Pairing Asian Flavours with Wine

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! 

  

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.

The Wine Bar in Yaletown

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the grand opening of TWB The Wine Bar. It's located inside Provence Marinaside. The premise is that this is the place you come to for a glass of wine with a group of friends where you can enjoy some appies or even a full meal, whatever you are in the mood for that day. 
What struck me most upon my entry was their amazing lighting fixtures, so pretty and incandescent. 

 

Many of their small bites are priced at just $5 and we sampled any of them. This is the Risotto Ball, with a bit of mozzarella and a creamy sweet tomato sauce. 

 

We also tried their Gnocch, which changes daily. The sauce on this was amazing, just a touch smokey with a bit of tanginess. The little slice of cheese rounds out the bite quite nicely. 

 

I was also a fan of their Grilled Squid, with a nice crust on the outside and a tender little morel of squid tentacles. All of the above are perfect foods for pairing with their many glasses of wine on the menu. 

 

They've removed the old section that featured the antipasti for the Provence side and instead, created a bar that features their various little bites. Makes it that much harder to resist getting one, two or three items from the eclectic menu!
If you're in the Yaletown area and want to stop off somewhere for a quite drink, give TWB a try!

Take Note:

• Most bites are just $5 or $6
• Wines are available by the glass or by 1/4 litre
• Bigger bites for a heartier appetite are just $18 and include a Seared Tenderloin! 

Novo Pizzeria - Tommasi wine and antipasto night

Last week, I attended An Evening of Wine and Antipasti at Novo Pizzeria. It was the second in their Wine Club Series Dinner, where a winery is selected as a partner and dishes are created to complement each tasting.  
Our first course was a Grilled Octopus Salad with some celery leaves, baby potatoes and slivers of red onions.  A very light dressing of lemon and olive oil finished the dish. The octopus had a very meat texture and the potatoes were fork tender. The celery gave the dish a nice crunch but the grilled octopus really stole the show. This was paired with the 2011 Tommasi Vermentino, our only white of the evening. The wine had a nice nuttiness and a slightly oilier finish than a BC Pinot Grigio.
Next up was Chef Carmine's home made Burrata, served with a bit of caramelized onions, and a crispy smoked pancetta atop a bed of avocado. The pearls of basil oil were more jelly like than caviar in texture, but the presentation was vibrant and colourful. For this, our wine was the 2008 Tommasi Rompicollo, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend results in a chianti like wine with a rounder and softer edge.
And for our final appetizer, we had the Antipasto, which as a mix of cheeses including Ricotta and a Smoked Provolone, some meats including Prosciutto, Salami and Pepperoni. Grilled peppers and bread pulled the whole thing together. This was a great mix of flavours and textures and was one of the highlights of the night for me. This was paired with the 2009 Tommasi Arele Appassimento which is fairly new to BC. The texture is a bit rougher yielding something similar to a baby Amarone.   Off to the entrees we go and the first is their Sicilian Meatballs, made with a blend of veal, pork and beef. The currants and pinenuts give the meatballs a sweet and nutty flavour, quite original. Topped with a bit of reggiano and sitting on a bed of marinara sauce, these bites were tender and juicy.
For our final savouring dish, we had the Parmesan and Basil Gnocchi. These were a little too soft in texture in texture for me, but the flavours of the cashew pesto sauce really comes out. I'm not a huge gnocchi fan since I don't really enjoy the mushy texture but that's more of a personal preference than anything else.

And for dessert, we had the Chocolate Salami. Made to look like salami, this dark chocolate log was peppered with bits of orange and hazelnuts and at first glance, it did look just like salami. The chocolate was rich and creamy and the citrus notes from the orange really shines through. As a sucker for hazelnuts this dish was a winner for me too.

Take Note:

• Mondays Movie Night: $49 for two tix and a 3-course meal (1 appy, 1 entree and 1 dessert) per couple
• Pizzas cook in a bout a minute in the 900 degree woodburning oven
• If you like Burrata, order the Burrata pizza and you will get the best of what they do here.

Autumn Wine Dinner Series at Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar

As we officially head into Autumn, Top Table Group is launching their Autumn Wine Dinner Series. These events will be held at various locations, such as Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar in Yaletown, Araxi in Whistler, West on Granville and Cin Cin on Robson as well.
The first dinner took place this week and I was lucky enough to be invited to the Adami Prosecco Dinner at Blue Water Cafe. The 5-course meal was paired with various Prosecco from the Adami collection.
 You know you're in the right place for a Wine Dinner when one wall of the private room looks like this. the other three were just as stunning.
Due to traffic, I had missed the Ceviche course, but made it just in time for the Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio. This was presented so beautifully that I almost didn't want to cut into it. Underneath the thinly sliced salmon was a salad of arugula and fennel. The fish was so fresh and had a very buttery feel to it. This was served with a Bosco Di Gica, a brut, and it's very young and has a subtle dry palate. 
Next up was the Lobster Raviolo, and this is even prettier and more delicate that the salmon carpaccio! The pasta topping is one of the more elegant presentations I have seen in quite some time. It's topped with a few pieces of calamari as well. 
Moving aside the top layer of the pasta, you see just how much lobster is packed inside that little bundle! The sauce is Morrocan based but quite mild and didn't overpower the lobster at all. This was served with the Dei Casel, which is very crisp and smooth, with a dry finish. 
 For our main course, we were treated to a Maple Glazed Sablefish. The celeriac puree was velvety smooth and had a slice smokiness to it as well. The green beans paired well with the buttery sauce, which had just a hit of yuzu, giving the dish a mild Asian flare. The sablefish itself was sweet and salty, from a combination of the Maple glaze on top and inherent flavours of the fish itself. It was cooked to a perfect texture with a slight crust on the outside from the caramelization of the maple. On the inside, the fish delicately flaked off into perfect white pieces, ready to soak up some more of the buttery sauce. this was paired with the Vigneto Giardino Rive and is a Prosecco without effervescence!  
For dessert, we got the Vanilla Lemon Panna Cotta, which was topped with a peach jelly. The panna cotta has lots of vanilla bean in it, and the texture of the peach jelly actually reminded me of really fresh gummy bears. So good, and the almond cranberry biscotti was a nice touch for a crunch, as were the nuts inside the glass too. We had the Cartizze with this, and it had a light sweet flavour but still finished on the dry side.  
In case we weren't all already bursting at the seams, we were served little Sweet Treats in the form of nut clusters, mini brownies and madeleines. Too much food to be sure, but the miniature size of it all just made it look so appealing. Those brownie bites were amazing!
  
Here is a complete list of the bottles we had with dinner. From the right, they are:

• Bosco Di Gica (Brut from the Classics)
• Garbel (a Brut from the Classics of Treviso, which I missed as part of the first course)
• Dei Casel (Extra Dry from the Classics)
• Giardino (Tranquillo from the Traditionals)
• Cartizze (Dry from the Crus)

Want to go to the next one? 
Here is the list of upcoming Autumn Wine Dinner Series.
November 4 - Township 7 Dinner at Blue Water Cafe
November 9 - Big Guns: Icons of the Wine World at Araxi during Cornucopia
November 27 - Sandhill Winemaker’s Dinner at West

Did you know?
As we wound down our meal, Enrico Valleferro (export manager for Adami) shared something interesting with us. For our entire tasting, all our prosecco was poured into large white-wine glasses, not champagne flutes. This allows the aromas of the prosecco to expand so that they can actually reach your nose. If you use champagne flutes, your tendency would be to purse your lips and as a result, the wine goes right to the back of your mouth instead of lingering on your palate.

Apothic White Launch Party

Earlier this week, I attended the Apothic White launch at 319 Main, hosted by Dunn PR. This was the first time that the wine was being poured in BC. It's a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Moscato. To showcase the wine, A Moveable Feast (which catered another wine launch earlier this year) provided catering to pair with both the White as well as Apothic Red.
This was a logo in front of the DJ's booth, very chic and the lighting of the logo was perfect for the event space.
And this really should be how all dinner parties start...lots of wine, some candles and a mask, of course! 
  Fred About Town was the host of the evening and got us all excited to taste and sample the wines and yummy treats. He encouraged us to go to the Sensation Booth to see if we could pick out the subtle notes of peach, pineapple, honey and vanilla spice in the new Apothic Red. Lots of appetizers were being passed around and the first one that I got to sample was the Smoked Trout. Little cups of smokey goodness, quite a nice light bite and paired well with the wine.
Next was the Crab & Scallop puff pastry. These were piping hot, with a creamy filling. I could have had about a dozen of them.
Also available were two huge platters of cold cuts such as mortadella, salami, pastrami & pates, with an assortment of some of the larges olives I've ever seen.. 
In addition to the meats, there was also platters of cheeses as well, with brie, blue, cheddar and many more. 
To accompany the meats and cheeses, there were assorted crackers and some delicious rye bread as well.
And oh, the dessert table...this side showcase all the dessert that pair best with the Apothic Red.
Chocolate Mousse Cups, these were so rich and creamy. They might look tiny, but they really pack a punch.
Next are the chocolate cones, These are so pretty and elegant, almost too pretty to eat!
These Sweet Treats were airy, and the Roasted Hazelnuts were a good match the the Apothic White. 
As with the Red side, there were little creamed filled cones, but this one was more like a nice fresh whipped cream, a lighter version than the chocolate for sure.

 

But the one treat that works with both the Apothic Red and Apothic Red? These insanely delicious Chocolate Dipped Dried Mangos! Why hasn't this been done before, or at least, it's the first time I've seen them. I am so getting this for my next chocolate fondue party! Brilliant! Another successful event from the people of A Moveable Feast.