A Somersby Cider Garden, In Morganfields Da Men

If you think about it, there's actually a dearth of nice Alfresco places to chill and dine and drink... So it was rather clever I think, of Morganfields in Damen USJ to have the first Somersby Cider Garden.  Okay, I am sure in sweltering afternoon heat it might not the the idealest of venues, but on the evening we were there for the launch of the Garden, and their specially curated menu to pair with four variants of cider, it was lovely ambience to be sitting outdoors sipping icy cold cider.

To be honest, I am totally not a cider fan, nor a fan of any sweet alcohol.  But the summerlike atmosphere, with Ukeleleist and live entertainment with lots of porky stuff to eat made it quite an enjoyable evening.

Somersby Cider Garden is also I believe the first place to serve cider on tap, in the Klang Valley.  The four varieties of cider we got to sample were Blackberry, Apple, Sparkling Rose (my personal favourite), and the newly launched Elderflower Lime, which is every bit as refreshing as the name implies.

The menu crafted to pair well with the Elderflowers consist of the Jack Daniel's Baby Back Ribs, (ooh, alcohol on alcohol), Sticky Wings,

Fourplay, a naughty play on words if I ever heard it,  Bacon Wrapped meatballs, Onion Rings, Chilli Concarne with Tortilla chips, and sticky wings. 

(Above is the Jack Daniel's Baby Back Ribs)

The Pork Sausage platter consists of Spicy Devil, Smoky Bandit, Herby Dog and Cheesy Cheese...cute names I have to say.

This dish was the best, paired with the Elderflower, the Jim Beam BBQ Baby Back Ribs.  The ribs average around RM70 but is a huge serving that can easily feed two or three.

Malaysia's first Somersby Cider Garden is located at
Morganfields Damen Mall USJ
Address: 872, Persiaran Kewajipan, Usj 1, 47600 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Hours: Closes 1AM

Phone: 03-8011 8281

Strongbow Cider Launches Red Berries

As the sun set over the magnificent skyline of Kuala Lumpur, perched high above in Troika, in Cantaloupe Sky Dining, was the launch of a new flavour of Strongbow Cider.  It didn't seem so long ago they launched the elderflower, honey and gold flavours, and from experience, the Strongbow cider launches are always quite fun.

This time round though, I have to say GAB and the PR company totally outdid themselves... a fabulously elegant event, with fantastic food to pair with the ciders.

The super cool furniture made from cardboard....

The stage was set ...

And amazing almond panna cotta with avruga caviar and smoked maple syrup...to die for, and I personally thought it paired best with the elderflower..

Unbelievably plump oysters, with ginger flower and ceviche espuma.

Hans Essaadi, Managing Director, Guinness Anchor Berhad (Malaysia) and Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director, Guinness Anchor Berhad (Malaysia), without much ado, launched the limited edition red berries...

A lovely refreshing drink, (albeit a bit on the sweet side), the red berries cider has a very festive feel about it, and that gorgeous shade of crimson somehow is very conducive to a party mood.

The event is made even more festive with the presence of good company...

Paired with the Strongbow Gold, this perfectly seared scallop had met its match.  The sweetness of the cider together with the brininess of the scallop ...ah, wonderful.

Strongbow elderflower with the Smoked salmon on confit potato.... another stunning match, as the floralness of the elderflower cuts through the "fishiness" of the salmon.

And the sunsets on a lovely day, with the slight warm buzz by imbibing like 10 glasses of cider... here's the thing about cider, it really fills you up before your reach the kind of highs that is expected of alcohol.

Breaded organic chicken, paired with Strongbow Honey ...Honey is my least favourite of the lot, because it really is very sweet.

Hickory Smoked Wagyu tenderloin..... also paired with Strongbow Honey.  I guess the slight hint of smokiness did go well with the sweetness of the honey.

And finally, desserts paired with the red berries cider, which was a lovely end to the evening.

Watch out for Strongbow Red Berries cider, which isn't always available apparently, and is a limited seasonal edition.  Pity, it would make a good drink for the ladies.

Strongbow Cider Launch

To be honest, I am not a fan of any form of alcohol that is sweet, perhaps with the exception of a Hendricks Gin & Tonic (but diluted with soda).  As such, Cider has never been in my "to drink" list, although I do love using it for cooking.

The invitation from GAB intrigued me on so many levels though, because it was a launch of three different new flavours of Strongbow, and held at a location I'd never heard of.  So my interest was piqued.

Streams of people seem headed to the location of the launch, ushered by Rela members, which heightened the anticipation.

An interesting array of finger foods accompanied the original Strongbow, actually, rather good food I have to say, with Strongbow ladies flitting around offering receptacles of well chilled cider.

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We were then ushered into a large studio, where we were to witness the launch of what was dubbed the Delightful Trio.  An eclectic dance troupe performed a artistic dance.... as I am very uncultured I am unable to decipher the deeper meaning of the choreography, but I imagine it had something to do with apples, and harvest.

Before that, Hans Essaadi, Managing Director, Guinness Anchor Berhad (Malaysia) and Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director, Guinness Anchor Berhad (Malaysia) graced the crowd with a few words.

Bruce Dallas had this to say : “Tasting Strongbow is an experience by itself; it offers the perfect first drink to start the evening as a prelude to a lovely night or simply the perfect drink for a hot sunny afternoon. At any time, it sets the stage for you to be yourself as you indulge in real conversations with great company of friends and family. The three new Strongbow Apple Ciders variants – Gold, Honey and Elderflower – will certainly provide you with more unique choices to appreciate authentic experiences and savour your ‘Golden’ moments in life.”

The three new variants introduced that night at the launch were Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold, Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey and Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower Made from the freshest apples, these new variants deliver respective top notes to the ciders that are enjoyable for all.  It should be available in the market by now, as the event was about a month ago.

The Strongbow name itself bears over 125 years of cider-making heritage. They continuously adapt and invent newer and more exciting variants, to provide consumers with more choices and to suit different individual tastes.

Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey is a sweet and pleasant cider that delivers the saccharine aroma of honey, while maintaining the crisp taste of cider. Every bottle of this new variant contains a unique golden bronze hue and ends with a refreshing hint of rhubarb for a fruity finish.

I personally found this variant a bit on the sweet side for me, although there is no doubt it was very aromatic.

Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold offers a refined sweet and crisp apple bite that captures the light aftertaste of bittersweet apples, giving a very long finish. The clean and invigorating colour of the Gold apple cider is of a warm golden yellow and a pleasant dash of green apple note, which reflects the quality and taste of the cider within.

I liked this, it almost reminded me of beer.  Perhaps it's the "aftertaste of bittersweet apples".

Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower is a blend of elderflower and lime that hits the ‘bull’s-eye’ by capturing the sweet floral aroma, along with hints of Muscat and fresh litchi fruits. The clear silver-white tint provides a breezy, enlivening look to it, while the delicious infusion of fresh lime flavour in the cider adds a natural zest to the palate.

It's true, there really was a very floral aroma, that I actually liked, though I realized these tastes are quite subjective, as the people I was with didn't particularly like it.  But I like elderflower extract anyways, so it's no surprise that I found this very palatable.

Finally, to the Cider uninformed, this is how you drink it.

To fully enjoy Strongbow Apple Ciders, it is customary to have the bottle well-chilled at around 3° to 4°Celcius. Dubbed as ‘The Perfect Serve’, the following are the steps for maximum refreshment:
Fill a Strongbow glass with approximately 1/3 of ice cubes;
Take a chilled bottle of Strongbow or Strongbow draught and pour over ice;
Serve on a Strongbow coaster and present the bottle alongside.

There you go, not exactly rocket science is it now!!!

Both the Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold and Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey contain five percent alcohol per volume (ABV), while the Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower contains 4.5% ABV. Each is designed with a beautifully embossed detailing on a 330ml sleek pint bottle. The three new Strongbow Apple Ciders were supposed to be available in early December 2014, so do check the shelves for this refreshing beverage.