52: Tasting Room

This could be considered an outing set by our F&B lecturer, Mr Patrick Daya. Tagging along with him, from (your) left to right, Mae Lyn, Jason, Clement, Ms Lindsay (our guide from Tasting Room), Jeanette, Shin, myself (what is up with that look?) and Mr Patrick himself. Missing is Vaniessa, probably off taking a phone call somewhere. (Picture credit: Jeanette's or Mr Patrick's camera).

Anyway, just a couple of hours ago, I just got back from my very first experience of fine dining and wine tasting. What a blast.

A word of warning before I proceed. I absolutely abhor shooting at night or at places with minimal lighting. The photos will be of dubious quality as I tried my best (even though I broke the first rule of finding a seat with the best lighting and angle).

Anywhoo;

The place: Tasting Room.

Open:-
Mon-Fri: 11.30am till late
Sat-Sun: 5pm till late
Public holidays: 5pm till late
Address: 65-1 (above Wine Cellar),Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, 59100 Kuala Lumpur,
Telphone: +603 2092 4404
Website (location map included): http://tastingroom.com.my/

As part of a learning experience, 4 of us (plus 3 more later) were shipped into a car, braved through traffic all the way to Bangsar for an opportunity to taste the finer bits of life. We were not disappointed.

The area and bistro/restaurant itself was very serene, quiet and calm. A very nice place to relax after work.

We went up and noticed the wine bar.

And the tables were all set with glasses, with more added later.

That aside, I cannot tell a lie. We were there for the food. Being total noobs in wine and all. Huzzah.

We began with some Canapés.

Assorted and pretty rich. The triangular shaped ones are sort of a mix between some ham bits and some pate. Very buttery. Maybe a tad oily.

The circular ones in the middle are pretty nice. Mushrooms and green herbs.

And the circular ones on the outer rim are like diced up pickles and olives.

Yes, I didn't ask a single question about the food, cause I was trying to perk my ears to hear about the wine that was paired with the Canapés.

*ahem*

Now all of the canapés were paired with Vallformosa Semi Seco Cava (pictured); a acidy (good as an apéritif), sweet (Semi Seco) sparkling Spanish wine. This was the first glass of wine I drank in a long time, but it went down better than I expected. Of course, some people were feeling hot already. Amusing.

For the starter then, we had one: Baked Seafood Quiche. This was garnished with red coral (lettuce) & friezes. This was then glazed with a balsamic coriander (vinaigrette?).

Absolutely wonderful. The quiche contained really fresh prawns and scallops that you can taste. Also present were some pine nuts, which was a nice touch. And the balsamic coriander sauce actually helps some people down their vegetables (how can you be over 17 and still hate vegetables?).

And two: a clear broth of chicken essence soup with winter melon (which I strangely mistook for cucumber). Ignore the black specks, thats just the pepper.

When I looked at it, I noticed the garlic. Then I smelt it. Instantly my mind started working. I began to wonder why they had this kind of dish you would more likely to find in a Chinese restaurant than a European one. The broth was on the oily side. Didn't go down as well.

Now these 2 dishes were paired with Les Jamelles Chardonnay. A pale yellow colour at the rim and a straw yellow colour at the body. It has an oaky, toasty taste. This wine was very creamy, and it stayed on your pallete. Personally, good with creamy foods (like the quiche).

For the main course, we had 3 choices. I chose the braised chicken roll stuff with spinach risotto on grilled butternut (squash) & wine verte sauce.

I personally liked this a lot. The risotto was packed tightly into the bone cavity of the chicken (without the bone) and it was one of the nicest risotto I have ever tried (note to restaurateurs: using cheapo rice as riso does not work. Utter fail). The chicken itself contained the right amount of fat to lean me too (for me) while the butternut, although I'm sure many of us are familiar with the texture of sweet potatoes or pumpkins, is sweet are more "wetter". The wine verte sauce was creamy and I think everyone liked it. Is that chervil in there? I will never know.

The second was a BBQ roast lamb roulade on spätzle ratatouille served with mint jus (the fine dining word for: sauce). My associates tell me that it is tender, and gets even better at the center. Many were pretty much shocked at the ratatouille because they expected "ratatouille" (if you don't know, watch the freaking movie) but recieved something akin to chai tow kueh instead.

Sadly, not pictured was the Cod coated with Dukkha spice on scorched aubergine served with aged pineapple salsa.

All these dishes were paired with Cline Oakley Five Red, a west California red wine, made with Chardonnay grapes. This wine was smooth and went down easily, which was perfect for the chicken or lamb.

Finally, the best part; dessert.

What is that you ask? Well, its a Durian Soufflé with kahlúa vanilla sauce. You must be thinking," holy crap, durian?" Totally.

It was very nice actually, with bits of durian meat here and there. Soaked in the vanilla sauce and topped with a cherry and a mint, it was perfection in a Malaysian's standards.

Paired with this was Chambers Muscadelle, a (very) sweet dessert wine from Australia.

The wine was a gold/light amber colour with the aroma of citrus and tea. An interesting fact is that you can keep desserts wines for a few months once opened, because these kinds of wines are usually fortified with liqueur (other wines just turn to vinegar). "Try pouring it over vanilla ice-cream," I was told. If only I had some then and there.

Overall, it was a wonderful dinner. Well worth another visit for me.

Oh, did I mention that they conduct free wine tasting sessions?