Craggy Range Wine Dinner At Cava

I always enjoy going to the Cava, Opus, Leonardo chain of restaurants for dinner or drinks, (in fact, I was at Leonardo's for drinks just last weekend...take note, Fadlin, if you are reading this), because I enjoy the company of the people behind it, the owner, the GM (and prob part owner), and the PR...so it's like comfort food, going there.

Couple that with a Wine Dinner, and wines from my favouritest region in the world for Savignon Blancs, I knew tonight was going to be a good good night. In attendance were my dear Cherry Pawm Pawm, (Alison Victor of Aly's Wonderland), Taufulo, and Ken of Food Point of Interest.


To start, we were served this Wild Rock Savignon Blanc. Now, quite honestly, we had a such a good time, that I forgot to take notes. I remember this particular bottle as being very very easy to drink, but easy to drink also meant the quicker one CAN drink. Which may have contributed to the partial amnesia of the night.



The Mushroom Cartaccio with Foie Gras, comprising button, portobello & enokis in white wine and herbs, came beautifully wrapped and was served with the Craggy Range Fletcher Family Riesling 2009. The crisp, light fruity wine, also very easy to drink, obviously complemented the mushroom.


Oxtail Cocido, a braised oxtail with caramelized onion, roasted sweet potato and grilled asparagus, accompanied by Wild Rock Gravel Pit Red Hawke's Bay Merlot Malbec 2010. As I suspected, Malaysians have been drinking Red Wine at unacceptable room temperatures. Brent Hindman, Asia Pacific Manager for Craggy Range Vineyards Ltd, whom I had the pleasure of sitting next to, explained that a right temperature for our weather really would be to chill it first. Better to let it start a bit colder, and warm up to the desired temperature, rather than serving it warm, with no hope of it ever turning cold.

The Merlot Malbec, I shan't pretend to be a wine connoisseur, was full bodied, but served a bit too warm. I can imagine drinking a lot of this in cold weather, but in our balmy environs, I'd rather not.


Our mains were Setas De Pierna De Cordero & Grilled Prawn, which translated, is roasted lamb leg stuffed with foie gras, pimento, musrhoom, served red wine pink peppercorn sauce and tuscan beans. and grilled prawns...boy, talk about lost in translation. Did those few spanish words really mean all that in English? If so, we should seriously consider WHY we are using English as a medium of commucation, when other languages seem so much more efficient.

This surf and turf dish was served with Wild Rock Cupid Arrow Pinot Noir, 2009, and also a Craggy Range Pinot Noir. The pinot is a lighter red, and goes well with our equatorial climate, I feel. Also, it adds a certain lightness to the lamb, which is quite a heavy dish. By this time, we were all very happy, and regaling each other with tales of .... errm I can't remember what, but I do recall that Brent Hindman is also born in the year of the Horse, making him a Horse Brother!


Instead of the usual sweet desserts, we had a spanish cheese platter, with Manchengo, San Simon, Iberico cheese served with fresh & dry fruits, nuts, crackers, and berry compote, which was a great idea, since the dessert wine was sweet anyway. Dessert wine was a Craggy Range Noble Riesling 2008. Having said that, the Noble Riesling wasn't overly sweet, though I am not a dessert wine person.


Look who popped by after dinner to pick up Aly! In the pic is Brent, Aly & Lil Chef...


Taufulo, Fadlin & Ken of Food POI.

A great night, special thanks for the Cava management for the invite, and Brent Hindman for the fabulous selection of wines. Craggy Range and their wines are available in Cava, and the rest of that chain of restaurants.

Check out their website, HERE

Spanish Wine Pairing Dinner

When You Wish Upon A Star, ...makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will comeeee to you..... from Walt Disney's Pinocchio.

No, I was not wishing to be a real boy, nor that any of my puppets became a real boy, or girl. I was merely dreaming of Spain. Unlike some of my well heeled friends, I cant go traipsing around Spain, sampling all the culinary (apparently pronounced KIEW LINARY, not CULL inary, as in Culling Pigs with the Nipah Virus) treasures the country has to offer.

Alas, the stars in Kuala Lumpur's polluted skies aren't very bright either, and I wasnt sure if I was wishing upon the Measat Satellite, or a blinking aeroplane, but hey, whaddaya know, I get an invite from my good pal, Peter Yew of the Cava Opus Leonardo Moxie Chain, for a SPANISH WINE PAIRING DINNER WITH GUEST CHEF FERNANDO MARTINEZ TABERNO. I was allowed to call 3 others, and drum roll, the lucky guests for the night were .....the inimitable Alison Joan Victor, of Red FM Fame, and equally as hot as Red, the perpetual comedian, Frat Mustard, and the ever reliable Nipple Joe.









We started with the octopus carpaccio potato confit and Pimento Oil....the bummer about posting these things a few weeks after the event is these alcohol infused brain cells cant recall the exact flavours. But this I do remember, the Spanish omelette with Bacalao and Piquillo Peppers was sublime. The glass contained Gazpcho with Baqquerones, Piquillo Peppers. It must have slipped my brain to ask what Piquillo Peppers are, coz I now have NO idea what they are. Chicken rolls stuffed with dry fruit formed the missing link in the platter. These were paired with the Pag del Vicario Talva 2005, Chardonnay Savignon Blanc. We had earlier been apperitiffing on Castellblanch Cristal Brut Cava, the very VERY drinkable Spanish version of the bubbly.


Lighting here sucked big time by the way, hence the lousy pics. A bad workman blames his tools, and a lousy photographer blames the light. The Prawn Salad with Tomato Marmalade and Cauliflower Sauce was good for me. My fellow comrades had some mushy prawns, but mine were all ay okay, and the prawns sweet and succulent. Frat discovered his cream was missing, and asked the waiter to cream his plate.


Life is a bed of roses for some people. Chicks gawk at him, and he gets to live life in a designer coffee tin.








Mains were a choice of Tenderloin Beef encroute with poultry musseline (not related to the more famous Moussolini, the Italian fler), Lubina stuffed with seafood and vegetable confit and calamari crisp, or Lamb Chops with Membrillo Aioli, red Pepper confit and gratinated potatoes. Of the three, I'd say the tenderloin was probably the best. To be honest, the Lubina, which is a fish, I think, stuffed with all the stuff was so so.

The mains were paired with a Pago del Vicario Penta 2005, Tempranillo Merlot Cabernet Syrah Petit Verdot. (finger cramp after typing all that)


Can You Hear the drums Fernando? I dunno why, but when I sang this line, Frat burst out laughing. Yeah, the handsome chappie is the spanish guest chef. Very friendly, and took time to explain to us this and that. Alas, some of us were rather sloshed by this time.


The Spanish cheese platter with the lovely quince paste was a perfect end to the dinner. Paired with Pago del vicario 50-50 2005, Tempranillo Cabernet. Some of the other dinner guest on the long table didnt care for cheese. Less men more share I say!

Check out my cheese, says Frat.



Caramelized Torrijas With Nougat Soup. Frankly, it looked like oatmeal or some healthy gunky breakfast, but it tasted superb, a lot better than it looked!!!
This was paired with a Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava.






We drank the night away, yarning and chatting, amidst great company, great ambience.

I always thought Cava meant Cave, like the Bata lives in the Cava.

We learn something new everyday. Ooh, and I just checked my trusty dictionary. Culinary can be pronounced both with the Cull or the Kiul...so pbbbbbbbbbth to whoever told me that misleading bit of info. My life is vindicated!

Max's Rite Bites

One of the perks (I am a pervert...the word perk or perky always reminds me of NJoe Who Is Constantly Craving) of being a so called food blogger is knowing someone who knows someone who is in a position to invite you to sample their wares and produce. Of course, one does not sell one's soul just for a donut, although some people of Facebook might have nominated me so. So, it is purely on the proviso that we are allowed brutal honesty, that I undertake some of oh so difficult tasks for traipsing from one restaurant to another on a delightful Saturday afternoon, sacrificing Body Combat and opting instead for Body Comefat.

The event, organised by MAX, the latest lifestyle card in town that offers F&B privileges in and around the Bangsar area, and beyond, was called RITE BITES, centred along that charming little row of shops along Jalan Bangkung, namely Fit For 2, Cava, Opus Bistro, Wine Cellar and The Attic.

The thing about going out to eat with food bloggers, they zoom in to shoot the food as if it were a national geographic documentary of some rare species of gazelle mating to preserve themselves from extinction. Make shift tripods on their fists, strobes from handphones, etc.... it is a veritable mini studio producing food porn.

Anyway, moving along, the first sight that greeted us, apart from the human beings, like the charming owner, Debbie, was of course, these.

A two tier tray of assorted cupcakes and brownies. Now, not intending to sound Male Chauvinistic here, I honestly think cupcakes, and anything dainty, are the ambit of the fairer sex. I honestly don't see what is the hysteria about, then again, I don't understand the hysteria about handbags, shoes .....or cars....oh dear, I must be a passionless soul. But ya, cupcakes. Okay, they look gorgeous and all, but in my book, anything that looks too pretty to eat, and can be consumed 100 times faster than it takes to make, hmmmm.....

There were 3 flavours of cupcakes, chocolate, peanut butter and a strawberry lemon. Of the three, my favourite was probably the chocolate. Overall, I personally find the icing on these things way too sweet, thus often rendering cupcakes as nice to look at but not to eat, for me.

These brownies were nice and chocolatey, and went well with the very nicely brewed coffee.


In between pictures, let's talk about the place. Fit for 2 is a cafe/studio that caters for expectant mothers. The owner, Debbie, runs pregnancy focused exercise classes in the studios. All her outlets seem very child friendly, for she also runs Bijou, Bisou and Bianco. I recall seeing disposable diapers available at the restroom of Bijou. However, since it is targetted at PREGNANT women, it's unlikely that I'll be a regular fixture there, for while I may have the silhouette of a pregnant woman, the similarity ends there. But IF I were a woman, and pregnant, of course you'd see me here all the time.




It was evening of food in reverse, for we started with dessert, and ended with soup. It was a pumpkin soup, which Nigel(la Lawson) said was probably roasted first to give it that lovely sweetish tinge. Sweet soup isnt everyone's cup of tea, but this sweetness was fairly natural, and I loved the soup. The tuna sandwiches accompanying the soup I found a tad dry.


Having run half an hour late as per schedule, we trotted over, already quite full, to the next stop. Cava. It means cellar in Catalan. (don't ask me what is Catalan. Probably the Spanish equivalent of Cantonese) I was greeted by my old buddy, Param, the manager.

A buffet spread lay before us, at 5pm. Gosh, and I had a dinner that night as well. The spread comprised Prawn Pil Pil, Sauteed Baby Octopus, Spanish Lamb Boulette, Cauteed Black Pepper Beef, Spanish Omelette, Patata Bravas, Paella Mariscos (Seafood).

I love the ambience at Cava. It's elegant yet laid back setting has been the backdrop for many a happy drink.


The seafood paella was served with generous portions of sea food. However, I found the rice a bit too wet for my liking. Not a paella expert, and not having a golden standard by which to compare, I had to just base my conclusions on my own taste buds. Too too wet.

These testicular looking things are actually not the anatomy of any animal, but are spanish lamb boulette. I presume boulette was derived from bulat, and means balls. Interesting flavour, but way too heavy for tea time.

The cosy bar ambience that I was talking about.

Everyone knows who this superstarlet is.

Ah, the highlight of the Cava Stop. The absolutely Sensational Sanguine Sangria. One lady mentioned, "oh good, it doesn't have that annoying fruit pieces to deal with". Everything had been blended together, thus ensuring your don't choke on pieces of orange or apple. Well chilled, and smooth, it really elevated the entire mood. Highly recommended.

We then adjourned to Cava's sister, Opus. They basically have the same parents. Again, many many a happy moment has been spent here at Opus, so I was no stranger to the place, though having not been there for awhile, the cast and crew had changed, and sigh, no one knew me anymore.

One of the highlights I daresay, for the fairer sex, was ahem, the French Sommelier. Aiyo, all that shameless ogling. When I mentioned whores, Lyrical Lemongrass perkily said, Oooh, yes, call me Scarlet O Whore-A. Bravo LL!!! What a brilliant name. Nigel then lead the conversation to the murkier grounds of "what is your striptease name".

Whatever their designs may have been on the lad, I have to say that his wine choice was very good. I forget the name now, but it had a slight eucalyptus flavour, and went very well with this lovely piece of roasted cod fish with lemon caper sauce.


This mini carbonara pasta was superb, despite the beef bacon. Also, that tiny portion was perfect, for I doubt I can actually wade through an entire plate of this, no, not even for dinner. It is so rich, that it makes Bill & Melinda look like paupers. That's the thing about carbonaras. I love the first few bites, but beyond that, it's like drowning in a vat of fat.




Opus also serves a selection of cakes supplied by our dear master bakers from Just Heavenly. The key lime pie looks sinfully delicious.

Alas, because I had to rush home and prepare dinner for 15, I could not stay on for the rest of the show. I missed out on the serving of Lemoncello, at Opus, tour of the Wine Cellar, (a wine cellar next door that stocks a wide range of wines, and very reasonably priced, I'm told), and the last stop at the Attic, where there was more booze and desserts from Just Heavenly. I shall rely on my fellow food bloggers and read their reviews.

A big thank you again to Nigel, Kyan and Alex for organising a wonderful Saturday evening. Cheers!!! Special thanks to Boolicious of Masak Masak who tahpau-ed some of Just Heavenly's debut desserts, ie, the mango upside down cake, madeira and lemon cheesecake for me.