Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail - Part 1

NEWSFLASH:  The Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail begins on 1st April and runs until 31st May. Bookings are necessary for each individual restaurant.

If I were old Macdonald, and had a farm, I'd make such it had ducks, that go quack quack here, and a quack quack there, and also for agriculture, a vineyard full of Pinot Noir grapes, (or Vitis Vinifera, hah, I bet you did not know that), since now I've discovered that it makes such a delightful pairing.




When I was a young lad, back in the 90s, Cloudy Bay was the epitome of having "arrived".  If you served a bottle of Cloudy Bay at your dinner, guests will go WOW, OOOH and AHHH.  Rumour had it that even supply was limited, and even people down under, (Oz & NZ) had to book their stock in advance.

Cloudy Bay till today still remains etched in my mind as a veritable treat, a bottle for special occasions.  While I personally am a huge fan of their Savignon Blancs, I was neverthess thrilled (like a schoolboy on a date) to receive an invitation from the G2 PR guys, to go on a Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail.  A trail?! Wow, my first question, having seen the itinerary, that started at 11am, is, "Is transport provided?"...afterall, we do not want to espouse drink driving. 

First stop of the day, (they transported us in a plush Starex, which was a lot of fun....the provision of transport meant we could drink with gay abandon, which we did.  By we, I mean Cumi & Ciki (of CC Food Travel), and me.  A bottle at each stop, not a bad feat.  ...I digressed...First stop of the day, ROYAL FLUSH, in Ara Damansara. 



Crispy duck roll paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM59.00++


Well, this crispy duck roll is probably an euphemism for the traditional Peking Duck, but with some added oomph.  I love the traditional style pancake, not the yellow eggy one that a lot of restaurants seem to serve. 


Smoked duck salad wrapped in seaweed and egg roll paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM59.00++
The rolls are very fusiony, not quite fitting into any particular cuisine, but rather unique.  But given a choice, I'd personally whack the rolls.    Tasting notes for the wines include violets, boronia and flowering wild thyme. Raspberry licorice entices further along with wild strawberry, dark cherries, tobacco & spice, but to my plebian hoi polloi palate, I taste...WINE.  Yay....






Royal Flush
Central Piazza, Oasis Square Ara Damansara, No 2 Jalan PJU 1A/7A , 47301
Petaling Jaya
T. 012 299 7598 W. facebook.com/theroyalflushmalaysia


The next stop,Las Carrettas, in Semantan Suites, Damansara Heights, but according to the press release, only the Subang Jaya branch seems to be serving this.  





Note the cute little sombrero, ...in case you're wondering what kind of cuisine Las Carretas normally serves...this should give you a hint.


Confit of Duck Leg Seared whole duck leg cured presented with truffle perfumed mash & sautéed French beans on a wild mushroom sauce paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM74.90++


Yin & Yang of Confit of Duck Leg
Seared foie gras & whole duck leg presented with truffle perfumed mash & sautéed French beans on a wild mushroom sauce paired with a glass of
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM94.90++

That was a generous slice of foie gras, and the skin of the duck confit looks to die for.  And well, this combination might really just result in that...but well, what is life without good food. 

Las Carretas Subang Jaya
No 29 USJ 10/1F, 47620 Subang UEP, Selangor
T. 03 56373058 W. lascarretas.com








Twice cooked lemongrass, blue ginger and turmeric duck with soy marinated roasted aubergine paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM75.00++.  My favourite of all the duck dishes, but of course, bear in mind, this is all very subjective, and my meat might be your poison.  I loved the texture, flavour, falling off the bone of the duck meat, despite the overly sun-tanned color of the duck itself.  Maybe it was a result of being twice cooked.... by this time, we were having a nice buzz from the Cloudy Bay, and were making silly remarks like, "TWICE COOKED? WHY? DID THEY GET IT WRONG THE FIRST TIME? "

Ribs by Vintry
120-122, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2096 1645 W. vintry.com.my E. sales@vintry.com.my

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 of the TRAIL, but other restaurants participating are:

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS ARE:
ACME Bar & Coffee
Pulled Duck Open-faced sandwich with orange BBQ sauce on grilled bread & green salad paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM59++

ACME Bar & Coffee
Ground Floor at The Troika, 19 Persiaran KLCC, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2162 2288


Ril’s Bangsar
Crispy slow cooked duck leg two ways with a Peking duck foie gras wonton, served with lotus root mousse and a wolfberry compote paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM99.00++

Ril’s Bangsar
30 Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2181 1634 W. rils.com.my

Soul Society
Xiang Su Duck
Thinly sliced duck breast served with julienned cucumber, celery, spring onion and hoisin sauce and a basket of Popiah skins paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM58.00++

SOULed Out Hartamas
No. 20, Jalan 30/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2300 1955 W. soulsociety.com.my E. yum_yum@souledout.com.my

SOULed Out Ampang
G1, Ground Floor, Menara HSC, No. 187 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2181 1626 W.soulsociety.com.my E. slurp@souledout.com.my

W.I.P. @ BSC
Lot G111, Ground Floor, Jalan 222, Bangsar Shopping Centre,
285, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandar Raya, 59000 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2181 1634 W. soulsociety.com.my E. ask@wip.com.my


NEO Tamarind& Tamarind Hill Pan roasted duck served with chocolate sauce & red cabbage puree paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM85.00++

Crispy duck in garlic sauce paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM75.00++

NEO Tamarind / Tamarind Hill
19, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur (Opposite Equatorial Hotel)
T. 03 2148 3200 / 3700 W. tamarindrestaurants.com.my

Circus
Magret of duck with Pinot Noir sauce & roasted potato and caramelized apple garnish paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011, RM75.00++

Circus
Lot C3.10.01b, Pavilion KL, Level 3, Fashion Avenue, Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2141 6151 W. eatertainmentgroup.co/circus.html

Cantaloupe
Orange and Juniper marinated Duck Breast, Smoked Duck Quinoa, Stewed Brussels Sprouts, Spiced Cranberry Sauce paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay
Pinot Noir 2011, RM130.00++

Cantaloupe
Level 24, Troika Sky Dining, Troika, 19 Persiaran KLCC, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
T. 03 2162 0886

ABOUT CLOUDY BAY
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2011
The 2011 Pinot Noir captures your senses with immense florals including violets, Boronia and flowering wild thyme. Raspberry licorice entices further along with wild strawberry, dark cherries, tobacco & spice. The palate is juicy but balanced by rich forest floor, clove and savoury flavours. Good tension between acid and fine tannins offers a well-rounded palate with appealing length.

The 2011 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir marks Cloudy Bay’s 24th vintage from Marlborough with the first vintage release in 1989.

The Cloudy Bay philosophy is to consistently redefine New Zealand wine and establish a commitment to allow natural fruit qualities to shine through. Established in 1985, Cloudy Bay Vineyards is situated in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough at the northern end of New Zealand’s South Island. The main varieties grown are sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and pinot noir with lesser quantities of gewurztraminer, Riesling, and pinot gris. Cloudy Bay wines are exported to over 30 markets, the principal ones being Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Europe and Japan. Cloudy Bay is named after the bay at the eastern end of the Wairau Valley, so called by Captain Cook on his voyage to New Zealand in 1770.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.cloudybay.co.nz
www.facebook.com/cloudybay http://apps.facebook.com/cloudybay
www.youtube.com/cloudybay www.twitter.com/cloudybay

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