Der Grund, warum ich am Wochenende bereits nach Hong Kong geflogen bin: ich bekam eine Einladung zum Beef & Burgundy Lunch. Ein Club, der sich gutes Essen und Trinken und dies regelmaessig in den besten Restaurants zum Ziel gesetzt hat. Das Essen fand statt in einer Fabriketage in einem dieser Fabrikhochhaeuser im Aberdeen / HK. Wir mussten unten durch eine Fabrikhalle in den Lastenaufzug hoch in das oberste Geschoss. Dort oben hat sich eine kleine aber sehr feine Kueche eingenistet, die mit einem eigens eingeflogenen Chef aufwartete. Vom Mittagessen ging es direkt nach Wanchai in eine Bar, in der wir uns puenktlich zum Beginn des Wochenendes noch einen Tisch sichern konnten, um dies gebuehrend zu feiern. Eine kurze Beschreibung unseres Menüs:
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The afternoon commenced with a lovely chilled glass of the Henriot Brut Souverain NV Champagne, matched with a very enjoyable Welsh Rarebit Toast canape. The Champagne carried over to the first course, where the intense bubbles and rich flavours of the champagne paired brilliantly with the dense beef bone marrow and broth combination. This was a very unique course and pairing – congratulations to both Chef and Wine/Foodmaster for their vision with this course.
The following course was again typically British, with very flavoursome lamb sweetbreads and pearl barley offset with the freshness of mint, lemon and parsley. For such a hot day, this was a really well though out dish, and matched the Premier Cru Beaune it was paired with well. For many, this was the „Wine of the Day“, a beautifully perfumed wine that was delicate enough to match, without overpowering, the sweetbreads.
The main course was something to behold. 4 enormous plates with 4 enormous, complete Ox Tails were delivered to the table alongside a black, inky Clarendon Hills Bakers Gully Shiraz. The Ox Tails had been slow cooked for 6 hours in a combination of beef broth, pickled walnuts, vegetables and herbs, and were falling off the bone. The family-style serving was well-received by our diners and led to some great conversation about whether it was a cow, sheep or brontosaurus we were enjoying. The paired wine was a beauty, very typical of the McLaren Vale style and made by the people behind the cult „Astralis“ wine.
Desert was a trio of traditional English puddings: Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Rasberries, Rice Pudding and Blueberries and Sloe Gin and Orange. The sweet and tart flavours of the 3 dishes worked nicely with the young Sauterne, and in portion size and weight were exactly what was required after the enormous main course.
Cleansing ales needed to be consumed away from the venue as Stanley, Tom and the team had to prepare for a dinner they were hosting. Hans Brasseler kindly supplied the cigars which were enjoyed by the 15 or so members game enough to battle the heat at the Inside Out Bar in Causeway Bay.
It was a pleasure to have Tom Permberton and his Sous Chef cook for us with the backup of none other than Stanley himself. The quality, taste and uniqueness of the food we enjoyed was first-rate, as was the well laid-out venue. We were also very pleased to welcome Pierre Pommarede from Summergate Fine Wines, who kindly responded to our wine critiques and offered us excellent and heavily discounted wines for our enjoyment on the day. Please remember that all wines enjoyed are for sale to B&B Members at 20% off normal distributor prices as per the attached, so if you enjoyed any of the wines we consumed on Friday please don’t hesitate to contact Pierre directly to order.
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