A few weeks ago, just ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year, we descended upon Kaya Malay Bistro to learn how to pair Asian flavours with Wine. The winery we were sampling is Haywire Winery.
We are trying 5 wines, including the Haywire Gamay Noir Rose, followed by the Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, a Pinot Gris and their bubbly, the Bub.
Lovely Satays to start at the welcoming reception. This was also paired with the Bub, a refreshing bubbly that goes well with this chicken satay and its lemongrass flavours.
Another starter was the Vegetarian Samosas, with a mild curry taste. We sipped more of the Bub and it seemed to heighten the cumin flavours.
For the Rose, we tried it first with the Soft Shell Crab. These were a bit greasy but were nice and meaty.
The second item that was paired with the Rose was the Lettuce Wrap with Duck. This was really good and was loaded with duck. There was also some spicy plum sauce to take away a bit of the gaminess.
The next wine was the Gewurztraminer, slightly sweet meant to pair with two spicy soups. Our first bowl was the Hot and Sour Soup, but unfortunately, the dish ended up more on the sweet side. When paired with the wine, it was just too much.
Our next soup was a Tom Yum (a Thai spicy soup) turned out a lot better. It was loaded with squid, prawns, mussels and some white fish as well. It had a good heat and the Gewurztraminer made a lot more sense.
For the Pinot Noir, we were served a Taiwanese Stir-fried Eggplant with some green beans. These were nicely spiced with a soft texture from the eggplant and crunchy beans. 
The second pairing with the Pinot Noir was a Korean-style Grilled Sablefish, along with some baby bok choy. This fish had a nice crispy skin but the fish seemed lost in a sauce that seemed quite heavy handed with the palm sugar. It was tasty but any fish could have been substituted for the sablefish. I would have expected a cleaner dish when using a delicate fish like sablefish. 
We had a Pinot Gris with our carbs of the night. First up, Wok-fried Egg-Noodles with Shiitake and Siuchoy. The noodles had a good al dente bite to it, but overall, the flavours were a bit bland. 
Our other carb of the night was the Vietnamese Shrimp & Scallop Fried Rice. This was loaded with seafood, such as scallop & shrimp, but again...the flavours were very muted. We still had some hot sauce on the side, and that helped to perk up the rice. 
For dessert, we had a Black Rice Pudding with Blueberries as well as a Deep Fried Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream. The banana was surprisingly good and the black rice pudding had a nice texture. We returned to the Rose for this parining, as well as some of the Bub!
The second pairing with the Pinot Noir was a Korean-style Grilled Sablefish, along with some baby bok choy. This fish had a nice crispy skin but the fish seemed lost in a sauce that seemed quite heavy handed with the palm sugar. It was tasty but any fish could have been substituted for the sablefish. I would have expected a cleaner dish when using a delicate fish like sablefish.
We had a Pinot Gris with our carbs of the night. First up, Wok-fried Egg-Noodles with Shiitake and Siuchoy. The noodles had a good al dente bite to it, but overall, the flavours were a bit bland.
Our other carb of the night was the Vietnamese Shrimp & Scallop Fried Rice. This was loaded with seafood, such as scallop & shrimp, but again...the flavours were very muted. We still had some hot sauce on the side, and that helped to perk up the rice.
For dessert, we had a Black Rice Pudding with Blueberries as well as a Deep Fried Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream. The banana was surprisingly good and the black rice pudding had a nice texture. We returned to the Rose for this parining, as well as some of the Bub! 
For 2014's Lunar New Year, a limited release (688 bottles) of the 2012 Haywire Pinot Noir was given a special label, showcasing the year of the Horse. Find these at BC Wine Shop.
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