Wineshark weekly - 26 February 2012

Been again traveling in the last two weeks, and because need to leave on Sun so I skipped one week on my blog (many excuses...). It is not easy to catch up all the things I want to do nowadays really. But I will continue to work on that.

There are many issues on work that I have to handle recently, and in the immediate future it will only be more. Sometimes feeling a bit too much and started to wonder what am I doing that for. Of course it is a good development personally on my career now given my general management responsibilities, but still there are simply too many other things I cherish which I do not (and could not) give up in my life. Striking a balance is always easier said than done.

This week's restaurant series is Sevva, which I had heard of for quite a while but haven't actually visited. Located in Prince's Building in Central, it is quite a big restaurant with half of it on balcony and half dining and kitchen. I booked atable last Thu, on the more cozy dining area, as there's another section with some sofa for casual drink and snacks. Can imagine it would be romantic and nice enjoying drinks on the balcony but on the night it was all foggy and wet, so not particularly comfortable I would imagine...

The service was very good, with the staff in smart uniform and nice smiles. We tried the Indian Jetset Dosa, which is a paper thin bread wrapping with butter chicken. Really delicious and good as appetitizer. Then we had soup, with Ivy ordering an Oxtail and me a Chicken Soup. Mine was quite nice, traditional English style and with the right intensity.

For the main course Ivy ordered a Ox Tongue Pie, an interesting dish with a Puff Pastry and a bowl of ox tongue that had been stewed to very softness. I had a Sea Bass with cream sauce, prepared in a foil wrap to keep the juices, with some side vegetables. The fish was not spectacular in my opinion, and comparatively I much prefer the one I normally would have in the steak house in InterCon Manila. But still not a bad one. This fusion style restaurant got other dishes which obviously I would like to try but that had to be on the next time. Total at $1665 for two, a bit on the high end but still a restaurant I will go once in a while.

This week's cooking at home featuring some deep fry dishes. One is a snack - Fish Fillet on Toast and the other is Breaded Pork Chop. Reason making the two together was that those necessary things to make the two are similar and it would be good to use it in one go, like the bread crumbs and the oil for deep fry. Have to again compliment myself for being a good chef as the pork chop was juicy and tender inside even after frying. Find out the detailed recipe on my wineshark blog!

I made some changes on the plan for my wine study, and hope to be more efficient in the process. Besides continuing on the sparkling wine which I will have exam in mid March, I have begun to study the still wines, starting with South America, but not on Argentina or Chile, rather on the two less common countries of Uruguay and Brazil. Really go to a lot of places to search for Uruguay wine in HK but no luck so far. Fortunately did find some Brazil wines in Kowloon City. I will share the tastings and the key information later on in my blog.

My cellar continues to expand, with some recent purchases arriving home:

• Ceretto Bricco Rocche Barolo Prapo 1997
• Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin 1995
• Ornellaia 2005
• Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 1992
• Chateau de Beaucastel CDP 2009
• Casa Valduga Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Lastly on my wine tasting, this week I continue to focus on sparkling, with a rather uncommon Bourgogne Mousseux Rouge from Parigot & Richard and a New World premium traditional method sparkling from Forrest Wines.

Acceptable quality Bourgogne Moussuex Rouge made using the traditional method, quite a rare production nowadays. The wine has a pale ruby colour with a slight garnet rim, medium bubble size and short persistence. On the nose it is reasonably intense,  showing youthful aromas of raspberry, red cherry, cedar, smoke and fresh plum. Fairly high in acidity, the wine has low tannin but fine-grained and supple, a fairly light body and fairly light palate of cranberry, plum, raspberry and strawberry, finishing with a fairly short length. Overall quite simple, but it is in balance and easy-to-drink. Ready to drink now and not intend for ageing.

Good quality New World traditional method sparkling with a fairly light lemon color and medium bubble size. Fairly intense and complex on the nose, it shows developing aromas of apple, lime, lemon, lees, butter, cream and walnut. Lively and fairly high in acidity, the wine has a medium body with reasonably intense flavors of lemon, apple, yeast, bread and cream. Creamy mousse, it is of good balance and with a reasonable length. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

Next week will have my March wine-tasting party, and will feature Central Italy wines, including from my collection the Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Annata 2001. I will share the highlights of the event and the tasting notes later. Also, going to organize two mini-tasting in Mar, one on 9 Mar and one on 23 Mar. Interested parties please contact me, limited seats available.

Hope you enjoy reading my blog. Take care and see you here next week!

Wineshark Recipe - 27. Breaded Pork Chop

Ingredients:

• Pork Chop - 4 slices
• Salt - little bit
• White Pepper Powder - little bit
• Flour
• Egg - 1
• Bread Crumbs
• Oil

Hit the pork chop with hammer to soften, then marinate with salt and white pepper powder for a while.

Coat the pork chop with flour, then egg and bread crumbs.

Deep fry in hot oil till it turns golden.

Wineshark Recipe - 26. Fillet of Fish on Toast

Ingredients:

• Fish Fillet - 1 piece
• White Bread - 3 pieces
• Egg - 1
• Salt - little bit
• White Pepper Powder - little bit
• Bread Crumbs
• Oil
• Flour
• Tartare Sauce

First cut the bread into pieces of around 2x1 in. And then cut fish fillet into slightly smaller size than the bread.

Marinate the fillet with salt and white pepper powder for a while, then coat flour on both sides, put into egg and then bread crumbs.

Deep fry in hot oil till it turns golden.

Wineshark Recipe - 25. Spaghetti Alla Marinara

Ingredients:

• Fresh prawns - 6 pcs
• Mussels - 4 pcs
• Fresh squid - 1 unit
• Butter - 1oz
• Garlic finely - 1/2 tsp
• White wine - 1oz
• Whipping cream - 4oz
• Water - 1 tbsp
• Corn starch - 1/2 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Parsley finely - 1/2 tsp
• Diced spring onion - 1/2 tsp

Prepare the spaghetti by following the instruction of the packing. Save some of the boiling water to later stir fry the spaghetti.

Remove the shell of the prawn and the intestine. Chop the squid into rings. Clean all the seafood and dry them up. Then use butter to stir fry the garlic, and then put the seafood to cook for a while. Then add the white wine, cream, corn starch (mixed with water) and seasonings.

Stir fry the spaghetti with a little bit of olive oil, and add the water from boiling in the process. Sprinkle the spaghetti with black pepper.

Put the spaghetti on plate, and then pour the seafood and the sauce on it. Finally sprinkle parsley on top.

Wineshark Recipe - 24. Smoked Salmon Tarts

First we prepare the smoked salmon fillings:

Ingredients (good for 8 tarts):

• Smoked salmon - 5 1/2oz
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Dill weed - 1/4 tsp
• Mayonnaise - 1 tbsp
• Whipping cream - 2oz
• Salt - little bit
• Black pepper - little bit

First chop the salmon into small pieces and put in blender, mix well with the other ingredients. Put into fridge for keeping. Then we make the tart:

Ingredients:

• Plain flour - 6oz
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Margarine - 3oz
• Ice water - 3 tbsp

Put the flour on the table top and make a hole, then put the salt, margarine and ice water inside. Mix and knead till it does not stick. Divide into eight pieces and put in a tart mold. Bake in oven for about 15 min, at 200 degC till it turns golden.

Then put the salmon on top the tart and sprinkle with paprika.

Wineshark weekly - 12 February 2012

I was not feeling well at the beginning of the week, and actually had to leave office early to see the doctor. But I took the medicine and immediately went to rest I recovered very quickly. Maybe also my desire to drink wine, which I could not do in those days, also quickened my recovery. Hahaha...

Quite busy this week on my job, in fact I could already foresee in the coming six months I could be crazy. Not just because of my two roles but also the challenges that I would have to face... Sometimes I do wonder why and what am I doing all those for? That seems too philosophical, but still didn't stop me thinking. Fortunately I do have my hobbies to help balance my life to make it easier.

Speaking of my hobby, this week I went to Malaysia (Port Klang) Cuisine in Mongkok, and tried their Malay dishes. The pork rib soup was quite delicious, as well as the shrimp noodle. However, their signature chicken and the stir fry turnip cake was only so-so. I guess the laksa should be good but didn't order that. With two drinks, the bill was $238.

On Friday I had dinner with my UST mentees. All of them are final year students so besides chatting about their school life, the topics pretty much focus on the career. It is always interesting to talk to the students to share some of my thoughts, and some techniques and tricks to help them prepare better in the coming job interviews. They showed me their resume which I gave some inputs. Hopefully they found my tips useful. Thinking about it, this is my third year in being a mentor for the students.

On Saturday I cooked two dishes: a Grill Pork Chop California Style and a Egg Florentine. Both are really good. You can find the recipe on this blog.

This week I bought quite a few bottles of wine (9 in total). Apart from 5 bottles for the coming Italian wine tasting in early Mar, the most notable purchase is Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 1999 - one of the top 100 wines from Vinum Summus. So far I have collected 59 of those 100. But really has to find enough storage as my home (and office) is already full of wines everywhere...

The two wines that I opened this week were: Bouvet-Ladubay 'La Pyramide' Brut NV from Saumur, France and Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelverto NV from Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

Acceptable quality mid-priced Saumur sparkling with light lemon colour and medium size bubbles, reasonable intensity of youthful aromas of lime, green apple, lees, yeast, honeysuckle, stony, smoke. Fairly high in acidity, the wine is of light body with fairly light intensity flavors of lemon, green apple, greengage, waxy and honeysuckle. Delicate mousse with a fairly short length, the wine is a bit too acidic affecting the overall balance. Ready to drink now and not intend for ageing.

Acceptable quality Lambrusco, with pale purple colour and small bubbles. A fairly light nose showing youthful characters of bubblegum, red cherry, candy, medicinal and strawberry. Medium-dry, with fairly high acidity and low tannin, the wine is low in alcohol. Fairly light bodied, with fairly light palate of strawberry, red cherry, medicinal and bubblegum. Aggressive on mousse, with a rather short length. Overall quite simple, but the high acidity did balance with the sweetness making the wine still enjoyable. Ready to drink now and not intend for ageing.

Next week will need to go to Manila, but have scheduled to do so after Valentine's Day, need to stay here to celebrate with Ivy ma... Hahaha... So until next week, wish you and your beloved have a happy Valentine's Day!

Wineshark Recipe - 23. Egg Florentine

Ingredients:

• Poached Egg - 2 pcs
• Spinach - 4 oz
• Butter - 1/2 oz
• White Pepper Powder - a little bit
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Put the washed spinach into boiling water, add some salt to cook for a short while. Remove the slightly cooked spinach into cold water to maintain its green color. Dry the spinach and stir fry using butter and adding the seasonings. Then put the spinach in a baking dish.

Boil a pot of water, add some salt and vinegar, then lay the egg softly into the water. Poach the egg, then remove it and put on top of the spinach.

Then we make the Mornay sauce. Ingredients:

• Butter - 1 oz
• Flour - 1 oz
• Milk - 8 oz
• Cheddar Cheese - 1 oz
• Whipping Cream - 1 oz
• Egg Yolk - 1 pc

Heat the butter and put flour to cook till fragrant, then add milk gradually. Next add the cheddar cheese and finally the whipping cream and egg yolk.

Pour the Mornay sauce on top to cover the egg and spinach, then sparkle Parmesan cheese and put in oven till it turns slightly golden.

Wineshark Recipe - 22. Grill Pork Chop California Style

First we marinate the pork chop.

Ingredients:

• Pork Chop - 4 pcs
• Black Pepper Finely - 1/2 tsp
• Oregano - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic Finely - 1/2 tsp
• Brandy - 1/4 tsp
• Starch - 1/4 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Custard Powder - 1/4 tbsp
• Water - 1.5 oz
• Egg - 0.5 pcs
• Cooking Oil - 1/2 tbsp

After cleaning the pork chop, dry it and put all the ingredients into a bowl to mix well with pork chop, to get the pork chop absorbing all the liquid. Then add the egg and cooking oil. Best to marinate for two hours or more.

Then we make the red wine sauce.

Ingredients:

• Shallot Finely - 2 oz
• Butter - 1 oz
• Black Pepper Finely - 1/2 tsp
• Thyme - 1/4 tsp
• Red Bell Pepper Dice - 2 oz
• Green Bell Pepper Dice - 2 oz
• Whole Kernel Corn - 4 oz
• Red Wine - 2 oz
• Meat Gravy - 8 oz
• Salt - 1/2 tsp

Stir fry the shallot with butter, then add the herbs and stir fry for a while. Then put the bell pepper, corn, red wine and gravy together, season with salt.

Grill the pork chop. And then add the sauce on the side.

Wineshark weekly - 5 February 2012

This week I spent my whole working week in Philippines. Got a mixed feeling as many people leaving the company this week, some of them very close to me. I wish them all the best in their coming endeavors and hope our path will cross sometime in future. Life is full of surprises...

I had to attend a sales conference organized by our distributor in Philippines, requiring me to travel to Nasugbu in Batangas, about 2.5 hours from Manila. The area is a beach resort and really nice. Though by the time I arrived it was already early evening and I had to mingle with the country heads of other principals. The night was an award party for their sales team, and we were invited to present some prizes to the best performing individuals and teams. I had to give a short speech prior to the toast, really my first time addressing such a big group of external people (except my wedding). Think I did not do too badly and see if I got the photos from the distributor later...

I spent the night in the resort and then went back to Manila the next morning. On the way I stopped at Tagaytay to have lunch. A really nice place, with a much cooler climate than Manila. I had tried some local cuisine with my colleagues. Interesting ones, though not too delicious but still enjoyable. Unfortunately I forgot the names of those dishes but the deep fried small fishes were definitely good for beer!

Returning to HK I had my first wine-tasting party this year. The theme was Australia and we had some interesting wines to compare: Riesling from Clare and Eden Valley, Chardonnay from Margaret River and Eden Valley, Cabernet from Coonawarra and Margaret River, Shiraz from Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, and finally a Rutherglen Tokay. I for once did not write tasting notes and simply immersed myself totally in the tasting and enjoyed the company of my good wine buddies. Really a fun night and already looking forward to our next party!

The wine I tasted this night is still on sparkling. I had a good Deutscher Sekt from Emrich-Schonleber in Nahe. A bit on the expensive side for a Sekt at $328, got it at Solar in Kowloon City. My tasting note:

Very good quality premium Deutscher Sekt with light lemon colour, medium bubble size and short persistence. Good complex and fairly intense nose, showing developing characters of petrol, lemon, acacia, peach, grapefruit, cream and bits of honey. Off-dry with fairly high acidity, the wine is of medium body and showing reasonably intense flavors of petrol, lime, peach, acacia and mineral. A delicate mousse with reasonable length on the finish, the wine has a good balance on sweetness and acidity, showing ample fruit and typical Riesling features. Ready to drink now and can potential for further ageing of another 1-2 years.

Next week, finally, will be spending my time in HK. Hope to catch up on my study and other personal matters, as well as meeting my mentees in HKUST. Take care my friends, and check my blog often!