plonkwonk

hic!

2009-10-29T16:25:00.000+08:00

i know, i know. been away too long.
yes, i have been. haven't been writing, just drinking.
a bit of tweeting. a lot of drinking.
a lot of photos too.
soon. i promise.
came across beerbeer.org. seems a bit decent of a blog that has been around since may last year.
just about the time i left malaysia actually.
it is completely about beers and pubs in malaysia and has a list of places from cambodia down to singapore.
well, if you are interested.
and i promise i will write more.
cheers.

thirstyblogger spins as dotmy's first alco-blog

2009-06-19T15:45:00.003+08:00

well, it had to be a johannian to start it. but personally i don't think deepak gill @ thirstyblogger is the first to start an alco-blog in malaysia.
but that's the spin and the thirstyblogger makes it debut 7pm, thursday, june 25 at modesto's in ttdi plaza.
hope its not some kinda commercial arrangement but a blog dedicated to drinking.
all the best dude!
cheer, cheer and courage display!
and have fun with the absinthe ritual.

frisky whisky friday

2009-06-04T16:35:00.004+08:00

apologies again. been a while. not that i haven't been drinking but just had not time to write about it. the pleasure is in the drinking, rather than writing.
be that as it may, have a couple of friends down in jakarta and we will resuscitate the frisky whisky fridays that we used to have in kuala lumpur just over a year ago.
and since all the trips have brought forth a treasure trove of duty-free bottles and then some, it will be a pleasure to imbibe a few drams for a great weekend.
apart from the nasi padang that they all love so much. especially the sambal ijo.
by the way, malt closed down. it stopped getting single malts. and business just died.
there are a couple of other places that serve decent single malt in jakarta.
will update with a list.
soon.
i promise.
meanwhile, just got onto twitter so i can tweet and add pics on the run.
and after all that, slainte!

non-alcohol whisky?

2009-03-11T08:05:00.009+08:00

mea culpa.
have disappeared for exactly four months due to a host of reasons but none of it meant i withdrew from drinking. just writing about it.
the truth is, i've been travelling far and wide and imbibing spirits here and there. some good, some great and some just downright inexcusable and a sorry sight and taste of a drink.
and lo and behold! something popped up in my mailbox last night from scottish spirits ltd.
an alcohol-free whisky from a panama-based company that is targetted specifically for Muslims as it is halal-approved.
"the product is perfect for markets such as the middle eastern countris, pakistan, indonesia and any other country where there is a large muslim population, which represents a market of round 1.3 billion people," said Kevvin Grattagliano Katz, who owns the company.
haven't checked the halal certification but it does suggest someone is making money with halal certificates although at between US$4 to US$5 for a 700ml bottle, its rather cheap whisky.
guess its more form than substance of a whisky.
according to the bottlers, "the non alcohol whisky tastes and looks exactly like traditional scotch whisky. the whisky is suitable for drinking straight up or with sodaa, tea or other mixers."
it claimed the non alcohol whisky is the result of 10 years of research and development and will start production in april 2009 at is facility in france field, colon free zone, panama.
won't comment on the appropriateness of the distilling facility but it does make me wonder if a bottle is available soon in a muslim country near me.
slainte! salams!

soerabaja sbg

2008-11-12T14:15:00.000+08:00

if there is anything that indonesia is famous for, it would be nasi goreng (fried rice) and sop buntut (ox-tail soup).
well, apart from nasi padang of course. nothing better than to see plates of various dishes piled high to accompany rice. rijstaffel or rice table was what the colonial dutch described the smorgasbord of dishes that went with rice.
i digress.
flew to surabaya just to visit its juanda international airport, i kid you not. by the time i landed after countless flight delays, the sun had sunk and the moon looked like a slice of watermelon.
but i was looking for lunch and chanced upon soerabaja cafe. thats the old dutch way of spelling surabaya. what is known as tempoe doloe (tempoh dulu) or olden days spelling.
back to food.
the sniffles of the day meant i was looking for something whisky. or soupy. since there was no single malt available, decided to go for the soup option.
which brings me to soerabaja cafe's sup buntut goreng, which the waiter heartily recommended as a tastier version of sup buntut.
the gourmand in me needed no prodding. anything goreng is good in my book. and in my book this will be called soerabaja sbg from now on.
lo! and behold! the dish came complete with soup, fried ox-tail, a side serving of the ubiquitous sambal and something new too, salted egg with emping belinjo (paddy oat crackers) - the bitter crackers much loved and standard on most indonesian dining tables.
of course, there was some rice too.
the fried ox-tail was to say the least, tasty. and the soup was hearty and heavenly as the caramelised onions went well with the potato slices in the beefy broth.
the salt egg and emping belinjo together with the sambal added a range of flavours to the rice which provided a great base for the soup and ox-tail.
i don't think i can ever take sop buntut as it is anymore. not after soerabaja cafe's version. well, if you want to try it, come to indonesia. otherwise, well, make it at home.

drinking at the malt

2008-11-09T13:05:00.000+08:00

took a colleague to the malt in jakarta and there was a table reserved for me. not that it mattered as there were only a few tables occupied for the opening night.
one would think it would be packed but the chill of the global financial meltdown must have spooked many in the indonesian capital.
hence we were made very welcome.
there was not that much by way of choice except for the special on highland park 16 years old or the glenmorangie quinta ruban. we went for the highland park and some snacks.
the single malt came neat with ice cubes on the side, sticks of bittersweet chocolate and a carafe of japanese green tea. yes, the insidious mixture seemed standard at the malt but i would have none of that. asked for water if any was required.
that came promptly.
the highland park 16 years old was a deeper gold as the 40 percent alcohol by volume single malt is sherry casked. its nose had faint notes of smoke and vanilla together with some nuttiness.
took a sip of the dram together with the bitter chocolate - an excellent combination when trying out any single malt. the highland park 16 years old tasted of fruits with some spice and smoke.
the finish was pleasant without any drama. had to have more of the chocolate to keep this orkney whisky a pleasant dram.
by the way it was the gold medal winner - best in class at the international wine & spirit competition in 2006.
there wasn't that much of choice for other single malts as most were sold by the bottle.
will have to round up a crowd to get some of their bottles most of which i have had previously elsewhere. prices are higher than other cities but not as bad as other places in jakarta.
still, its next to the office and that is a plus point.
and this blog has just reached a milestone of sorts.
this is the 100th post.
have i drunk so much? or so little?
cheers!

dancing dalwhinnie

2008-11-07T18:45:00.002+08:00

have found many like-minded friends in the pursuit of a good if not great dram over the years. and friends or relatives of friends who flit in and out of london occasionally bring back a good bottle for us to imbibe and wax lyrical.
and so, in a recent moonless night, came this bottle from the highest distillery in all of scotland. the dalwhinnie 15 years old.
it wasn't that moonless actually but the thin crescent of the moon was hidden by dark clouds as we gathered for a feast of good food complemented by great drinks, and wonderful company.
as conversation turned to politics and the chill wind of the global economy left us shivering, our host brought out the dalwhinnie, the highland single malt that is made between the lowlands and the speyside which is part of the diageo group.
the skirl of bagpipes filled my head the first time i sipped a dram of dalwhinnie. but the din gave way to music as the pale gold liquid washed through with a crisp aromatic nose that hinted of peat and some heather.
the 43 percent by alcohol volume single malt tasted soft with notes of vanilla and honey that melded with the acidic tanginess of citrus. But that was just the set-up for a long lingering robust finish that began sweet and then turned smoky and peaty. left me just barely standing but hankering for more of the warm dram and a dance with a damsel.
and so the one litre-bottle slowly finished and the music echoed in my head.

malt follows me

2008-10-15T15:45:00.003+08:00

been going past this place outside my office in jakarta and was wondering why it had a sign that simply said malt.
it became clear last night. the lights was on, there was a single girl inside and so, i dropped by.
turns out that malt is a bar and resto, thats restaurant in indonesian parlance. and guess what, they serve single malts. posters of lagavulin, oban and other familiar brands draped the walls around a cosy island bar filled with fine chairs and candle lights.
but no drinks were available last night. and i did not bring along my camera.
but there is a special open night tonight. single malt - either highland park 16 years old or a glenmorangie quinta ruban - together with a partagas cigar for rp375,000++.
pricey.
but i'll be there. at malt. no 2, jalan haji agus salim, jakarta.
tongue ready. camera ready.
and a whole lotta other things to update about.
cheers.

long nights with longmorn

2008-09-15T16:05:00.003+08:00

events are moving at a fast clip in malaysia.
isa arrests, public outrage, the opposition jousting and ousting the putrajaya patriachs and now a minister quits.
it is going to be a long night into malaysia day and there is only one way to spend it. drinking. not any old drink, mind you!
one that sets the mind clear, the body nimble, and the soul settled.
none better than the longmorn 16 year old that came fresh from the whiskies of the world outlet in heathrow airport, courtesy of a drinking buddy.
the honey-gold single malt with 48 percent alcohol by volume came in a smart bottle with leather lining and in an equally handsome box. the looks did not belie the dram inside.
it had a sweet malty nose with hints of honey and the first sip of the dram brought a crisp clean chocolatey taste that was smooth and silky and all the more enticing as the tumbler magically appeared to fill up on its own.
but it was strong even as the conversation had its twists and turns as the tale has been for malaysia in the past few months.
the finish was long and spicy for a speyside whisky that is truly one of the better ones i have imbibed in years.
if you ever get a bottle, keep some for me.
selamat hari malaysia!

fast feast

2008-09-11T11:05:00.003+08:00

its the fasting month and jakarta is a feast for both the eyes and belly.
thus far, the metaphysical hunger is greater than the physical hunger but jakarta can be decent for the soul if not sumptuous for the stomach.
anyway. this all brings us to resto kembang goela which is a renowned restaurant right in the city's business district along jalan sudirman. the restaurant, which tags itself as the isles of colourful spice, is in a handsome house filled with batik pieces in a parking lot behind plaza sentral.
also, in local parlance, kembang goela means candy. goela is the bahasa indonesia spelling for gula in bahasa malaysia which means sugar in english.
but there is more than candy in the store.
there is food.
good food from across the archipelago of 17,000 islands that blends together the best of the east and west - a melange of chinese, dutch and spice islands - for a feast to end a fast.
the kicker was es van midden java - thats dutch for ice from the middle of java - and for the rest of us, its cendol with ice cubes, not crushed or shaved ice. a colleague remarked that of course, penang has great cendol and specifically, the famous penang road cendol.
for the uninitiated, cendol is a pandanus flavoured and coloured starch noodles in a coconut milk with palm sugar syrup and ice - cubed, crushed or shaved.
i wondered who actually created the first cendol or es van midden java? the mamaks, chinese, dutch or javanese, sumatrans and what have you? apparently, it is from java.
my colleague, she travels to eat, did all the ordering.
we had keropok which is standard fare with some sambal, asem-asem noni (similar to clear thai tomyam) that just did the trick, ikan krapu bakar (grilled grouper) that was fresh and tasty, oseng brocoli (chinese-style brocolli) that was not that crunchy and tahoe telur beledek (egg with soya bean curd) that went well with is lovely dark soy sauce and something to really try.
ok. what else because it didn't end there.
we also had bebek bumbu lengkuas (duck friend with galangal and spices), ayam laos (fried chicken), bihun goreng (fried rice vermicelli) and my favourite and possibly the most awesome of dishes - the dendeng balado (thinly sliced pan-fried dried beef with chilli dressing) that is definitely the bomb.
scrumptious. delicious. just heavenly.
of course, it all went together with rice. had an extra helping of rice as the sambal - ground chili relish - came late. we had sambal ijo (green chilli), sambal terasi (the usual belacan) and sambal mangga (manggo sambal - quite nice) and drinks to go, including some sweet tea.
as it was the fasting month, the feast was quite fast. we finished in no time but lingered on for a colleague who was a bit late but no less hungry than the rest of us.
we were so full we couldn't try any more dishes or even the desserts.
if you are ever in jakarta, go try it for a good meal.
kembang goela is at plaza sentral parking lot, jalan jenderal sudirman kav 47-48. call +6221 5205651 for reservations.

oban and olympics

2008-08-09T11:55:00.004+08:00

did you get to see the beijing olympic games opening ceremony last night? wasn't it impressive?
i thought it was out of a kungfu movie considering it was directed by film-maker zhang yimou.
was at a friend's place in singapore and we watched the ceremony on high-definition television. definitely the best way to watch the ethereal and entrancing launch with the multitude of fireworks lighting and fogging the skies above the middle kingdom.
anyway, the ceremony reminded me of the oban distillers edition single malt 1991. fourteen years of fragrant sweetness and saltiness in a dram.
the 43 percent alcohol by volume single malt is honey gold in colour - casked in montilla sherry casks - with a palate that is smooth and redolent of nuts, spice, chocolate and hints of tobacco.
it leaves a lingering briney peaty finish suitable for nights by the log fire at a library leafing through old journals reminiscing tales of yore. something like the olympics and its tale of 5,000 years of china.
a remarkable single malt for moments of your life.
by the way, it was awarded a gold medal at the international wines and spirits competition in 2002. so yes, go get some if you can.

cork brothers

2008-07-25T17:15:00.001+08:00

no, they are not from ireland.
the cork refers to what stops them from imbibing the best of the best of spirits and wine. they are not related except by their love for all things that they can put into their mouth.
so, if you have time and the inclination between sips of spirits, just head your way to the cork brothers.
have travelled with them to some places and have had the best with them.
cheers boys!

portwood pleasures

2008-07-25T02:45:00.003+08:00

landed in singapore and bought a balvenie double wood. the funny thing about the red dot is that you can buy a litre of hard liquor/spirits together with a litre of wine and another litre of beer as your duty-free entitlement upon arrival.
no questions asked. but you cannot buy anything if you are coming from malaysia.
the reason is clear. thousands cross over by land, sea and air daily between the two countries. imagine the amount of alcohol that could be smuggled and consumed between both neighbours. well, i for one would reach out and polish off a bottle of anything just waiting in line at the singapore immigration checkpoints at the border.
enough said about that. the balvenie double wood is a great single malt. and i am slowly imbibing it just as i did a few weeks ago at no black tie while watching rafique rashid perform songs old and new.
but even better than the double wood is the balvenie portwood 21 years old which i had the pleasure of at least a couple of wee drams at a friend's house.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume smooth single malt is creamy with a sweet bouquet of honey and nuts, showing off the maturity that only 21 year olds can have.
the colour of honey, the single malt is matured in oak casks before it spends time in port casks that have held port wines previously, hence the inherent sweetness.
by the way, the balvenie portwood 21 year old was awarded a prestigious gold medal at the 2005 international spirits challenge which pretty much reflects it pedigree as a great malt.
the palate is soft and sweet like cream with a bit of oakiness that quickly dissolves into a soft sweet finish.
if you like port, you'll love the portwood.

harum manis jakarta

2008-07-21T23:55:00.005+08:00

like kuala lumpur, jakarta is known for its street food, a variety as vast as the archipelago itself. and the mind boggling number of restaurants across the city of too many million people and gigantic grinding gridlocks.
but there is the food. and that helps though the mainly javanese diet is a tad too sweet for me.
the better half of sorts flew in and her friend recommended a decent restaurant for us to go to, as i was planning to celebrate her birthday. suffice to say the recommendation was great - a resto - as restaurants are called locally - named harum manis.
which also happens to be the name of a variety of mangoes. and you though it was only the alfonso.
the servings at harum manis is huge despite the decidedly high price for locals but decent enough for those from abroad as can be seen from some rave reviews.
we ordered standards like sop buntut, gado gado, some duck, crabs and of course keropok which came in a huge platter. the javanese cuisine and decor makes it a great restaurant to taste a bit of the rich indonesian cuisine.
the sop buntut was as good as i remembered it from another place a long time ago - the hotel sabang which now lays abandoned across from my jakarta office. the soup and quality ox-tail with almost no trace of fat was just too good to be true.
the duck or bebek was excellent as was the gado gado and the keropok. we were too full to touch the crabs but i heard it was great from a friend who took it off us.
what took the cake was the dessert. we had durian brule - creme brule with durian inside.
the heavenly creamy brule with its caramelised top combined rather well with the durian ensconced deep inside the brule.
it was a great end to a wonderful meal. she was happy. i am happy.
and if you want to be happy too in jakarta, then head to harum manis at the pavillion apartment retail arcade in jl kh. mas mansyur kav 24, jakarta 10220.
oh yes! you can order the durian brule for take-away but best consumed within hours. we nearly decided to take it across back to malaysia but it felt more comfortable in the stomach than a box.

vintage glenfiddich

2008-06-13T09:25:00.004+08:00

we were at the local in bangsar, ordered our beers and proceeded to talk shop. across us on the wall was a glenfiddich poster that simply said, a day is a taste, a year is an appreciation.
that was the start of an evening preceeding friday the 13th.
nothing evil of course happened last night.
went for a dinner party with some close friends and during dinner, the blackberry was buzzing with a chat from the plonkwonk myplugoo plug-in on the left of the site. the guys from the glenfiddich blog were calling in to send a release on a recent vintage selection this week.
so they sent me a release with some photos and a promise of a video.
good to know this site has some interesting visitors.
anyway, have always said that glenfiddich is a great introduction to the world of single malts and have yet to be proven wrong.
and so, the chaps from glenfiddich cobbled together an international panel led by renowned malt master david stewart to select this year's bottling of the vintage reserve. they chose cask number 4414 for "its exceptionally rich and complex 31 year old glenfiddich".
they shortlisted six european oak casks that had been filled with new-make glenfiddich in 1975 or 1977 with the samples drawn. nosed, tasted and debated over three intense hours in the distillery in the scottish highlands.
the casks had been stored in the dark, damp conditions of a traditional dunnage warehouse since march 7, 1977 with head cooper don ramsay, who repaired and prepared the oloroso sherry butt (cask), and head warehouseman eric stephen , who is in charge of security, drawing the samples. the pair had been working in the distillery for more than 45 years.
speaking of names and apart from david stewart, the panel comprised his assistant brian kinsman, whisky writer gavin d. smith, whisky industry author and journalist professor walter schobert from germany, russia's scotch whisky expert erkin touzmohamedov and jimmy bradley, owner and chef of two award-winning new york restaurants - the red cat and the harrison.
"the selection panel really experienced the wide possibilities of aroma and flavour produced from one cask to the next. in our shortlist, we had two casks filled on the same day, yet they were markedly different in colour, nose and taste from each other," stewart said about the chosen cask.
he continued to speak my language further.
"having such an international panel has been a great experience, with the common language of whisky being a strong binding factor. the whisky from the six casks varied in colour from a light brown toa red hue and the flavours from a delicate citrus notes to more distinctive dried fruit and spicy sherried flavours. the selected glenfiddich has a hint of malt cereal, lemon balm, light smokiness and leather characteritics that the panel all agreed would be worthy of a glenfiddich vintage reserve," he added.
the others sung praises too.
"this was by far my favourite. it has none of the burn associated with whiskies of such strength and produced a fantastic nose that didn't dominate the whisky. the malt cereal characteristics are there which can often be hard to find with sherry butt whiskies," said erkin touzmohamedov.
gavin smith added "there is a delicate smokiness to the finish that comes upon you rather unexpectedly when you've experienced the light citrus nose to begin with."
that's that for the time being as the vintage whisky will take its time to make it to the market.
the limited edition single cask release will be restricted to approximately 450 bottles and a suggested retail price of £375 with the official malt master tasting notes and bottle strength revealed after the cask has been bottled and distributed.

nasi lemak komplit

2008-06-02T15:35:00.002+08:00

not quite what i had in mind for a hearty breakfast but in jakarta, you get what you ask for.
have been stationed in the indonesian capital for a bit and had a couple of friends who came over for a visit at my current digs last week and they were hankering for a breakfast fit for champions.
since i didn't have much in the apartment, including coffee for the caffeine-addicted-visitors, we headed out towards the one-year-old grand indonesia shopping centre - spanking new and grandiose with tonnes of stuff - just minutes from where we were.
ie. the empty apartment.
we went to the food court in the lower ground floor next to the food hall supermarket and the meal du jour for them was of course mie goreng jawa and sop buntut. and of course coffee.
i decided that the nasi lemak komplit looked temptingly delicious and ordered one.
plus a cup of steaming hot toraja coffee. toraja is a mountainous district in the celebes highland. fact of the matter, coffee is endemic to indonesia, hence the term a cup of java just like its a cup of joe.
back to the nasi lemak komplit, it came complete with banana leaf as its base together with the fried scrawny chicken that seems standard in most indonesian dishes. the sambal came separate and while not spicy, had a crunchiness of spices and ginger reflecting the possible use of a mortar and pestle rather than the ubiquitous blender.
there was the usual complement of anchovies, nuts and strips of egg omelette that adorned the nasi lemak which wasn't that lemak.
having said that, it was a pretty decent nasi lemak and was more than complete for the entire day. something that has to be tried and tasted.
the coffee? it was great.

islay festival of malt and music II

2008-05-30T18:35:00.002+08:00

the feis ile or the islay festival of malt and music is already drawing to a close.
but from what caskstrength.net tell us, it has been a wonderful week of malts and more. wish i was there but had a few friends who flew in to jakarta to catch up and drink up.
we drank some dalmore 12 year old and reminisced about old times and the future as ground nut shells piled up on the table.
taking them out today while the rest of the world enjoy friday nights elsewhere and in islay.
will post some reviews as soon as i can.
cheers!

islay festival of malt and music

2008-05-19T19:15:00.004+08:00

summer's here and its feis ile time in islay.
first apologies for not even writing these past few weeks. been travelling and refraining from the water of life save for wee drams of bowmore cask strength in jakarta.
back to the islay festival of malt and music or the feis ile as its known in gaelic. it began in 1986 and starts in the last week of may as the sun beams start up summer for the northern hemisphere and warm the bitter cold of the north where whisky is made.
bunnahabhain sent me a mail about their bit for the festival ranging from distillery tours to their rather famous bunnahbain burgers.
all events start on may 26 right up to may 30 - five days of distillery tours and other events that end up with an open day.
if you happen to be anywhere near there, especially after the uefa champions league in moscow this week, go try the just launched bunnahabhain 21 year old limited edition pack.
of course its a week of whiskies and ceilidhs - err dancing! and of course some good rustic food.

single barrel malt

2008-04-28T16:05:00.000+08:00

the doublewood 12 year old is just one of the many single malts from the balvenie as the speyside distiller is one of the few able to coax the malt to bring out a plethora of pleasures and passion for the single malt connoisseur.
and thus just weeks ago, the few of us came across an excellent bottle of the single barrel 15 year old in a kuala lumpur pub. it was also one of many occasions for us to drink the night away in great company days after the malaysian general elections.
the single barrel single malt is drawn from a single cask of a single distillation which produces a maximum of 350 bottles. this basically means that each bottle is quite unique and unrepeatable, and comes with its own hand-numbered labels to denote its singularity and rarity.
so with great pleasure we opened the 47.8 percent alcohol by volume 70cl bottle. the yellow gold liquid swirled and a fragrant vanilla with hints of honey aroma filled the smoky and sweaty pub. nice, said one. great, said another.
the honey continued in a sip of the wee dram with spicy notes and a robust oakiness permeating in the smooth single malt. there was sweetness comparable to the sweet spot of a golf or a tennis ball that would suggest a great day.
the finish was smoky with a great peatiness that immediately demanded a refill and before long, the bottle was emptied. we would long for another bottle soon to relive, to a certain extent, the vanilla, honey and oaky notes that underscore this wonderful single malt.

merry murree

2008-04-15T12:25:00.004+08:00

finally got myself a swig of that murree's millennium reserve. not the 21 year old but the 12 year old during my last trip to karachi.
my mate had just enough for me to take on swig while he preciously kept the rest and offered me a selection of other whiskies. but what a swig it was.
all said and done, its a rather pleasantly smooth whisky with just hints of lingering spice and not much peatiness.
the green-gold liquid is 43 percent alcohol by volume and matured in oak casks after being brewed in traditional pot stills. it is probably a whisky that had stood the test of taste and time without the pretensions of hints of a variety of influences.
what one would call a decent dram.
and one that is quite hard to find - metaphorically and physically - as murree is the only single malt and whisky and beer producer in the muslim world. and its beverages are not for export.
so, if you have the time, and the inclination, head for karachi for some decent drams and good food.

drammies

2008-04-01T18:05:00.003+08:00

first i've ever heard of the drammies but guess it comes with the territory. after all, there must be industry awards for the various industries right. and scotch whisky is a wonderful industry.
a wee dram keeps us sane, sated and satisfied.
anyway, the 2007 drammies was held earlier this year when i was in pakistan and i do wish i was there for it. but i can say that i have had some of the whiskies that won a drammie.
and among the whiskies i have had the good fortune of imbibing include a personal favourite like laphroaig quarter cask which won bang for the buck, bruichladdich which took the prize for being the distiller/blender/independent bottler of the year and of course, glenfarclas for being the most under-rated whisky.
now, back to life as we know it!

summer beers

2008-03-31T15:35:00.000+08:00

nothing like a cold one to wick away the sweat of a sunny day. a bitter brew to sweeten in the shade, so to speak.
well, the good folks at beeradvocate.com have come up with the american craft beer fest this june 20 and 21 in boston, the united states of america. so if you have nothing much to do and would like to spend the summer solstice cooling down with a brewski, you know where to go.
the fest is at the seaport world trade centre in boston and aims to be one of the east coast's largest celebrations of US craft brewers.
the fest includes three sessions with some 300 beers poured by 75 brewers. the organisers expect some 15,000 people to turn up with tickets already available on sale online.
cheers!

good friday grog

2008-03-23T18:45:00.006+08:00

'twas one of those fridays with nothing much to do except go for a few rounds of drinks with friends in the city that was flushed wet as is the case every good friday. throw in some f1 parties and it was looking like a good friday to party.
well, had a laphroaig in the petronas twin towers before scooting off for drinks at the george and dragon pub. was asked to choose a single malt and after going through the list, settled for the pale gold bruichladdich 15 years old.
not many actually liked it until they added some water where the 46 percent by alcohol islay single malt turned cloudy as is the case for most non-chill filtered malt whiskies. it smelt fresh and flowery and redolent with the northern seaside.
but they continued to grumble even as they took copious swallows of the mellow malt with its slight seaweedy iodine taste which i put to its 15 year casking in american oak followed by 25 weeks in spanish sherry oaks.
which accounts for it being not as robust as other single malts but still palatable with its long but soft finish after a while.
despite their misgivings, good company and great conversation ensured that the bottle was finished by midnight.

bbq tonight in karachi

2008-03-03T20:25:00.000+08:00

bbq tonight and every night actually in karachi.
its a famous restaurant that serves mainly grilled and roasted meats that is immensely popular in pakistan.
must be the cold cold nights particularly in winter and much to my surprise, the roasts and broasts as its called is as popular as biryani in this south asian nation.
this was my second trip to karachi in as many months, the first being the cusp of 2007/2008 - yeah i spent new year's eve in karachi! not too bad a way to welcome a new year.
back to the food at hand.
a colleague took me to bbq tonight which today is a three-storey building complete with a rooftop dining area to see the surrounding sights in the upscale clifton area in karachi. let's just say its a bit like how trendy bangsar baru used to be a few years ago.
and the area counts among its residents the slain pakistani leader benazir bhutto, just murdered artist ismail gulgee and still-serving president pervez musharraf.
bbq tonight used to be just a stall - like devi's corner in bangsar baru - but a decade on, its a huge enterprise with meats sizzling and food tempting the good folks that make their way to karachi.
we made our way past the long line of grills in front of the restaurant and headed to the rooftop which was bounded by thick carpets to keep away the chilly breeze and promptly ordered a selection of kebabs.
the kebab du jour was the behari kebab - a sensational spicy smoky barbecued hunk of minced meat done just right with huge dollops of yoghurt and chilli at the side to make it a memorable repast.
didn't even miss my dram of whisky for the top quality beef that was the basis of most dishes there.
great! just great! and definitely a place to go if you are ever in karachi.

alcoholic angpows

2008-02-22T11:55:00.000+08:00

well, its official! the lunar new year is over with a number of maidens having littered rivers with oranges.
wonder if they had added some vodka to give it a kick and get their man.
apart from oranges, i received a few angpows for the lunar new year, especially a double ang pow from a friend who just tied the knot a few weeks before the earth rat festivities.
more than the angpows was the selection of single malt available with the mound of micro oranges at his home in kuala lumpur, instead of the usual pilgrimage we used to make to his ipoh hometown.
started out with the standard laphroaig that is a firm favourite of the mistress of the home.
had a few drams and then proceeded to the tamnavulin 12 year old, which i was reminded was the bottle from a trip to india several years ago. talk about keeping a wee dram for some time.
the tamnavulin distillery was mothballed in 1995 which would explain why any bottle one would come across would be part of a three 333 ml bottle package at an airport duty-free outlet, the other two being a dalmore 12 year old and an isle of jura single malt.
casked in oak, the 40 percent alcohol by volume speyside single malt is pale straw in colour and has an aromatic nose with a distinctive oily scent that leads to a fresh palate with a hint of mint, spice and sweetness.
it finishes off to an appetising and attractive chocolatey ending that leaves you wanting for more. which was something we all did during that trip across the subcontinent where single malts was the balm that salved our souls in the hot days and nights of the indian summer.
think i was the only one imbibing from the wee bottle. but each dram is precious until the owners do decide to reopen the distillery.
anyway, it was time to switch whiskies and settled on the singleton 12 year old, the younger single malt to the 18 year old. duh!
well, this younger singleton also comes in a flask-type blue bottle and is only available in asia with the european version called the singleton 12 year old of dufftown.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume gold single malt has been casked in sherry casks which adds a caramel note to the nose and definitely a toffee taste that brings to a pleasant finish.
this single malt by global beverage giant diageo's glen ord distillery is rather fresh and sweet thanks to the sherry cask character.
it is comparable to the glenfiddich 15 year old solera or the glenlivet 15 year old.
nice.
the night was proceeding fine and the host decided to fish out the glengoyne 17 year old single malt from his cellar. it was his latest acquisition from the airport duty-free and one that he had wanted to open for a long time.
the highlands single malt is 43 percent alcohol by volume and appears honey gold, hinting at its brilliant fruity and chocolatey bouquet that just demands you to have an immediate taste.
its rich and viscous with a complex mix of sherry, chocolate, nuts and fruits to bring a sweet and spicy finish that leaves you wanting for more.
a delightful dram that truly shows its age and quality.
fact is, i realised that all three drams drunk that night had some chocolate influences apart from the laphroaig of course. well, i guess the host does love his chocolates.
the other thing i realised is that i keep taking the same angle of photos for the bottles. something to think about.

mango tree meal

2008-02-19T00:25:00.005+08:00

airports are not exactly known for their gourmet meals and since i am quite a frequent traveller, i have yet to say let's fly down to this or that airport for a fantastic dish, not that i am any kind of globe-trotting gourmand or epicure.
but i have been zipping and zapping around some airports in the region over the past few years and have yet to find a restaurant that serves pretty decent food as one is waiting for a flight or is in transit elsewhere.
and this includes airports like klia, suvarbhumi, changi, sukarno-hatta and funnily enough, the kabul airport - nope, no restaurant there the last and only time i was there in 2003.
but i must say, drinkdrankeat's recommendation of the mango tree at the suvarnabhumi airport in bangkok was spot-on.
the amazing thing is they actually have branches in london, tokyo, busan and good old kuching. kuching? go figure that.
i guess their owners, the coca group - you know that chain of steamboat restaurants with the special sauce - have big plans to conquer the world with their version of thai cuisine.
but as you know, and i know, any good thai restaurant must be able to make good pad thai.
suffice to say, and it is my test of any decent or good thai restaurant, the mango tree pad thai was just great with its juicy prawns, crunchy beansprouts, the al-dente flat rice noodles and the filligree of an egg omelette spread like a net over the entire dish.
it is as good as any pad thai in thailand as pad thai is the thai nasi lemak as far as i am concerned.
i mean, anyone from street hawkers to hole-in-the-walls to mom-and-pop restaurants and fancy dining places have their own recipe for this dish and it is pretty hard to spoil it.
but mango tree did not disappoint me. fact is, it was pretty good though i had to put lashings of chilli flakes and fish sauce to make it a spicy and tangy experience.
that's just me, i guess!
of course, the name brought back memories of another the mango tree restaurant that closed down in bangsar some time last year.
the mango tree in kuala lumpur was owned by ricky parlanti, a ninth-generation chef whom i first met over a pint of guinness in a bangsar pub after he had finished his shift at the carcosa seri negara.
guess i have to fly down to kuching for my fix of mango tree. and i will!

gongxi grog

2008-02-17T14:15:00.003+08:00

the lunar new year celebrations are continuing in full swing an we had had better selection of single malts this time, including some rare gems at the house of sin, as the man is called among friends. he brought out bottles of single malt for his party that began in the afternoon.
i got in late at night for the party and there were a couple of bottles at the table. one was a chivas regal 12 year old while the other was more enticing.
it was the cragganmore 12 year old scotch whisky, a single speyside malt quite renowned around the world for its aroma.
with 40 percent alcohol by volume, the gold-hued speyside malt has a complex aroma that is at once fresh and delicate with hints of fruit and smoke.
the palate is smoky and a wee bit sweet with a lingering peatiness in the finish. suffice to say the bottle finished pretty fast.
time for another bottle as the few of us looked at the host with pleading eyes. the mandarin oranges at the table was no help as we lounged to welcome the year of the earth rat in proper fashion.
out came the macallan inspiration 1851. unlike the other the macallans that we have had, the inspiration is bottled in a design from the 19th century and even stoppered with a driven cork and sealed in wax. the wax took some time but i finally ripped it apart with the help of a ribbon beneath the wax.
phew! the things one do for single malts.
the 41.3 percent alcohol by volume whisky has been sherry casked, like other macallan whiskies. It is copper gold in colour with a nose filled with fruits, spices, nuts and malted barley and just a hint of smoke.
the palate is smooth and spiced with ginger and cloves for a nice sweet not so smoky finish. not exactly the best on offer from the macallan but good enough to pass the night in anticipation of something better.
having said that, the bottle went out quite fast too.
the host was on song and decided to bring out a bottle that was sold to him with the caveat that it can only be opened on his wedding day. but since he didn't think that was going to happen in a hurry, and it had been seven years since the bottle was purchased plus it was my inaugural attendance to his party, the bottle was taken out of its case and opened with a flourish befitting the occasion.
the bottle was a rare knockdhu 23 year old cask strength speyside single malt whisky.
heck, he had a bottle that was numbered 3 out of 3,000 bottles bottled with the cask strength single malt. hows that for a limited edition whisky.
with 57.4 percent alcohol by volume, we were astounded with the fruity nose that just had that hint of smoke to make one imbibe the wee dram faster.
the palate was fruity and creamy like a summer strawberry sorbet. truly one for a wedding. the finish was a bit spicy but this is one single malt that belied its age and indeed a pleasure to drink.
a great start to the lunar new year it was.
yum seng!

smoky single malt

2008-02-06T14:45:00.000+08:00

first off, gong xi fa cai and a happy lunar new year to all. i think the phrase yum seng is most appropriate for the occasion. fact is, that was the phrase in the two weddings i had attended between december 2007 and january 2008.
anyway, over the last weekend, some friends came down and we adjourned to a new english pub called the george and dragon in the bangsar shopping complex.
well, its managed by the finnegans pubs people and has a similar range of draught beers and single malts. a review of the place is possible in the near future although the initial sampling of food leaves much to be desired.
one of the single malts available is the rather new smokehead launched in 2006. the pale straw single malt is a 43 percent alcohol by volume whisky and is also an islay style single malt with an intense smoky and peaty nose.
not one for the faint-hearted or those who like sweet sherry-casked single malts, the smokehead smokiness is tempered with a spicy mix of lemon and ginger to give a heady fragrance to the dram.
the palate continues with the spicy masala and a hint of sweetness exploding although it feels a bit thin before a short smoky and intense peppery-peaty finish for a life-changing second and continues for some time after not quite unlike the laphroaig.
this is one big whisky that requires some getting used to with a lot of smoke and fire.
go for it.

glen bangkok

2008-01-04T18:45:00.000+08:00

as this is written, another group of guys are flying to bangkok for another stag holiday. unfortunately, i am not one of them.
damn! work and life gets in the way of the stag. not that it is much of a stag these days with more of drinking and eating and bit of this and that, here and there.
the last stag in november 2007 was quite a revelation as far as the single malts that we imbibed to while away the day as we await the night's outing and entertainment.
almost everyone - we called ourselves the dirty dozen - brought along a single malt. some brought white spirits but those were not even consumed. a pity. but that's how it is these days. everyone is a single malt snob.
and lo! and behold, most of the single malts had the word glen on the label.
the first glen was the glenlivet 15 years old which everyone agreed was the definitive single malt of the stag.
as written earlier, it is a rather summery creamy whisky that leaves one refreshed and most of us swigged on it as we made our way through the warren of streets in bangkok for our night out.
suffice to say the glenlivet 15 year old whetted our appetite for the night.
we had another 15 year old, not that we were paedophiles but this was the glenfiddich 15 year old single malt. it used to be called the solera but the new bottlings do not have that on the label.
despite that, the whisky is still vatted in the solera vat which is never emptied but is always kept at least half full tp create a single malt with character and intense complexity.
and that is why the sweet speyside 15 year old made good company for us in bangkok.
it had a spicy side that went well with all things thai - the land of the birds eye chilli and other hot happening things that make life truly wonderful.
the last glen that made it to our lips and onwards was the glenmorangie port wood finish which is one of the better glenmorangie bottlings ever. it combines my two favourites - single malts and port.
with a certain fruity nose, the 43 percent alcohol by volume single malt is smooth and sweet with a tinge of brine to eventually lull you into a wonderful state of relaxation.
the straw-coloured single malt has a lingering finish with hints of spice to make it a wonderful dram and a great ending to a fantastic night. which some of us had in bangkok.
unfortunately, this 12-year-old single malt has been discontinued in autumn 2007 and is now known as the quinta ruban, after the quintas or wines estates which provide the port pipes to mature the single malt.
fact of the matter, glenmorangie now has new bottlings with new names that could also mean new expressions that might not satisfy the palates. well, if you can get your hands on the port wood, keep and compare it to the new expressions.

single but not quite available

2008-01-02T20:15:00.000+08:00

the singleton 18 years old of glen ord is one of the more singular single malts i have ever tasted. and the sad thing is, it is quite hard to get.
apparently only 3,600 numbered bottles were ever produced.
had my fill of it late 2007 when conferring with friends about a stag holiday. one had just returned from cuba and picked up the singleton 18 years old from the airport duty free outlet. it turned out to be a revelation for us.
we didn't finish it then. we finished it at a christmas party two weeks ago.
produced by glen ord which now owned by global brewery giant diageo, the 40 percent alcohol by volume 18 year old is a classic malt with a deep amber appearance in a handsome oval flask bottle.
by the way, the glen ord distillery at the muir of ord - the moor by the hill - was founded in 1838, making it one of the oldest in scotland. and is also the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the black isle in the highlands of scotland west of inverness.
the distillery continues to malt its own barley and use the long fermentation and slow distillation methods followed there for generations, resulting in the unique but pleasant light sweet palate and long finish with hints of smoke to make it a great whisky.
quite simply, an amazing single malt that goes well and before you know it, it is almost gone.

world whisky index

2008-01-01T13:35:00.000+08:00

whisky. how's that for the first word of 2008.
been talking much about whisky - and drinking much of it in 2007 - that it dawned on me that i have also been quaffing way too many beers in the past year. unsure if that will stop or continue depending on the world whisky index.
yes, the world whisky index which rates the value of rarity. most of the whisky on the index is way too rich - not just in value but am sure in spirit - for me.
the thing is, whisky drinking is getting bigger and bigger around the world. the new markets, like most new markets for goods these days, is china and india.
haven't been to china - hong kong doesn't count as china to me, but in india, spirits is a big thing and they have a plethora of brands and blends and some single malts too. same in pakistan.
but it is going to get bigger and bigger.
that's where the index comes in. launched in november 2007, the world whisky index is the largest and most exclusive whisky trading platform to buy and sell whisky in a secure way.
let alone drink it.
even as i write this, the index currently holds 3002 bottles with the oldest from 1926. the total value on january 1 2008 is estimated at 448,632 euros with the most expensive bottle valued at 3,700 euros.
go figure that out.
me, i need a drink!
cheers and a happy new year to all.

the singapore swing

2007-12-31T00:15:00.000+08:00

am miles and weeks away from my singapore swing last month but managed to squeeze in some drinks between work. and in the process, nearly lost my passport at holland village.
but a kind gentleman found it and returned it to me.
yes. there is honesty in singapore. and more than that, there are a few party places in the shopping mall with a united nations membership.
the first stop was muddy murphy's irish pub at the orchard hotel shopping arcade - just opposite orchard towers which is known informally among expatriates and locals as the four floors (or is it six) of whores.
but that was not what we were there for, were we? nope!
'twas the pub that was the prize.
interesting enough, the pub was designed and built in dublin, irelend before it was disassembled and shipped to singapore in six 40-foot containers and re-assembled by 15 specialist irish pub fitters.
well, trust the irish! and the singaporeans.
back to the pint at hand, the pub serves irish staples of guinness and kilkenny on tap and some excellent irish food.
as i was with some friends from jakarta who had a hankering for the black beauty, we ordered the guinness draught and some fries instead.
the guinness draught was stout enough to slake my thirst after running around for work in singapore. did you know that it is supposed to take 119.5 seconds to pour a perfect pint.
and of course, the bubbles form a creamy head that might have a shamrock outlined on it in ireland but not really anywhere else.
but once you get to drink in the bittersweet stout and the cream forms a moustache above your lips, you are in ecstasy despite just having 4.2 percent alcohol by volume. it's the taste and the after-taste that gets you.
yes! it's that fantastic.
also revisited brewerkz, the micro-brewery in riverside point that has now expanded to have some sort of fine dining restaurant with a wine cellar. the few of us there were just interested in the beers.
there is a smorgasboard of beers brewed in brewerkz but we settled for the crowd favourite - indian pale ale.
the pale ale with 6.0 percent alcohol by volume has a strong malt and hop flavour that went well for the night. we had a couple of jugs as conversation flowed and ebbed like the tide along the singapore river as the rain whipped around us.
we had some buffalo wings - in hot but not suicidal sauce plus some chips to keep the beer and us company. it came with some blue cheese dip and that helped to balance the spiciness of the wings.
brewerkz has a slew of other food that i have tried over the years but the buffalo wings remain a favourite. guess the spiciness goes well with the bitter beer.
those interested can drop at brewerkz riverside point, 30 merchant road, riverside point or brewerkz indoor stadium, 2 stadium walk, singapore indoor stadium.
brewerkz has also opened up at the changi international airport, making it the first on-site airport microbrewery. brewerkz brew pub is a full-service restaurant with a 3 hectolitre microbrewery at changi terminal 3.
cheers and happy new year!

londoner in bangkok

2007-12-30T14:35:00.000+08:00

i know, it has been some time. well it has been some time this past weeks. been drinking, travelling and working - not necessarily in that order.
maybe. but more of working and travelling.
was in bangkok a few weeks ago, and am supposed to be there next week, for stag holidays as some friends have/are walking down the aisle and what better way to celebrate that than drinking and partying in the city of angels.
in between the single malts sacrificed for the stag, a few of us managed to go to the londoner brew pub for some grub, grog and girls. well the last bit was not available.
the londoner has a microbrewery inside the pub with the fragrance of the hops wafting through the premises, enticing one to try both the pub-brewed beers - the london pilsner 33 or the londoner pride cream bitter.
didn't ask them the alcohol volume of both the beers but the pilsner is light, fresh and tasty and went along famously with the crowd i was in.
i thought the bitter was better but no one bit or bought that. the fresh bitter brew slaked my thirst and whetted my appetite further for food despite it being just hours after lunch.
we had some food with the beers - nothing thai but all things western. it was more than decent and kept the hunger pangs at bay.
the londoner brew pub is similar to the couple of microbreweries in singapore but i dare say, has a better ambience with the real feel of a london pub. which is a good reason to visit london, and now of course, bangkok.
for those making their way to bangkok, the pub is located at soi 33 along sukhumvit road.

fresh and green

2007-11-09T14:55:00.000+08:00

we had a party this week to celebrate a wedding of friends, one of whom is from drinkdrankeat, and the bottles came out fast and furious.
among the bottles were a glenmorangie cellar 13, a laphroaig 10 year old, a macallan 12 year old, a johnnie walker black label 12 year old and a glenfarclas 12 year old.
not that we were single malt snobs but the black label was left untouched through the night.
so the ones that garnered the most attention were the laphroaig and the glenfarclas 12 year old, a speyside single malt with 43 percent alcohol by volume.
glenfarclas in the local gaelic lingo means valley of the green grass and the single malt itself is a pale and slightly greenish in hue, in keeping with the colour of most 12 year old whiskies.
the fruity, nutty and oaky notes in the bouquet give way to a peatish and still strong oaky palate with a short and spicy finish that leaves you hankering for more.
heck, it was the first bottle to dry up in the course of the night.
which left us with the rest of the bottles to finish up with the food at the jolly little restaurant called tanners in bukit tunku.
a discourse on dining at tanners will follow soon enough.

whisky in burgundy

2007-10-29T18:45:00.000+08:00

there are whiskies and there are whiskies, the taste of which varies with the beholder.
been trying to get to tasting a few new ones around town but time and work have got in the way of the dram.
no worries. the frisky whisky fridays are set to continue in the next few weeks.
the last one that we had in a quiet corner of damansara heights saw me bringing out the glenmorangie burgundy wood finish, one of the bright sparks from the scottish highlands, that unfortunately has just been discontinued in the summer of 2007.
am afraid only a few bottles will be available around the world but if you do get one, it has a toasty and not quiet peatish nose. nice and redolent of wine as it has been casked in the cote d'or burgundy casks after initial casking in american oak.
the soft and sweet palate comes masks the 43 percent alcohol by volume single malt leading to a nice slightly dry and toast and oak finish.
it is a great 12-year-old single malt and the one-litre bottle drained rather quickly as the night went on, just like the madeira and cellar 13 did earlier this year.

terrific talisker

2007-10-15T13:35:00.000+08:00

from the scottish island of skye comes a single malt that is second to none. the talisker 18 years old.
i had more than my fair share of a couple of bottles this year and over the years, apart from imbibing some drams from the talisker 10 years old last year.
the good news is that the talisker 18 years old has just won the world whisky awards 2007 as the world's best single malt.
so there! it's that good.
the pink gold single malt with 45.8 percent alcohol by volume is sweet and fruity with a smoky and peppery finish.
my friends and i paired it with drunken prawns in penang a few months ago and enjoyed every drop of the single malt with its long spicy and rather peaty finish.
if there is any 18 years old single malt that one must try to ever taste in one's life, the talisker 18 years old would have to be it.
superb. terrific! that would be the only words for it.
and if you cannot get your hands on this single malt - available in duty-free shops in heathrow, suvarnabhumi and changi airports - get a taste of it from from either the johnnie walker green label 15 year old pure malt or drambuie as it is one of the components in both those blends.

biryani and shandy

2007-09-16T11:05:00.000+08:00

made my second trip to pakistan this year and it coincided with the start of ramadan, called ramazan in pakistan but it means the same.
except ramazan started on friday september 14 while most of the rest of the muslim world began fasting a day earlier.
even without visiting during ramazan, there is a plethora of good food in pakistan and it ranges from samosas and naans to of course, biryanis. and a lot in between.
my favourite is of course the biryani, be it chicken or mutton, and almost every shop makes a wonderful version of the biryani.
anyway, had the most excellent chicken biryani with tender pieces of chicken marinated in a variety of spices together with dollops of yoghurt to accentuate the taste.
and had it with some ben shaws bitter shandy - which to my knowledge is not available anywhere in malaysia.
and it is quite funny considering that there is almost no alcohol sold in pakistan without a permit - for non-muslims and expatriates - hence why i have yet to get my hands on some murree single malt whisky.
but it wasn't that bitter a shandy and with just a tot of beer in it, it tasted heavenly with the biryani. something sweet and fizzy to counteract the moist ghee in the biryani.
maybe i was just too thirsty. maybe i was just too hungry. but both went together so well that i am looking forward to more of both in pakistan.

the double wood doctorate do

2007-09-12T01:25:00.000+08:00

a good friend received his doctorate over the weekend and decided to throw a party at the finnegans pub in bangsar baru.
a few other friends were also around and dropped in for drinks and we made it a party of sorts which led to me bring the bottle of balvenie double wood 12 year old single malt that had been with me for a while now.
the amber single malt has an elegant bouquet that resonates of fruits, honey and hints of vanilla not quite unlike a good gelato and acquires its distinctiveness from being matured in two woods - from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill spanish oak sherry cask.
the result is character from the traditional casks that used to hold bourbon and full flavour and depth from the sherry casks thus leading to a happy commingling of nutty sweetness, spiciness and sherry for a long tingling warming finish.
the 43 percent alcohol by volume speyside whisky is quite simply a great dram especially from a red wine glass.
suffice to say all the friends enjoyed the balvenie and the newly-minted doctorate holder had a great time with his wonderful party.
fantastic whisky, fabulous friends, what more can one ask for?

toddy tales

2007-09-09T22:55:00.000+08:00

what could possibly be the malaysian national alcoholic beverage?
you know, a sort of pina colada?
after some deliberation and much tastings, some of us decided that it should be toddy - the pungent fermented sap from the flower of coconut trees with quite an unsavoury reputation but goes well with savoury food.
go figure that one out.
or rather, go find some toddy and try it.
we did, a day after merdeka and an occasion long planned among a few friends.
we made our way from kuala lumpur to shah alam where we followed a good friend to weave our way through the traffic to kapar for the second day of the merdeka makan minum madness.
and that's where we found the toddy shop, which can turn raucous when many have too much to drink.
which is quite easy as it is quite an affordable drink with a gallon costing as much as a can of beer.
we had two gallons and a whole lot of seafood from the neighbouring seafood restaurant that sort of exemplified the muhibbah malaysia - chinese food and indian drink that in a less fermented form was a malay drink called nira.
and of course, there were several servings of curried wild boar to provide the savoury for the unsavoury. apart from wild boar, the ala carte dishes that go with toddy include the wide variety of game such as monitor lizards and civet cats.
none of that was available that day!
now that is so very malaysian. and so very us in the table of seven.
back to the toddy. it was sweet but reeked with the pungency of roasted onion and garlic - like some sort of sour cream and onion chips.
but it was great and reeked - or stank - even more as it warmed and continued fermenting.
we delayed the fermentation process by chilling with ice bags in the pail.
and one of us gave up due to the smell and taste.
in true fashion, the experienced hands at the table ordered a bottle of guinness stout as a mixer for the toddy, the conventional wisdom being that both were pungent with the bitter stout cancelling the acidic toddy.
it worked.
the rains washed in and we washed away the food and toddy with a round of beers, freeing our minds and souls in a celebration of independence that marked malaysia's merdeka.
toddy, anyone? and as national drink of malaysia?
it get's my vote!

halves and quarters

2007-09-08T13:45:00.000+08:00

this is long overdue, well a week at least, but here goes the start of the merdeka makan minum madness.
as malaysia celebrated half a century of independence or merdeka, a few friends gathered and toasted to the occasion with a laphroaig quarter cask single malt.
now, as everyone should know, laphroaig is known as the oiliest and most pungent - a medicinal nose is the most polite term - of whiskies or single malts in the known universe.
but the quarter cask is a different proposition altogether.
the pale gold 48 percent alcohol by volume single malt is smooth and aromatic to the nose and quite unlike its 10 year old cousin.
we took a wee dram to taste and it was smooth, soft and pleasing at first bite before the peatiness kicked in and throats were cleared to accommodate the fiery spirit as it streamed through to a zesty finish.
wonderful. that was the verdict.
suffice to say the bottle emptied pretty fast as we freed the single malt from its container in the spirit of merdeka!

salty single malt

2007-08-20T09:45:00.000+08:00

salt. the one mineral that makes our lives a whole lot more zestier.
combine that with single malt and we have the makings of a wonderful evening. there are salty single malts such as bowmore's surf but old pulteney is the bee's knees in single malts tinged with smoke and salt.
that good-lah!
actually had the pinkish amber old pulteney 12 year old sometime ago and had a tot of it over the past week, refreshing my mind and palate with its moderately intense salty sea air dominating its bouquet.
which is no surprise of course as the pulteney distillery is the most northerly distillery on the scottish mainland and for the longest time only accessible by sea with the barley brought in by sea and the whisky casks and bottles shipped out by boat.
heck, even the distillery workers worked as herring fishermen in their spare time or was it the other way around.
all in all, the entire process with its maritime theme has seeped into the whisky from bouquet to taste.
and for that matter, the 40 percent alcohol by volume whisky has a dry finish with more than a tinge of saltiness working hand in glove with some sherry notes.
mmmmmm... maritime malt!

chicken chop shop hop

2007-08-17T12:25:00.000+08:00

weeks after the oh.my.goat experience, the few of us, plus a newbie, decided to test the famed chicken chops that appear to be the province of hainanese coffee shops and cafes.
chicken chops - hainanese style - is basically fried chicken marinated in some spices and then generously slathered with brown sauce and some vegetables just boiled right and quite unlike the indian vegetarian mash and mush we get in malaysia.
that is another story altogether.
suffice to say, we were just on the chicken chop shop hop that were all within walking distance of each other in kuala lumpur.
we were deciding what would be our control drink and settled for 7-up instead of the crowd favourite kickapoo which is not as readily available as it used to be years ago.
anyway, back to chicken chops.
we met up at sin seng nam - the grand hainanese coffee shop in old market square that is also known as the vatican (why? i don't really know) famous for among others, its chicken rice and chicken chops plus a bar that used to be patronised by planters and politicians of old.
the chicken chop took some 20 minutes to make it to our table - complete with a brown sauce that had bits of carrots and onions to round off the dish.
the chop was firm and tasty - possibly from a freshly-slaughtered chicken - and was superbly marinated with five spice powder and other seasonings for a crispy meaty meal. however, the sauce was a wee too sweet for the liking but saved by the side of fries tinged with salt.
we were anticipating our next meal as we walked in the drizzle towards coliseum cafe along batu road. the grand old dame serves the chinese and western style chicken chops.
the cafe's chinese or rather hainanse style chicken chop came with brown sauce filled with chunks of onions and tomatoes while the western style had options of either black pepper, brown, mushroom or garlic sauces.
we ordered both and a round of 7-up.
the western style chicken chop was breaded and agreed well with the tasty brown sauce with its garnishing of cauliflower and broccoli but the fries was soggy and not salty.
that took 15 minutes to serve but coliseum cafe's thick crust bread and singapore cold storage butter kept hunger pangs at bay.
i thought the chinese chicken chop compared well with the western style. one has to admit, coliseum cafe knows its food.
we then left for yut kee coffee shop along campbell road (am using old road names for nostalgic reasons) and once again, 7-up made its way to the table. the coffee shop workers brought the chicken chops just seconds after the 7-up appeared, making it the fastest-serving chop shop around.
but speed did not make up for quality as the chicken tasted mangy and old although the spices and batter were quite tasty. the brown sauce was just starch with its complement of ready-packed mixed vegetables.
it was the fastest, cheapest and worst. the 7-up made up for a disappointing end to this food run.
my vote for the best chicken chops among the three went to coliseum cafe - either the chinese or western style is great!

mmmm... beer!

2007-08-11T15:05:00.000+08:00

caught the simpsons movie last week and that whetted my appetite for beer a few days later.
so made my way to izzy's, a twinkling of a distance from the gsc gold class seats in midvalley where i had seen the movie.
they serve weihenstephan, the nearly millennium-old beer from a german monastery brewery of the benedictine monks.
yes, spirited and spiritual in a pint of beer that was first brewed in 1040 and is still being brewed today. how about that for longevity.
the wheat beer has a wonderful aroma and a bittersweet taste that makes a hot day great, in the sense that you look forward to sizzling days just so that you can enjoy the chilled beer better.
with 5.1 percent alcohol by volume, the lager beer is easy to drink and before you can actually pronounce the beer, you'd have ordered a second one.
we were so enamoured with the beer that we just ordered some beef tendon in a heavenly broth. more on that later.
the beer was filling enough for the five of us there.
prost!

this and that

2007-07-24T13:45:00.000+08:00

been a while due to travels across the country and region.
was in east timor in late june and then later to pakistan where i went to look for the murree single malt but alas, nowhere to be found.
pretty frustrating considering i was just a few stone throws from murree itself.
so decided to go up to penang to meet up with friends for makan and music.
will update on that soon.
meanwhile, if you have nothing much to do these next few days - go to the cotton club in maju junction - plonk thirty ringgit for a drink and listen to arguably the best guitarist in town, paul ponnudorai, perform.
its on for july 24 and 25, 2007, 8.3ppm onwards.
cheers!

beers galore

2007-06-13T23:25:00.000+08:00

cheers! went to east timor for some work and came away feeling that it is beer heaven!
and seeing that single malt of any kind would be wasted on a tropical isle like east timor, i decided to sample the variety of beers available on the duty free island.
starting with the cascade premium lager from australia's oldest brewery.
with a 5.2 percent alcohol by volume content, the chilled crisp flavoured beer refreshed the hot afternoons and nights that were du jour in the east timorese capital dili.
cascade's brewery is located in tasmania, which is also home to the j boag lager i had imbibed last year.
then it was time for a traditional australian favourite, victoria bitter or vb as its famously known, made by fosters.
the 4.9 percent alcohol by volume bitter lager is one full flavoured brew.
had more than a couple of cans of the lager which had a fruity aroma to balance the suprisingly sweet malt and bitter after taste.
coincidentally, apart from the watery fosters lager, vb is australia's most famous beer export but i dare say the other beers especially made with the pristine waters of tasmania are a sight and taste better any day. or night.
from vb i made the short journey in the eski to melbourne bitter, another offering from the fosters group.
the rather robust beer is a full strength lager with a lesser 4.6 percent alcohol by volume than its victorian counterpart but more than made up for it with its malty notes and a pleasant if not slightly dull body.
the bitterness however came through and made it a must - once chilled - for the sizzling of days in east timor - the kind that cooks an egg in a matter of seconds.
from down under, i made the beer run to portugal - once colonial masters of east timor - with its offering of super bock classic beer.
the frothy lager, with a 5.6 percent alcohol by volume content, is rather refreshing especially with the seafood dinners we had along the dili beach.
we had copious draughts of the chilled super bock which balanced its robustness and bitterness just right to make us order more.
that's it. beers galore. east timor.
what more can one say except head over there for more!

oh.my.goat

2007-05-11T12:05:00.000+08:00

it took some time for this idea to germinate and when it finally did - the great mutton peratal shoot-out as i called - happened with great success.
yes, for the avid pubcrawler - i count myself as nearly there - there is nothing better that goes with ice-cold beer than a plate of mutton peratal - mutton in a dry curry gravy.
so, together with some friends and the new straits times, we went to three pubs near each other and tasted their house speciality. to make it as scientific as we could, we used bottled heineken beer as our control.
while it's not exactly the grandest and tastiest of beers, heineken - a pilsner at five percent alcohol by volume - has a pleasant enough taste without any hint of being watery unlike some other beers.
but the most important thing is the mutton peratal.
we started off in the bulldog pub in sri hartamas. it took some 20 minutes before the bowl of lamb masala - as it was called - turned up on our table with thick slices of english bread.
the cubes of lamb - or mutton dressed up as lamb as the case may be - tasted of its ginger-and-garlic marinade with crunchy chunks of either available in moderate amounts in the gravy.
it had the right combination of spices and went well with the bread and beer but most of us there thought that we had tasted better mutton peratal.
not exceptional but just right to start off the shoot-out.
off we trudged to the street behind and ended up at the backyard pub to order the house special. a quick question of whether we wanted our bread slices toasted was replied immediately with a plate of each - toasted and untoasted. the heineken beers came pretty fast as we waited in anticipation.
the mutton peratal - with a garnish of chillies and onions- came in an orange dish and tasted better than it looked. the chef had added zesty lime juice to bring out mutton peratal's spiciness and aroma, and add to the gravy.
the mutton and gravy went well with the toasted bread slices - which were brushed with butter. we finished the mutton peratal but there was bread and lo! and behold, just a bit more mutton peratal arrived for us to finish off with our bottled beer.
what can i say, it was just great mutton peratal with the right spiciness and the zest more than helped whet our appetite.
the plate was clean. enough said.
we were still within time and decided to take jalan damansara and head towards the online pub in damansara kim - famous for its mutton peratal and wild boar peratal.
the mutton peratal came with a garnish of cucumber slices and we took our time to savour the flavour.
it was quite peppery with just vague hints of spiciness for the rather tough mutton cubes. the gravy was thick as we wiped it off with slices of bread which had been quartered.
quite a different touch but we had expected more. it was not as good as it once was and did not go down too well with the heineken.
maybe we were just stuffed. or tired of mutton. or the beer temperature was off. or the time was different.
but we had to decide.
for me, the best was at the backyard pub.
maybe we will expand the search and shoot-out the next time.
oh.my.goat. maybe not!

whisky weddings

2007-04-27T19:05:00.000+08:00

some friends are getting married this year.
and next year too! so lots of parties abound!
including stag parties of course! which means a lot of booze will be flowing my way!
which reminded me of this video i took a long long time ago. 1999 to be exact.
friends! always great to have them! same goes with whisky!

speyside-ways

2007-04-11T18:10:00.001+08:00

recently, a friend wanted to exhaust his minimum monthly amount to keep his membership at the royal lake club and so decided to invite a few of us for drinks.
there was the usual range of alcohol at the bar but we were attracted to a display of bottles at a corner of the bar.
our lips smacked. it was single malts.
i picked the benromach traditional single malt whisky, which incidentally was only launched in 2004 just year after the distillery was reopened in 1998 - which is basically a century after the original distillery was founded.
speyside single malts are renowned for their elegance and complexity of tastes and a measured smokiness that make them quite delicate malts, as we found out with the benromach we opened that night.
the distillers create the single malt by hand, using the finest peated malted barley and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach hills, maturing the whisky in hand selected oak casks as proudly touted in the bottle label.
the straw yellow 40 percent alcohol by volume malt has a citrusy nose with a nice measure of peatiness that invigorates the soul.
the taste is peppery and smoky with a nice floral but aggressive finish.
apart from the royal lake club, you can pick up the benromach at the single malt and available stores in either bangsar village I or plaza damas, sri hartamas.

the short food crawl

2007-04-01T17:35:00.000+08:00

the plans were ambitious but april 1 - april fool's day - struck us down after three stops of good food around kuala lumpur city.
it started to rain just as we embarked on our journey at the stroke of midnight april 1, ending up at the burger stall near the esso petrol pump in medan damansara.
we ordered the malaysian favourite - burger special - meat patty sliced through the centre and grilled on a hot plate, then wrapped in a fried egg with paprika powder before the usual condiments of onions and lettuce plus mayonnaise was added to the burger in a seeded bun.
excellent. the burger boys finished cooking in five minutes and we took the same amount of time to polish it off.
we then moved on in the light drizzle to bangsar for some really good mutton and oxtail soup stall in lucky gardens but the stall owner had shut down for the night.
with time to spare, we moved on to the city in search of hokkien noodles but that stall had also closed for the night.
we finally headed a couple of streets away to a chicken rice stall near an equally famous chicken rice shop.
the meal was simple - steamed chicken with steamed rice in chicken stock and some excellent blended fresh chillies and lime sauce. barley water and hot chinese tea provided an able complement to the meal.
we were already quite full but pressed on in search of good food, rumbling through the tung shin area in search of something light to eat but gave the variety of food available a miss.
we wanted something light and right at two in the morning.
so we headed to the northern edge of kuala lumpur for some dimsum - steamed and fried bite-sized meat and vegetables - that probably inspired the spanish tapas and persian meze.
the row of shophouses in jalan ipoh was packed with people as we found a table and ordered the variety of dimsum being steamed in giant wicker baskets or fried in giant woks.
we ordered a few and struggled to start eating as the clock struck two, finishing most of it 30 minutes later and washing down the food with chinese tea.
that was that. we had had enough. we went home promising to attempt the crawl soon.

kl 24 hour food crawl

2007-03-30T16:05:00.000+08:00

good food. doesn't have to be great but it unites and divides all malaysians.
it is the one thing on our minds day in, day out and all through the night.
as malaysians, we talk long and loud about the best food in the city and the country, of what can be found in every nook and cranny across the nation.
so, to celebrate april fool's day and malaysia's 50th anniversary of merdeka and also metroblog kuala lumpur's existence, my friends and i are initiating the kl 24 hour food crawl.
you propose, we dispose - the best food of the hour every hour on the hour.
its a simple challenge. send in your thoughts on the best food that is available for any or every given hour available that hour within kuala lumpur to plonkwonk@gmail.com
the april 1 kl 24 hour food crawl will be a prototype that will start midnight that day. it is a sunday and so, some places might not be open. too bad. don't suggest anything out of the 96 square kilometres that make up kuala lumpur.
it does not have to be pasta or bread pudding, pakoras and chicken rice will be fine.
yes, anyone can join in and everyone pays for their own meal. tastes might vary so i won't ask those who propose a certain dish at a certain hour to pay if the dish turns out bad.
it is not a freeloader scam.
finally, anyone who can survive 24 hours crawling and chewing, moving and munching from spot to spot across the city will be named the the 1st kl champion food crawler. no, that person will not be an april fool.
bon appetit!

peeking at the duck

2007-03-16T18:25:00.001+08:00

this is not a wood-fired pizza oven but the oven for roasted peking duck at min jiang in one north, rochester park in singapore.
min jiang is, to put it plainly, one of the more famous sichuan restaurants in singapore with peking duck being its signature dish.
which is why we ended up there for the dinner that presages the end of the annual company meeting held in singapore this year.
we had beers first of course.
that was followed by an eight-course dinner that looked like tapas but felt like a heavy dinner after a while - unlike most chinese dinners.
the chef came over with thin slices of crisp duck skin - very very thin and crispy actually - that glistened with fat and tasted delicious with just the barest dip of the sugar bowl.
everyone agreed that it was great. quite unlike what we have ever had in a while.
the chef, bless his soul, then expertly carved the peking duck and separated it to two lots of duck meat and skin.
one was wrapped in pancake with condiments of spring onions, cucumber and chinese hoisn sauce while the other lot was spicied up with garlic and radish strips.
both lots went in double quick time with the first lot bringing out the essence of roast duck while the spicier lot teased our palate and brought forth an explosion of taste that is quite hard to describe.
we tried to prolong the sensation and even considered ordering extra peking duck but orders had to be placed one day in advance. damn!
the other dishes were standard chinese course fare except for the sea cucumber that did not go down well with the crowd. think it was just too gooey for us.
the dessert of black beans with ice cream capped off a splendid night friends, fun and food - not in any particular order though!
min jiang one north is at 5, rochester park. call +65 67740122 to order your meal.
and that was really quite the end of the singapore travel for the moment.

bilk the milk

2007-03-11T17:55:00.000+08:00

finally got my grubby hands on a bottle of bilk from japan - the beer made from milk that made the headlines last month.
the initial taste test revealed a distinctly sour taste. so did the second taste test.
yes, it is like yoghurt without the creaminess and the milky look and feel. so no chance of getting a milk moustache at all.
as for the taste, i reckon the sourness was due to the bottle just arriving from japan and was not chilled in time for us to imbibe at leisure. also maybe because most of us had binged the entire four days spent in singapore.
anyway, bilk combines two parts of a low-malt beer with one part milk, which came from surplus in japan. a bottle costs 380 yen but i don't think we will see it very soon in kuala lumpur.
well, not in time for st patrick's day this weekend.
anyway, the brewery said since milk has a low boiling point, it controlled the temperature during the boiling process to prevent the milk from boiling over.
they then added beer yeast and hops into the brew and started the fermentation process where it looked and smelled like tea with milk - ahhh, a frothy cup of teh tarik more like it.
when fermentation finished and the brew had cooled down, it looked like normal beer.
and that is the story of bilk.
me? am more interested in the black brew this weekend.

older and bolder

2007-03-01T14:30:00.000+08:00

while single malts are unsurpassed in bouquet, taste and finish, there are some blended whiskies that offer a smoother and commingled blend of malts and grains for one's drinking pleasure.
case, or rather bottle, in point is chivas brothers' chivas 18, the 18-year-old blend that made its way to our shores since december 2006 courtesy of pernod-ricard malaysia.
by the way, pernod-ricard acquired chivas brothers and the chivas regal brand in 2001 and it is one of its jewels in the spirits business. which brings us to the chivas 18 which is quite a different creature from the usual chivas 12-year-old. fact is, it is not the chivas 12 plus six more years in the cask.
no, it is older and bolder in bouquet and taste.
which is no surprise as the chivas 18 comprises two rare speyside single malts not publicly available in its 18 year old expressions - strathisla 18 which is rich, fruity and nutty in taste and longmorn 18 with its floral notes that add a certain elegance to the overall blend.
the amber liquid, with 40 percent alcohol by volume, has a fruity and toffee bouquet leading to a sherry and smokey taste with floral tones and a hint of chocolate and toffee.
the finish is soothing with a lingering smokiness.
quite nice!

blonde, nice legs

2007-02-25T15:55:00.000+08:00

blonde. nice legs! that was my first impression of the aberfeldy 12 years old single malt.
what one would normally reserve for those of the fairer sex could equally apply to this delightful single malt from the dewar's distillery.
while dewar's is more famous for its blended whisky such as the white label, the single malt range from aberfeldy - established 1898 - is limited to either the 12-year-old or the 21-year-old.
the opportunity to taste the aberfeldy single malt came about during a tasting for the flavours magazine january-february 2007 edition featuring single malts and other whiskies.
however, the magazine editors did not put that comment. what a pity!
the blonde whisky was decanted into a wine glass, and following the footsteps of the nose that knows, i swirled it to have a look at the legs streaming down the glass.
nice.
the bouquet was fragrant with citrus and honey notes and a tinge of smoke, a hint of oakiness, stimulating the desire to have a wee dram to wet the palate.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume single malt was light and fresh with lingering sweetness leading to a long malty and satisfying finish.
one of the more refreshing single malts i've tasted in a long time.
if anyone is interested, it is available at the kuala lumpur international airport duty-free shops.

majestic madeira

2007-02-20T13:35:00.000+08:00

the range of single malts can be bewildering at times. more so from the sixteen men of tain, or rather the glenmorangie distillery.
yes they only have sixteen men working at the distillery but they produce a wide array of single malts finished in a variety of woods from the sherry to burgundy casks. and of course, slightly salty single malt from cellar 13.
a notable part of the glenmorangie collection is the glenmorangie madeira wood finish - which spent some time in the cupboard but finished quickly, thanks to thirsty friends who were quenched by its majestic sweetness.
the 43 percent alcohol by volume 12-year-old has a sweet nose with a hint of salt.
it tastes remarkably sweet and smooth turning spicy with a hint of chocolate.
the finish is short with a peaty tail and a lingering sweetness long remembered thanks to the madeira finish.
a great single malt that shows character despite the overpowering madeira.
there are others in the collection - sherry and portwood casks - that will be opened in the coming months.
cheers!

pigging on chinese food

2007-02-17T14:25:00.000+08:00

well, the lunar new year celebrations are swinging just nicely with kuala lumpur getting slightly deserted - unlike yesteryears when it got really quiet.
some friends have started on their way home for their reunion dinners while others are planning feasts across the number of chinese restaurants that remain open through the lunar new year period.
there was a time when one would be hardpressed to find a chinese shop open, let alone the markets and supermarkets but kuala lumpur is a cosmopolitan city now - and there are lots of choices for the gourmet and gourmand in us.
which is where i found myself and some friends a week ago for a simple meal in the isthmus in the northpoint condominiums in midvalley city. been there a couple of times but never had time or inclination to eat, review and snap some photos, lazy sod that i have been lately.
but this dish called cina kampung got to me.
its a simple vegetarian dish comprising a range of vegetables and achar pickles plus an egg for those inclined to add variety to the meal.
the steamed rice went with the host of malaysian herbs such as serai, beans and crackers for a completely satisfying meal.
there is a whole range of dishes that defy description and whatever you do, don't call it fusion because it is just a better way of cooking dishes combining the best of all genres.
go for it.
gong xi fa cai!

bilking saint valentine's day

2007-02-14T09:55:00.000+08:00

everyone will see red and pink today. not just for the lunar new year around the corner but because it is also saint valentine's day.
who would have thought of such a hoo-ha over one day in the year? flowers, candies, chocolates, diamond-related jewellery and what-have-you for your loved ones. and that's just for the womenfolk. that's crass commercialism and consumerism there.
one friend received a smart-tag device for her car. told her the guy no longer wants a touch-and-go situation but wants to go whole hog. what with it being the year of the pig and all.
so on that note, please continue to bilk and milk all you can from saint valentine's day 2007.
which brings us to this snippet from reuters yesterday.

Japan liquor shop churns out beer from milk

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Great news for beer and milk lovers: A liquor shop owner in Japan's largest dairy farming region has stopped crying about local spilt milk and started making beer from it instead.
"We came up with the idea after hearing about surplus milk," said Chitoshi Nakahara, head of the Nakahara liquor shop on the northernmost island of Hokkaido. Milk consumption has been declining steadily in Japan, and Hokkaido disposed of nearly 900 tonnes of milk last March due to over-production, according to the Japan Dairy Association.
Nakahara's new brew, "Bilk" -- a combination of "milk" and "beer" -- is about 30 percent milk. It also contains hops, and the production process does not differ much from that of regular beer, he said.
His shop started selling Bilk, which apart from a slight milky scent looks and tastes like ordinary beer, on Feb. 1 after spending about six months developing the product with a local brewer.
Bilk is only available at six local shops or by mail order, but Nakahara is currently out of stock due to heavy media attention.

meanwhile, maybe just maybe a few of us will end up just having beers today. such, as they say, is life!

islay in the sun

2007-02-07T17:40:00.000+08:00

if there is any single malt one should taste at least once, it has to be an islay.
just like if you ever need to visit one island, i think it must be hawaii.
or cuba. so make it two islands one has to ever visit.
so it is with islay single malts. and caol ila - which is gaelic for the sound of islay - is one of the better islay single malts. just like laphroaig.
have seen the bottle around in various duty-free outlets but never got round to getting one until a discussion with the high-school sweetheart some time last year. she swears by it and would not try any other single malts.
a trip back from bangkok provided the perfect opportunity to get a bottle of caol ila 12 year old for consumption.
okay, the label is actually better than the photo here as the entire bottle was kept in an ice bucket during a party december 2006.
now that was a party all right. the food was excellent - thanks to a great italian-trained chef and the company wonderful. enough said as that would make me yearn for more of the food and the company that night.
anyway, the caol ila is said to be one of the lighter of the islays with one of the extremes being the much-beloved laphroaig and also the range of bowmore single malts.
a pale gold, this islay single malt has a honeyed peaty nose with some floral notes.
the 43 percent alcohol by volume caol ila has a sweet, smoky and seaweed taste with a cigar smoke and peppery finish.
very nice. definitely a must in any single malt collection.

moshi moshi sushi

2007-01-14T12:45:00.000+08:00

the jolly japanese journey continues in djakarta... errr jakarta with a visit to the smashing sushi groove restaurant tucked in the happening kuningan district.
my old friend new straits times correspondent amy chew had suggested the japanese joint famed for its ambience and amiable staff apart from good food. and to chew fat over past, present and future in the new year.
first off, the sushi groove is located in setiabudi plaza - a building with great collection of restaurants offering a spectrum of cuisine from east to west, north and south. and of course, the ubiquitous starbucks where i dawdled with a java chip frappucino before dinner.
what can i say, sushi groove had a funky fun look with two long communal tables with stools for an ecletic experience in dining. amy was slightly late so had the standard miso soup and edamame beans with chilled ocha.
the little lady turned up soon after and we turned our attention to the menu with help of the ever-smiling staff.
i settled for the ziggy roll when i noted it was my favourite combination of deep-fried soft shell crab with cabe rawit or birds eye chilli or chilli padi as we know it in kuala lumpur. but the cabe rawit was sliced too thin and would have been better if a bit chunkier.
actually i had this combination in another sushi joint in jakarta and it was called a kalimantan roll while there is a similar dish in kuala lumpur at shrooms in klcc. whatever it is called, it went well with the wasabi and more than provided the explosive zing.
amy opted for her favourite baby dragon roll that combined shrimp tempura with with unagi and crab salad with avocado and tobiko for a savoury experience. it was a nice and crispy experience.
especially with more wasabi than soyu.
we chewed more edamame apart from fat about the ways of the world when the lion roll turned up. it was the waiter's recommendation and we looked at it with anticipation.
the lion roll looked every bit like a group of lion dancers performing during the chinese lunar new year celebrations. a combination of silver cod and spicy tuna, the roll hit the right spicy fishy notes on its own and was heavenly when dipped with wasabi and soyu.
the place was getting crowded and chatty but the ambience with some light music plus the good food aroused our appetites further. we decided to make one last order and picked the golden gate roll.
bearing a slight resemblance to its more famous american namesake, the golden gate roll is fresh salmon and avocado topped with tuna. we thought we bit off more than we could chew but the roll surprised us.
the fresh salmon and avocado was heavenly especially with some wasabi. we took our time to savour the flavour, nibbling and chewing it as we sipped our ocha.
what a meal it was. and i must say jakarta is proving to be a gourmet's heaven. can't wait to try out the restaurants in setiabudi plaza and other parts of the sprawling city.

days of wine and roses

2007-01-08T22:30:00.000+08:00

it happened out of the blue, a drink with a friend and suddenly it turns into a party as others turn up to share the week between christmas and new year.
and what a party it was.
i had - at one time or the other - dated three of the women at the table. one was the highschool sweetheart while the rest were in the not-so-recent-past.
that's where the roses part comes in. if i had a ringgit for every stalk i sent... hmmm!
but that is the past. and best left there as two of them will finally tie the knot this year.
back to the report at hand. we were at the vintry - a bottle shop - a couple of doors away from the ribshop in medan damansara and as usual, decided to get a bottle of wine.
red it was and for the life of me, i cannot remember the name except to say that it took time before it was good to drink. we had some, make that lots of bruschetta as we gave it time to breathe.
having said that, that bottle finished fast and it was time for the second bottle - a stonier pinot noir. the crowd grew to three and possibly four - i had already picked up my highschool sweetheart - by this time as we opened the bottle.
the pinot noir had a delicious berry taste with some plum notes and a certain spiciness. it had a smooth silky finish and certainly went to our heads.
the crowd grew bigger as an old friend from school turned up in the already packed bottle shop. we ordered the wonderful chilled beef tenderloin from the ribshop as some were hungry.
so off i went to trawl among the bottle racks and picked a bottle of porca de murca douro reserva 2002. wasn't quite sure what i was doing but the bottle was a revelation.
it was really really nice with a pleasant woody and vanilla taste. the full bodied wine was also smooth and went well with the beef that we had.
great stuff from the douro region in portugal where porca de murca - which means the sow of murca - is one of the best selling wines.
that was done and the crowd grew larger. another bottle was to be found and it was the chateau belles eaux coteaux du languedoc 2003 that made its way to our table. another round of glasses for the ever-growing crowd that now stood at 10. only one couldn't drink while another had to be persuaded to try a sip as she had sworn off alcohol a while ago.
that was done and we sipped another good wine, slightly mineral in taste but a good plummy finish.
that bottle went pretty fast too.
time was coming to somewhere around midnight and a platter of cheese kept us company, apart from the crowd from other tables that became chummy with us as smiles were exchanged and bottles drained their content.
so we chose another bottle that was nice but no one could remember the label as none were that great a wine aficionado. guess our taste buds were inundated with so much wine that we just couldn't think of the label.
but it was a great night, i can assure you that! hic!
the vintry is at 130, jalan kasah, medan damansara - among the other restaurants in the only row of shops there. one can order from the other restaurants to eat in the vintry - which also has its own selection of good food.

the murree single malt

2007-01-06T16:45:00.000+08:00

for some in pakistan, january 2007 is something to look forward to.
according to a news report, the murree brewery in rawalpindi - the only whisky maker in the muslim world - is entering into the rarefied league of scotch makers by launching a 21-year-old single malt.
the brewery - one of three licensed in pakistan and legacy of the british raj - currently makes 8 and 12-year-old whiskies. none of the whiskies are for export.
i have been to islamabad twice but never made it to rawalpindi though it was just a few kilometres from the islamabad airport. damn, would have been worth a visit and some snaps.
this is a photo of the old brewery ruins in ghora galli built a year after 1860 when the brewery was incorporated.

in his monograph "the complete book of whiskey," author jim murray says that murree's 12-year malt classic not only compares favourably with scottish versions, but "is much better than a number of lesser scotch malts which come nowhere near in matching this whiskey's crisp and delicate maltiness."
the enthusiastic review says it "would not be out of place in speyside," referring to the region of scotland where most malt whiskey distilleries are located.

looks like i've to score a bottle from an old friend if i ever want to imbibe this. will wait for the review somewhere out there first. cheers!

worthwhile whiskies

2007-01-05T22:25:00.000+08:00

'twas the night before christmas, when all through the house... i was looking for whiskies to drink.
found a few that was to last the sultans of single malts for just under a week between christmas and new year's eve - which everyone ensured was a week dedicated to the single-minded pursuit of single malts and other beverages too. mostly single malts.
we started with the glenmorangie cellar 13, a single malt from a single cellar.
it is different from the glenmorangie 10 years old single malt as aging in bourbon casks for 10 to 12 years in cellar 13 - a warehouse near the sea that brings a saltiness to the sweet single malt.
the 43 percent alcohol by volume single malt is pale yellow and we opened the bottle by the poolside as others started on their christmas eve dinner.
the nose was sweet with the scent of vanilla and wood and a hint of menthol as we swirled a tumblerful. there was the vanilla and honey and a taste of toffee - nice!
the finish was long and juicy with certain flowery fragrance. we drank more and savoured every wee dram of it.
christmas came by and other bottles of single malts were opened, among which were glenfiddich 12 year olds and a bottle of chivas brothers royal salute 21-year-old.
the chivas brothers were grocers and not distillers and therefore produced a blended whisky to smooth out the spectrum of taste that the single malts had during their time and led to the creation of chivas regal in 1909.
anyway, the royal salute 21-year-old is a super premium blended whisky that was created as a tribute to the coronation of queen elizabeth II in 1953. it is a 43 percent alcohol by volume whisky that is bottled in a collectible ceramic decanter complete with its own velvet sack.
it has an old world feel about it, like being dressed in a smoking jacket and having port with cigars but really, it is markedly different from other blended whiskies with an intense smokiness on the nose.
smooth with a rum and raisin taste on the palate, the finish is mellow with a hint of spiciness. it grows on you.
but the coup de grace for the week was the 17-year-old islay mist. it was a revelation of one of the best blended single malts of all time and what has been hailed as the perfect balance of oak, grain, malt and peat.
we could only agree as i opened the bottle and all our whisky dreams came true. it was smoky, salty and sweet.
that must be thanks to the fact the islay mist started off as a tribute to the 21st birthday of the son of the laird of islay house in 1922. it was considered such an important occasion that the good lads felt that laphroaig was too heavy and decided to blend with other highland malts like the glenlivet and grain whisky. that was the beginning of islay mist.
anyway, the palate was nutty and earthy enough you just wanted to slosh it around your mouth to experience complete relaxation like a day on a hammock in a white sandy beach with women with-or-without-bikinis tending to your every wish.
the finish was a light smoky one with a dash of salt and pepper like one of the best steaks you've ever had. satisfying to the hilt as the bottle finished in no time.
so, anyway, happy new year! hic!

whisky galore

2006-12-23T16:10:00.001+08:00

whisky galore - there is just so much to write about whisky this week.
friends in kuala lumpur went for the chivas 18 whisky tasting while the enthusiastic zeal of the freshly-converted-to-single-malts in djakarta ensured a steady supply of whisky for me.
also, there is a remake of an old film based on a Sir Compton Mackenzie book which i have read called - whisky galore! and guess what, surfed the world wide web and found that there is a beverage afficionado who has made a videocast of tastings called the beverage review.
the latest videocast - with host michael lam in his christmas cap - is on the macallan cask strength single malt.

meanwhile, after a couple of weeks in djakarta, my single malt enthusiast-friend amazed me by getting his brother come over from kuala lumpur with more single malts.
a surfeit of single malts to delight us all.
apart from the half bottle of 15-year-old french oak reserve the glenlivet, our choice expanded to the bowmore cask strength and the bowmore darkest.
the host had the privilege of choice and he chose the bowmore darkest.
good choice and we imbibed it with care, this time with an ice-cube to release the serpent that coiled out sinously like a belly-dancer jiggling her way through the floor.
a bit of toffee, some cinnamon and the oily peaty finish in the bowmore darkest made us finish a fair bit of the bottle. i had three tumblers of the darkest and left for home satisfied.
considering that we had some beers and sake earlier during a superb meal at the hamako japanese restaurant in blok m, djakarta. the salmon was firm and fresh and went well with the wasabi.
might post a review of the restaurant if i do make a return visit there.
merry christmas and a happy new year folks!

djakarta dream drams

2006-12-20T15:40:00.000+08:00

now that is a mouthful to say but in djakarta, as the locals spell and say it, there is a small but vibrant single malt community.
heck, this is where i learnt to swig laphroaig for tea!
the small and vibrant community that i came across is the two of my friends who work and live in djakarta. and since i was in town, they cleared the decks and made last weekend dedicated to whisky.
we started out with cups of tea and local delicacies before the bottles and crystal tumblers made their appearance in front of the flat screen television on mute as a record-player turntable cranked out music from ravi shankar.
the first bottle was the entry-level 12-year-old glenfiddich. enough said about this pleasant single malt but one of the friends grumbled that he wanted something older, and yes, smoother.
so we soldiered on and finished the little balance that was left in anticipation of something better.
our host then brought out the 15-year-old french oak reserve glenlivet. by the way, glenlivet is one of the better distilleries around and its bottlings are always a pleasure to imbibe.
with that in mind, i uncapped the bottle with a flourish and poured for my friends as the bouquet wafted through the living room in a cosmic tango with ravi shankar's mystical music.
the 15-year-old smelled like a princess in summer with vanilla, strawberry and cream all rolled into one. the french oak had something to do with that, i thought as i started the first sip of many.
it was medium-bodied, easy on the palate and quite fresh in a smooth way. the finish was just tender like a little princess hugging you as you bid goodbye.
too many little princesses in the picture... guess that is what happens when you leave loved ones behind and decide to come out to djakarta.
well, a single malt like the glenlivet dulled the ache of separation for a bit.
before long, we finished half the bottle as discussions centred on the other single malts to keep us warm in the lonely nights of djakarta.
any excuse to drink is a good excuse to drink! now, where are the other bottles again?

blogging burgers

2006-12-19T14:30:00.000+08:00

the news from jakarta is that there is a pricey burger in town!

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A hotel in Indonesia is dishing out a hamburger that costs more than twice the monthly minimum wage in some parts of the country.
The $110 hamburger offered by the Four Seasons is made of Kobe beef with foie gras, Portobello mushrooms and Korean pears -- served with french fries, of course.
They're not exactly selling like hotcakes yet, but the hotel says it has sold 20 of the 1.0 million rupiah ($110.1) hamburgers since they were launched this month.

well, i haven't tried it yet but away from wading through whisky - i actually found a spot that makes pretty darn good burgers.
it's called the burger spot and is located at the plaza indonesia entertainment x'ntre along jalan mh thamrin in central jakarta.
let's just it's easier to say it is located just below the hard rock cafe in jakarta near the very famous roundabout or circus where many a protest is held every other week!
it's a simple set-up, just walk in and order your burger - the choice is between the hamburger, the cheeseburger and the double cheeseburger. there is also the other burger - barbeque bacon cheeseburger!
don't worry! it's all halal and made from beef patty. they put in a special sauce which gives it an extra zing.
i liked it! the beef is minced and ground into the finest of beef patties and grilled fresh together with fresh lettuce, juicy tomato slice, grilled onions and with the option of creamy cheddar.
there are the usual side-orders of a shake salad, french fries, curly fries and onion rings. of course, there is a soda fountain together with iced lemon tea and milk shakes.
what can i say! been there more than a couple of times and had a great time every time. i've had burgers in many places and this spot is one of the better ones.
and the best part is that it won't cost you US$110! the most expensive burger is the double cheeseburger and that is just about 10 ringgit or about US$3!
go for it whenever you are in jakarta.

the macallan madness

2006-12-03T10:30:00.000+08:00

the superb macallan 18-year-old single malt was still fresh in our minds when we decided to go for the 12-year-old at the backyard pub in sri hartamas a week ago.
those wonderful malaysian musicians - gerard singh and sherman tan - were hosting open mike tuesday which saw a band of youngsters with a girl on drums belt out three songs.
then this guy who called himself richie castro with long hair and funny funky guitar took to the stage. the boys took over and backed richie on stage.
off stage, mayhem ruled the dance floor as an inebriated pub patron tried to dance the night away with a host of women.
none took the bait so he went on a merry jig with the backyard floor. he swirled and crashed and continued even as we ordered the 12-year-old macallan single malt.
all i had was my trusty camphone and the presence of mind to hide the bottle when desperate dancer ruled the floor near our table. one of his potential partners sought refuge with us but the bottle was much much more important.
we sacrificed her to him while the bottle of whisky we slaughtered for ourselves.
the bouquet came out of the tumbler sweetly and we sighed in agreement over its subtle toffee sweetness.
the speyside single malt was rich in sherry sweetness and dried fruit with a touch of oakiness for just a right long finish.
we drank in the bouquet and the taste of the 40 percent alcohol by volume single malt from the 75 cl bottle.
nice. very nice! and it went well with the music that night too!

no cheers at cheers!

2006-12-01T04:50:00.000+08:00

have to get this off my chest!
if you ever make your way to cheers pub over in medan damansara - behind the hock lee's supermarket in jalan batai - just stick to the beers for any cheers!
whatever you drink, don't bother to order a chivas.
they would probably - and almost likely - pass off a white label whisky as a shot of chivas.
while it is a blended whisky like chivas, it is not a premium blended whisky and does not taste as nice or as good as a chivas.
okay, i can drink in peace again now!

think drink

2006-11-27T00:45:00.000+08:00

think drink and what do you get, more of drinking actually.
back from singapore a couple of weeks ago and got into the thick of things in kuala lumpur, drinking with friends from near and far.
the drinks ranged from the usual beers of either carlsberg or tiger beer to rounds of kilkenny beer at the various pubs in kuala lumpur. as you would already have known of this beer with 4.3 per cent alcohol by volume, its a reddish irish cream ale.
nice and creamy and available on tap at a few pubs in kuala lumpur and penang, the beer was first brewed in 1710 at the st francis abbey in ireland. now it is brewed by guinness in kilkenny and dublin.
away from that, had lots of rounds of whiskies - most of which have been drunk and reviewed by yours truly. this included the 15-year-old glenfiddich solera reserve and the 12-year-old glenfiddich.
the 15-year-old glenfiddich solera reserve - which goes for 55 ringgit a pop in parts of kuala lumpur - is a sweet speyside whisky with hints of chocolate and honey on the nose.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume honey gold whisky has a certain spiciness that grows with every sip. an evenly balanced whisky, the sweetness is balanced by the oakiness inherent in this wonderful water of life.
i however failed to pick it as my top three whisky during a recent blind-tasting test.
the results of that test will be published in the flavours magazine printed by the star early 2007.
on that note, read about the rare 43 per cent by volume laphroaig at intensecure - another whisky fiend in kuala lumpur - and immediately searched high and low for it in kuala lumpur.
am glad to say that i found one last bottle at single and available sdn bhd, bless their souls for having a great range of whiskies. am eyeing a few more there for christmas and the new year celebrations.
having said that, am planning a few single malt sundays with friends as the year draws to a close.
and that is what life is all about.
cheers!

whisky frisky

2006-10-31T17:40:00.000+08:00

the festivities were over but the holidays still had a week to go in malaysia.
decided to kill a few bottles around town but ended up in ronnie q's in bangsar after this pantun - four line malay poem - was sent out for an evening of drinks.
satu syawal dah lama tiba,
selamat hari raya aidil fitri,
gelas ais dah lama sedia,
bila kita nak minum wiski!
the quorum was five.
so we went for the easy option and took a bottle of chivas regal. well, i have drunk and written about it so let's just say it still tasted the same.
although days earlier, i did imbibe it with green tea as a mixer. interesting green tea after-taste and not quite unlike having after-eight mint chocolates after a heady heavy curry dinner. try it, you might like it - the chivas-green tea mix i mean.
well, almost a week later some of us met up again at ronnie q's and decided to sacrifice another bottle to our decadent lifestyle. out came the standard chivas regal bottle but we decided against it.
instead, the three of us at the pub went for a bottle of bowmore 12 years old, for about one hundred ringgit more.
having extensively tried a few other bowmore variants, decided that it was time to drink and talk about the basic bowmore, an entry-level single malt in the world of rich peaty bowmore single malts.
well, the bouquet of this standard islay whisky brought a smile to our faces with its chocolate and citrus notes. awakened the senses it did, said the resident sith. took the tumbler to the lip and took a sip for a taste of peatiness.
it is not that peaty compared to other bowmores and it had a smokiness delicately balanced by a honeyed sweetness. the auburn liquid swirled around the palate with a long and very satisfying finish. this 40 percent alcohol by volume whisky is indeed pretty good.
it was so good that conversation flowed as well as the whisky and we ended up somewhere in the middle of kuala lumpur at a dangdut club, dancing the night away amongst a cohort of courteous courtesans and men with their silky dancefloor skills.
that is a story for another time. or never as the case may be.
in between the ronnie q whisky meetings, the few of us also met up at an open house where we finished off the remnants of a wonderful macallan 18 year old fine oak. the fine oak series came out in 2004 where the single malt is mellowed in bourbon oak casks as well as the standard sherry oak casks from jerez in spain.
that is not to say the sherry-casked whiskies are not bad. they are excellent of course but the bourbon adds a sparkle to the peatiness inherent in single malts.
the speyside whisky is 43 percent alcohol by volume and is sweet and smoky with a peppery finish. as all of us thirsted for the blonde whisky, there was not enough to go around but quite enough for us to hanker for more.
soon.

single malt television

2006-10-02T17:45:00.000+08:00

it had to happen.
and it has happened.
welcome to www.singlemalt.tv - the latest channel on the market.
browsed through and read that it is helmed by charles maclean, whom the bbc have dubbed as "scotland' foremost whisky writer". i know of him as the founding editor of whisky magazine but he is also the contributing editor of the scotch malt whisky society's newsletter.
definitely a man with a taste for the finest things in life - single malt.
while i have yet to watch any of his television programs, maclean has been described as a witty and colourful television persona and for singlemalt.tv, he will travel the length and breadth of scotland visiting distilleries, introducing many of Scotland's leading whisky distillers and bringing his unique and colorful viewpoint to the screen.
now i wish i had that job.
according to the website, singlemalt.tv will be a self-contained, membership-driven, internet tv channel devoted solely to the history, tradition, manufacture and enjoyment of single malt scotch and aimed squarely at single malt fans from novice to the connoisseur.
well, what are you waiting for? enjoy your wee dram and watch the programme.

the beer run

2006-09-29T23:50:00.000+08:00

have been on the road for the better part of the month, hence the lack of postings. be that as it may, have been having beers for the better part of the month.
they are the usual bottled beers and draught beers available in the market of which most are familiar with but also some found and brewed in some cities across the region.
no photos okay, not that things got hazy and drunk but fishing out the camera and snapping away in a pub is not exactly a pukka thing to do in civilised and even uncivilised company.
and i am not the generic foodie blogger armed with camera, with a hunger for action and a thirst for adventure in the realms of gourmet cuisine and beverages.
back to the froth and foam that is the beer run.
the first stop was paulaner brauhaus in singapore, the microbrewery at millenia walk specialising in german beer and food.
was expecting an array of beers but all they had was the munich lager and the munich dark that they brewed in house.
according to notices around the pub, the signature beers are strictly brewed according to the "the german law of purity" established in 1516 by duke wilhelm. nothing at all to do with incidents in the first half of the 20th century.
anyway, the amber liquid comes in 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 litre mugs.
it was happy hours and we had one for one of the 1.0 litre mug of munich dark. with a rich dark golden colour reminiscient of library rooms of old, the beer slashed in with an intense malt flavour and a full body with a hint of sweetness in the bold bitterness.
it was strong and it was very nice though with 4.8 percent alcohol by volume, it did not really give that much of a buzz initially and prompted a wolfing down of sorts to chase and catch the particular beer high.
the second mug repaired the situation quite well and left a few slightly sloshed.
the rest of us walked away hungry for curry. but that is a story for another day.
from singapore, made my way to bangkok for a few days and found myself in the londoner brew pub along sukhumvit soi 33. of course there was a military putsch but that did not stop the partying in bangkok.
expatriates and locals were out in full force and the phrase "i love you long long time" entered my lexicon too as ladies of the night went looking for company and coition. figure that out!
back to beer time.
the londoner brew pub serves ales brewed in-house among the other beers available in an ornate traditional english pub in the middle of sukhumvit. the pub grub looked inviting too but we stuck to the beers, particularly the pilsner.
its called the london pilsner 33, in honour of the soi or lane running by the pub. cold, fresh and light, the beer tasted just right in the early hours of the night.
had a couple of pints before leaving to explore the rest of bangkok and its array of bottled beers.
not much to report on that front as the sights and sounds of one night in bangkok is quite familiar to all.
cheers!

whisky wisdom

2006-08-13T12:25:00.000+08:00

back from perth last weekend and spent the entire week with whisky and friends. what's new? the whiskies ranged from superb single malts to something only some friends can appreciate, vat 69.
no, am not a whisky snob but vat 69 is in my past considering that this blended scotch was first made in 1882. it's not bad, then again, it's not that good either. wonder if it is still the standard pour in hard rock cafe kuala lumpur?
anyway, brought along a bottle of glen garioch 12 years old national trust for a farewell of sorts for a couple moving on to the island-state south of the peninsula. they didn't make it to the party but others did, including a couple of bloggers bent on boozing. the usual crowd actually.
had bought the bottle last year from single malt sdn bhd during one of their whisky tasting sessions. funny, they called me up last week for a few more sessions. should be fun.
be that as it may, this 70cl bottle of glen garioch comes in a handsome purple tube that opens up to reveal a light gold single malt. easy on the eye and even easier on the throat as we found out during the course of the night.
at 43 percent alcohol by volume, the subtle single malt is mellow and slips in like velvet. we took it in brandy decanters to better appreciate the floral and honey notes in the bouquet.
and so between the six of us, we easily finished the bottle to the last honey drop. the escargots on the plate distracted some but most were focussed on the whisky and the wisdom that flowed when inebriation set in.
we went home satisfied.

perilous drinking in perth

2006-07-31T23:05:00.000+08:00

there is news and there is news.
apparently this blog made it to tvsmith's mycen. under the party heading. what possessed him, apart from a shared taste in whisky and beer, is beyond me. doesn't mean this blog will see regular updates, i can tell you that.
be that as it may, after months of going to work - for a lack of a better term - decided to spend a week in perth, australia. the details are unnecessary but it is not an ordinary visit.
and what better way to visit the most remote of cities in australia than drinking a wee dram at the start of the journey.
no choice really! the flight out of klia was delayed. and i crossed paths with an old friend on his way to austria. so a quick check at the friendly duty-free, a hasty appraisal of new choices and before you can say whatever-it-is-one-says on occasions like this, a bottle of glen ord 12 years old made its way into my hands. of course, after the appropriate travel documents was shown and money given.
the first thing to hit you about this single malt, with just 40 percent alcohol by volume in a handsome boxy bottle, is the sheer sweetness. this is beginner's single malt. the bouquet is reminiscent of fruitcake - not too rich but dry like the ones made by a malaysian bakery years ago.
and the malt is just palpable with a hint of smokiness and peatiness. enough for a shot of courage but the finish is light caramel/vanilla/orangey like a cup of designer joe in your neighbourhood coffee chain.
having said that, finished a couple of rounds in paper cups at klia. and it does say in its label that its perilously drinkable. i guess that means it is about drinkable. just about.
took the rest of the bottle to perth and finished it with my hosts there, the same day i landed. goes to show that we either liked it that much or we just wanted to kill the bottle. glen ord is available at the klia dutyfree but more importantly, there is a wider range of single malts available there now. more on that when i travel again.
but what about perth? after glen ord, my wonderful hosts brought home a six pack of australian reds from the de bortoli sacred hill range. the pack contained three bottles each of the cabernet merlot and the cabernet sauvignon 2005 vintage, all 13 percent alcohol by volume.
the wine, from the riverina region in new south wales, was young but kicked in after a while. let's just say at least two bottles were sacrificed to the altar of good hosting nightly.
at A$4.99 a bottle or A$4.49/bottle if bought in dozen packs, this wine is more than fair value. its 2004 vintage won a trophy at the respected sydney royal wine show for the best wine under A$20 last year, along with other accolades from australia’s wine press.
the great australian alcohol revelation for me was a fantastic draught beer from j. boag and son which is based in tiny tasmania. apparently the pristine waters of tasmania's highland rivers add to the rich full-bodied lager with its smooth hop bitterness and a rather crisp, refreshing aftertaste.
the draught, in standard 375ml bottles with 4.7 alcohol by volume, was only released nationwide in australia in 2004. which explains why a lot of mates have not heard or tasted this beer.
its a beer that is definitely worth your time in perth or any other parts of australia.

tipple in timor timur

2006-06-08T21:25:00.000+08:00

not exactly on the beaten path but east timor was where i found myself tasting the basics that make an excellent meal.
after all, nobody ever says for a good meal, head to east timor. but there is a treasure trove there - the fusion of portuguese culinary tradition with the freshest bounty from the sea and exotic spices from the land. and the lovely sea breeze.
off i went to east timor, which is the english translation of its name in tetum - timor lorosae (which means timor where the sun rises) or in portuguese - timor leste, and of course, in bahasa indonesia - timor timur.
so there i was, with a couple of colleagues, at bali's ngurah rai airport in denpasar and wondering what to bring to east timor's capital dili. it wasn't really a pleasure trip, and even as i blog (does one ever write these days) i am still in a dalliance in dili.
still, work is always a pleasure. and a bit of plonk adds to the pleasure. always.
went for the bottle of port at the duty-free outlet in ngurah rai airport. it was taylor's late bottled vintage port 2000. it was the oldest grape juice we could find in the airport as everything else was produced 2003 onwards.
we opened the bottle a few days after settling into life in dili where the shops stayed shuttered and one had to pay a fortune for dodgy food in the hotel and the lone indian shop that was opened - a cup of rasam was going for us$1.50. daylight robbery man!
none in the crew, save me, had had port. so it started absolutely sweet for them until a second generous helping got them in the spirit of things.
the deep-hued blackish purple wine slipped in smoothly with a strong kick, like a prize-winning thoroughbred that it will end up to be in the years to come. one could sense the bouquet of ripe raspberries, blueberries and plum in this lovely port.
it tasted fresh and felt textured, giving a warm cosy feeling that beckoned one to sleep and dream of the stars that twinkle above east timor.
have to say, we finished the bottle in three days. nice.
days later, when some shopkeepers tentatively opened despite the ever present fear of violence that has shrouded the city, we had our taste of good timorese coffee and the sweetest tart that could rival the port.
timorese coffee is basically a mild arabica that is acknowledged as organically grown. well, it is a bit far from anywhere and fertilisers are hard to come by. with its reputation, the tiny nation has been exporting tonnes of it to coffee chains around the world.
one of the chains that use timorese coffee is the portuguese coffee producer delta cafes and its coffee is the one mainly brewed and drunk in the cafes of dili. a wonderful bitter black cuppa, especially the espresso. makes one tingle and feel most alive as the caffeine zaps and zips through the grey matter, making it a bun dia or good day throughout.
and to add the touch of paradise, one has to match the coffee with the absolutely heavenly portuguese tarts or rather pasteis de natas from the city cafe in downtown dili.
the simplest of egg tarts with flaky pastry and more than a hint of cinnamon in it, the tart melts in the mouth and the sweetness slathers around, combining perfectly with the coffee.
been having it frequently but the tarts are sold out within hours and its a lucky person who gets it first.
there are the rare portuguese seafood restaurants that opened during my stay but was too hungry to snap photographs. just follow your sense if you are ever in east timor and if all else fails, just go for the coffee and tarts.
and yes, a bottle of port if possible.

sweet scotch o' mine

2006-05-13T10:45:00.000+08:00

'twas time for single malt scotch after the penang trip.
add on the fact two friends were to celebrate their birthdays on may 13, one a scotch lover in kuala lumpur and the other a lover of many things in singapore. hope they had their fun.
a friend was cooking dinner and we thought an announcement was in the air.
nope, it was just the roast leg of lamb. and lots of drinks with a selection of vodkas and mojito cocktails the main performers of the evening.
i brought a bottle of aberlour 12 year old for dinner and the sweet speyside single malt slowly warmed up the crowd after an evening of fine food.
aberlour produces a range of whiskies starting from the 10-year-old but the 12-year-old is matured in frew new oloroso sherry butts which help give the amber redness and sweetness of the whisky.
With 40 percent alcohol by volume, the one-litre single malt is specifically for the duty-free market and is one of the single malts that is quick to get off the shelves.
for good reason too. it tastes of honey, and rich sweet cherry and redolent with the fragrance of christmas cake and a hint of smokiness. and a beautiful warm finish that can only make you beg for more.
the few of us there attempted to finish the bottle on the spot.
guess i have to score some bottles on my next stop at the duty-free as more friends acquire a taste for the aberlour.
speaking of which, new research has determined that single malts broadly fall into 12 categories. isn't it always six of this and half-a-dozen of the other. cheers!

famous penang food

2006-05-12T18:15:00.000+08:00

with a heading like that, one would expect the entire range of famous penang food.
apologies, i was only there for under 24 hours, most of it spent quaffing pints to cool off after the lazy drive from kuala lumpur.
and seriously folks, most penang food is famous - as the photo would show and the hawkers shamelessly proclaim. and some are infamous.
anyway, this was a trip that i have made many times years ago, a quick dash to ipoh and penang for good food and good company. i had both again this time around.
first, made a pit stop in ipoh for its famous nasi ganja, a corruption of nasi kandar. its the only shop along jalan yang kalsom but more on this in the future. suffice to say, eating it is far better than describing it.
it was a rather quick one-hour trip from ipoh to penang after lunch, notwithstanding the deluge that cut most of the visibility and slicked most parts of the highway. took the bridge and made my way along the jelutong highway to penang road for either pints, plonk or penang food.
walked past line clear, that very very famous nasi kandar joint. here's a tip, either have lunch or early breakfast, say 4am, when the food is freshly cooked and rice is steaming.
skipped it this time as the nasi ganja was still in the system.
but line clear does have an excellent range of curries, fried meats - not forgetting gizzards and fish roe - that will tempt the most stubborn of tastebuds or diets.
as is standard for nasi kandar, which basically describes rice meals that were carried in big baskets and balanced on a pole, steamed rice is the base for the variety of curries in the restaurant or stall or basket, as the case may be.
the old wives' tale is that the pots used to cook the curries are never washed but used immediately to make a fresh batch of curry. that could be why the curries are absolutely heavenly tasty.
some hundred metres away from line clear is lebuh keng kwee - famous for its famous chendol and famous penang assam laksa. chendol is a cool dessert of basically pandanus flavoured flour noodles in coconut milk and generous lashings of palm sugar. variants include red beans and other pulses or glutinous rice to the mix.
assam laksa is rice noodles in a soup of tamarind juice and fish with mint leaves, prawn paste, pineapple and cucumber slices, onions, ginger buds, and can include lettuce leaves as found in a stall in the joo hooi cafe in lebuh keng kwee. it is arguably one of the two famous penang assam laksa joint in penang. the other is at the market in air itam.
it is also arguably the best assam laksa ever. period. that's it. no arguments necessary. got my bowl, snapped a couple of shots, inhaled the fragrance of the mint and the fish/tamarind soup, and dug in. the noodles were more than al dente, the fish, pared and without any bones, combined well with the tamarind and prawn paste and the usual condiments for a hearty treat.
the bowl was dry when i left the place.
met up with friends at soho freehouse in penang road. the pub, located in the peking hotel, has a great selection of beers on tap but the food has taken for the worse. then again, good food in penang is always a few steps away.
and so, my friends took me off the beaten track for most of us non-penangites. we headed for pulau tikus, an area between penang road and gurney drive, and thus called as opposite it is a rather small island full of rats.
we ended up in mohd raffe restaurant, a nasi kandar joint quite famous for its fish head curry. i waited to be surprised as i surveyed the pots of bubbling curries and the spread of dishes available.
the wait was 20 minutes and it then appeared, fleshy-cheeked fish head covered in sprigs of fresh mint, ladies finger that looked like they were clamouring for the dish, and red-hot curry bubbling underneath. all other dishes paled in comparison.
the fish head curry went in 10 minutes and my spice-addled brain was too slow to even record the magnificient dish. all that was left was some curry and lots of bones and cartilage in the plate of the ronaldo-teeshirt-wearing dude.
the fish head was fresh, the flesh was firm and juicy like the ladies finger, and the mint made it all the more zesty and might i add, piquant.
a few other dishes attempted to compete with the fish head curry and only the beef stood up to the test. tender chunks of beef in a thick spicy gravy that went well with the fish curry.
the honey chicken, mutton curry and cuttlefish curry was standard stuff found in most restaurants in penang. having said that, the selection was good and better than most of the restaurants that pass off crap as indian food in kuala lumpur.
and so ended the quick trip of famous penang food. will be back for more.

nipply in nepal

2006-04-15T20:15:00.000+08:00

'twas my second time in kathmandu in as many months. and the first place i headed was fire and ice, a pizza parlour par excellence.
apparently, there are only two branches. one in kathmandu, one in kashmir.
makes you wonder about the owner and as i found out, her penchant for dangerous yet exotic locales for what is arguably amongst the best pizza in the world.
believe you me, have tasted some great pizzas in europe and one that comes to mind is simple pepperoni pizza in zagreb years ago.
but i digress.
would like to focus on this awesome pizza parlour in the thamel tourist district in kathmandu, just metres away from the narayanhity palace and opposite the gogo bar, a pleasant surprise in this himalayan nation.
there are varieties of pizza and the top ones are the rompipalle that features buffalo veal. there's a photo here of that.
delicious thin crust overflowing with cheese and meat and chilli. what more can one ask for. its a fair bit of pizza but the ingredients are fresh and you just want to finish them as soon as possible.
the chilly air can cool the pizza post-haste so a big big mouth and a fantastic appetite is necessary.
as it was rather nipply in nepal, fire and ice also offers two great soups, a hearty bowl of tomato soup - just heavenly, and minestrone with chunks of vegetable and a meal by itself.
across the road from fire and ice is the gogo bar. and hey this is a first, the first video to appear in this blog. enjoy!

the shows are not that raunchy but it packs the crowd thirsty for entertainment. the women prance around in bras and knickers, gyrating to the latest and evergreen bollywood tunes. there is sole male dancer who has more costume changes than drag queens elsewhere.
drinks are standard indian labels with the local khukuri rum the exception. have to admit that i had a pretty good time.

whirlwind whisky weeks

2006-03-31T04:10:00.001+08:00

it has been a hectic month.
in and out of malaysia, from singapore to thailand, where i am right now as i write this.
the only constant has been whisky. the single malt kind, of course. no photos, couldn't be bothered to spoil the enjoyment of the water of life with namby-pamby photo-shoots.
add on the fact that inebriation was the word and the mood during the drinking sessions.
anyway, on with the whisky.
we started with a 10-year-old talisker, which used to be hard to find but all it takes now is a quick tour of bangkok's don muang airport and before you can say it, its there in a handsome navy blue box.
talisker is the only distillery in scotland's island of skye and is rated among the best single malts in the world. my introduction was through a rare bottle that made its way to my friend's treasure chest years ago.
i never forgot the big, bold, peppery and peaty taste and the 10-year-old is no different. after a couple of sips, its pungent and peaty ruggedness grows on you though its not a gentle spirit.
the award-winning 10-year-old with 45.8 percent alcohol by volume, rocks your world and you will never be the same after that. you will just find any which way to get a bottle of the golden liquid with a shot of pink yourself.
a year ago, it was about the macallan 10-year-old cask strength, this month it was the standard 12-year-old macallan stored in handcrafted oak casks from jerez, spain, which hold rare sherries for at least three years before its shipped to the macallan distillery to hold the water of life.
the conglomeration between the sherry oak and spirit produces a rich and sensuous 12-year-old macallan.
the colour is a rich natural caramel shade of gold and the taste is sweet and sexy, smooth on the tongue and pleasant all the way in. its a natural addition in any serious whisky enthusiast's bar.
and now comes a difficult whisky that can is either a love or loathe at first taste.
this whisky is laphroaig from islay.
its hard to get it in malaysia and singapore but possible although my recent forays to thailand via the don muang international airport has yielded a treasure trove of single malts that include the laphroaig.
how does one describe a spirit that has bewitched many a serious drinker.
well, its oily, its peaty, its nutty, its bloody strong and bloody pungent. a splash of water will release the serpent of a taste that will bite you for life.
and just to let you know, it was voted 'the best of the best' in the champions of whisky competition 2005!
inebriated? you bet my friends and i were. more tastings on the way soon as i travel the region and pick up a bottle or two here and there. cheers and slainthe!

the indian invasion

2006-02-08T23:20:00.000+08:00

there was a time when bangsar baru was a happening place of plonk, pizza, party, packs of nasi lemak and pretty late nights.
all that came to an end when the 24-hour mamak restaurants came in and sirap limau became the drink du jour, replacing sangria.
while a few places soldier on with music and mayhem, the others have closed down and in their place are a clutch of restaurants offering a wide variety - and to a certain extent a range in quality - of indian cuisine.
this indian invasion is not to be confused with the mamaks and the local chains of lotus or devi's corners (the original devi's corner in lucky garden was probably the best ever).
it started with the chettinad - which closed down years ago, with madras woodlands a few doors away and then along came d'sagar (which moved on to become sagar in one bangsar) and saravana bhavan with its all-vegetarian menu. raz-oi, which means kitchen in punjabi, was briefly the toast of the area until it was replaced by restaurant mirchi recently.
still on the scene is the anjappar, a non-veg restaurant, which is a very indian way of saying it offers meat dishes too.
d'sagar's old spot - one of my favourites - is now kashmir, all the way from penang, while its neighbour is chennai ponnusamy.
the newcomers are chutney mary's in jalan telawi 2 and just nearly opposite it is ludhiana station, which serves punjabi cuisine. chutney mary's - related to the chutneys in petaling jaya - is not to be confused with the quite famous chutney mary in london.
it was my third time in chutney mary's since they opened late 2005 and service had improved. the food was served faster now and the quality is consistent though the decor, which i can only describe as post-modern-retro-funk-gone-kablooey has its moments. its kitsch as only the subcontinent can and do make in its infinitesmal creativity.
let's just say the food is better.
we started with spiced papads - the dried lentil chips mingled with spices that exists to melt in your mouth once fried or lightly grilled over a flame. the pepper-corn papad - rolled into cones went well with the mint chutney.
the menu had the usual complement of meats and seafood, vegetables, briyanis and rotis with a good sprinkling of paneer or cottage cheese being among the main ingredients. a trip to india last year revealed the power of the paneer and since then, it has been a favourite in many a meal.
we settled on a couple of paneer kulchas or bread stuffed with cottage cheese and the pretty good hyderabadi lamb briyani, which can almost hold its own against even the garden-variety hyderabadi briyani found in any restaurant in northern india.
of course, the ones in india are just awesome and spicy with the lamb just coming off the bone after being cooked in exquisite basmati rice for hours on end. together with the yoghurt-based raita dip, this briyani is just mind-blowing or rather, gut-busting.
our table also hosted the laal maas - a lamb curry cooked in kashimiri style that was spicy as it was piquant, together with the noor-e-chaman or the saag paneer as it is commonly known in malaysia, the basic cottage cheese with spinach that has been mashed beyond recognition.
definitely better than it looked and it combined well with the raita, the cottage cheese's mild sharpness offset by the spinach and rounded off by the onion-chilli yoghurt raita.
a fish dish helped to round off the meal, namely the rasabari macchi or a rather fresh dory cooked with vegetables and pungent spices that added the zing to the briyani.
the servings are rather small for the price but well worth it for the taste.
now on to the rest of the indian invaders in bangsar baru.
and elsewhere.

good food ipoh

2006-01-31T00:15:00.000+08:00

if there is anything that can be said about ipoh, its that it has arguably the best chinese, and to a certain extent even south indian, cuisine in malaysia.
the the one-time world tin-mining capital and now just perak's capital city is really the secret food capital, attracting foodies and those looking for a cold one to its various restaurants and stalls in well-ordered food courts around its speck of territory in the kinta valley.
ipoh's hor fun - not to be confused with its euphemistically-named health centres that dot jalan yang kalsom - is one of the ipoh dishes that has found fame all over the world. its just flat rice noodles in soup with fish balls and some vegetables that goes well with cut chillies in soy sauce.
how about ipoh's hor hee, which is a laugh to pronounce but a treat to eat. its fishballs and fishcakes wrapped in a wrinkly skin made of processed fish flesh in soup.
we couldn't get enough of this soupy dish during a trip to ipoh on the first day of the recent chinese lunar new year celebrations. visits to a couple of friends' homes ended up with all of us frequenting the stalls along the road to the sam tet school.
and what else to round up a great evening of partying in ipoh? it was a tough choice between ice-cold bottled beers - they sell them like it was going out of fashion - and ipoh white coffee.
i opted for the ipoh white coffee in a guinness glass filled with ice.
the coffee was a treat, sweet, caramelly and creamy with a hint of butter in it.
definitely the best way to end the night in ipoh.

scrumptious seafood sunday

2006-01-13T06:30:00.000+08:00

we went french and uttered oo la la... as we bit into the lala fried with dried chilli, garlic, onions and bits of ginger.
the spicy clams went amazingly well with the bottle of faustino v rosado rose wine that was brought along to this speck of a seafood restaurant called restoran boontat in pandamaran, port klang, last sunday.
the cherry-red wine with its subtle strawberry flavours did a salsa - the dance - with the spicy lala as we chewed the tender flesh and sipped the fine rose wine. oo la la...
we patiently waited for the next dish as patrons filled up the four tables in the verandah and just about the same number inside the ramshackle hut that passes of as a restaurant in a quiet pandamaran street.
a plate of fresh prawns fried with fine salt landed on our table. the aroma whetted our appetite and the prawns were good enough to eat with the salty crunchy shells providing all the flavours necessary for a good dish. a ricebowl of chilli was on the side to add to the spiciness.
the prawns - the most expensive dish we ordered - was well worth every cent. it tasted like they had practically sashayed their way into the wok and dusted themselves with fine salt for effect. a dab of soya sauce added to the sultry saltiness. mmmm...........
okay, prawns done. and the piece de resistance was on the way. we smelled it before it even appeared.
a great plate of crabs, smeared with thick blood-red chilli sambal.
not the kum heong, not the marmite, not the sweet and sour nor the spicy fatty crab style variety.
it was just crabs smeared with a thick paste of chilli sambal, fried to perfection.
our eyes watered, with anticipation and not from the sheer spiciness. we drooled.
i took the first claw and licked the sambal off until the shell had a mirror finish. then cracked it with my teeth and ate all the tender white flesh. there are no words to describe the ecstasy of eating these crabs.
only a drink to celebrate such simple cooking and such respect for food. out came the small bottle of dalmore 12 year old single malt.
the highland malt, with its golden mahogany hue and citrus elements complemented the spicy crabs, as its elegant but not too strong flavours mingled with the spicy sambal for microbursts of joy and ecstasy in our palate.
some declared dinner was over but two more dishes had yet to make their entrance.
first came the fried fish done in an unexpected way. it was a wolf herring or ikan parang in local parlance. the flesh had been scraped out and made into fish cake and covered with the skin again, then fried and sliced.
as fish cakes go, it was good.
that was it for me. the last dish - an oo chien or fried oysters omelette - was a no-no due to my allergy with oysters. it looked good though slightly oily but all at the table finished it anyway.
so where did all this take place?
well, its restoran boontat and its in pandamaran. and its between the junctions of jalan sekinchan and jalan letchumanan along one main road. well, you'll find it.
and if you don't, all the better for those who know.

a peachy vodka

2005-12-29T23:50:00.000+08:00

after weeks of whisky, time to go back to something peachy.
and thats exactly what i sipped at a pre-christmas party a week ago. writing it now before the next round of drinks to cheer in the new year.
yes, finally got a taste of absolute apeach.
and it was peachy.
tried it neat and the peachiness just came through.
tried it with ginger ale and the flavour took a life of its own, bursting with little nuances of sweetness and peachiness that only a peach could compare with.
as with all flavoured vodkas sold in duty-free shops in asia, specifically singapore, this absolut apeach came in a standard one-litre bottle with 40 percent alcohol by volume.
nice. 'tis the season indeed to be jolly... and peachy.

darkest before dawn

2005-12-03T11:05:00.000+08:00

we searched far and wide. our days and nights were darkest without it.
and it was under our noses all this while.
but only after the scotch-lover left the country.
he would have appreciated the humour too. the combination of bowmore darkest in the hands of a girl called fiona. but that is a tale too long to tell.
suffice to say this combination was more fortuitous.
so let's get going with the matter at hand. was talking to this chap from single malt and available - distributors of a range of single malts in malaysia and the conversation steered to those we have imbibed over the years.
he was a kindred spirit - and had a job i envied - distributing and drinking the aqua vitae in malaysia. we were sipping some glenfiddich 12-year-old when the conversation steered to bowmore darkest.
not surprisingly, he then proceeded to furnish a small bottle to keep the conversation going.
to keep with tradition, i chose to have it in a wine glass so as to sniff the bouquet as i sipped the rich, dark, slightly oily-looking liquid. the spirit soared, the soul satisfied as the soft toffee flavour slowly swirled to its logical conclusion.
a few more glasses of the smoky and peaty single malt whisky, neat in a wine glass, made my night. now on to bowmore dusk, and then dawn.
and a few more after that.

single malt march

2005-11-24T06:10:00.001+08:00

the chivas regal, neat as it was, didn't quite cut it.
it didn't assuage the pain.
it didn't make us drunk.
it did go well with the spicy mutton pizza at the national press club.
it also made us poorer at d'vine in plaza damansara.
it also led us to go on a single malt march in kuala lumpur over a few nights this week.
so we - a mate with a heart shattered to shards and i - beat a path to the rib shop for the single malt to soothe our souls. we found it in a bottle of 12-year-old bunnahabhain single malt whisky. and let's just say it was a bargain to boot - considering the prices of drinks these days.
bunnahabhain, which means mouth of the river, comes from the isle of islay that is famous for a few other single malts such as bowmore, lagavulin, ardbeg and laphroaig - some of which have been tasted, drunk, enjoyed and reviewed by yours truly.
the bunnahabhain, neat or with a wee cube of ice in a tumbler, warmly caressed our palate and surprisingly teased us with its lighter-than-usual sweet and smooth Islay taste but long and full-flavoured finish.
apparently bunnahabhain's water is piped from streams in the surrounding hills and is less peaty than might be expected.
all was good with the world. especially with a tumbler of bunnahabhain at hand. and good conversation and good company.
the single malt march continued the next night at the finnegan's pub in jalan sultan ismail. the drink du jour being the bowmore single malt whisky.
we settled on the bowmore cask strength, as the bowmore darkest - the ruby red and ravishing revelation of a drink - was no more in stock.
the auburn cask strength was creamy and rather peaty and more than warmed an otherwise chilly night in kuala lumpur. the brawny beast in a dram of the drink went on a quiet riot through the palate and reinvigorated the spirit, and more than anything, the soul.
the price was nice and even better than some places that placed a premium on plonk they call blended whiskies.
our soul revived, our pockets still jingling with change, we made our way to no black tie - the good music place that has just reopened five doors away from its old spot in lorong mesui, off jalan nagasari in kuala lumpur (near hotel istana-lah).
we strode in as recorded jazz music filtered through the bar and an awesome performance area all decked out in parquet. the place was more than nice and the range of drinks pretty awesome.
there was no bowmore darkest here too. so we ordered the bowmore 17 years old. almost as nice as some of the 18-year-olds i know. whiskies i mean.
we cupped the wonderfully oval tumblers that held the 17-year-old mellow nectar. it was not as brawny as the cask strength but complex with peat smoke and some toffee for a lingering and satisfying finish.
satisfying enough for us to order a couple more each. the bill brought us back to earth though. it was 45 ringgit a pop - affordable if you consider a 15-year-old glenfiddich going for 55 ringgit a tumbler in d'vine.
on that note about prices, no black tie is a great place for good jazz but the cover price of 45 ringgit plus a standard drink is a lot too much to pay for performers that regularly perform elsewhere and where there is no cover charge.
the whisky can be expensive but the music... well, at least one can just sit at the no black tie bar and imbibe the spirits and listen to the music without paying the cover.
or buy some great jazz cds and take it to the ribshop or finnegan's - the drinks are affordable and the management can always be persuaded to play your kind of music.
on that note, slainte mhath!

wodka wyborowa wednesday

2005-10-28T22:35:00.000+08:00

saying that is a mouthful and so is the vodka.
the rye-based premium little water - wodka wyborowa means exquisite vodka in polish - is silky smooth and pretty much what a vodka is - tasteless though it hinted of a coy sweetness.
it comes in a range of flavours from basic lemon to exotic almond and reminiscent of a single malt whisky - there's the single estate wyborowa.
it made its asian debut in kuala lumpur last june but the series of get-to-sip-the-stuff came my way last wednesday when the pernod-ricard chaps in kuala lumpur presented the wodka wyborowa pure in the chic studio lounge at the liquidbar in central market annexe, kuala lumpur.
yeah, liquid is the very same alibis way back in the early 1990s and yes, the dance floor is still in the same spot.
but i am getting ahead of myself. pernod-ricard malaysia brought their inhouse bartender - i remember his earrings but not his name - to knock us out.
the first was the wodka wyborowa pure - the basic unflavoured premium stuff - which packed a punch through the lime cordial. the fun and games was just about to start.
a couple of wanna-be deejays clowned around the music console in the studio as the bartender plonked a couple of ice-buckets filled with chilled screw-top test-tubes at our table.
the screw-top test-tubes - more widely seen as cigar packaging or at home at a CSI lab - contained wodka wyborowa with a variety of juices.
it kept the party going though the bartender was clearly dissatisfied with the quality of juices. i had to agree and he then decided to present his signature mix - a blue delight which is basically wodka wyborowa pure with lychee in syrup with blue curacao.
nice but it reminded me of teh tarik in kota bharu. hellishly sweet.
the night had yet to end.
out came the large cocktail glass with six pegs of different colours. all contained a generous shot of wodka wyborowa pure and the different colour was a way to figure which peg was whose.
you geddit, right!?
and so ended another spiritually spirited night.

a vodka moment

2005-10-01T19:00:00.000+08:00

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.

great dining at the cungdinh

2005-09-28T21:45:00.000+08:00

fresh and spicy was the order of the day at a friend's birthday dinner this week. so off we went to explore and discover the best that kuala lumpur could offer.
and weeks after grousing about bad thai food, we ended up at its neighbour in one bangsar - cungdinh vietnam restaurant. funnily enough, both cuisines are geographical neighbours too.
one bangsar - located along jalan ara in bangsar - comprises a variety of restaurants with bangsar seafood garden as its anchor tenant. cungdinh vietnam would be the fourth outlet i had eaten in that row of restaurants.
the menu at cungdinh vietnam was pretty comprehensive and after some recommendations, we ordered some starters, a main meal and some noodles to share.
the first dish, rice cakes with prawn floss in special vietnam sauce, was a cracker. six saucers of steamed thin rice cakes with spicy prawn floss and some croutons were soaked with sauce and cut chillies for an astounding sensation.
it was a deft and simple sauce, slice, spoon and slurp experience. absolutely extremely and highly recommended
we then tried some spring rolls which somehow didn't really do the trick though it came stuck on a hollowed-out pinenapple with a tea candle inside.
nice to look and nice to eat but not exceptional.
still, the experience spiked to a new high with the tiger prawns grilled in chilli salt with special sauce arrived at our table.
well, first off - all the sauces were pretty special, i can attest to that. and quite spicy too.
the prawns were an absolute treat as we licked the chilli salt and crunched and munched the grilled shell and meat with occasional dips in the sauce.
wonderful would be the only way of describing the dish. the prawns were just right, spicy and salty and absolutely heavenly.
and then, fresh and spicy took a delicious twist with the hue pho - pho is vietnamese for beef noodles - that we shared as a finale.
rice noodles, slices of beef with sprigs of mint and some bean sprouts with a dash of lime juice in a spicy soup helped to assuage our hunger and clear our nostrils.
another special sauce added the extra spiciness that only some wasabi could match.
some vietnamese drip coffee with milk ended the wonderful dinner for me, complementing the slices of sugar-frosted ginger that came at the end of dinner.
the coffee was quite nice but i had had better coffee in vietnam and also in another vietnamese restaurant - saonam in tengkat tongshin. now that is one fine restaurant with a branch opening soon in the hartamas shopping centre.
but that is a report for another day.

war of the roses

2005-08-10T00:15:00.000+08:00

enough of wine, women and song after last night. well, almost enough...
it was the war of the roses, not between the house of york and the house of lancaster in the 15the century but between jacob's creek's sparkling rose and shiraz rose.
i know, i know - i have written at length about both wines but this time, the wines were matched with a variety of cuisine that is best called a food safari.
the safari was at the aptly named floor called feast at the starhill gallery, the new foodie complex in the centre of kuala lumpur.
the evening began with some 30 of us trooping in to sentildo tapas, owned by angie hiew - who also owns that great restaurant called flamenco and managed d'vine, both in plaza damansara, kuala lumpur.
the starter was a tapas that had marinated oysters, scallops in paprika sauce, grilled prawns and some salmon with toasted bread, more than wonderfully complimented by the jacob's creek sparkling rose.
it was just simply and absolutely a wonderful marriage of a fresh citrusy and subtly sweet sparkling rose with the range of seafood tapas.
all too soon, we had to quit our tables and walk single-file through starhill gallery's feast floor to the next restaurant - vansh, surprisingly indian - what else but an indian fine dining restaurant.
indian cuisine in kuala lumpur has been pretty indifferent of late, something which i found out after a recent trip to new delhi and discovered an amazing array of indian cuisine that would thrash the best that malaysian chefs can conjure.
but vansh vanquished any doubts with an excellent assortment of samosa, a fish cutlet, sundried tomato on bread and an indian-style nacho accompanied by a mint raita, chilli chutney and a mixed fruit yoghurt.
the shiraz rose evenly matched the range of indian dishes, except for the fish cutlet which somehow diluted the wine's complex favours.
having said that, this indian restaurant looks like a winner.
all too soon, it was time to quit vansh for the next course. the safari toured the feast floor and ended up at koryo-won korean restaurant for some famous barbecue and the ubiquitous kimchi.
let's just say that kimchi and the shiraz rose did not go together. then again, not much can match kimchi except for some korean soju. now that's another story altogether.
koryo won did not disappoint with splendidly barbecued lamb, beef and chicken in a sweet sauce. the barbecued lamb was the killer dish that danced with the shiraz rose.
the beef was slightly tough, the chicken nice and a bonus with some cuttle fish to add to the range available.
the evening, and the war of the roses was coming to an end as we ended up again at sentildo tapas for dessert.
jacob's creek chief winemaker philip laffer joined my table for dessert. we said something about getting to stop meeting this way but his face lit up when he saw the dessert combination that would make whoopee with his sparkling rose.
the dessert was the original sin.
chef angie hiew outdid herself with her dessert of four - tiramisu, chocolate mousse, snow white (cream cheese on a biscuit base) and profiteroles.
all went well with the sparkling rose except understandably for the chocolate mousse.
enough already. the war of the rose ended with the sparkling rose clearly outdoing the shiraz rose.
and angie hiew rose - pun intended - to receive the best wine matchmaker prize as her sentildo tapas cuisine more than ably matched the sparkling rose though vansh and koryo-won had their moments with the shiraz rose.

kiss from a rose

2005-08-09T01:25:00.000+08:00

its kiss from a rose today, the song by seal from the batman forever soundtrack that came to mind at dinner.
this time we were having a jacob's creek shiraz rose to accompany a rather elegant chinese meal at the elegant inn in taman connaught kuala lumpur.
there was a difference. it was no ordinary wine dinner not that any wine dinner is ordinary.
this was the launch of the dining table - a group of gourmands dedicated to good food, great drinks and gregarious friends. and we started it auspiciously on 8.8.2005 with jacob's creek chief winemaker philip laffer whom i met over the weekend.
the evening started with the shiraz rose and proceeded to an array of jacob's creek's wines such as the riesling, chardonnay, grenache shiraz and the shiraz cabernet - all matched with the best hong kong style dishes that elegant inn's chinese restaurant could offer.
chef wesley ng, a young kelantanese, pulled out all stops in the show kitchen for the three tables that constituted the dining table.
claypot chicken wonton in a soup that was boiled for hours was the start and whetted our appetite for the rest of dishes that was quickly cooked in the show kitchen in front of us.
the shiraz rose accompanied the lotus meatcakes with hong kong silverfish and eggplant deep fried with garlic flakes, contrasting the wine's fruity flavour with the salty fish and eggplant and the sizzling meatcakes. nice was an understatement.
something fishy was in the air next. a steamed live tiger garoupa, with its intrinsic sweetness set in a sauce and complemented by a riesling. but the subtle wine lost out to the most excellent fish in taste.
out came the chardonnay to do battle with the next few dishes. we drank it with the hong kong style stir fried vegetables with garlic and crabs fried with salted egg yolk it ably matched both dishes though the crabs were distinctly and appetisingly in a class of their own - and the this image is but a poor and unworthy representation of a wonderful dish.
the chardonnay also ably accompanied the home made beancurd with meat and prawns. the beancurd just melted in the mouth, slipping and sliding suggestively with the wine in the mouth.
the night was still young and the circle of gourmands were swapping tasting notes when chef wesley ng put on a show in the kitchen.
he was frying elegant inn's special fried rice, swirling and twirling the rice and ingredients in a wok over high heat, and the results spoke for themselves.
the rice was fluffy and tasty and went pretty well with the grenache shiraz.
never quite got to the last dish of sweet and sour pork cheeks. well, i don't eat cheeks, just nibble them and frankly, sweet and sour isn't really my cup of tea, so to speak.
had the shiraz cabernet though. quite plummy.
that was the start and end of the dining table's first dinner. and an autographed bottle of jacob's creek shiraz rose was the souvenir of the night.
what an auspicious and unique start the dining table. looking forward to the next one!

rose, rose, i love you!

2005-08-08T01:45:00.000+08:00

the song rose, rose, i love you is a very very old song, with chinese songstress yao lee recording it in 1940 and about a decade later, frankie laine cutting it in 1951.
why am i going on about this and what has it do with drinks or food? plenty.
i thought of the song as i sipped my first glass of jacob's creek sparkling rose, the latest sparkling wine from the australian master wine producer, at mizu, a japanese restaurant in bangsar village, kuala lumpur.
it was billed as an evening with a chief winemaker who turned out to be jacob's creek's philip laffer.
the rose was the star but laffer also brought along bottles of reserve chardonnay, riesling, shiraz and cabernet to go with some splendid japanese food.
featured here is the menu for the evening with a bowl that had miso soup - nice and as you can see, i finished it - a glass of shiraz on the left, finished the cabernet and the remnants of the rose.
the rose is great.
had a couple of glasses of this sparkling wine made from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.
the non-vintage fermented sparkling wine is dry, combining the best of the citrusy chardonnay and the strawberry flavours of the pinot noir.
a soft appealing taste without the plumminess of red wines, the rose at 11.5 percent alcohol by volume, is great as an aperitif or with the dessert that we had, ice-cream with strawberry sauce. i did try it with some wasabi but it didn' t work out that well. guess there is a limit to both the rose and the wasabi.
having said that, the meal at mizu was quite good. it started with a sesame bean curd with a hint of wasabi combining well with the reserve chardonnay. a better combination followed after the clear soup when the reserve riesling superbly accompanied the shashimi trio of tuna, salmon and yellow tail with the wasabi and shoyu in attendance.
the riesling tangoed with the fish and wasabi, dancing in unison as i slowly savoured the complex flavours.
it was time for some red and the reserve shiraz made its appearance. the big and bold wine was paired with some foie gras delicately sitting on daikon or white radish in sauce. good stuff as the shiraz and the foie gras - featured here - held out their distinctive taste.
the cabernet heralded the start of the main course, a beef teppanyaki that was accompanied with rice, miso soup and pickles. quite good.
a great dinner to start the week.

whisky wonderland

2005-08-07T08:50:00.001+08:00

whisky wonderland is what i would call my friend's home, though one has to go through a pair of rottweilers to enter this plonk paradise.
be that as it may, a simple evening of margaritas and chicken fajitas in american chilis bangsar turned to serious whisky when he invited me over for a nightcap. it turned out to be six of the best.
six tumblers of single malt - all different in character and taste.
and all absolutely smashing.
it started with the bowmore cask strength islay single malt, a strong peaty smoky malty whisky that boldly dominated the palate with a taste of dry ash and with a long, long finish.
it lingered on the tongue and warmly spread through the body as i slowly emptied the tumbler.
the rottweilers looked and one of them sniffed me and eyed the tumbler eagerly.
the auburn single malt has 56 percent alcohol by volume and definitely comparable to other cask strength whiskies.
the evening was progressing well as my friend scanned through his wooden trunk of single malts for another bottle.
he settled on the lagavulin 16 years old single malt. a slight colour akin to the weakest of teas, the lagavulin burst in with a more subtle peaty taste that nimbly danced at the edge of my tongue.
the whisky, with 43 percent alcohol by volume, started off drily before strengthening aggressively with a rather oily and salty and fruity flavour, drawing one to sip it slowly but surely.
a rather good contrast to the peatier bowmore with discernible differences that i could appreciate as i finished it rather relunctantly.
it was also time to try something older and tastier.
and out came the glenlivet 18 years old.
the oak-casked whisky is also 43 percent alcohol by volume but very different from the lagavulin 16 years old.
the golden amber liquid was creamier, peatier and so much smoother - and like the bowmore, lingered long after it finished though not as strongly as the bowmore. it also had hints of honey, spice and nuts - flavours to keep one interested in it for a while.
it was time for a classic single malt and the glenfiddich 12 years old special reserve in its distinctive triangular green bottle appeared. the golden liquid is 40 percent alcohol by volume.
said to be the world's best-selling single malt, the 12-year-old has a fresh and fruity flavour with the peatiness solidly in the background. this makes the whisky a great entry-level single malt for one making the jump from blended whiskies and even sweet bourbon.
i can say that with conviction as i used to prefer this over the peatier bowmores. but times change and tastebuds broaden in search of stimulation. indeed, variety is the spice of life.
having said that, my friend fished around the trunk and came out with a single malt quite unknown to me.
the signatory vintage single islay malt scotch whisky was a bottle with a plain label that revealed everything except the taste. initial research shows its one of the only three indepedent bottlers and is actually the smallest distillery in scotland.
the single malt was a vintage 1993 that was bottled in early 2004 - yes, most cask strength is about 10 years old. the light golden liquid was 43 percent alcohol by volume and had a distinct peaty but sweet taste.
this was the fifth tumbler of single malt for the night but it held its distinctive taste, subtle and smooth yet bold with the slightly higher alcohol content.
it was time to relax and the sixth tumbler provided that, something easy to settle the spirit and the mind, the body and the soul.
we settled for the glenlivet 12 years old which like the glenfiddich 12 years old, is 40 percent alcohol by volume and another good entry-level single malt.
the glenlivet is a speyside whisky, smooth and soft with a fruity and floral flavour with some hints of vanilla, striking a different note in the palate. like its elder relative, it is also casked in oak, providing a woody finish to the single malt.
the night was coming to and end. not quite.
we had another bowmore cask strength, one for the road as it were.
a smashing time indeed with six of the best and one to spare.

sawadee crap - bad thai food ahead

2005-08-05T01:40:00.000+08:00

where have all the good thai restaurants in kuala lumpur gone to?
a friend asked me that after picking up the tab at montien - truly thai restaurant in the rather spanking new one bangsar cuisine complex in bangsar.
it came up as the food in montien, to put it simply, was bad.
except for the acceptable tom yam kung.
there was six of us, with three eating rice which came at a whopping three ringgit a plate - the waiter said the price of rice went up due to pump price hikes, yeah right!
together with some dishes, we stuck to two classics - thai green curry and tom yam kung. green curry was not spicy while the tom yam was acceptably fragrant and quite spicy - and as you can see, i finished a good part of it.
but both the classics together with the other dishes came luke-warm.
a friend who was just eating the dishes and looking forward to spicy food was most disappointed.
the other dishes were a spicy fish paste or otak otak in an omelette, pieces of deep fried cat fish and a salad relish called the nam prik long rea - minced chicken, dried prawns and salted egg, that came in a platter of raw long beans, sliced cucumber and cabbage, fried brinjal, steamed ladies fingers and crisp-fried flaked catfish.
the only thing going for the relish was the salted egg.
so that was that with the rice and the dishes.
another friend took the pad thai - thai style flat rice noodles with peanuts, bean sprouts, chillies, lime and sugar and said to represent thailand, sweet, spicy, crunchy and sour.
it was just badly-fried chinese style flat rice noodles or char kway teow.
it was bad thai, not pad thai - in my mind.
the last friend just tried some dessert but had no joy too.
we couldn't wait to get out of the place.
we left and headed to to the pretty much packed vincenzo, just a couple of doors away from montien, for some fine whisky. more on that later.

beautiful to drink

2005-07-21T22:20:00.000+08:00

beautiful to see, that's what the belvedere in belvedere vodka means.
and i can tell you its pretty beautiful to drink too and me thinks, i had one too many at the launch at the frangipani wednesday night.
the makers, from the house of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, claim it as a luxury vodka coming from a single-rye source. as one very well knows, vodka or little water, is a colourless spirit distilled from any source.
belvedere is distilled - four times - from dankowskie gold rye, planted in the small town of zyrardów in the west of warsaw, poland.
unlike the other vodkas in the market, the pure belvedere is pretty smooth, slippery even. not the usual fire-water burning the back of the throat as one knocks it back from a shot glass. the first shout came with a couple of ice cubes and a wedge of lime. nice.
the real taste is subtly sweet with a hint of pepper. crisp and clean. and so smooth. so beautiful to drink.
the bottle, clear with some frosted areas filligreed with white tree branches have a window that reveals the belvedere - a handsome building that is home to the polish president. and as you will know by now, belvedere means beautiful to see.
belvedere, first introduced in the united states in 1996 and some five years later in the united kingdom, made its way to southeast asia in 2003 in singapore. why i am even telling you this?
well, belvedere's official appearance in kuala lumpur was by way of a party at frangipani wednesday july 20. the good folks at local distributors riche monde also launched two other belvedere variants - the belvedere cytrus and belvedere pomarancza the same night.
the boys and girls down south only had the pleasure of that hours ago, thursday july 21.
also, most importantly, the belvedere vodka meisters are not calling these variants as flavoured vodkas but macerated vodkas, you know, steeping the peels of dried fruits in alcohol to get the aromatic oils for infusion into the little water.
impressed? let's just say they had the help of a french perfumier from the cognac region for that process. and the results are extremely impressive. and it took them some time to get the recipes right, as can be seen from the formulation numbers. the cytrus is listed as formula Q11 while the pomarancza is listed as P42.
just know that they started the formula numbers from A.
the cytrus is crisp with its lime-lemon combination. the lime comes out for the first wave before the lemon comes true. apparently the citrus infusion turns the vodka cloudy when ice cubes are swirled in - causing a chemical reaction with the aromatic oils.
didn't see it happen though.
the killer luxury vodka must be the belvedere pomarancza. this vodka is macerated with spanish mandarins, spanish limes, moroccan oranges and moroccan orange blossoms. the vodka explodes in your mouth and after a while, different notes rule your tongue as the spirit spreads it way through the system. what a blast!
and all through the night, as the party set made its way past the ice queens and waiters to try the vodkas, all i could say was more and more, and na zdrowie or cheers in polish.
and me thinks the belvedere will be a firm favourite at the uptown party spots for its bottle, the contents and the pricey price tag that comes with it.
having said that, have some other vodkas to taste in coming weeks and to make up for lost time. was away travelling on spiritual paths outside malaysia.

the bottle battle

2005-06-06T04:45:00.000+08:00

does anyone remember the 99 Bottles of Rum song?
99 bottles of rum on the wall, 99 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 98 bottles of rum on the wall!
98 bottles of rum on the wall, 98 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 97 bottles of rum on the wall!
97 bottles of rum on the wall, 97 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 96 bottles of rum on the wall!... and on and on the song goes...
it felt like that at the bulldog pub in quiet sri hartamas on sunday. the occasion was a birthday party and six bottles of chivas regal 12-year-olds came and went in six hours. not bad for the crowd of reprobates in the circle of friends there.
we put away our chasers of beer as the first bottle appeared. haven't had a tumbler of chivas in a long long time and it felt pretty good, of course with a mix of either ale or soda water. sweet and fizzy, it went down like a shot.
and many a shot was fired from the bow as chips and cake added to the revelry.
but what does chivas, a blended whisky at 40 percent alcohol by volume, actually taste like?
since i couldn't really remember, i decided to take shots of the amber liquid to jog my memory and palate, quench the thirst for knowledge, so to speak.
well, its pretty sweet with honey and long lingering rich finish in the throat. well, honeyed firewater or something like a punjabi sweetmeat - that's the nearest approximation for me.
well, that was that. more shots taken, with a tequila in between, and day turned to night before we shuffled out of the bulldog around half nine, to quote a good friend.
a double burger special from across the pub cleansed the palate and settled the gut.
and off to bed i went at 10pm.
great party, great drinks and most of all, great friends. what a day it was!
the bulldog pub is at 31 and 31-1, jalan sri hartamas 7, sri hartamas, kuala lumpur. its open seven days a week.
chivas regal is available in most pubs, bars and clubs. so are my friends.

a spiritual journey in chinatown

2005-05-28T23:35:00.000+08:00

candles. wine. wafer.
it struck me that this had all the trappings of a holy communion. but this was a different spiritual journey in kuala lumpur's chinatown, a warren of lanes more famous for game, gambling and maybe gangsters.
candles flickered from every imaginable point and then some as i made my way through the treasure trove that is peter hoe's evolution and beyond lifestyle boutique at the lee rubber building in petaling street or chinatown.
green, gold and beige was the theme and the main offering of the night was good food and exquisite framingham wines from new zealand, known to most now as middle earth and formerly kiwi land, and also aotearoa, land of the long white cloud.
the candles lit up the cocktail of crispily fresh framingham sauvignon blanc that went quite nicely with the also-crisp warm foccacia with shredded mushroom. wine and wafer communed and commingled in me.
the straw-yellow sauvignon blanc 2004 had hints of lime and fruit, particularly grapefruit with a robust body and a refreshing but dry finish. just nice.
was the messiah in town, i wondered as wine and wafer kept replenishing before the call came for us to ascend the stairway to heaven
up we went through the art-deco building and onto the roof-top where candle-lit tables with wine glasses competed for attention with the sounds and smells of chinatown, the shimmering city skyline and the twinkling stars in the night sky.
good company surrounded me as the appetiser announced its appearance with the familiar fragrance of curry leaf. it was a crispy tuna dumpling infused with curry leaf paired with a framingham dry riesling.
the tuna dumpling (chinese sui kow or japanese gyoza) appeared to be a rather tasty fish vadai that went well with the riesling, which tasted of honey and toast with a lime and fruity finish.
all too soon, the ever-efficient waiters brought the second offering of the night, a first course of smoked salmon kerabu style with basil oil that partnered a framingham classic riesling.
the wine dominated the salmon, tasting sweeter than the previous riesling. lionel lau, speaking on behalf of distributors pernod ricard assured us the sugar content was the same. to me, it was fruitier with a pronounced peachy taste with lime hovering in the background.
the 150 select crowd at the rooftop were kept busy as the waiters swept in with the main course quickly, offering us charbroiled lamb cutlets on a chinese yam rice with pak choy and crispy kai lan together with a glass of framingham pinot noir.
the cutlets were crunchy and juicy, the wine spicy and plummy. i could go on but let's just say it has to be savoured. hints of cherries and berries in the wine combined well with the lamb and its bed of rice and veggies for a great finish to dinner under the stars.
the night did not end there. we quickly swapped the rooftop for peter hoe's boutique for wine, women and song.

no small beer too

2005-05-26T15:25:00.000+08:00

cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!
a cheery and beery dusk to dawn. liverpool fc won the uefa champions league trophy early today, beating ac milan 3-2 on penalties (they were tied 3-3 after full time and extra time).
watched my favourite team lift the cup after 21 years in a well-known liverpool supporters' pub in section 16, petaling jaya. great atmosphere but a bit of a mystery as they were serving tiger beer and not liverpool's sponsor carlsberg.
jugs of beer kept us awake and funnily enough, sober as well, as the match culminated into a nail-biting penalty kicks phase to decide the champions as the crack of dawn illuminated the city skyline.
the cheers had begun at dusk as more beers from down under made their way to my hands and lips at a Australian barbecue in a tropical drizzle.
the rain stoked the humidity and a glass of crown lager was most welcome, though it was light in colour and slight in taste, the 4.9 percent alcohol by volume beer is quite reminiscent of its more famous australian cousin, the watery fosters lager that i detest.
aussie pride was saved with the first bottle of hahn premium lager that i had. a refreshing strong golden beer that perked me up though it is only 5 percent alcohol by volume. strange, must have been the fresh taste that got my attention.
its sweet, not bitter, and that whetted my appetite as the sausages and lamb chops sizzled on the barbecue grill. quite a nice beer.
the third beer on offer was a cascade premium lager, also from the fosters family. the 5.2 percent alcohol by volume tasmanian beer was straw coloured but had no impressive taste. one bottle was enough and rinsed my palate with another bottle of hahn's for good effect.
but that soon finished and all that was left were crown lagers.
having said that, had a couple of cans of oranjeboom pilsner over the long weekend. the bitter 5 percent alcohol by volume beer stirred the tastebuds as i had already quaffed five mugs of tiger draught before the oranjeboom made its appearance.
that's enough on beer. on to a more spiritual path. hic!

no small beer

2005-05-22T21:40:00.000+08:00

hic. 'twas a cheery and beery week.
in between some wines, beer cooled an otherwise sultry week in kuala lumpur this past seven days, from local brews to some fine amber liquid from down under and the caribbean.
started with a carlsberg draught - the mild and sweetish pale lager and ended with bottles of tiger beer - a bit bitter but insipid, could be the bottles. then again, maybe the fa cup match between manchester united and arsenal was far better.
that was that. let's now enter the chamber of the amber.
plonked - hey! another usage of the word - my butt down at chinoz in klcc and ordered an ice-cold bottle of bucanero fuerte. the head disappeared quickly but this full-bodied cuban export - with 5.4 percent alcohol by volume - kept its promise to chill the evening.
i could taste the hops but sweetness dominated the palate, understandable as it is brewed with fine cuban sugar, the major ingredient for rum - the major drink in that region.
the next beer was cuba's cristal beer. it was pee-yellow in colour and the head disappeared as quickly as it came. at 4.9 percent alcohol by volume, the beer was very light and almost shandy-like in taste with citrus notes dominating the malt. finished it in double-quick time and sought a carlsberg to maintain alcohol volume in the body.
men at work - the band, not the phrase - came to mind as bottles of australia's coopers beers surrounded our wine glasses last friday.
i was thinking of a snatch of the lyrics - i come from a land down under, where beer does flow and men chunder, can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? you better run, you better take cover. - from down under when the first bottle popped open.
the first bottle was the coopers pale ale and it looked like an albino but the cloudy appearance suggested in-bottle fermentation. google-driven research revealed it as the burton-on-trent style fermentation.
that explained the need to roll the bottle before opening it. it was light and fruity, and had some head to whisker the lips. at 4.5 percent alcohol by volume, this ale was just a precursor for a heady night.
the next beer is called the coopers sparkling ale but it not only sparkles, it packs a bitter punch too. again, we conducted the bottle rolling ceremony to stir the cloudy sediment of this beer, first brewed in 1862.
the dark gold beer - with 5.8 percent alcohol by volume - kept its head and taste throughout, leaving a filligree of lace as i slowly sipped and savoured the taste. more was to come.
we were on a roll, so to speak.
night was falling and out came the coopers dark ale. performed the standard bottle-rolling and opening act, and creamy beer foamed at the glass like the sea, disappearing soon after.
hot chocolate and coffee came to mind as the dominant taste as we quickly quaffed the 4.5 percent alcohol by volume beer.
it was time to join the dark side by the time coopers best extra stout came to view. the force was pretty strong in this one as the blackness spread through the glass with a bit of head making an appearance.
a good stout effort that tasted like carbonated coffee, albeit a strong and robust espresso but a shade less than the best irish stouts. still, a satisfying stout, bitter to the end at 6.3 percent alcohol by volume.
that's enough beers for the week, i guess. cheers!

single malt - the macallan 10 years cask strength

2005-05-15T01:30:00.001+08:00

cask strength single malt is an acquired taste.
heck, single malt is an acquired taste. and in most circles, one who raves and rants, waxes lyrical even, about single malts is simply a ladida in the crowd.
so, let's just say that going on and on about cask strength is hyper-ladida.
but the macallan 10 years cask strength (which comes in either uk or us editions) is exceptional and the couple of drams i had last night justified the verbosity of those who have imbibed this whisky.
the first whiff of the mahogany liquid revealed a caramel toffee scent with sherry.
no wonder as the pungent and strong whisky is stored in spanish oak and sherry influences of spices such as cloves and ginger and balanced with dried fruits and citrusy chocolate.
the first dram was in a shot glass and it left a fiery peppery trail from the roof to the throat, taking no prisoners along the way. hot and happening and what a mouthful of spirit. the force was strong in this speyside creation.
the next dram had a couple of ice cubes to chill the whisky but it robustly ploughed ahead with little restraint. a fire water by any definition. of course, as this cask strength comes at 58.80 percent alcohol by volume.
a delicious macallan.
impressive. most impressive.

whine and din at the ribshop

2005-05-13T01:35:00.000+08:00

i really have no beef with the rib shop since it opened a couple of years ago. the food is great and the wines superb.
but the wine-and-dine rib speciality restaurant in medan damansara didn't score full marks last night. their most under-rated speciality, chilled australian tenderloin beef in red wine sauce didn't taste as good as it did previously.
well, to put it mildly, the red wine was missing from this mouth-watering delicately medium-to-welldone roasted chunk of meat garnished with sauteed mushrooms and potato cubes in red wine sauce.
maybe chef danny liew was missing too.
an off day for both the chef and the dish.
could that be possible? i didn't bother to find out.
thankfully, the fettucine with crispy bacon, creamy parmagianno and a dash of nutmeg made up for the dinner as diners at another table put on their party hats, clinked their glasses and sang happy birthday as they busily snapped away with their cameraphones.
the pasta dish was splendid with its creamy cheesy flavour meshing well with the crispy crunchy bacon and the al dente fettucine.
just what i needed to offset the disappointing tenderloin.
the saving grace was the beef carpaccio remains without equal among the few places i have had this wonderfully simple dish of slices of beef, lemon juice and olive oil with scattered slices of heavenly parmagianno cheese and garnished with rocket.
and the wine of the day? well, the wine shop people had said it was an argentinian wine but that went missing too.
to my surprise, and subsequent delight, the house wine was a wonderful medium bodied haywood cabernet sauvignon 2001. a refreshing and spicy wine, it had flavours of berry and pepper plus hints of vanilla and oak.
had two glasses. nice.
the rib shop is at 120-122 jalan kasah, medan damansara. its open for lunch 12.00 to 2.30pm and dinner 6.00pm to 10.30pm. wines from the wine shop can be consumed in the restaurant without any corkage.

single malt whisky - a wee dram to help fight cancer

2005-05-09T22:27:00.000+08:00

vindicated.
apart from wine and soft fruits, scientists have discovered that a wee dram of single malt whisky can help fight cancer.
delegates at a biochemistry conference in glasgow, scotland over the weekend were told that whisky offered "even greater health benefits".
much has been said about the health benefits of antioxidants in red wine but recent research show there are greater health benefits to people who drink single malt whiskies.
something like our favourite glenfiddich single malt 18 years old that is faintly sweet yet elegant, with a scent of wood - quite robust and well-bodied yet soft and lingering on the palate.
anyway, back to the benefits of single malt whisky.
why? well, single malt whiskies have more ellagic acid than red wine.
ellagic acid, found mainly in soft fruits, absorb rogue cells in the body, scientists say.
but they also point out that excessive drinking coupled with smoking can lead to cancers. still, it is nice to say that a tot a day can keep cancer away.
cheers!