a vodka moment

budget day in malaysia came and went.
we didn't get hit much this time. just 9 percent up for alcohol and 13 percent more for the smokers in the circle.
guess we can manage on our crummy stagnant pay by eating and drinking less outside the house. not that we did that last night.
the post-budget party was at 18-20th century restaurant in taman tun dr ismail, now under new management that had opened up the first floor for some funky fusion food and dynamic drinks.
anyway, we had an absolut raspberri bottle and the only bottle of stolichnaya elit in malaysia, or so the word was at our table. anyway, was too busy to take a photo of it, so can only offer my hoard of vodka.
first off, the absolut raspberri smelt and tasted like cough syrup but after liberally splashing in some sprite and a couple of ice cubes, it turned out to be a refreshing thirst-quencher and a great party drink.
several tumblers made its way past my lips, for sure. it was nice but i was looking forward to something better.
and after all that, food was the only thing on my mind. a quick look at the extensive menu - that spans dishes from all parts of the world and a combination of cuisines - pointed me the only thing that i love - beef.
sizzling ribeye in garlic olive oil. that sounded scrumptious and soon, it made its way to me on a hotplate. with the usual garnishing of cilantro, the thin slices of ribeye combined well with deep-fried garlic flakes and olive oil to provide a tantalising and appetising dish.
it whetted my appetite enough for me to order a mee siam. simple and nice. and spicy too.
the spotlight then went on to the star of the show - the stolichnaya elit or fondly known as the stoli elit.
introduced in october 2004, stoli elit comes in a tall torpedo-shaped bottle that contains a premium vodka similar to others that have appeared in a club near you.
the makers say stoli elit is filtered at sub-zero temperatures to help release impurities and just like other other premium vodkas, it is clearly smoother than traditional vodkas.
still, it gave a creamy kick down the gullet despite just having a standard 40 percent alcohol by volume. every drop and drip of the little water was a dewdrop from heaven. well, quite like it anyway.
the night continued and we decided to see what else 18-20 century restaurant could offer us. out came bottles of coopers sparkling ale beers that made the laconic loquacious for once.
18-20 century restaurant is at 52, jalan datuk sulaiman, taman tun dr ismail - that's the main road perpendicular to plaza ibm in taman tun dr ismail.