The Man from Mosel River

The other day I joined some colleagues and recent acquaintances of mine for a test eating at a small but very renown restaurant in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Top Hat Restaurant is the name of this very charming place (www.top-hat-restaurants.com).

It is housed in a building of the 1930ies which used to be a school. Its old colonial architecture with high ceilings, broad verandas and porches radiates a unique atmosphere. Its interior is a fusion of as many different Asian styles as one can imagine, some very colourful elements among them, teak furniture and some antiques complementing the exotix mixture. We were tasted a set menu for a function later that week.

The reception hall of Top Hat restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

The cuisine is presenting a mixture of various Asian cooking styles, including Nonya, Malacca Portuguese and traditional Malay recipes, here and there with the sprinkle of some European inspired dishes. Since I had already eaten, I did not join the tasting except for the desserts and had a glass of house red instead. The pictures below show some of the dishes presented to the test eaters.

Various starters and entrees

A main dish: Seafood pasta

A chicken dish

I joined the eating for the desserts. We could choose among four dishes, a tiramisu cake, a chocolate delight, a fruit crumble with cream and a vanilla creme brullee I could not decide which one if favour most. I liked the apple crumble with vanilla ice cream but loved the even better the pudding cream below.

My favourite dessert

The wine list is impressive too. It includes big names, mainly from France and Australia. Below I show you a glimpse of it. Excellent stuff for sure.

Champagne

Rose

Lanson, Rose N.V, Reims

Laurent Perrier, L.P. Brut Rose N.V., Tours-Sur-Marne

Vintage

Krug, 88 Clos de Mesnil, Reims

Lanson, 95 Noble Cuvee Blanc de Blanc, Reims

Laurent Perrier, 95 Grand Seicle, Tours-Sur-Marne

Laurent Perrier, 90 Grand Seicle, Tours-Sur-Marne

Moet et Chandon, 95 Dom Perignon, Epernay

M, et et Chandon, 96 Dom Perignon, Epernay

Veuve Clicqout Ponsardin, 95 La Grand Dame, Reims

Whites

Sauvignon Blanc

Cloudy Bay, 03, Marlborough, New Zealand

Tekoko, Cloudy Bay, 01, Marlborough, New Zealand

Villa Maria, Reserve, Wairau Valley, New Zealand

Chardonnay

Cullen, 00, Margaret River, Western Australia

Pierro, 00, Margaret River, Western Australia

William Fevre, Premier Cru Fourchaume, 01, Chablis, Burgundy, France

Red

Pinot Noir

Domaine Antonin Guyon, Regis de Valliere, 00, Gevrey Chambertin, Cotes de Nuit, Burgundy, France

Bouchard Pere & Fils, 98/99, Vosne Romance, Cotes de Nuit, Burgundy, France

Merlot & Pomerol

Chateau LaFleur Petrus, 99, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

Chateau LaFleur Petrus, 00, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

Chateau Latour A Pomerol, 99, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

Chateau Latour A Pomerol, 00, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

I skip the Cabernet Sauvignon and blends section. There is also a section with Italian and Spanish wines made from Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo which I skip.

Shiraz

Barossa Valley Estate, E & E Black Pepper, 99, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Eileen Hardy, 97, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Henschke, Mount Edelstone, 99, Eden Valley, South Australia

Leasingham, Classic Clare, 98, Clare Valley, South Australia

M. Chapoutier, Les Becasses, 98, Cote Rotie, Rhone, France

M. Chapoutier, Ermitage L’Pavillon, 96, Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia

Chateau Thabilk, 1860 Vines, 88, Cote Rotie, Rhone, France

Yalumba, Octavius, 97, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Top Hat Restaurant is also a hot tip for cigar afficionados like me. They offer a separate room where you can enjoy your smoke without a bad conscience that your enjoyment might negatively affect other eaters.

Enjoying the times

All photos were made available courtesy to my colleague from Bangkok, Dr. Busarin Dusadeeisariyawong (Mary).
Thank you Mary.

Where to go in Kuala Lumpur:

Top Hat Restaurant
No. 7, Jalan Kia Peng
Kuala Lumpur
Tel.: 03-2141-8611
Reservations recommended
Hours: lunch Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and dinner daily 6-10:30pm

When doing my research on the internet for my entry on Sucellus and Nantosuelta, I came across a webpage which advertised a very different kind of ‘Sucellus’. On www.sucellus.de Dr. Willi Rieth from Kinheim, Mosel produces a ‘Mosel Sherry’ called Sucellus. Dr. Rieth is by profession a food analyst. In his spare time he is hobby vintner. Because the name ‘sherry’ is protected by law, the drink has to be called a wine aperitif. Kinheim is the location where a statue of Sucellus dating back to the 3rd century AD was found in 1976 during land consolidation works. Dr. Rieth decided to call his wine aperitif Sucellus after the Celtic god of vintners and coopers.

Dr. Willi Rieth and a statue of ‘Sucellus’, the Celtic god of vintners and coopers, in Kinheim, Mosel

Some claim that sherry production is one of the most complex of all winemaking methods. In the South of Spain where Sherry originates from three main grape varieties are used ofr Sherry production: Palomino, Pedro Jimenex and Moscatel. Along the Mosel, its of course Riesling grapes on which the ‘wine aperitif’ is based. The mature Riesling grapes are hand-harvested and carefully pressed. The must is fermented in large oak barrels (barrique). After the wine is made and the conditions are right, a specific yeast, called the flor, forms on top of the wine and mellows the flavour. After that the wine is fortified usually with clear wine alcohol which preserves and protects the sherry against microbiological influences. The aging and blending of Sherry is quite a complex procedure where various systems are employed (for instance the Solera system).

The wine aperitif ‘Sucellus’ from Kinheim

The above bottle has travelled the world and made more than 800,000 km in the air (about 18 times around the aquator) which brought an entry into the Guinness Book of Records. Even Indonesia was on the list of the countries, where the bottle touched down some 10 years ago.

PS: Both photos were made available by Dr. Rieth

Given the traffic chaos in the capital city of Indonesia, it is important to have a ‘watering hole’ somewhere nearby. Today I would like to invite you to the Connoisseur, a small wine bar in a shopping centre in South Jakarta near to my home in Lebak Bulus.

I have lived for more than nine years in Jakarta. Many of my friends assume that Indonesia is a Muslim country and that alcohol must be hard to get. Well, the majority of Indonesian people (about 85% of the population of about 220 million people) are Muslim but in fact Indonesia is a secular state as most other states in the region. Despite the terrorist attacks in Bali and other locations, the Indonesian archipelago is a very peaceful, pluralistic and tolerant place. Wine lovers have the freedom to pursue their hobby and sample fine wines. Various wine societies and circles exist with not only expats as members but with a heavy local contingent.

In 2007, however, it’s been more difficult to get hold of fine wine than in previous years. Rumour has it that there was a problem with the import licenses and that therefore only the duty free outlets have stocks left whereas other wine sellers have run out of the liquid.

However that may be only about 10 minutes from our home is a shopping mall for the lower middle-class called ‘Citos’. This is a place bubbling with people. There are many small shops and many more little restaurants, most of them of the fast food type. On the ground floor is a small wine bar, named ‘Connoisseur’. Though the place could benefit from a renovation (some of the chairs show cigarette holes and other stains), it’s quite cosy and has a very relaxed atmosphere. The range of wines on offer is amazing. Many of the bottles on display do look a bit ‘worn’ tough with some dust accumulated and some of the labels torn. Prices seem to be reasonable. Nibbles and finger food can be ordered from the neighbouring shops and food courts.

The Connoisseur with wine racks

We went for some ‘save’ Australian red, a ‘2002 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz’ (www.wynns.com.au). The estate is located in the famous “terra rossa” strip which produces intensely concentrated flavours. The 2002 vintage was cooler than other years therefore the wines are elegant and show good structure. They are barrel aged (old and new oak) for about 11 months. The bottle looked a bit ‘battered’. Because of the tropical climate conditions in Jakarta one is never sure how wine was handled (sometimes one can find ‘cooked’ wine when containers or bottles spend too much time in the sun and the moist heat). The bottle was reasonably priced for Jakarta conditions (about 320,000 INR which is about 26 EURO). For comparison I tried to find some current Australian prices but I only found the 2003 vintage Shiraz on the internet for about 60 A$.

The wine was deep red. It showed a nose of black peppers and dark berry fruit flavours. It has a good mid palate weight and a strong finish. Margit and I enjoyed a relaxed Friday evening with a good drop of Australian wine. Come and visit us, we’ll take you there.