner Philharmoniker, as described in the official brochure, has irked and disappointed a number of loyal patrons and friends who have been faithfully turning up every year for this Easter event. One vocal member of the audience during the ‘Rehearsal Concert’ spoke out about their feelings of ‘betrayal’ and was applauded by the audience for his intervention. Sir Simon had no doubt anticipated this outbreak of emotions and had diplomatically expressed his deepest regrets about this very difficult decision and cited financial and political challenges as reasons for the departure. We, being first timers at this festival, were very much delighted that the awkward and emotional intervention was suitably diffused and the frustrated audience was charmed with a pleasant surprise: a marvelous performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto, which justly deserved the standing ovations from the audience. This remained for me the best performance of the entire festival, which comprised Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Mahler’s ‘Das Lied van der Erde’ (Song of the Earth), Schumann’s ‘Nachtlied’ - Piano Concerto in A Minor, Fauré’s Requiem, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, the Opera ‘Carmen’ and a tiny little piece in memory of Martin Luther King by Luciano Berio, ‘O King’ – Sir Simon called it beautiful – the best way I could describe it was something akin to an art object by Damien Hirst.

Sir Simon Rattle responding to the frustrated loyal supporter of the Osterfestspiele Salzburg



Statue of Diana at Schloss Fuschl, by the lake

 We came out of the Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 feeling rather drained by the 80-minute long zealous performance by the orchestra expertly directed by the world-famous Zubin Mehta. It was an overwhelming performance, marked by its heroic proportions in every sense, the sheer number of musical instruments, the head-spinning ‘frenzy’ in which the orchestra played, and the voluminous music that almost overpowered the human ear. It was hard to say that we enjoyed the music, but we certainly admired the way the orchestra played. Over dinner, I googled Anton Bruckner for his birthplace and stumbled upon an article by a journalist at the Independent on 6 April 2012, entitled ‘Anton Bruckner Makes Me Lose the Will to Live’……..we found the journalist’s words and feelings sympathetic and resonated with how we felt at the end of the concert (the resonance was more poignant when the article was read after listening to the piece)!!! (For those interested: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/anton-bruckner-makes-me-lose-the-will-to-live-7621907.html)

‘Carmen’ was a predictably good but not exhilarating performance……we were almost expecting more of a finale type of adieu to the Berliner Philharmoniker, but the audience and the performers all seemed rather keen to leave the Concert Hall after a physically and emotionally challenging festival for what’s left of the long Easter weekend.

Snow-covered Schloss Fuschl

A very international, well-heeled and well-dressed audience, from many different countries, including a number of faithful followers and patrons from Asia, flocked to the antiquated city of Salzburg for this very high quality music festival (and the Tafelspitz and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) amongst other Austrian delights). The Festival has survived a number of changes, not least the relaxation of the dress code. According to Charles who had inspired us to join him on this trip, the ‘jeans’ have apparently made an appearance in an otherwise ‘strictly black tie’ dress code of bygone days! While preparing for my limited travelling wardrobe, I was more concerned with keeping warm than looking dazzling (not in the literal sense). The 10-day weather forecast had not quite prepared us for the sharply descending temperatures during the Easter weekend. They went sub-zero (and the thermal undergarments that I got from Vivienne for Christmas became rather handy)!

When I looked out of the window on Easter Sunday morning, the snow-dusted fir trees and white stretches of fresh snow on the ground reminded me more of Christmas than Easter. The falling snow flakes, featherlight and delicate, have cast a magical and calming spell on the city. The landscape of snow-topped fir forests in the surrounding hills was a most striking sight. It continued to snow quite hard throughout the Sunday but Easter Monday greeted us with radiant sunshine, turning the landscape around Schloss Fuschl (where we stayed) into the most mesmerizing sight which would remain etched on my mind for a long time to come. The sun brought out tranquil reflections of turquoise from the vast expanse of shimmering water of Fuschlsee, against the backdrop of snow-topped hilly landscape which alternated between undulating mountainous spurs and jagged escarpments, forming the most striking contours.

The Schloss Fuschl was really a fabulous location, well-positioned, with very friendly and efficient staff. We took advantage of the 11 km walk around the lake to take in much appreciated fresh air and charming country. The only disadvantage about the hotel was that it was a 30-minute drive from the City Centre, and I felt rather harassed by the daily transfers between hotel and the City to attend the various events, which substantially shortened our days by comparison to people who stayed in the City Centre.

A must-do during Easter is the 10 o’clock Easter service at the Salzburg Cathedral on Easter Sunday, presided by the Archbishop. It was a 2-hour service with extremely high quality singing and music playing, with 4 soloists (tenor, bass, soprano, mezzo-soprano), who all sang most beautifully, especially in the grandiose and romantic settings of the Cathedral, with its baroque architecture and Renaissance art. We felt like attending another concert (free of charge!) and with the bonus of heated seats. On reflection, the solemn Fauré’s Requiem from the festival programme could have been better interpreted in the Cathedral than a concert hall.



Tafelspitz at Hotel Sacher, Salzburg

 I can comfortably say that food has not been a highlight in Salzburg. We did like a place with modern and minimalist décor called Richard Brunnauer in Magazin, which had some tasty and interestingly presented fish dishes (and Charles had the “Wiener Schnitzel”, with a well-priced wine list. (There is an interesting-looking wine shop next door, assumably by the same owner.) Carpe Diem, at the end of the quaint Getreidegasse (the main street of the old town) where Mozart’s birthplace was located, was also a good venue for stylish finger food and simple fare. The traditional fare at K+K was also quite tasty (especially the Pork Sausage), without being extraordinary. We managed to squeeze in an “Apfelstrudel” for sharing. Dinner at the rather glamorous Hotel Sacher was decidedly disappointing…….I ordered a dish which looked more like an assembly (rather than a culinary creation) of totally disconnected and uncomplimentary ingredients: gnocchi, white asparagus and insipid, watery and mushy crayfish (that could not be described as fresh!). (Apparently the Tafelspitz was much more acceptable.) The compulsory (for first-timers) traditional pancake (“Kaiserschmarr'n”) made up of broken-up pancakes, raisins and other dried fruit, rich and stodgy than fluffy, made edible by traditional plum compote. The pancake with curd cheese was quite tasty, despite its name. Dinner at the packed-out Hotel Goldener Hirscher, steeped in tradition, took my memory straight back to college food – over-cooked salmon fillet served with ‘no longer green’ beans that tasted as though they had been cooked for hours, and potatoes with hardly any taste. Dinner at the Schloss Fuschl was no more exciting, which was quite disappointing given the effort the hotel management has gone into renovating the rooms and installing high quality fitness and spa facilities. We went to an interesting Italian restaurant, Pan e Vin, which turned out respectable Italian-style food and a reasonably interesting wine list. The Cometa Planeta that I ordered was not available unfortunately. I was rather skeptical of the 2005 Redoma Branco Reserva, which the manager highly recommended as an alternative, not least because it would mean a deviation from the Italian theme, but that the wine appeared as a rather dusty bottle, with seriously bin-soiled label. The label also looked strangely unfamiliar, quite different from the other Redoma Branco bottles that we had tried in the past. Nonetheless, it tasted very well, with mineral, honey and citrus qualities, a little fragrant, but not headily so. Well-balanced and harmoniously rich, while keeping a good deal of freshness about it.

Although we remain unconvinced about the quality of dining out at Salzburg, we were more pleased to be able to appreciate the rising quality of Austrian wine. Before the trip, I thought I had better do some research on Austrian wines, by consulting the experts. I must have looked quite convincing with the copious notes (thanks to Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages). So I was assigned with important task of wine selection at most meals (a task which I proudly accepted as a real highlight for me on this trip). Here is a selection of the wines we tried:

2009 FX Pichler Loibner Berg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau (14% abv) – Rich and quite oily. Ripe fruit, apricot, honey, spicy, peppery, infused with minerality. Firm acidity balancing the richness. A style better paired with food. 17/20 (Check out: http://www.fx-pichler.at/) According to the winery’s website, “this is one of the steepest and most austere primitive-rock sites encountered in Loiben [at the eastern end of the Wachau]. The Loibner Berg, Wachau’s largest coherent single vineyard, is fully exposed to the south and accordingly warm. The wines derived from this site are shaped by the unique composition of this first-class soil, which imparts longevity to them. Here, opulent, intense and yet subtle wines develop – Riesling showing a fruity texture (peach, apricot) and Grüner Veltliner being full-bodied with underlying minerality, even slightly smoky and tobaccoy notes.”



2010 FX Pichler Loibner Oberhauser Riesling Smaragd

 2010 FX Pichler Loibner Oberhauser Riesling Smaragd, Wachau – Layers of honey, exotic fruit, spice and mineral. Very fine structure, with refreshing and balancing acidity and plenty of ripe and pure fruit substance. A very long and elegant finish, with plenty of minerality. A wine of depth, finesse and precision. Almost too youthful right now. Drink 2012 – 2020. 17/20



2006 Wieninger Preussen Gruner Veltliner

 2006 Wieninger Preussen Grüner Veltliner, Wien (14% abv) – We were rather impressed by the complexity, balance and length of this gorgeous wine, with the relatively high alcohol well tucked away. Totally harmonious and well-integrated, with layers and layers of honey, ripe apricot, guava and mineral, uplifted by a spicy and peppery finish. A wine that is drinking at its peak and will probably continue to drink well for another 8 – 10 years. 17.5/20 (http://www.wieninger.at/)

2011 Franz Hirtzberger Steinfeder Grüner Veltliner, Wachau (11.5% abv) – a great quaffing wine, well-balanced, with lovely minerality and some complexity, that makes it a drink that does not wear you out! Nice crisp finish. Drink now to 2015. 15.5/20 (http://www.hirtzberger.com/)

2006 Paul Achs Spiegel Blaufrankisch and 2011 Franz Hirtzberger Steinfeder Gruner Veltliner

2006 Paul Achs Spiegel Blaufränkisch, Burgenland (12.5% abv) – needed some aeration. Sour cherry, plum, savoury, earthy and smokey, with graphite minerality. Slightly chewy tannin, with a nice showing of acidity, giving it a robust structure. Could do with some charm but plenty of interesting character. Drink now to 2020. 16.5/20 (http://www.paul-achs.at/)

2008 Johanneshof Reinisch Grillenhügel Pinot Noir Reserve, Thermenregion (12.5% abv) – from a 2-hectare single vineyard in the Thermenregion, south of Vienna. Some resemblance to a well-made Hautes Côtes quality Burgundy. Red fruit, savoury and some tea leaf character, slightly spicy. Rather charming, albeit in a light-styled frame. Drink now to 2016+. 16+/20 (http://www.j-r.at/)

2008 Umathum Pinot Noir, Burgenland – quite New World like. More muscular and dense, with layers of dark cherry, plum, herbal, boiled sweet, liquorice, with savoury nuances. Not as charming. Quite a bit of depth and character and would be interesting to see how this develops. Drink now to 2018+. 15.5/20 (http://www.umathum.at/) 2008 was a challenging vintage, with much rain and hailstorms, a cool early summer, but fortunately followed by fine late summer weather, which helped the final stages of ripening. Strict sorting was critical.

2010 Bründlmayer Heiligenstein Riesling, Kamptal (12.5% abv) – well-made but a little simple. Stone fruit, floral, with minerality. Youthful…could benefit from further development in the bottle. Lacks complexity and depth. 15.5/20 (http://www.bruendlmayer.at/)

2008 Reinisch Grillenhugel Pinot Noir and 2006 Kracher Grande Cuvee Nummer 6 TBA Nouvelle Vague

2006 Kracher Grande Cuvée Nümmer 6 Trockenbeerenauslese Nouvelle Vague, Burgenland (11.5% abv) – A blend of Chardonnay and Welschriesling. Opulent and gorgeously delicious. Honey, candied fruit, quince, apricot and orange peel, with hints of liquorice and cinnamon. Richly layered and textured. Balanced by scintillating acidity. Lusciously sweet, harmonious and utterly more-ish. Could do with a slice of Sacher Torte (all in the name of sharing, of course!). 18/20 (http://www.kracher.at/)

Enough said…….suffice to say the quality of Austrian wines is now very respectable and they easily make worthy contestants to quality wines from Burgundy, Sauternes and Italy, at different levels. The debate between Salzburg and Baden-Baden has not been resolved, but the wines, historic sites and beautiful countryside are all very good reasons for a return trip to this charming country…..perhaps by then, the dining scene may have improved somewhat! And lastly, thank you to Charles, for all your thoughtful arrangements. We wouldn’t have discovered Salzburg and its music and wine without your encouragement!

Jean Chartron

15 Mar 2012: A very interesting tasting of 2009 vintage wines by Domaine Jean Chartron, courtesy of Paul and Julie. We started with a Puligny Montrachet Clos de La Pucelle, a monopole owned by the Chartron family since 1917.   30% new oak.  12 months ageing on fine lees.  Honey, nutty, slightly toasty, and spicy, with mineral notes.  Medium-bodied, showing vibrant acidity, more saline and savoury notes on the palate. Finishes long. 

The Puligny Montrachet Clos du Cailleret was unfortunately slightly corked.

Batard Montrachet.  40% new oak and 16 months ageing on fine lees.  Smoke, mineral, liquorice and yeasty notes, enhanced with floral, honey, exotic fruit and spicy oak complexities.  Rounded and expansive on the palate, with a substantial mid-palate. Very long ageing potential but totally approachable today and very drinkable!

Chevalier Montrachet Clos des Chevaliers.  Much more spicy, mineral and austere.  A very engaging mid-palate of wet stones.  Much more linear, mineral and precise than the Batard. A very long finish. Needs quite a bit more time to build weight and complexities.  A very compelling high quality Chevalier Montrachet.  Not to be missed. Paul kindly left us some to retaste the following day and it was much richer and much more smokey and liquorice.

According to Paul, the prices are rather reasonable......I highly recommend!

Time flies when you're having a very good dinner party!

17 Mar 2012: A dinner at home, our guests delighting us with intellectually provoking conversations around topics as diverse as politics, environmental issues, business ethics and media that sustained wits, humour and good spirits throughout the evening. Definitely one of the more interesting dinner parties at home. 

To accompany the amuse-bouches of Richard's smoked trout pâté and wasabique with confit of peppers, both served on toasted Poilâne bread, we enjoyed a magnum of 2004 Gimonnet Millésime de Collection.  Citrus, green apple, almond notes with hints of toast.  Minerality dominates the very clean and refreshing palate.  A precise and linear wine, with much finesse and poise.  Beautifully constructed.  Love the long and crisp finish.  17.5/20

This was followed by the 2007 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Charlemagne Cuvée François de Salins in magnum, élevage by Faiveley.  A very sophisticated and classy Corton Charlemagne, with plenty of complexity and intensity, that is drinking so well now, with plenty going for it for a long life ahead. Nicely washing down the starter of salt cod fish cakes with tomato jam. 18/20

1978 Brane Cantenac in magnum.  Garnet core.  A perfumed bouquet of leather, pot pourri, blueberry, with some Asian spices (nutmeg and cloves).  Gracefully aged.  Silky texture and a delicate frame. The nose was more impressive than the palate but nevertheless a fine accompaniment with roasted pork chop and bubble and squeak main course.  A very charming and elegant wine to be enjoyed now (at peak) and over next 3 - 4 years for optimum enjoyment.  16.5/20

1975 Léoville Las Cases in magnum. Ruby core, with a garnet rim.  Took a little more aeration in the glass for the bouquet to reveal itself - animal, leather, savoury, earthy, coffee, lead pencil, layered with blueberry, dark berry and violet notes.  A wine still showing much vigour, intensity and concentration, with a robust structure of well-integrated tannin and a good show of acidity. Not the most charming of wines, instead muscular and masculine, a dramatic contrast to the charm and silky elegance of the 1978 Brane Cantenac. Very impressive. Drink now and over next 10+ years.  18/20

1988 Pétrus. Ruby in colour.  Blackcurrant, black cherry, chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Some sweetness to counterbalance a slightly herbaceous character on palate. Tannin still firm, but not quite balanced by a showing of ripe fruit. A solid and well-made Pétrus, if lacking somewhat in charm and character.  Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years.  17.5/20

1963 Fonseca.  Tawny in colour.  Date, walnut, raisin and caramel notes. Nectar-like on the palate, with gorgeous complexity.  I found the finish quite spirity.  I paired it with the dessert of sticky toffee pudding.  17/20

It was a good sign that a good evening had been had when our guests stayed on for post-prandial conversations that had by then edged up a notch in intellectual content, fuelled by Green Chartreuse (albeit a very good one) and music by Amy Winehouse. Time flew by us so furtively that the next time everyone checked the time, it was already 3 in the morning!! We don't envy our two friends who had to take the morning ferry to Macau!

2006 Clos Jebsal, Zind-Humbrecht

8 Mar 2012: 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Jebsal, Turckheim (Pinot Gris SGN): Golden core, with some amber highlights. An unmistakable expression of concentrated botrytis: honey, smokey, dried apricot, marmalade, rye, orange peel and nutty. Lusciously sweet, yet tasting exhilaratingly fresh and harmoniously balanced by a copious amount of acidity. I loved how the intense flavours coated the palate and stayed there for a very very long time! An entirely memorable wine with a finish that never quite seemed to end.  By far, the best wine of the evening!!  Luckily it came at the end.  It would have been impossible to drink anything else afterwards. 19/20

My second favourite wine of the evening was the 2004 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Sainte Catherine, L'Inedit: Honey, smokey, nutty, toasty. Medium-full body. Great acidity. Very long finish. Simply gorgeous with the braised whole abalone. 17.5/20

Chiu Chow-style chicken parcels



Marinated goose Chiu-Chow style

The Chiu Chow cuisine at the Laguna City Clubhouse Restaurant was really delicious.  Definitely worth the trip.  I highly recommend.

Celebrity Cuisine....got the food spot on, but definitely not the wine service

9 Mar 2012: First time at Celebrity Cuisine, a 2-Michelin starred institution in Hong Kong, famous for its homecooking style cuisine. After all 4 of us had arrived, they brought round the famous amuse bouche of pan-fried signature turnip cake. The cake seemed rather fragile to the touch, very soft inside, packed with lots of thin strands of turnip, and a smattering of dried shrimp and Chinese sausage. Very well seasoned. It would be nicer if the exterior could be just a touch crispier, giving more contrast to the soft inside of the cake. A tasty dish, but too heavy as amuse-bouche.


Crispy chicken wings stuffed with bird's nest



First course was deep-fried chicken wings stuffed with birds nest (燕窩雞翼), a change from the usual chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice. This went rather well with the champagne. The zesty champagne cut through the very crispy chicken skin and the lean weight of the youthful champagne went rather well with the light bird's nest stuffing.  I couldn't see how the bird's nest complemented the taste of the chicken wing, but it was quite tasty still (the taste mainly from the chicken fat underneath the skin!).

Baked crabmeat in its shell

The baked crabmeat in its shell was also rather delicious (Richard liked it, not me), in a Chinese-style mornay sauce.The dish went nicely with the buttery and creamy Meursault Charmes.

Roasted/Grilled Wagyu Beef

The roasted (or grilled and roasted) Wagyu beef was absolutely gorgeous. The beautifully coral-pink beef had a nice balance of richness, beefy taste and texture, and avoided the rather buttery taste, that you get from rather fatty Japanese beef. The rich intense jus that was poured over the beef was sensational. Not entirely sure why it was served with wasabi and soya sauce, which was entirely not necessary.  The only criticism was that the beef came so suddenly without warning that the red wine hadn't even been poured.  By the time the red wine was poured, we had finished the beef already!

Then came a piping hot claypot of braised rehydrated oysters with spring onion and ginger (薑冲珍寶蠔). We would have preferred the oysters to appear before the beef, naturally.  It was tasty for me - I particularly liked the plump oysters, but I could understand that the intensely umami-flavoured dried oysters wouldn't have been everyone's cup of tea.   

The pièce de résistance was the deep-fried eight-treasure duck (八子全鴨). Definitely my favourite dish of the evening. Flavoursome and moist stuffing of barley, gingko nuts, duck egg yolk and whole chestnut, all soaking up the cooking jus and some melted duck egg yolk, well-packed into the succulent meat of the beautifully roasted duck. The whole assembly was deep-fried before serving, giving it an all-round crispy skin, but giving the impression of oiliness.  The meat jus oozed out of the duck while it was being 'cut up' with scissors (not 'carved').  Served with braised lettuce.   

Braised pork belly with preserved vegetable

The braised pork belly with preserved vegetable (梅菜扣肉) was Richard's favourite dish of the evening. Tenderly braised pork belly meat, ready to melt in the mouth, intensely seasoned with preserved vegetable and soya sauce. A great home-cooked dish, quite salty (expectedly), that would have gone rather well with plain steamed rice.
Finally, stir-fried glass noodles with crab meat (蟹肉炒粉絲). Loved it, not oily at all, with a nice al dente texture to the glass noodles. Very tasty,  lightly seasoned, just perfect.  Nicely presented. 

The complimentary dessert was almond cream with egg white (生磨蛋白杏仁茶).  This was the perfect dish to end the meal, so creamy, with a rich nutty flavour from the almonds, and egg white bits giving the dish a more interesting texture.  This would be my second best dish of the evening.
As for wines, we had the following:
2005 Léclapart L'Apôtre

Bright straw colour.  Citrus, lime peel, acacia, mineral, yeasty, autolytic, toasty, with a salty tang. Racy, with plenty of exhilarating acidity. Still rather youthful and lean, needing time to build out. Very long minerally finish.  Rather youthful, vibrant and taut, showing pure fruit, precise minerality and a very clean and crisp finish. Better in a white burgundy glass. Would be better with a couple more years of development in bottle. 17/20
1995 Roulot Meursault Charmes
Bright lemon colour.  Honey, smokey, nutty, lemon curd and butterscotch. Initially rather closed.  Gained weight and complexity after an hour. Some intensity but somewhat lacking in energy, not the most memorable finish. 16.5/20

1990 Lafleur
Medium garnet. Leather, truffle, mocha, rose petal pot pourri and Asian spice. Silky texture. Low-ish acidity. Much more evolved than 1989. Lovely smooth finish. Drink till 2025+. 18/20
1989 Lafleur
Ruby colour, with garnet rim.  Coffee, liquorice, chocolate, leather, blueberry, violet. Refreshing acidity. Firm structure, built for the long term. More energy than 1990. Fabulous wine. Drink till 2028+. 18.5/20

Richard thought the two Lafleurs demonstrated very well stylistic similarities and vintage differences.
All in all, we were all very satisfied with the quality of the food and would score the food alone at 8/10. I would score the ambiance 6/10 (I left the booking rather late and got the table right next to the kitchen/preparation area where there was constant traffic of waiting staff and noise). However, I did find the wine service seriously poor.  When I first arrived with the bottles, I had asked for an ice bucket for the champagne and white wine.  When I saw that they had just sloppily placed the white wine on top of the champagne bottle, which meant that the white wine was hardly inside the ice bucket at all, I  had to ask for a second ice bucket for the white wine.  The decanting of the red wine was performed by the only member of waiting staff who seemed to have wine knowledge....but I still watched over like a hawk making sure that she left a good inch at the bottom of the bottles.  Then we were assigned a waitress with absolutely no training in wine service. When she was asked to open the bottle of champagne for serving, I was horrified to see that she simply lifted the bottle out of the ice bucket, without using a serving cloth to prevent the water from the base of the bottle from dripping into the decanted red wine, which somehow was placed in front of the ice buckets.  We actually decided to use the white wine glass for the champagne as that would help open up the champagne.  When she was then asked to give us a second white wine glass for the Meursault, we were given champagne glasses instead!  At this point, I felt obliged to speak to the manager to have her replaced with another waitress who knows something about serving wine.  The service of the white wine improved slightly.  By the time we got to the red wine (or when we were rushed to start the red wine because of the unexpected arrival of the beef dish), our neighbouring table had vacated, so we just took over with the 2 decanters of red wine and proceeded to serve the wine ourselves.  Although corkage was a very reasonable HK$ 80 per bottle, I would have expected slightly better wine service for a 2 Michelin starred restaurant.  I highly encourage the management to consider sending all the waiting staff to attend a wine service course at the very minimum!!  So for service, I would score 4/10.