Bubbly Appeal

I just got back from another trip to Hong Kong. This time I went for a gala dinner at Conrad HK hosted by Estates & Wines in courtesy of Moet Hennessy Thailand and my lovely source Khun Kob Prapanin … who always invited me to many ultra swanky parties around town.. and this time she flew me all the way to Hong Kong just for this special night.

Estates & Wines is an affiliate of Moet Hennessy with wine selections from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and California who all came to Hong Kong with their winemakers setting up testing booths for medias from Southeast Asia, including 2 beauties from Thailand. Piak (Image) and me tried everything on the table and looked so ridiculous with our totally blushed heads… but it was so fun..

Wines at the parties include the following brands with the starred ones my personal favorite, definitely have to seek them out next time I hit a decent wine cellar..

Cloudy Bay (New Zealand) with fantastic Sauvignon Blanc** and Chardonnay**

Newton (Napa Valley, CA) with Unfiltered Chardonnay***

Green Point (Australia) with Non Vintage Rose (Sparkling Wine)*** and Non Vintage Sparkling Pinot Shiraz*****

Cape Mentelle (Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003***

Casa Lapostolle (Chile) Cuvee Alexabdre Merlot 2006****

Cheval des Andes (Argentina) Cheval des Andes 2005 ***

Here’s some scenes from the gala dinner and the bubbling brunch that preceded the event. Featured and much adored included Green Point Non Vintage Rose and Vintage 2003.

This is a wonderful dish at the dinner.. smoked scallop served in an air-tight jar.. that opens up with absolutely fantastic smoky aroma … this one is perfect with a glass of chilled Green Point Non Vintage or their 2003 Vintage which tastes like a longer-aged Moet.

I am also very much in love with Green Point Vintage Sparkling Pinot Shiraz, a bubbling red to be exact.. which is a bit sweet and goes perfectly well with the served baked lamb. Life is so good knowing about that delicious combinations.

Also, we attended a wine-Chinese food pairing workshop and learnt that the real Chinese soy sauce makes many Chinese dishes comparable to any red.. we tried it with blanched sea shrimp served in a typically HK style with a soy sauce dip enhanced with slices of fresh ginger and a bit of fresh chili. The taste with white was ok, but with red, it was sublime.. really. Also, sweet savoury dish such as BBQ pork, even with the rule of red with pork, goes better with chilled white for the acidity of the drink erase the greasiness of the bite. Try it next time you have BBQ pork.

But crispy baked pork still goes with the red, though.

HK was crippled by daily heavy rains and monsoons everyday we were there, but still we walked around a lot. Thanks to the subway walkway tunnels, raincoat, CROCS shoes and foldable umbrella, I went EVERYWHERE . We also managed to eat like HK one morning with arrays of dim sum, congee with dried cabbage and stir-fried noodles… which again live up to every bit of my expectation from this favorite city.

Wiwat’s Goose

At the table munching through La Tour’s duck, a real gourmand tipped me off about Wiwat’s (Hokki) braised goose that he claimed to be the best in Bangkok thanks to the dish’s thick and savoury relish. When someone told me they had tried a good dish not too far off from my regular budgets, it usually does not take me too long to try it on my own.

Three of us (dad, hubby and me) went to Wiwat’s last two weeks and found the place packed even at early lunch hours. It seemed everyone there knew what to expect because menu was not handed out automatically; guests come in to order their regular dishes. I ordered a plate of braised goose meat, wings and belly (which is a bit fatty, silky and aromatic)… Here, they usually have the goose with steamed rice, and you can dash in a bit of soy sauce available on every table as a staple condiment. This dish is surprisingly affordable at around Bt200… I used to pay as much as Bt350 for this similar portion at Goose restaurant Chau Kim Heng on Pattanakarn Road.

I also ordered not so heart-healthy or-suan which is, as you can see at the top of the page, made from plump, fleshy and super fresh oysters and lots of eggs and egg yolks in loads of oils… This dish is Bt150 and super delicious. Right above is tap tim tord – I don’t know what it is exactly, but it seemed like a mixture of vegetable and some minced meat which I could not identify and too busy eating to ask. We also ordered a plate of hoy jor (stuffed fried seafood, below) and the dessert was fried taro (peuk hima) which was so good…

Wiwat’s is on Chula 34, in Bantadthong area near the new Samyan fresh market and right opposite to Samyan Police Station. Parking is available on Chula 36 at Bt20 for 2 hours. You can also call them at T: 02-214-2439, 02-214-1416. They also have set menus and sells a whole goose to go at around Bt700.