Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

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Food photos are of REAL food with no photoshop

The suave and debonair Travelling Gourmet goes to taste…

MARINATED Sea Scallop with Edamame and Bonito (dried tuna) Flakes served with Mango & Basil Puree in Concorde Hotel on bustling Orchard Road.

A very good match with this hors d’oeuvre was Chapman Grove white wine…Attitcus Chardonnay 2007 with mineral notes and buttery nuances from the ML+ (malo-lactic fermentation) and 9 months oak treatment. ML+ coverts malic acid into lactic acid which is more palate pleasing. The Atticus range is only produced when the grapes are of the best quality.

The winemaker jovial Ron Fraser waxed lyrical about his award winning wines from the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia. “All the fruit is from our own vineyards and we bottle all our wines under screw-cap for freshness. We started in 1987 and have 33 hectares under vine.”

The next dish to be served was a nicely baked Quail with Grilled Asparagus, Matsutake Mushroom served with a slightly sweet Figs and Red Berry Sauce. The sweetness of the sauce helped to offset the gamey flavour of the quail meat. The meat had not been overcooked by the Concorde’s Executive Chef, jolly Sunny Goh. Game meats if ‘well done’ become very tough and chewy due to their high muscle mass.

With the quail, an Australian Shiraz in the form of Atticus 2007. Ripe red berry fruit with oaky undertones and lovely flavours of ripe black cherries with Grison de viande (ham) notes and subtle white pepper made this a good match for the game. Note that this Shiraz is not your typical Australian Shiraz with intense pepper nuances.

Live to eat is my motto and I felt good when the next course came. One of my favourite meats…ravishing Rack of Lamb with semi-dried Tomato and Mint Crust. The crust was not crispy enough in my opinion and more mint was needed, but the succulent lamb meat was very good. Chestnut infused mash Pototo was the carbohydrate accompaniment. This main was paired with Atticus Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic grape varietal used in the Bordelaise blend and widely referred to as an ‘international’ grape. This wine is crafted with 18 months of oak aging of which 40% is new oak. Unlike many “fruit bombs” Australaina wines, this wine is more to the Old World style. Fine soft tannins which were not aggressive and flavours of sour plums and fruits of the forest, plus an aromatic strawberry nose made it very palate friendly. I always say : never ever say this or that is to die for…because when you are dead you cannot taste or enjoy any food or wine!

What would we do without dessert? Cry a lot…Well, the dessert was very Sardinian in nature…A wine Gelee made with Shiraz wine and red berries like raspberries, strawberries and red currants, plus Bleu au Lait, Tomme and Camembert Fromage (Cheese).

This was paired with spritely and very young and nubile Chapman Grove Shiraz Rose 2013. To be brutally frank which is not my style…it is very easy to match wine with cheese. Even a bad wine when matched with cheese…tastes good. Nevertheless, when the wine pairing is good, the wine will taste marvellous.

I was pleased to dine and chat with my friend, Leo Llambi, the GM of the Concorde Hotel. As Shakespeare said: Good food, good wine and good company make good people.

When it comes to wine and cuisine, keeping an open mind will always bring you on a fulfilling journey of discovery. Bon appetit, or as they say in Oz (Australia): Dig In Mate! 🙂

Concorde Hotel,

100, Orchard Road

Singapore 238840

Tel: 65 6733 8855