The one surprising find for me would be the opportunity to stumble upon a Greek grape varietal; Assyrtiko that mainly found in the Santorini Island! Jim Barry winery are really adventurous in importing this cutting of such an unique varietal to be planted in Clare Valley which produces the most amazing, dry yet complex Riesling! It was really exciting to try out as I always get to read about it in books but didn’t imagine in my wildest dreams to be able to try it out in SA! Well the color of it is quite pale straw somewhat similar to Riesling of Steingarten.. It isn’t a very aromatic grape varietal as it was rather reserved but slowly it teases you with a profile of juicy pear and zesty lime! On the palate, it has this medium body to it and alongside it was a medium acidity that makes an excellent aperitif drink to excite you for your meal and it also has a rather prominent note of the ocean minerality somewhat reminiscent to a Sauvignon Blanc.. This wine would go mighty fine with a plate of seafood #afoodiesaffair #burpple #winetasting #greekwine #jimbarrywines #affwine #nationalwinecentre #uniadelaide #aussiewine #barossawine
“I think I’m unique to the game ‘cause of my versatility.”- Ice Cube
That quote perfectly sums up the versatility of the Austrian grape of Gruner Veltliner! It is not a fruity and refreshing like the Sauvignon Blanc but it somehow sits in between the Chardonnay and Verdejo with a dash of Pinot Gris for its body and complexity alongside the tropical fruits, Stone fruits, some lime and floral notes that is accompanied with a medium acidity that isn’t too overpowering and a dash of sea shell minerality at the background.. Perfectly said by the people of Austria that it is a food friendly wine where it has this amazing ability to pair with the Schnitzel which is fried and slight oily or even Italian food but for the case of Malaysian food; it would go nicely with the Chinese restaurant food that is consist of a combination of some fried, stir fried vegetables and sweet and sour meats as they have the appropriate level of acidity that manage to cut through the fatty meats and also it acts fantastically as an accompaniment to all the dishes! It doesn’t hurt to also try out with Indian dishes or Malay dishes; best yet the diverse and spice eccentric Nyonya dishes! It’s always fun to explore and play a game of food and wine pairing #afoodiesaffair #austrianwine #schlossgobelsburg #foodie #foodpairingideas #sommelier #winetasting
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Its was truly an exceptional honour to have a beautiful dinner with this beauties of the Barossa! The one that was my favourite would always be the Meshach Shiraz 2012! Their approach on Shiraz was truly a stark contrast from the usual full bodied, dark and red fruits bursting with juiciness and spices alongside the black pepper that would pepper the aroma as well the palate too! But for this Shiraz is actually a very elegant wine that is very reserved in the beginning even though it was given some interactions with the oxygen through decanting yet it just being a very laid back wine that with some patience; it gradually warms to you with its dried and dark berries, dark bitter chocolates sprinkled with some herbs like thyme and tarragon alongside the eucalyptus aroma! The tannin was really elegant and supple as it glides through your palate with that rich structure that makes you wanting more just to discover its hidden secrets! No wonder it is such an icon! #grantburgewines #barossawines #barossavalley #aussiewines #winegini #winetasting
“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.”- Bruce Lee
Basked in the Tuscan sun lies a hilly appellation which features the greatness of Sangiovese with its elegance, refinement, complex characteristics yet with an amazingly velvety tannins and a heavy weight in terms of taste! Brunello di Montalcino has a special requirement of ageing for at least 5 years to be qualified as a Brunello and also the ageing is usually done in a French oak barrels for its ability to tame the harsh tannin to evolve itself into a rich and luscious powerful wine with greater complexity of dried fruit that slowly turns into secondary aroma and taste of tobacco, smoked meats and also earth #afoodiesaffair #winetasting #winelover #wineeducation #sommelier #italianwine
"There comes a time in every woman's life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne."- Bete Davis
Tuscany has always been famous for its Chianti classico, brunello and Super Tuscans but we tend to take for granted the one style which includes two wine styles into 1 bottle.. That style is known as Rosso di Montepulciano. This style vary from every winemaker or tenuta but its a lovely compromise for those who love a medium to full body reds, alongside velvety mouthfeel with a touch of acidity to round off the wines yet it's aroma permeates a flower yet juicy and ripe red fruit notes and herbs! On the palate, the tannins wasn't over powering or too grippy as it gives a very silky and velvety texture and the balance between the tannin, minimal ageing with the oak barrel has brought this wine some elegance and great structure with slight hints of olives, leather and thyme.. It goes amazing with grilled meats or game
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”- Og Mandingo
Its truly an honour to try out this premier grand cru of Sauternes from the 1855 classification.. A dessert wine that made primarily with a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and a touch of Muscadelle to give this wine a sweet and rounder balance on the palate. It is made with the help of the noble rot or known as Botrytis Cinerea which is a gift for this region as it helps to concentrate the grapes sugar level and intensify their flavour even more to create a sweet yet luscious wines for us to enjoy with honey based or dried fruit based dessert or even a plate of foie gras.. This dessert wine has a great balance of sugar, acidity and also alcohol as if it was being orchestrated by the great Mozart! It was being filled with an attractive aromas of dried apricots, tangerine, honeysuckle, beeswax, golden raisins that makes you inquisitive about the wine itself. In terms of taste, it is really well balanced with a balance of sweetness that wasn’t overpowering yet the texture on the palate isn’t too cloying. It has great balance with that fruit flavoured being intensified! It surprisingly goes well with that Fluffy and creamy rum baba with raisins and rum ice cream!
Cart noodles is something that is hard to find in KL and a must try when you are visiting Hong Kong! It is actually a very simple yet hearty bowl of noodles that is bathe in a sumptuous and flavourful broth of with pork or beef stock! For my bowl of cart noodles is bathe with beef stock that is filled with oodles of jewels like fish cakes, cubes of pigs blood and pork intestines which is braised lovingly for a long period of time.. This is actually a fun bowl as you can choose to create your own bowl of noodles from the toppings right up to the type of noodles! A specialty in Hong Kong and every stalls has their own spin to it!
In Hong Kong, there is always something to look forward to in every city or street lanes. In this tiny island, you can find that their hearts always skips a beat when it comes to Japanese food! They truly love the cuisine that you could find it from sushi till bbq and even the style of coffee! In Kwun Tong area, there is a Japanese buffet restaurant that allows you to chow down their offerings without any limit for 3 hours in an affordable price of HKD188. You just have to order it online via their app and it would be conveniently sent to the kitchen for preparation! Service here is speedy yet accurate & their offerings are really unique yet mouthwatering for every Japanese food lover! The one to look out for is their endless array of fresh sashimi that is not only fresh yet generous in terms of portion. Delicious!!
HK is filled with amazing food that you can munch on or just devour it constantly in every inch! Every turn of each street, there is something yummy to eat and see! In Ma On Shan, there lies a seafood restaurant that just have plentiful of live seafood ranging from abalone that just crowds every inch of the tank to the fresh and feisty Alaskan king crab that just make you go wow!! For HKD188 per KG, you can get a huge Alaskan King crab which is steamed to perfection and they will crack open the monster. But there is more fun to it when they hand over the scissors to you to pry open the shell that reveals to you a succulent and sweet flesh of the humongous crab! It’s really a great way to celebrate with that sweet and succulent crab to share.
HK start of the morning with a delicious treat of freshly made dim sum and together with some palm sugar Malay kuih! A must try in HK
Late night supper bak kut teh! Hearty bowl of mixed organs with herbal soup that would goes well with a bowl rice & minced garlic! 😍
