Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant

While working for a previous company, my office was located next to Mid Valley Megamall but I only ate at Brotzeit just once with a colleague. The food was great but it wasn't a regular option for me and friends to go to for lunch. Aside from the price concern of most employees for daily meal spending, I guess Western food is not really a top choice for a lot of locals. I, on the other hand, am a fan of good Western food.

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, Mid Valley Megamall

Last weekend, the early celebration of my sister-in-law's birthday brought me back to Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant. I never noticed their entire menu before. There's an appetizing selection of different dishes and pastas. Most of all, they had cocktails and a decent wine selection. 

On the first page of their menu, there's a brief introduction about Brotzeit. I find this good and interesting. I'm not sure if there are other people like me who'd really read it but it's great to see that they put some effort to explain what 'Brotzeit' means and what do they promise their customers. 

Brotzeit also had a selection of red, white and sparkling wines, available in glass serving or by the bottle. But that day, I was thirsty for something else...

I'm sure, by the look of Brotzeit's bar, that they have what I'm looking for...

The bar inside Brotzeit

My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and husband opted for Paulaner bier, of course...

But my mouth was watering for my usual classic frozen margarita. They didn't have the frozen type that I like (awww) so I settled for their classic crushed ice margarita...

Anyway, I still had a margarita and that made my night.

Margarita at Brotzeit

We had this big pork platter for dinner. Mix of pork knuckle, pork sausages, pork belly, roasted pork and meat loaf.

Here's another view. Notice the cute brand flag on top of the bone? 

The side dishes...

My dinner plate, pretending not to each so much but I actually had a few more helpings after this. Good bye to my diet plan for that day...

Lunch or dinner with my husband around won't be complete without him ordering an extra something for me. This macaroni and cheese was damn good, quite addicting, in fact. 

Good dinner, good margarita at a cozy spot inside Brotzeit was a great ender for that week. This restaurant is worth going back to, and also a nice place to hang around with friends. Cheers!

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant in Mid Valley is located at the Ground Floor, along the same row of Maybank, Chili's and Delicious. 

Check out their Facebook page for more info and updates

https://www.facebook.com/brotzeit1516

My Wine Class Experience with Sommelier Roderick Wong

I was so delighted to have been given the opportunity to attend Mr Roderick Wong's class at Starhill Culinary Studio yesterday, 10th August 2013. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon, just a day after the 2nd Raya holiday. I parked at Pavilion KL which was busy with streams of families celebrating a great weekend then walked happily across to Starhill Gallery where Starhill Culinary Studio's wine studio was about to engulf my senses with the aromas and taste of wines. 

Themed Bubbles of the World, the class was about understanding and exploring different sparkling wines from around the world, how a sparkling wine is made, and other interesting information about this specific type of wine. 

Bubbles of the World wine class by Roderick Wong

Roderick gave us this handout which I really appreciated because it contains a lot of useful information to understand the class and the sparkling wines more.

5 different sparkling wines  Prosecco, Sekt, Cava, Champagne, Sparkling Shiraz Cabernet

Roderick Wong started the class with a detailed explanation about the Champagne method of producing sparkling wines. It involves a long process with a lot of steps: harvesting, destalking, separation of juice, fermentation, blending (assemblage/ coupage), second fermentation, ageing, riddling, disgorgement, dosage, recording and wiring. Roderick said this is already a simplified version of the process so we can easily understand. OMG, so the actual process is even more complicated than this? Seriously, kudos to those winemakers!

Roderick also shared that a lot of people often mistake Champagne for other sparkling wines and are unaware that sparkling wines are not the same as sparkling juice. Champagnes are only produced in the Champagne region of France and are governed by very strict rules to be allowed to put 'Champagne' on their label. No other region or country is allowed to use the put 'Champagne'. But due to the extreme popularity of Champagne as probably the best sparkling wine, some people assumed that any sparkling wine is called Champagne. 

Some people also thought that when somebody says sparkling wine, it is the same as the ordinary sparkling juice available at the supermarket. The truth is there are a lot of other great sparkling wines from other countries and regions aside from Champagne in France, such as: Cremant from other regions in France aside Champagne, Spumante from Italy, Cava from Spain, Sekt from Germany, Cap Classique from South Africa and more. 

Roderick also gave us a helpful list of information to what 'Brut' and other words mean for wine. 

Opening a champagne or sparkling wine bottle can be tricky so we must be very careful when uncorking one. Here Roderick demonstrates how to uncork a bottle without letting the cork fly or pop loudly. It takes an expert skill, I believe, and I wouldn't dare to open one! Apparently, most of the accidents in restaurants/ bar come from flying corks!

Roderick Wong uncorking a Champagne bottle

We started with a Laurent-Perrier Champagne (yum). It's wonderful to see it bubbling on the glass. 

Pouring Champagne

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. I had to catch a photo before all the bubbles disappear!

Champagne and its bubbles on my wine glass

Here I was, tasting the precious bubbly from Champagne...

And here's my good friend, Jen, sniffing a Cava (sparkling wine from Spain), the 2nd wine for the class.

Pouring the 3rd sparkling wine - Sekt from Germany...

And probably the most interesting one I saw and tried was a sparkling red wine - Shiraz Cabernet from Australia...

All the 5 sparkling wines from around the world: Champagne, Cava, Spumante, Sekt, and Sparkling Red. I personally liked the 3rd wine - Spumante from Italy.

The class wouldn't be complete without some canapés...

Roderick Wong is a very articulate, knowledgeable and approachable sommelier (wine expert). He answered our questions happily and with some interesting personal stories as well. 

Me with Roderick Wong

Jen and Roderick Wong

Jen and I also met a few hot chicks during the class...

This wine class at Starhill Culinary Studio was truly wonderful and memorable. Not only were we able to sample great sparkling wines but we really learned a lot of useful information about this beverage which is viewed by many as a luxury drink. 

Kudos to Starhill Culinary Studio and to Mr Roderick Wong for hosting such an amazing class. We'll see you again soon!

For more information about Starhill's wine classes, visit www.starhillculinarystudio.com 

For more info about upcoming events with Mr Roderick Wong, check out their FB page - The Wine Academy Malaysia

Cheers!

Delicious Dining at La Bodega

I seldom go to Bangsar Village and much less do I visit Jalan Telawi. But when good food and great wines call, there's no doubt that this area within KL is a place to be. 

My hunger brought me to La Bodega Deli one Wednesday afternoon, 7th of August to be exact, the last day before Raya holidays. I was getting ready for another wine tasting event hosted at the same venue. Anyway, I needed to grab a quick bite before my wine session. For me, wine is more enjoyable when taken with just some light food so I better not be too hungry while "wine-ing". 

I've always enjoyed La Bodega's breakfast menu: the Big breakfast, the Omelette, English breakfast, French toast, Crepe...man, they're all good. And the great thing about La Bodega Deli is that they still serve the breakfast menu in the late afternoon or early evening. Some of you may find it weird but I love it. So I ordered another favorite: Scrambled Egg with Smoked Salmon on Toast. This is, so far, the best scrambled egg I've had in my life. Not to mention the healthiest as well... Smoked salmon makes it even more delicious, good for health and good for the skin!

Of course, I'm not just in love with their breakfast menu. The pastas and tapas are mouth-watering as well. My other faves include Linguine Alfredo, Deep Fried Goat Cheese (OMG, this is really a must-try!), Calamares Fritos and Gambas al Ajillo (Tiger prawns in some delicious sauce). Well, let me save those for another post. There's so much to try. And being a cheese addict, I'd love to indulge in their cheese platter one of these days!

The La Bodega Lounge where the wine tasting event was hosted is just above the La Bodega Deli. To reach the lounge, a flight of wooden stairs is strategically placed right beside the facade of the deli. I love how the stairs, together with the paintings hung neatly on the wall, gives a warm feeling and homeliness. The Spanish theme is just a delight and very comforting. 

The lounge has a wide selection of wines and other liquors. The staff were all very friendly, quick and easy to talk to. 

The La Bodega Lounge is just perfect for spending time with friends. Great selection of food that matches well with great wines are accessible from the deli and great wines are ready to be served by the lounge. 

And so the night went on with the wine tasting. I had a wonderful time, met a lot of new and exciting group of people, and everyone went home happy (and red-cheeked!). Thanks once again to the La Bodega team for their great service. 

Here are a few of La Bodega's friendly staff...

Cheers to all of you!

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