Mummy's Food and Drinks: July 2013

The Best Margarita I've Had in Years - La Risata Classic Margarita

I've been missing my classic margarita days. Back in the Philippines, this is one of the few alcoholic drinks that I really enjoy during those nights with friends. When I arrived in Malaysia, I barely had a chance to grab this cocktail since I got pregnant, became a mother and well, yeah, drinks are quite expensive here. Which is a good thing to control alcohol intake (or so I thought, haha).

Last month, I had a good chance to meet my classic margarita again after a few years. Our cool, great boss treated us to dinner and drinks at La Risata in Damansara. At RM22 a glass, this margarita is the best I've had in town. The mix of tequila, lime juice and sugar syrup is just perfect with the taste of salt on the rim of the glass. I've actually tried some margaritas around town but somehow those just didn't taste right. But this one by La Risata is just great. So naturally, I ordered for a second glass!

La Risata Classic Margarita (Photo taken with an iPhone5)

I finished my first glass and was already on my second glass when we started choosing our food...yummm...

La Risata's menu needs some time to go thru...all are appetizing, can't choose one...

Here are some of the delicious food served that night. I got distracted by the food, my margarita's melting!

My chosen dinner: Fettucine All Albese (I think, hope I remembered it right, haha) at RM30. The creamy parmesan cheese sauce is captivating...ok, now this is making me crave for it again!

And this Bruschetta is damn good!

I didn't stay until so late, I still have home duties to accomplish. But my first dinner at La Risata certainly won't be the last...and, yes, I do drink other stuff aside from wine, guys!

Starhill Culinary Studio’s Wine Class with David Stephan

Wine never ceases to be an evolving subject with so many different facets. With thousands of different types of grapes used for its production, wines of the exact same grapes will surprisingly have different tastes and aromas depending on a lot of factors in winemaking. Prices of wines using the same type of grape might also have big differences. For those who enjoy wine, it’s still a wonder: is an expensive wine always better than a cheaper one? And this was what Starhill Culinary Studio’s wine class aimed to enlighten guests about.

The Wine Studio, located at the Muse Level of Starhill Gallery, is a warm and welcoming sight. The walls are adorned with shelves of varieties of wines; the tables are beautifully designed together with matching spittoon in between each pair of seats. For each guest, there awaits a Starhill Culinary Studio goodie bag, the wine class tasting notes kit and 6 wine glasses waiting to be filled with delicious beverage.

Themed Low vs. High Priced Wines, the wine class last 25th July was conducted by Wine Talk’s exclusive French sommelier, David Stephan. David introduced the students to three different wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux. Each type had a sample of low priced and high priced label so there was a total of 6 different wine labels tasted (and enjoyed). David started with the Chardonnay: one priced at around RM50 and another priced more than RM100. This also applied to the Pinot Noir and Bordeaux wherein each type had 2 labels with very different price range. He explained the factors affecting the quality and taste of wine very deeply, even showing different vineyard locations on each country’s map for fuller understanding on how the ‘terroir’ influences the wine produced from each vineyard. Terroir, by the way, “is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant's genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine, coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, heritage wheat, cannabis, and tea.” (Wikipedia)

There was so much information and knowledge to absorb from David. Some of which are difference between barrel and steel for storage of wines, weather and climate, some grape disease called botrytis that help produce good, sweet wines, biodynamic agriculture, and so much more (this David is really a walking wine-cyclopedia!). But probably the most interesting part is, of course, actually tasting each type of wine and discovering that the expensive one doesn’t necessarily mean that it suits your taste better. The Chardonnay, for one, received more votes on the lower-priced label.

Oh, and here are some of the canapés served during the class…

What was supposed to be a 3-hour session (6:30pm – 9:30pm) lasted longer than expected. Everybody was having a great time sampling the wines and asking David for more clarification about wine. There are just amazingly so many things to know and talk about this subject…does older mean better, what wines can be aged for years, what vintage is good for this certain type of wine, etc. The guests were very interactive and expressive of their interests and even shared their personal stories about wine.

One of the highlights of the night was a lucky draw for 2 bottles of wine: Monte da Peceguina Rosé (an exclusive label from Wine Talk). There were 2 winners who each bagged a bottle of this wine from David. Hooray for these guests!

Here’s the sommelier, David Stephan, with some of the guests…

And here are the 6 wonderful wines tasted during the class…

This wine class in Starhill Culinary Studio was truly wonderful and memorable. All of us had a great time (if only the night wasn’t so short!) and we all met a bunch of great people who share the same interest with wine. For those who would like to have better understanding and knowledge about this subject, attending a wine class like this at Starhill Culinary Studio will surely take you to a higher level of wine appreciation and experience. Cheers, guys!

For more information about wine class schedule, visit www.starhillculinarystudio.com

or call +603 2782 3810

For inquiries about wine or about David Stephan, visit www.winetalk.com.my or call 1300 88 9788

Spanish Sparkling Villa Conchi Cava

Last month, I had a good chance to try a sparkling wine from Spain. It's not very often that I come across a good-looking sparkling wine that's priced under RM100. This bottle was selling at only RM78.30 so it got my attention. Judging by the packaging, it looked like a premium sparkling and, what the heck, I gotta try.

See the gold labels and engravings? Not bad and I'd say it stands a competitive chance next to the big brands of champagne.

I brought the bottle for our family dinner to celebrate Father's Day last month. Since the men only welcome whiskey, brandy or beer into their drinking glasses, it was up to my sister-in-law and I to get this sparkling wine pouring. I actually enjoyed it! I just kept asking my husband to refill my glass. Feels a bit dry but suited our Chinese food that night which had some fish dishes and other meats. I can feel my face getting red, though, since I'm not (yet) used to having several wine glasses in a session. Wine tastings are fine but tastings normally serve wines at only tasting level, not drinking size up to 3/4 of the glass. Overall, this Villa Conchi Cava is an excellent sparkling wine choice which includes the ceremonial popping of the cork. The bottle presentation is also great which can make it a good celebration gift as well.

The Villa Conchi Cava Brut Seleccion:

Bottle size - 750ml

Alcohol content - 11.5%

Tasting Notes from a wine expert - The Brut Seleccion is a generous bubbly, with great balance of aromas between fruits and toasted nuances. This is perfect as an aperitif as well as an accompaniment for salads, rice and light fish dishes. Best served at 6-8 degrees Celsius.

Where to buy: www.winetalk.com.my

CITIBANK and WINE TALK treat Citigold clients to wine appreciation

An evening with David Stephan, Wine Talk’s exclusive sommelier

Citibank and Wine Talk teamed up to host a wine appreciation workshop exclusively for Citigold clients at La Bodega Lounge in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur on June 21, 2013.

The workshop was aimed at providing Citigold customers with a hands-on wine tasting experience and an understanding of wine labels under the guidance of Wine Talk’s exclusive wine expert or sommelier, David Stephan.

Wine beginners and enthusiasts were entertained to an evening of amazing wine facts, wine sampling, delicious canapés and interaction with the sommelier.

Kenneth Lim, Branch Head for Sales & Distribution of Citibank Damansara said, “Citibank–Citigold and Wine Talk created this workshop for customers, who are interested in wines but rarely have the opportunity to experience wine tasting with a sommelier, who can offer them guidance on wine selection and wine tasting."

David Stephan said Wine Talk, an online wine ordering and delivery service, offered customers the option to easily choose from over 400 different labels. For wine enthusiasts who wanted to explore new wines, Wine Talk’s Wine Club also provides home delivery service for a selection of great wines on selected months.

“Wine Talk guarantees selection and prices for all customers. For instance, customers will receive a new bottle of wine if they did not enjoy the wine they bought, provided the product is returned within 30 days of purchase. Customers will also receive a refund if the wine they ordered via Wine Talk was more expensive than that sold in major super and hypermarkets in Peninsular Malaysia. They must, however, return the product within 14 days of purchase,” Stephan added.

Amongst the wines sampled by Citigold customers were Wine Talk’s Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Chardonnay from Australia, Pinot Gris from France, Pinot Noir from Argentina, Bordeaux from France and a Portuguese red wine.