floppydrive Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 Hi Guys! The Tivoli of Mandarin is offering wine with matching 7 course dinners once a month! Bottomless wine glasses, according to the author: http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/...rticle_id=20846 I guess for now we can only dream about it with everyone so busy. Cheers! ____________________________ Nights of fine dining, days of cooking lessons By Michaela FenixInquirerLast updated 00:27am (Mla time) 09/14/2006 Published on Page C2 of the September 14, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer VERY quietly, the Mandarin Oriental Manila has been holding a wine dinner every last Friday of the month for four years now. Held at the Tivoli, the hotel’s signature restaurant, “Nights of Wine and Fine Dining” offers a seven-course meal paired with featured wines. The wines, by the way, are unlimited or “bottomless,” in the parlance of the fast-food scene. The latest of this monthly feature was an opportunity, as well, to introduce the new sous chef, Stefan Trepp, who has been here for only a few months. It was also an occasion to introduce one of the wine masters of the Grant Burge Wineries of Australia, among the guests in the recent “Toast 2006,” the annual wine-tasting event of Wine Depot, a wine distributor. Craig Stanborough gave guests that evening an idea of where the Grant Burge Wineries are. Drawing what he hoped looked like Australia, he showed where the Barossa and Eden valleys were in the southern part of the country. Barossa is one of the most favored location for wineries. Stanborough said it was where vegetables were once planted by mostly German immigrants who settled there. Prime location He said, “Thank heavens the grapes won out.” And now those valleys are prime places for growing vines. The Eden Valley Riesling 2006 right away pointed to the German-immigrant history of the place. It was light and perfect for the amuse bouche served. Trepp identified himself right away as a chef to watch out for with the very first course—pan-fried potato terrine, delicate layers of potato with smoked salmon roulade and keta caviar (salmon roe). It came on a teaspoon, beautiful to behold and a winner in both flavor and texture. Another amuse bouche was served, a terrine where the delicate layers consisted of confit of chicken leg and foie gras served with a mango praline and a five-spice smoothie. Read the last word as a foam, the new way to present a sauce, much airier and, some say, much more concentrated in flavor. We were to have another foam later. An Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2004 was tasted before the second course was brought in. It had the unmistakable aroma of oak. While some wineries make it a point to say their chardonnay is un-oaked, the Grand Burge has kept the oak. It was served with the lobster crème brûlée, a cool thick soup if you will. Trepp said he would have wanted it to be a bit thinner. The cepe mushroom ravioli was served next with a Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, a very light red. Palate cleanser was an interesting carrot ginger sorbet. We all looked at each other as we were reminded of salabat. Trepp served a roast venison loin medallion with a foam of creamed parsnips, green pea and sage, every ingredient contributing to the total taste and yet keeping the flavors separate. The wine was The Holy Trinity, Grenache Shiraz Murvedre 2001. Shiraz is so identified with Australia. The trinity bit really refers to the three grape varieties combined to make the wine. How holy depends on the drinker. Into our sixth course of crispy fried goat cheese with a salsa of tomato and basil, my favored red wine was served. It was Filsell Shiraz 2003. I have expensive tastes because this is an expensive shiraz from Grant Burge. A warm chocolate fondant capped the dinner. The fondant was served with a white chocolate ice cream and a powdered chocolate facsimile of the Mandarin Oriental logo. A fitting, filling end until the cooking lessons conducted by Chef Trepp a few days after. Three recipes in two hours The lessons took less than two hours and yet the chef went through three recipes, all with Asian influence. He is Swiss and this is his first job in Asia. He says his knowledge of the spices and way of cooking comes from his chef and other co-workers in his two previous work places, California and the Burj al Arab in Dubai. Like most good chefs, he made the cooking lessons seem easy. The salmon ceviche is his take on the kinilaw, only this time, the fillet is marinated for at least four hours in a coconut milk mix full of flavors from chili, coriander, lemon grass, lime and ginger juice. He served it with a mango salsa. Main course was a confit of duck with a vanilla-thyme risotto. His technique included toasting the duck skin with a blow torch, simmering the duck covered with fat and many herbs and spices. His presentation had the confit on a bed of risotto and served with a ginger-glazed green pechay. Finally, he cooked a jasmine crème brûlée with a lotus paste ice cream. The crème brûlée was cooked on a bain-marie, the way we cook our leche flan. But his best cooking tip was how to tell if the ice cream mixture had the right consistency. He dipped a wooden spoon into the mixture then took it out and blew into it. The he showed us a form shaped like a rose. When that appears then the next step is the ice cream machine. We did get to eat what we prepared that day, complemented by wines that head waitress Gail Gonzales annotated. So, for our ceviche, we had a pinot gris, Spy Valley 2004 from New Zealand. For the confit it was a light Beaujolais Cruise, St. Leger, Burgundy 2001. And our dessert was served with a Riesling, Late Harvest Columbia Crest, USA 1998. Expect cooking classes on Oct. 21 featuring the Tivoli’s bestsellers and on Nov. 18, Christmas dishes. The cooking classes are inclusive of lunch and offered at P1,700+. Quote Link to comment
masi Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 It was a warm and very humid Saturday when friends dropped by the house for some chit-chat (more like brainstorming!). I opened a bottle of Banrock Station 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. An uneventful wine. Was quite exhausted that night since, I was helping some foreign national look for office space in Makati. Some much interesting conversation transpired that night. Well I guess a mediocre bottle of wine could be brought up a notch by the company you keep. Have a great week!!! Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Just did some catching up on news - and to my surprise, a typhoon! Wow - didn't even know that was coming! Hope eveyrone is okay, and aside from the inconvenience of losing power, no one was severly affected. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Just did some catching up on news - and to my surprise, a typhoon! Wow - didn't even know that was coming! Hope eveyrone is okay, and aside from the inconvenience of losing power, no one was severly affected. thanks, pare!good thing you were not in the middle of one of your Asian swings when the typhoon hit, otherwise.....well, come to think of it - it would not be that bad if you do get stranded here everything is ok here except for some parts that have no electricity yet up till now. I think all the winos have managed to weather the storm, hopefully with some bottle or two. I finally got to try the McGuigan Bin 4000 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, upon the recommendation of the very solicituous lady manning the Wine Depot store the last time I was there. All I can say is she got her wine smarts all in the right place - the Mcguigan, which I have passed over in all my trips there, was absolutely fantastic (for its price range of about P650). Great mouth feel, no thinness here, exceptional finish, great bouquet, and all the flavors you would expect of a cab frolicking in your mouth have a great week ahead, fellow lovers of the vine hehehe Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Just did some catching up on news - and to my surprise, a typhoon! Wow - didn't even know that was coming! Hope eveyrone is okay, and aside from the inconvenience of losing power, no one was severly affected. thanks, pare!good thing you were not in the middle of one of your Asian swings when the typhoon hit, otherwise.....well, come to think of it - it would not be that bad if you do get stranded here everything is ok here except for some parts that have no electricity yet up till now. I think all the winos have managed to weather the storm, hopefully with some bottle or two. I finally got to try the McGuigan Bin 4000 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, upon the recommendation of the very solicituous lady manning the Wine Depot store the last time I was there. All I can say is she got her wine smarts all in the right place - the Mcguigan, which I have passed over in all my trips there, was absolutely fantastic (for its price range of about P650). Great mouth feel, no thinness here, exceptional finish, great bouquet, and all the flavors you would expect of a cab frolicking in your mouth have a great week ahead, fellow lovers of the vine hehehe Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 thanks, pare!good thing you were not in the middle of one of your Asian swings when the typhoon hit, otherwise.....well, come to think of it - it would not be that bad if you do get stranded here everything is ok here except for some parts that have no electricity yet up till now. I think all the winos have managed to weather the storm, hopefully with some bottle or two. I finally got to try the McGuigan Bin 4000 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, upon the recommendation of the very solicituous lady manning the Wine Depot store the last time I was there. All I can say is she got her wine smarts all in the right place - the Mcguigan, which I have passed over in all my trips there, was absolutely fantastic (for its price range of about P650). Great mouth feel, no thinness here, exceptional finish, great bouquet, and all the flavors you would expect of a cab frolicking in your mouth have a great week ahead, fellow lovers of the vine hehehe I was lucky enough to miss traveling in September but I will be in China the last week of October! With luck, there won't be a typhoon! Good to see you're okay, though and hope everyone else is, too! Opened a Fenestra 2002 Pinot Noir last sunday and finished it off last night. Sunday, it started out a bit herbaceous - not "green" but a noticable taste of some herb that I struggle to identify. Fresh rosemay, perhaps? But last night not a hint of that! Smooth, almost sweet in its mild tannins and really forward fruit. Red berries and cherries exploding on the palate. Some plum hiding in the back. Overall, a bit one-dimensional but not too bad and pa pretty wine to go with my salami and cheese dinner. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 I was lucky enough to miss traveling in September but I will be in China the last week of October! With luck, there won't be a typhoon! Good to see you're okay, though and hope everyone else is, too! Opened a Fenestra 2002 Pinot Noir last sunday and finished it off last night. Sunday, it started out a bit herbaceous - not "green" but a noticable taste of some herb that I struggle to identify. Fresh rosemay, perhaps? But last night not a hint of that! Smooth, almost sweet in its mild tannins and really forward fruit. Red berries and cherries exploding on the palate. Some plum hiding in the back. Overall, a bit one-dimensional but not too bad and pa pretty wine to go with my salami and cheese dinner. we'll keep our fingers crossed, pare as we know you'll be traveling with your family that time... that Fenestra description of yours makes me want to check out a Pinot Noir on my next visit to the wine store I'm back again to my usual Angove's...... Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 we'll keep our fingers crossed, pare as we know you'll be traveling with your family that time... that Fenestra description of yours makes me want to check out a Pinot Noir on my next visit to the wine store I'm back again to my usual Angove's...... I'm finding more and more good pinots from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma and also from the Santa Lucia Highlands area bordering the Paso Robles area. J (Nicole's Vineyard is especially nice), Davis Bynum, Armida, Pisotti, to name a few..... Picked up a Laughing Magpie from Australia this last weekend. anyone know anything about it? A blend of syrah and viognier. Strange kid of blend - a red and a white! The resulting wine is red, I guess, at least that's what it looks like through the bottle. I'm expecting it to be a light red, bordering on a rose, but we'll see. I plan to smoke some meat this weekend and it may be a perfect time to open the wine. Smoking will take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours - I'm doing a beef brisket. I need something to quaff while I tend the smoker and watch my football games so this just might be it. And for dinner with the brisket - something nice from Coppola, I think. A '96 or '97 Cask Cabernet, perhaps? Or maybe the Wood Family 2002 Syrah....... Quote Link to comment
storm Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Hello there my friends. We survived the wrath of Milenyo. We were caught on the site where I'm installing my large scale sculpture. I never thought Milenyo was that strong. I wanted to see how my sculpture would behave in such strong winds. To my surprise, it's like we're caught in the middle of a live TWISTER movie. My car was heavily damaged so I decided to leave the place amids flying GI sheets and plywoods. Luckily for us because those who stayed suffered a lot more. The sculpture survived with very minor damage. Thank God. Anyway, we had a street party in our village and opened some Latin American wines like Astica (Argentina) and MontGras (Chile) Cab Sauv. I am no expert but I found them good for my taste that I'll buy some bottles when I go to the wine store. :thumbsupsmiley: I bought the Astica in Shopwise. I don't know where to buy the MontGras. Quote Link to comment
floppydrive Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 (edited) Hi Guys! Milenyo (can't say the "Storm", hehehe) literally blew off our factory roof just as it was coming in Thursday morning. We spent Friday, Sat & Sunday fixing. Electricity only came back last Tuesday night. So Thursday to Tuesday, we were finishing up whatever stocks we had in the ref & freezer. I spent the weekend cooking! Finally got to make osso bucco using a Hardy's Merlot 2004 (yan, di na OT). It was decent enough, but now I know what to do to make it better next time. Now my LDL level is way above normal! hehehe Hope you guys are ok! Cheers! Storm,So sorry about your car. It's good that you're ok. BTW, where's your sculpture located? Can we see it? Edited October 5, 2006 by floppydrive Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Hello there my friends. We survived the wrath of Milenyo. We were caught on the site where I'm installing my large scale sculpture. I never thought Milenyo was that strong. I wanted to see how my sculpture would behave in such strong winds. To my surprise, it's like we're caught in the middle of a live TWISTER movie. My car was heavily damaged so I decided to leave the place amids flying GI sheets and plywoods. Luckily for us because those who stayed suffered a lot more. The sculpture survived with very minor damage. Thank God. Anyway, we had a street party in our village and opened some Latin American wines like Astica (Argentina) and MontGras (Chile) Cab Sauv. I am no expert but I found them good for my taste that I'll buy some bottles when I go to the wine store. :thumbsupsmiley: I bought the Astica in Shopwise. I don't know where to buy the MontGras. I think there's Montgras too at Shopwise. Otherwise, there might be some at Unimart or Makati Supermart.Sorry to hear about your car - I hope that was not the SUV ha. Anyway I also read that the area there - Market Market in particular - was nightmarish during Milenyo. Ceiling tiles daw were falling off at the height of the storm..Do I hear the unveiling on Oct. 10? Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Hi Guys! Milenyo (can't say the "Storm", hehehe) literally blew off our factory roof just as it was coming in Thursday morning. We spent Friday, Sat & Sunday fixing. Electricity only came back last Tuesday night. So Thursday to Tuesday, we were finishing up whatever stocks we had in the ref & freezer. I spent the weekend cooking! Finally got to make osso bucco using a Hardy's Merlot 2004 (yan, di na OT). It was decent enough, but now I know what to do to make it better next time. Now my LDL level is way above normal! hehehe Hope you guys are ok! Cheers! Storm,So sorry about your car. It's good that you're ok. BTW, where's your sculpture located? Can we see it? nice to hear you're ok, pare. I hope the roof is fixed now - though malaking gastos nga yan....We were lucky in our area as we had power at just the day after - Friday 5pm. Sa Alabang nga, kahapon lang nagkaroon so the resto was closed for almost a week pare try to consume whatever is left of that Hardy's to lower your LDL levels Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 I'm finding more and more good pinots from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma and also from the Santa Lucia Highlands area bordering the Paso Robles area. J (Nicole's Vineyard is especially nice), Davis Bynum, Armida, Pisotti, to name a few..... Picked up a Laughing Magpie from Australia this last weekend. anyone know anything about it? A blend of syrah and viognier. Strange kid of blend - a red and a white! The resulting wine is red, I guess, at least that's what it looks like through the bottle. I'm expecting it to be a light red, bordering on a rose, but we'll see. I plan to smoke some meat this weekend and it may be a perfect time to open the wine. Smoking will take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours - I'm doing a beef brisket. I need something to quaff while I tend the smoker and watch my football games so this just might be it. And for dinner with the brisket - something nice from Coppola, I think. A '96 or '97 Cask Cabernet, perhaps? Or maybe the Wood Family 2002 Syrah....... enjoy that weekend, pare. For us here we're just hoping the next typhoons don't come just yet. You know, may pangalan na nga yung mga kasunod eh. The next typhoon according to PAGASA is Ompong, while there are others named as Sibasib, Rapido, etc. Not very encouraging names, I should say Speaking of funny names, that's a downright funny name for the Aussie wine you got. I just hope the Laughing Magpie don't taste funny hehehe.There are lots of unusual, weird, funny names for wines from all over the world. Some of these are (I'm not making this up, mga pare hehehe): Cleavage Creek - I think drinking this wine may make you focus on a lot of .......he he creeks Not recommended to drink in a bar with many female patrons around Fat Bastard - hmmmm we may sometimes be bastards, but I hope we don't get fat by drinking lots of wines Frogs' Piss - luckily this is a wine, not some beer hehehe... Goats Do Roam - great sense of humor, these guys have - a hilarious intro to French wines? Cardinal Zin - pareng agxo, I think this is an American wine...might give Mompo some stiff competition Cat's Leap - hahahahaha! I think this is for those who can't afford that Stag's Leap - aba mahusay din yatang tumalon ang mga pusa.... Unpronounceable Grape - now this is really socking them up to the French .........marami pa eh. maybe I'll list them down next time hehehe have a great day all you winos out there! Quote Link to comment
floppydrive Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I think there's Montgras too at Shopwise. Otherwise, there might be some at Unimart or Makati Supermart.Sorry to hear about your car - I hope that was not the SUV ha. Anyway I also read that the area there - Market Market in particular - was nightmarish during Milenyo. Ceiling tiles daw were falling off at the height of the storm..Do I hear the unveiling on Oct. 10? Does this mean the sculpture is in Serendra? Re Hardy's - since there was no electricity, it was a warm bottle. :thumbsdownsmiley: Used all of it in cooking. :thumbsupsmiley: :cool: The Goats Do Roam got me laughing! Reminds me of an Irish beer bottle we got in Athena - Holy GrALE. For Monty Pithon Fans daw. Quote Link to comment
storm Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Hi Guys! Milenyo (can't say the "Storm", hehehe) literally blew off our factory roof just as it was coming in Thursday morning. We spent Friday, Sat & Sunday fixing. Electricity only came back last Tuesday night. So Thursday to Tuesday, we were finishing up whatever stocks we had in the ref & freezer. I spent the weekend cooking! Finally got to make osso bucco using a Hardy's Merlot 2004 (yan, di na OT). It was decent enough, but now I know what to do to make it better next time. Now my LDL level is way above normal! hehehe Hope you guys are ok! Cheers! Storm,So sorry about your car. It's good that you're ok. BTW, where's your sculpture located? Can we see it? Our home is lucky coz electricity came back about 6pm the same day. Minimal damage in our village. The sculpture is opposite Net One, McDonald's and One McKinley. The unveiling is scheduled on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9 am sharp. I think there's Montgras too at Shopwise. Otherwise, there might be some at Unimart or Makati Supermart.Sorry to hear about your car - I hope that was not the SUV ha. Anyway I also read that the area there - Market Market in particular - was nightmarish during Milenyo. Ceiling tiles daw were falling off at the height of the storm..Do I hear the unveiling on Oct. 10? It's the Astra Wagon. The unveiling is scheduled on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9 am sharp. All of you fellow winos are invited. Quote Link to comment
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