When we read the menu on a piece of white paper, we knew that it was
going to be a long dinner. About two weeks ago, we had to prepare our
stomach to enjoy an eight-course of modern Chinese food, combined with
eight wines from three countries in America.
The dinner was held at My Humble House restaurant, Ciputra World,
Jakarta. It was a new restaurant claimed as the first Chinese fine
dining restaurant in Jakarta. The interior was dominated by black, white
and grey colors.
At around 07:30 pm, Yohan Handoyo of Dimatique, a wine importer,
clink a spoon to a crystal glass in front of 30 guests. Yohan explained
how he tried to combine each food with an appropriate wine from
Montes-Group Winery from Chile, which owns wine plantations in Argentine
and the United States.
Almost all of the wines are the best from their
kind because the night was themed '90 Points Parker Jr. Wine Dinner'.
Robert M. Parker Jr. is a US wine critic, who is famous with his
rating. Parker Jr. published bimonthly The Wine Advocate, containing a
list of wines that he tasted. Each wine will be assessed and given a
score from 0 to 100.
The first course that night was roasted prawns with Singaporean
sauce. The meal was combined with Montes Alpha Chardonnay (2011), made
from grapes planted in Casablanca Valley, Chile.
The second course was plain-roasted red groupers and fried tofu
skins. The sauce is made of sweet soybean, sugar and oyster sauce. The
dish is combined with red wine Montes Alpha M (2009) from Santa Cruz
winery, Chile. The wine was scored 93 by Parker Jr.
Smoked Australian duck breast was the third course for the night. The
outer skin was crispy but the inner part was juicy.
Yohan combined the
duck with Kaiken Ultra Malbec (2010) from Argentina. The wine taste was
strong when it was tasted before the meal. But after we tasted the duck,
the wine was so sweet with a little bit bitter taste as a result of
grinded grape seeds and peels.
The next course was pork belly that was soaked up in Chinese wine and
dried. The recipe was known as Tong Po or Dong Po. The name was
originated from Su Dong Po (1037-1101), a poet who was an opposition of
the Song Dynasty. A version of the story behind the name says that Dong
Po was beloved to the Chinese people. The meal was complemented by Napa
Angel Carbanet Sauvignon (2007) from Napa Valley, United States.
The next course was very simple. 9+ grade Wagyu beef was roasted and
added with salt and pepper only. The dish was complemented by Fontes
Folly Syrah (2007). Yohan said he wanted the simplicity of the meal was
combined with the excellent taste of the wine. The wagyu beef was so
special and juicy.
The Apalta wine was almost perfect. The balance of its tastes—bitter,
sweet and aroma—was amazing. Each food contributed tastes that
strengthened the taste of the wine itself.
The next wine was the same type but it was from a different place,
which is Paso Robles, United Sates. Montes Star Angle Syrah (2008),
served with Grilled kurobuta, was not as excellent as Montes Folly.
The next course was Pan-Roastaed Rack of Lamb that was complemented
by Montes Purple Angel. The wine was made of Carmenere grape from
France.
The dinner was concluded with Chilled Mango Cream, served with ice
cream in chunks of young coconut. The desert was complemented by Montes
Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (2011).
Source : Tempo
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