Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows - Spirit Of Conquest

It starts off with this Voyage Ticket, in the mail, and it's snail mail.  It's lovely to get anything via snail mail, or well, in this case, courier services, but it sure beats an E-Invite.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is ALWAYS a treat to be invited for a Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows, and actually, though it has only dawned on me now as I write this, Appreciation Grows is a rather apt name for these events, because, truly, this being my 6th such event, (let's see, there was Alvin Leung, Chong Liew, Susur Lee, Edward Lee, Michael Han), I have honestly grown to appreciate the whole set up even more, the wonderful people from MHD and G2 PR (and Milk before that), the amount of thought and preparation that goes into these events, the wonderful Chefs that have been commissioned to prepare such gastronomic delights...if you are reading this, here, a TOAST of imaginary XO to you guys, for you guys rock. 

The other distinguishing factor about these events are the novel venue ideas, which thus far have covered Suffolk Mansion in Penang, Equatorial Hotel which had already closed its doors to the public, for renovation, St Joseph's novitiate, Penang, and this time round, the iconic Chin Woo Stadium, which honestly, although is in the heart of KL, I can't say I ever remember going.  What does one go to Chin Woo to do?


(Photo courtesy of G2 PR)
Not quite exactly what I envisaged Chin Woo to look, a large ship, but then again, we were to embark on a Spirit of Conquest, or The Spirit of Conquest, depending on your usage of the phrase, and at the helm, titillating our palates, was to be Chef Lee Anne Wong.  Read about the pre-event HERE.


 (Photo courtesy of G2 PR)
Chef Lee Anne Wong -  Her biodata is posted in the pre event release, HERE, so I shall not replicate it in this post.  Basically American (of Chinese descent), no 4 winner in first season of Top Chef, with a list of accolades and experiences with a string of restaurants, we were certainly in for a treat that night. 


That familiar bottle adorned the classy holding area, as passengers waited to embark on the culinary voyage.  Decked up like an English drawing room, the glitterati in their tuxedos and gowns mingled, with air kisses and muah muahs, as some lounged on the Chesterfields puffing away their cigars, as the sweet young Hennessy girls sashayed around serving the rich glorious liquid.


(Photo courtesy of G2 PR)
The first surprise that greeted us was that the dining room was decked totally above the swimming pool, to give the effect of a cruise ship, and the side aisles of the dining area were also transparent, and beyond, the ship windows to facilitate the scenery change as we embarked on the voyage. 




Ladida Menu...





1870, just slightly before I was born....





Mathieu Ducemin, giving his inaugural speech at the launch of the voyage. 


First stop, Paris, for the Parisian Regalia, tender foie gras baked custard infused with cognac and served warm with brioche toast fingers, treatments of green apple, and crisp frisee lettuce. Oh, and I meant the picture below, not those Can Can Dancers above, though they might have also been infused with Cognac...I would, if I had to perform a Can Can...


Amazing, some people I spoke to who weren't foie gras fans even loved it.  The texture, a bit like a firm baked custard, with the subtle sauces and complemented with a neat XO, truly quite sublime.  Already the first dish left us craving for more. 


Luckily the voyage was a virtual one, because a journey from France to China back in the day would have taken half a lifetime, probably.  But surprisingly, Hennessy arrived in China before it did in America, in 1872 to be exact. 

Next on the menu, the ever familiar "Oriental Enchantment" which actually, sounded like your normal crabmeat, chicken and egg drop  soup which only foreigners order in a Chinese restaurant.  But it turns out its a noble soup that originated from the southlands of China, blending sweet ocean crab harmoniously with golden corn, egg whites, sesame and coriander with a hint of lime, with the added royal touch of caviar.

Seriously, this soup was EXCELLENT.  There was a lovely crunch of corn, and that dollop of crabmeat that you stir into the soup, gave it that wonderful seafood flavour, and globules of salty caviar popped in the mouth like a prepacked instant seasoning.  The best surprise of the night, because of course, being the cynic that I am, I was wondering, "crab meat soup?  Really?"






Can you guess where we are now? Arriving at the most opportune time in American history, the Gilded Age saw Hennessy X.O make its timely debut in the United States of America in 1873, as an elegant and sophisticated way to enjoy values of luxury and heritage. Presented as a tribute to cowboy culture, Western Allure, a dish of spice-rubbed American salmon, incorporated true American flavors and ingredients as they would have been at the end of the cowboy days, and partnered perfectly with Hennessy X.O and ice.


Western Allure - Okay, a tad complex for my simple palate.  Each component on its own is actually very good, but if you're meant to eat it all at once, together, I think there was too much to process, for me personally anyway.  So, I ate each component separately after giving it the once over.  And it was pretty good.  The salmon was pan fried adequately, not over cooked as is oft the crime here, I LOVED those crunchy nuts, and the cajun type sauce.

 I can't remember if we had any American entertainment, but perhaps the organizers felt that we are already exposed to so much of it (American entertainment) there was no real need to show an excerpts from Dallas or Dynasty to the guests, although it would've been age appropriate.


Ah, appreciation grows indeed....I have come to love this drink in recent years.





The Wonderful People from MHD...


We sail across the Atlantic to Italy, (I thought we might have stopped here from France to China, but maybe we took the North Pole route)...and dock in Venice.  Italy welcomed the Original X.O with open arms in 1893. 


Venetian Ambrosia; handmade pasta in a sumptuous sauce of summer truffles, cognac, and cream, finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table – a dish fit for Italian nobility, accompanied by Hennessy X.O and water.


This dish was superb.  It encapsulated what I imagined to be decadent Italian.  Shaved truffles, creamy goodness, and lovely homemade pasta.  And accompanying this dinner, the most surprising performance the night, a local opera singer, that really made the stadium resound with a wonderful tenor voice.


(Pic courtesy of G2 PR)
I think many were caught by surprise by his Nessun Dorma that resonated throughout the hall, and I almost wanted to give the man a standing ovation. 


Amid cultural and economic evolution, Russia became the fifth nation to enjoy and appreciate the refined taste of success that is Hennessy X.O in 1898


The traditional Russian dish, Mazurka Splendour – lightly fried fresh cheese curd fritters accompanied by a light sour cream sauce, a rich cognac infused dark berry sauce, and sugar crusted currants –supposed to be eaten with a neat  Hennessy XO.



Hennessy X.O's arrives in Japan in 1900. Nihon Grandeur, a jewel-like presentation of fresh ruby red grapefruit segments encased in a delicate grapefruit and cognac gelee, covered in a light layer of cognac-vanilla whipped cream, frozen grapefruit granite, and topped with a sesame seed-cognac wafer, brought guests’ journey with Hennessy X.O to a resounding conclusion with a spirited drum performance by the Wadaiko Syo troupe.



Loved this dessert.  The cornucopia of flavours that formed the finale for the night (well, excluding the chocolate ganache) was a fitting conclusion to a night of tantalizing, saporous feast.  The tang of the grapefruit with the sweetness of the whipped cream...ah, superb, superb.  I approve. 





(Pic courtesy of G2 PR) 
Really, hats off to Chef Lee Anne Wong for a wonderfully crafted dinner  which obviously was prepared with much thought and love and passion. 


(Pic courtesy of G2 PR)


(Pic courtesy of G2 PR) 
AND CHEERS TO YOU GUYS TOO!

Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows 2013 Embarks On the Spirit Of Conquest

With a title like that, SPIRIT OF CONQUEST, images spring to mind, of an armada of battleships, loaded with barrels of Hennessy XO, sail ominously to the Far East, ready to intoxicate the hapless villagers with this divine nectar of the gods....

However, the next best thing, would be an upcoming Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows, 2013, to be held this coming 3rd of April, at ...tadah...the iconic Chin Woo Stadium. Coming along on this journey is Chef Lee Anne Wong, the first female chef for the Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows series of events. Chef Lee Anne has also found success around the world, as a finalist on Bravo TV network’s highly-rated Top Chef cooking competition and more recently, as the culinary producer of the series. Chef Lee Anne Wong is also the Executive Chef of Event Operations at The French Culinary Institute, a position she maintained while participating in the Top Chef competition and continues to hold. A culinary polyglot, in her personal time Lee Anne loves to travel and experience new cultures and flavors. Mexico holds a soft spot in her heart. For the past twelve years she has made a yearly pilgrimage to Oaxaca for the food, people and culture. In recent years, she has spent time traveling all over Japan, for personal and culinary growth, including her role as an honored chef for Sakai City’s Annual Hamono (Knife) Festival.

Like Hennessy X.O, Chef Lee Anne Wong seeks to bring guests who taste her modern-global fusion cuisine on a journey around the world. Her sense of resourcefulness and grounding in French culinary techniques, married with her ability to innovate and produce truly modern-global cuisine, makes Chef Lee Anne a prime candidate to approach the task of creating a menu that reflects the journey of Hennessy X.O not only across oceans and to different continents, but into the hearts and minds of cognac devotees and gourmands.





Chef Lee Anne Wong demonstrates how to cut corn on the cob while Foo Ken Vin, Senior Marketing Manager, Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia, observes.




Foo Ken Vin, Senior Marketing Manager, Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia, participates in the canapé masterclass


Participants of the canapé masterclass enjoy a glass of Hennessy X.O cognac over a light moment


Chef Lee Anne Wong, Foo Ken Vin, Senior Marketing Manager, Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia and Julie Woon, host of the canapé masterclass enjoy scallops in lime with water chestnut and corn, paired with Hennessy X.O


Chef Lee Anne Wong and Foo Ken Vin, Senior Marketing Manager, Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia pose with the canapés prepared during the canapé masterclass


Scallops in lime, water chestnut, corn, Paired with Hennessy X.O, “on the rocks”



Seared beef tenderloin with cognac onion crème fraîche,Tomato and green mango
Paired with Hennessy X.O and water


Curried pumpkin & sweet potato soup,Goat cheese beignet, Paired with Hennessy X.O, neat





Press Release of Chef  Lee Anne Wong
CHEF LEE ANNE WONG

Since she traded her burgeoning fashion career for the culinary world, Chef Lee Anne Wong, has been bringing her modern-global fusion cuisine to the people. Born and raised in Troy, New York, Lee Anne, a 2nd generation Chinese- American, was not drawn to the kitchen, favoring sports –softball and ice hockey – instead. Though her mother encouraged her to eat unique cuisine, Lee Anne’s tastes were intrinsically tied to American favorites such as pizza, jalapeno poppers, and burgers. Lee Anne’s passion for cuisine ignited during her first year studying Fashion Design at FIT when she started cooking for friends. Once she donned her chef whites she never looked back.
After graduating from The French Culinary Institute (The FCI) Chef Wong jumped into the restaurant world. She immersed herself in New York’s fusion cuisine – working for several years at Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit, later serving as an integral part the opening staff at Jean Georges Vongrichten’s Chinese venture, Restaurant 66. She has also cooked and staged in kitchens all over the world, including The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s of Chicago, Nobu, The Four Seasons, Trio, Casa Oaxaca in Mexico and Cap Jaluca in the British Virgin Islands – picking up global flavors and techniques along the way.
Lee Anne’s skills go beyond the stove. She returned to The FCI as the Executive Chef of Event Operations –where she honed her event production and recipe development skills, customizing unique menus and events for the clients of the school’s International Culinary Theater. While at The FCI she coordinated the Chef Demonstration program, working alongside culinary heavy-hitters such as Jacques Pepin, Andre Soltner, Ferran Adria, Tyler Florence, and Martin Yan.
Chef Wong brought her culinary skills to an even wider audience when she appeared as a cheftestant on Season One of Bravo’s Flagship Series “Top Chef.” A fan favorite, Wong’s fusion of flavors took her to number four in the competition. The show’s producers saw her innate talent and media experience, and brought her on as the crucially important Supervising Culinary Producer on Top Chef, and its spin-off Top Chef Masters. Working on Seasons Two through Seven, and also Masters One, she was integral in shaping the show into the powerhouse that it is today. She also made the show more accessible, demonstrating the winning recipes on Bravotv.com’s popular webisode series “The Wong Way to Cook.” She has also worked as a culinary consultant on Warner Brother’s “No Reservations,” as well as PBS’ “Chef Story”, and most recently Bravo’s “Rocco’s Dinner Party”. Lee Anne has also garnered attention from numerous publications, including People, The NY Daily News, Food & Wine, National Geographic, and Zagat.com.
While developing a media presence, Lee Anne continues to cook: participating in countless events and competitions. Recently, Lee Anne was featured as a chef at the CIA’s World of Flavors: Japan, and the 2011 Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival– where she connected with her audience during a weekend of cooking demos, wine, and tastings. She is an active member of the James Beard Foundation and has hosted and cooked many events at the James Beard House -- including an extravagant New Year’s Eve 2006 dinner. A guest chef at The Celebration of Vegetables at The Culinary Vegetable Institute at Chef’s Garden, Lee Anne has been a friend of Chef’s Garden for over 8 years and maintains a close relationship with Lee Jones. She has also used her culinary skills to help further charitable causes. She participates in Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), Project By Project – a volunteer based organization that supports Asian-American Non-profits, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Gohan Society, dedicated to fostering US-Japanese culinary and cultural relations.
A culinary polyglot, in her personal time Lee Anne loves to travel and experience new cultures and flavors. Mexico holds a soft spot in her heart. For the past twelve years she has made a yearly pilgrimage to Oaxaca for the food, people and culture. In recent years, she has spent time traveling all over Japan, for personal and culinary growth, including her role as an honored chef for Sakai City’s Annual Hamono (Knife) Festival. Chef Wong also has a deep love for everything porcine – many of her recipes incorporate pork in its many incarnations. Even with all of her haute-cuisine experience, she is at heart the same girl from Troy – with a passion for all things fast food – including tacos, hamburgers, and fried chicken.
Chef Wong’s role in the culinary industry continues to evolve. She is working on a food art book – Sexy Food – with noted photographer John Mark Sorum. She has recently been tapped as the Editor and Culinary Director for Maker’s Mark Bourbon’s first-ever online Virtual Recipe Cookbook, compiling, testing, and editing recipes from the culinary world’s top chefs, mixologists, and industry professionals. Chef Wong also continues to work with The FCI as a visiting chef and alumni ambassador. She can also be seen on The Cooking Channel’s hit series “Unique Eats”, currently filming its fourth and fifth seasons, featured as a contributor who has traveled all over the U.S. to sample some of the country’s most unique food and dining experiences. She will also be featured in her own cooking web-series on CookingChannelTV.com, slated to launch this Fall 2011. While she’s keeping a foot in the media world, Lee Anne has several exciting projects on the horizon that are going to put her back in the kitchen, continuing to consult and develop various restaurant concepts in New York City, while writing her business plan for her own establishment.
Whether via TV, web, in print, or in person, Chef Lee Anne Wong will continue to bring her global cuisine to the public as she explores new, exciting areas of the culinary world.

Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows With Chef Michael Han

It was a great honour to be yet again invited for this series of Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows, and I have to say, after attending five such events, this truly has to be the highlight, and the team at MHD and G2 are going to have a hard time topping this one.

In this "two part" event, some of us were privvy to the inception of this gala dinner, where we were the privileged few to follow Chef Michael Han on a street food trail of Penang's famed hawker food.
The novel idea was the Daring Deconstruction of Penang Hawker Food, for a Hennessy XO Appreciation fine dining experience, which would pair the sublime Hennessy XO with the best of Penang, and the best of Penang is encapsulated in its hawker food.  Since this was to the the climax to the first trip, it was with great anticipation that we wondered what gastronomic delights and surprise Michael had in store, as during the last press interview, he revealed almost nothing, leaving everything to surprise.  On this trip, I discovered that immediately after the last tour, he had already begun slaving in the kitchen, and for the next 15 hours or so, had worked on the amazing menu that we were about to partake.  


As with all Appreciation Grows event, style and panache are the landmarks of the event.  A string of trishaws assembled in front of the swanky G Hotel, where we were put up, to whisk us to a magical world just two blocks away really.  What a novel idea, to be ferried, women in their gowns, and guys in their suits, in a trishaw, the icon of a Penang of yore. 


The venue, the newly restored St Joseph's Novitiate, a heritage building, now housed within Gurney Paragon, a perfect venue for an elegant event such as this.  As dusk fell, a surreal hue of amber enveloped the atmosphere...or was that the XO kicking in?  I can't tell, but yeah, it was pretty nice.





The gorgeous Karen Ong of MHD and Ciki of CCFood Travel.


Pre dinner drinks, and the mingling of the glitterati, with local celebrity, Steve Yap.  Of course the women were throwing themselves shamelessly at the man, to pose for photographs. 



A lovely string quartet entertained us, as we waited for dinner, and flitted around with Hennessy XO in hand, until we were ushered into the great hall, which a few people said reminded them of Hogwarts, ...minus the floating candles, but how uber cool would it have been had there BEEN floating candles.  Might have been a tad combustible though, what with all the alcohol in the room. 



The smiling faces, aided of course by the continuous imbibing of that glorious XO, made me think of Louis Armstrong's song, What a Wonderful World. 


And then, it began, the first of many - the first Deconstruction, Pie Tee, which wasn't overly deconstructed, and is still largely recognizable.  Chutoro and Ginger.  Eggs, on a base of fatty tuna, with an amazing herbed mayonnaise that was a marriage of dill, tarragon, parsley, chives and chervil.  Of course, this being the first dish, disappeared rather quickly, not to mention it's so easy just to pop into the mouth.




I could've seriously had a couple more of them pie tees.


The next dish, was rojak.  I think mine were missing some purple flowers, and I only realised this after looking at other people's photographs, but this dish is so painstakingly put together, one has to forgive the omission of the Violets.  Makes it more masculine too I suppose, ahem, sans the violet hues.  Sliced finely, and wrapped around a straw for even sizes, these cylindrical pieces of crunchy fruit and vegetables that are found in rojak, are plated, 30 each, to be exact on each plate, smothered with traditional rojak prawn paste sauce, sprinkled with crunchy biskut kacang (peanut candy).  Apart from being aesthetically stunning, the dish is really deconstruction at its best, complete with a face lift too. 


Of course, this was THE dish that everyone must have been waiting to see, Assam Laksa.  Two plump seared  scallops from Froya, (Where? The same country where Salmon spawn..Norway...) garnished with all the assam laksa herbs, with a 50ml bottle of stock in a medicine bottle.  Gotta love the presentation.







The soup, much like your traditional assam laksa broth,  a fish bisque, I suppose one could call it, is served at room temperature, so as not to further cook the scallops, (which really were seared to perfection).  This would probably be my top two favourites for the night, although the prawn paste oil did make the dish a bit salty. 


The team from MHD...


The inimitable Or Chien, with Duck Eggs and Smoked Oil.  Two plump local oysters, fitted into one shell, pre cooked in buttermilk, adding to its creamy texture, deep fried Panko (Japanese bread crumbs), to render that crispy texture, chives and edible kelp, presumably to make the oyster feel at home with some marine company.  Very unique, and to most, their favourite dish.  The neat XO enhances the flavours if that is at all possible. 


Then came that time of night, with the inevitable unveiling of the Mathusalem, in a light and sound show.








That is one huge bottle, and apparently there are only 6 or so in the world. 


Hokkien Mee - Sakura Ebi and XO Sauce.  Angel hair pasta, in place of traditional yellow mee, with this uncannily deconstructed soup of the hokkien (prawn mee, known in KL) mee.  I actually loved this combination, but found the oil a bit too much.  The lovely flavours of the Sakura Ebi, and XO Sauce really dances on your palate, though the texture of the angel hair was a bit too soft for my liking.





Finally, Nasi Kandar - Wagyu Cheeks, Onions and Ash. Basically a rendang sauce marinade, but the wagyu was oh so tender, cooked for 3 days, so had to be cooked in Singapore and vacuum packed.  Shreds of Kaffir lime leaf, and rice crispies, (well, puffed rice), and melt in the mouth meat.  A truly spectacular end to the main course. 


Ice Kachang Dessert.  Okay, a bit anticlimactic for me, as it was basically shaved ice, with some unusual condiments, such as rose hip, horseradish, and hibiscus..  It made for a refreshing dessert, but I wouldn't have minded something more decadent and fattening to end the meal.  This was almost too healthy. 


After dinner, Michael makes his grand entrance into the room to the applause of everyone.


The various faces of Michael Han.  He seems painfully shy, and reserved, one suspects that the glare of the spotlight almost makes him feel uncomfortable.  He's friendly enough, on a smaller group basis though, but still seems very shy.








He also invites his team on stage to drink a toast.  And kudos indeed to him and his team, for a fabulous unusual creative innovative dinner, that will be talked about for years to come, and will set a new benchmark I feel, for all future Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows events. 


We continue to party the night away, as long as there was Hennessy XO flowing. 








The next day, we are invited to a smaller group press conference.  Karen refers to Michael as a Star in the Culinary Constellation, which I fully agree.  He is truly an artist, reflected in the superlative spread the night before.  How I envy such talent.  Karen also shares that it is the objective of these dinners to inject new and exciting concepts with suitable venues, hence the choice of St Joseph's, as a heritage building. 



On that note, thank you to the MHD team and G2 PR for a wonderful and truly memorable event, and to the truly amazing Chef Michael Han.  I now must make a visit to his restaurant FiftyThree as part of my bucket list.