“All I can say is fabulous, fantastic, and incredible and WOW! Thank goodness I didn’t come here first and then go to Shanghai as it would have been very depressing. And hallelujah! There are blue skies here. I spent 7 busy days in a brown Shanghai haze and I just want a shake and some fries (in case you missed it that was my current rendition of Come Monday).”
That is what I wrote home upon my first time arriving in Singapore (2005). I have had the pleasure of visiting Singapore only on three occasions and I was greatly (and personally) disappointed when we closed our office there officially removing it as a stopping point during our two week business travels in Asia.
That first trip I stayed at the conference hotel off Orchard Boulevard. Orchard is a like the 5th Avenue of Singapore with lots of high end shops: Prada, Channel, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo and so on. The similarity ends with the stores because unlike NY, Singapore is a different pace, calm, reserved, friendly. It is without a doubt the safest place I have ever visited. Beyond the high-end shopping there are other options and I spent most of my time in Lucky Plaza, a multiple level shopping center, which had mostly tourist nick knack boutiques, jewelry and electronics. And the Takashimaya department store is fun to check out and is located in a multiple level center called Ngee Ann City. On subsequent trips I have stayed in the Raffles City area which is very nice and has access to all kinds of shopping and restaurants.
As for food, Singapore has many wonderful things to offer considering the mix of Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian influences. One of the first nights there I ended up lighting myself up with a very spicy pepper shrimp dish. I had heard that they use peppers we haven’t even begun to approach so far as spice and heat index. One shrimp took my breath away and it was several minutes of eating rice before my mouth recovered. I think this is when I began to develop my taste for spicy food. Sadly, I never got to actually try one of the best known dishes, chili crabs, and I never partook of street food. And I also neglected to make lots of notes about specific dishes I had but do recall really enjoying the food overall each and every visit there.
Since I was with a conference group that first trip I got to experience a banquet dinner at the Divine Society located in the Parkview Square building. The building’s location is interesting considering the extreme importance of Feng Shui because it is located exactly between the hospital and a building with two X’s on it – both bad omens in Asia. It is a members only place and I don’t know that I have ever seen anything like it before or since. They have a courtyard which is surrounded by statues of famous people from great leaders to famous artists such as Abe Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mozart, etc. Inside the “lobby” is a three story room that is decadent 1920’s decor with gilded iron-work everywhere, an area for the band overlooking the floor, painted ceiling with antelopes and clouds, and a three story wine bar “cellar” on one end where they had – get this – a tiny little waitress in an angel costume who they would strap in and send up into the air to retrieve the wine bottles because she is the “wine angel”. And the angel costume was more Victoria’s Secret than Walt Disney so all the men were having their photos made with her (poor thing probably doesn’t get exposed to rowdy Texans too often).
I rarely ever turn TV’s on when I travel, even domestically. That first trip to Singapore is one of the two times I have ever watched TV outside the US and I was thrilled to find Malaysian Idol was on. It was really fun to watch even though it was only partly in English and partly in Malay. The show had the same opening with the silver idol and the same music theme and judges similar to the original configuration of American Idol. Most interesting was that the episode I was watching was the group number part of the try outs and not everyone in all the groups all spoke the same language so that made it even more challenging for those contestants.
That first trip I also got to take a day tour to visit parts of China Town so stay tuned for details about that in my next post.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Biaggi's November 2012 Wine Dinner
Well, after too long of a delay I am back to blogging and back to attending things like wine dinners. The hiatus on wine dinners can be blamed on the extended period when Brad worked evenings but even since then it seems that when the menu looked good we already had other plans or when we were available the menu did not appeal. Finally the stars aligned and we were both available and found the menu to be appealing.
There were a couple things we noted right away after having been "gone so long". First, there was a different vendor involved which was really nice to see after having been exposed to the same vendor over and over during previous dinners. And the dinner was not as excessively crowded as when we used to attend but still had a decent crowd. I would guess that maybe the new has worn off and since they are offering these dinners virtually every month the "packed house attendance" is being spread out over the greater number of opportunities.
The vendor for the November dinner was Wines D'Italia and the hostess was very pleasant. I am afraid; however, that we were not huge fans of the wines presented overall. Of course we are not huge fans of Merlot (even before the emphasis Sideways reference to Merlot) and the reds offered were all Merlot blends.
In case you did not know, most wine dinner pairings are created by the vendor bringing the wines to the chef and managers and then the chef works to create dishes to best complement the wines. Having said that it should be obvious that if you do not think the meal matches well with the wine then that could be either the chef's fault or just a very challenging wine to pair. However, if you don't like the wine and find that you don't really care for the dish either it is more likely a reflection of the chef trying to bring out something nice in the wine and I would not fault the chef for a dish I disliked in this kind of situation. I can fault the chef or kitchen staff for poor execution - more on that later.
Antipasto Freddo - Walnut Gorgonzola Bruschetta
Candied walnut and Gorgonzola bruschetta with a port-cranberry reduction.
Featured Wine: Nobilvite White - Trebbiano, Malvasia and Chardonnay Blend
This was our favorite of the wines, very light, crisp with a clear citrus flavor that was mildly sweet. The bruschetta was wonderful and paired nicely and I in particular loved the port-cranberry reduction mixed with the gorgonzola cheese.
Insalata - Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Romaine
Grilled prosciutto wrapped hearts of Romaine with a citrus vinaigrette and shaved Grana Padana cheese.
Featured Wine: Innato - Trebbiano, Malvasia and Chardonnay Blend
This wine contained the same trio of grapes as the first wine in different ratios. I thought it was a bit flat tasting and was not as sweet; however, most at our table preferred this wine to the first one. The salad was nicely grilled and very pleasant to eat.
Primo - Baked Lobster Ravioli
Baked lobster ravioli with shiitake mushrooms and vanilla butter sauce.
Featured Wine: Vigne del Borgo - Sauvignon Blanc
I detected strong mineral flavors in this wine, almost earthly and it was very light. I am not a fan of Sauvignon Blancs but thought this was pretty good in comparison to others of the type. The dish had the potential to be my favorite food item of the night but the ravioli was too crunchy like it had dried out during baking. In fact, Brad with his braces could not eat this pasta due to the texture. The sauce on this dish was fantastic. Note here my earlier comment about execution and me wondering if this sat out too long or "baked" longer than it should have.
Pesce - Maple Glazed Scallops
Maple glazed scallops with mashed sweet potatoes and spiced corn purée.
Featured Wine: Rudestro - Merlot Sauvignon Blend
Thus begins the Merlots and when wines transitioned from being likable to dis-likable to my tastes. It was very light with tannins but tasted mostly like Merlot. I thought this was one of the best dishes served of the night, scallops cooked perfectly, but did not care for the wine with it at all.
Secondo - Herb Espresso Filet
Herb and espresso rubbed filet with a cabernet porcini demi-glace, truffle mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.
Featured Wine: Barriano - Merlot Cabernet Blend
This wine was 35% Cabernet and 65% Merlot. I thought it had a slight sour taste, was smokey and light. The steak was cooked perfectly but seemed like it had tons of pepper on it which could have been my taste buds reacting to the spice of the dish before. Normally I enjoy a peppery steak but maybe this was too much back to back for me but as a heat/spice lover I think I just needed a strong red to pair with it. Would have loved to have had an Old Vine Zinfandel or a bold Cabernet.
Dolce - Roasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Homemade roasted pumpkin bread pudding with spiced crème fraiche.
Featured Wine: Bludigaia - Sangiovese Merlot Blend
The final wine was very tart (again I thought it was sour tasting), dry and a tad fizzy. The dessert was fantastic. This was the one recipe I asked about when the kitchen staff got to visit the tables at the end of the meal. Once again I learn that the secret to excellent bread pudding is using brioche bread.
There were a couple things we noted right away after having been "gone so long". First, there was a different vendor involved which was really nice to see after having been exposed to the same vendor over and over during previous dinners. And the dinner was not as excessively crowded as when we used to attend but still had a decent crowd. I would guess that maybe the new has worn off and since they are offering these dinners virtually every month the "packed house attendance" is being spread out over the greater number of opportunities.
The vendor for the November dinner was Wines D'Italia and the hostess was very pleasant. I am afraid; however, that we were not huge fans of the wines presented overall. Of course we are not huge fans of Merlot (even before the emphasis Sideways reference to Merlot) and the reds offered were all Merlot blends.
In case you did not know, most wine dinner pairings are created by the vendor bringing the wines to the chef and managers and then the chef works to create dishes to best complement the wines. Having said that it should be obvious that if you do not think the meal matches well with the wine then that could be either the chef's fault or just a very challenging wine to pair. However, if you don't like the wine and find that you don't really care for the dish either it is more likely a reflection of the chef trying to bring out something nice in the wine and I would not fault the chef for a dish I disliked in this kind of situation. I can fault the chef or kitchen staff for poor execution - more on that later.
Antipasto Freddo - Walnut Gorgonzola Bruschetta
Candied walnut and Gorgonzola bruschetta with a port-cranberry reduction.
Featured Wine: Nobilvite White - Trebbiano, Malvasia and Chardonnay Blend
This was our favorite of the wines, very light, crisp with a clear citrus flavor that was mildly sweet. The bruschetta was wonderful and paired nicely and I in particular loved the port-cranberry reduction mixed with the gorgonzola cheese.
Insalata - Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Romaine
Grilled prosciutto wrapped hearts of Romaine with a citrus vinaigrette and shaved Grana Padana cheese.
Featured Wine: Innato - Trebbiano, Malvasia and Chardonnay Blend
This wine contained the same trio of grapes as the first wine in different ratios. I thought it was a bit flat tasting and was not as sweet; however, most at our table preferred this wine to the first one. The salad was nicely grilled and very pleasant to eat.
Primo - Baked Lobster Ravioli
Baked lobster ravioli with shiitake mushrooms and vanilla butter sauce.
Featured Wine: Vigne del Borgo - Sauvignon Blanc
I detected strong mineral flavors in this wine, almost earthly and it was very light. I am not a fan of Sauvignon Blancs but thought this was pretty good in comparison to others of the type. The dish had the potential to be my favorite food item of the night but the ravioli was too crunchy like it had dried out during baking. In fact, Brad with his braces could not eat this pasta due to the texture. The sauce on this dish was fantastic. Note here my earlier comment about execution and me wondering if this sat out too long or "baked" longer than it should have.
Pesce - Maple Glazed Scallops
Maple glazed scallops with mashed sweet potatoes and spiced corn purée.
Featured Wine: Rudestro - Merlot Sauvignon Blend
Thus begins the Merlots and when wines transitioned from being likable to dis-likable to my tastes. It was very light with tannins but tasted mostly like Merlot. I thought this was one of the best dishes served of the night, scallops cooked perfectly, but did not care for the wine with it at all.
Secondo - Herb Espresso Filet
Herb and espresso rubbed filet with a cabernet porcini demi-glace, truffle mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.
Featured Wine: Barriano - Merlot Cabernet Blend
This wine was 35% Cabernet and 65% Merlot. I thought it had a slight sour taste, was smokey and light. The steak was cooked perfectly but seemed like it had tons of pepper on it which could have been my taste buds reacting to the spice of the dish before. Normally I enjoy a peppery steak but maybe this was too much back to back for me but as a heat/spice lover I think I just needed a strong red to pair with it. Would have loved to have had an Old Vine Zinfandel or a bold Cabernet.
Dolce - Roasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Homemade roasted pumpkin bread pudding with spiced crème fraiche.
Featured Wine: Bludigaia - Sangiovese Merlot Blend
The final wine was very tart (again I thought it was sour tasting), dry and a tad fizzy. The dessert was fantastic. This was the one recipe I asked about when the kitchen staff got to visit the tables at the end of the meal. Once again I learn that the secret to excellent bread pudding is using brioche bread.
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