Cloudy Bay Seafood and Duck Trail 2015

Cloudy Bay is celebrating 30 years of wine-making with tantalizing food pairing menus in the month of May and June 2015.

Appetiser: Bay Scallop | Crudo
Cloudy Calamansi Vinaigrette, Kumquat, Fine Greens paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014

The pairings will feature its Sauvignon Blanc 2014 with Seafood, and Pinot Noir 2013 with Duck. Twelve of Kuala Lumpur’s famous eateries will play host to the Cloudy Bay Seafood & Duck Trail Promotion, offering diners each of their unique culinary creations to pair with the renowned wines from the Marlborough wine region.

We were invited to sample 3 menus at 3 of the restaurants to find how it would pair with each of New Zealand’s most famous red and white. Though only the best fruit makes the wine, and only the best wines make the blend, would the culinary creations created by the talented chefs make a perfect match with the wines?

Hubba Hubba @ Sentral

Hubba Hubba took up the challenge to pair very bold flavors of duck and seafood with the respective red and white. Their promotion offers 2 mains with a bottle of wine.

Black Cod Miso with Arugula Escabeche & Thyme Quinoa for two, with a Bottle Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. RM280++

A thick slice of cod that was still tender and juicy but sadly a bit of a let down due to the overcooked quinoa. The Miso, a fermented soybean paste, was expected vinegary, and savoury, giving the pan-fried fish a strong salty flavor – a little too bold for the white wine pairing.

Pan Seared Marinated Duck Breast, served with Raspberry Sauce & Foie Gras for two, with a Bottle Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir. RM330++

A brawny dish of duck meat, with unctuous flavours of foie gras softened by sweet tangy raspberry sauce. While the gamey tastes blended well with the Pinot Noir, our serving came overcooked, dulling the pairing experience.

Hubba Hubba @ Sentral
Level 2, Menara CIMB, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, KL Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
T. + 60 17-672 2081

W.I.P

WIP chose to focus only on the Sauvignon Blanc with 2 choices of dishes this year.

Garlic Pan Seared Salmon
Black bean pilaf rice, kale, asparagus, and Chili mango salsa paired with a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014. RM264nett

This rice with whole black beans was different and a pleasant surprise. The pilaf rice was cooked fluffy and tender, while the wholes beans had a firmer, almost crunchy texture. Interesting textures but still the dish lacked sufficient flavors. Possibly a technical choice to allow the taste of the pan seared salmon to take center stage. The chili mango salsa added sweet, spicy, fruity flavors to the dish. Not the best dish to complement the wine.

Arroz de Morisco
Portuguese seafood rice with fish, prawn, mussel, crab, clam, olive, coriander and chorizo paired with a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014. RM264nett

A paella-like dish swimming in seafood flavors. When asked the difference between the Spanish paella and Portuguese version, we were told this creation is more moist. Definitely a hearty meal for a hungry diner. The medley of crispy soft shell crab, prawns, mussels, clams and chorizo slices had infused its oceanic and meaty flavors into the steaming rice. A nice dish washed down with the grapefruit, lime notes of the Cloudy Bay white. We preferred this dish over the salmon.

Patrons when purchasing the package, have the option of adding another seafood selection (Arroz de Morisco or Garlic Pan Seared Salmon) by only topping up RM34nett. Quite a good deal and good opportunity to bring a date along for this dining experience.

WIP
Lot G 111, Ground floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 285 Jalan Maarof, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
T. 03 2094 1789

Tanzini

Tanzini’s pairing experience was somewhat different. Instead of going by the bottle, the chef had designed a 3 set course menu with 2 glasses of wine for RM250nett.

Appetiser: Bay Scallop | Crudo
Cloudy Calamansi Vinaigrette, Kumquat, Fine Greens paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014

This dish was in perfect harmony with the white wine. Plump scallops with kumquat-calamansi flavors blended deliciously well with the citrus notes of the Sauvignon Blanc. Light tasting and refreshing, we would have requested for another serving if we could. This would be our favourite dish for the entire journey.

Main: Muscovy Duck | Roasted & Confit
Sweet Potato, Peas, Juniper Jus paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2013

A dish of Muscovy duck meat done in 2 different styles. A steak cooked to medium, and a moist confit presented in a crispy spring roll fashion. Both options offering contrasting textures on the palate, with earthy, sweet-sour flavors of cardamon-juniper berry and sweet potato sauce. The robust taste of the barbary duck, almost like beef, blended well with the red but we preferred it with the Sauvignon Blanc.

Dessert: Untitled at time of tasting

A bold, thick chocolate mousse with citrus fruits. Overwhelmingly rich and a little too thick for our preference.

Tanzini
GTower, 199 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
T. 60 3-2168 1899

Cloudy Bay is holding a contest for Cloudy Bay wine purchasers at retail outlets, and diners on the Seafood and Duck Trail. You stand a chance to bring home a wine chiller worth RM3000 filled with 30 bottles of Cloudy Bay wines should you be the lucky winner. Find out more at the participating restaurants and wine retailers.