It had
been a while since I visited the Marina Mandarin hotel. Although one of my
favorite Italian restaurants – the Ristorante Bologna – is located at the
hotel, the Marina Mandarin had, for whatever reason, fallen off my radar. That
was until a friend of mine invited me there for lunch -- to its Chinese
restaurant, Peach Blossoms.
And a
fine meal it was indeed, made more interesting by my dining mates, one of whom
was Floriane Jacquart, a winemaker from Champagne, France. Floriane brought
with him some very interesting wines for the meal.
Brut
Mosaique and Rose from Champagne Jacquart were the first two aperitifs served.
Made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the Brut
Mosaique was a good conversation starter. Relatively light with a hint of
orange flower, it was a great white for a hot humid afternoon, with a
long-lasting fruity finish.
I have
lately developed a soft spot for Rose; I find it a versatile drink especially
for our weather. The Rose we had went well with our appetizer, particularly the
prawn dumpling. The wasabi prawn however was a disappointment, as its crust
didn’t live up to its supposed crispiness.
I was told that Rose is gaining popularity not only with the ladies but
also the gentlemen of Europe and America. Seems if you wanna be hip, Rose is
the way to go…
When it
comes to roast pork belly, I have two ways of eating it: dipped in mustard,
whose rich, creamy taste brings out the porky flavor after the initial crunch
of the crispy skin. Or, eaten neat with a pairing champagne. This time round,
the Chardonnay in Blanc de Blancs 2005 did its job well; its citrus notes
cleansing the oily aftertaste of pork and leaving a lingering fragrance.
The
stir-fried pork shoulder in Sichuan sauce was a disappointment, its taste
reminding me of most of the Sichuan restaurants in Singapore in the 70s. Where
was the taste of Sichuan pepper and bean paste? It was just mild, and lacked
the punch of the authentic version. The pairing champagne, Brut Vintage 2002, had a
top note of fresh butter that proved an ideal companion to the fiery dish. Too
bad the dish couldn’t deliver…but the wine managed to hold its own.
It’s
hard to find good cod in Singapore these days. Most cod tastes “frozen” and it
is even worse when the meat is overdone. This steamed silver cod was passable.
Brut de Nominee 1999 was delicate to the nose; where the first sniff reminded
me of vanilla ice cream. The taste was complex yet light and lingered longer
than I expected.
While
cordycep is too expensive for day-to-day dining, its flower is more affordable
and gaining popularity in most Chinese restaurants. The spinach was decent but
I wished the stock used to cook it could have been richer. The last champagne
was Brut Vintage 1996. It was by far my favorite of the day, with its hint of
masculine tobacco on the nose, and the delicate taste of coffee on the taste buds.
When
the fried rice with seafood was served, the first thing that came to my mind
was “Where is the wok hei?” “Wok hei” is the breath of the Chinese wok and a
crucial element of fried rice. So, while the rice grains were well cooked,
marks were surely lost in my books for this crucial oversight.
The
dessert was jelly with plum; which unfortunately, had the air of a half-thought
through finale to the otherwise interesting lunch.
Peach
Blossoms
Marina
Mandarin Singapore
Raffles
Boulevard
Singapore
All
champagnes are from Champagne Jacquart
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