aly's wonderland

Exclusive Spanish Wine Pairing Dinner with Guest Chef Fernando Martinez Tabernero

Tuesday, 10^th November 2009

7.00 pm @ Cava Restaurant

I’ve always said Tuesday is the best night of the week. Throw in copious amounts of wine, a bona fide Spanish Chef and his tasty treats… well, what a way to spend a Tuesday night.

Hidden on the quiet Jalan Bangkung in the residential area of Bangsar, you will find Cava. An inviting realm of all things Spanish awaits you.

“CAVA takes after the name of the Spanish Denominación de Origen (the geographic origin of a wine) of Cava, where sparkling wine is produced in the similar method as Champagne.”

-          www.cava.com.my –

Thanks to a much appreciated invite from fatboybakes (LURVE you Mr. Bakes!), I find myself in a romantic setting, pristine white tableclothed tables delicately sprinkled with fragrant red rose petals.

Our gracious host Peter Yew welcomed us with open arms and I was pleased to see two more familiar faces.

Frat Mustard (my little hero) and Joe of lotsofcravings. It was an evening with the boys, kicking off with a welcome by Victor from Wine Cellar, Cava’s wine partner.

The mood was festive, with noisy banter and clinking of glasses as we started with our Aperitif of Castellblanch Cristal Brut Cava. I got to know Peter a little better and discovered his passion for food was a mask for his passion for business. Previously a successful businessman, he has made the move to successful entrepreneur and restauranter. Along with his partners who give him full reign of being hands-on, Peter overseas the group’s three outlets; Cava (Spanish), Opus (Pork-free Italian) and the newly opened Leonardo’s (Non-Halal Italian). All are housed in the same row on Jalan Bangkung for your convenience!

The Spanish like to have their dinner late, and they do it over a good few hours. For tonight, we were Spanish, and although we started early, the duration of the meal could have rivaled that of any authentic Spaniard!

And so it began…

- SPANISH TAPAS PLATTER –

A delightful selection of starters, well presented and very traditional teamed with

Pago del Vicario Talva 2005, Chardonnay-Savignon Blanc.

The Octopus Carpaccio with potato confit and Pimenton oil was average. I have had this before when I was in Spain and I found the slices here too thick, and a little rubbery in texture.

The Gazpacho with Boquerones, Piquillo Peppers and Olives was refreshingly cool, but a little bland.

The Chicken Rolls stuffed with dried fruits was a tasty treat of sweet and savoury, but my favourite was the Spanish Omellete with Bacalao and Piquillo Peppers.

This was outstanding, delicately cooked. Warm yolk oozed out from the centre, engulfing everything in its way. I almost wished I’d tried this first so I could have dipped everything else in it… including Frat, who was the centre of attention as usual!

We moved on to our next dish, which was the Prawn Salad with Tomato marmalade and cauliflower sauce, with

Pago del Vicario Rosado 2007, Petit Verdot

The general consensus around the table was that the quality of the prawns was inconsistent. While some were fresh and springy, others were a tad mushy. I did like the unusual mix of tomato marmalade and cauliflower sauce, which was both tangy yet creamy.

Our glasses were being refilled, new glasses of wine were being served and at one point I actually had three different wines in front of me. Someone joked that it was really just one glass, and I had my wine goggles on.

It was time for main courses. There were three on the menu so Frat allocated them accordingly. “But I hate fish,” I whined, eyeing the beef. “Don’t worry, we’ll all share-share Aly…” he soothed.

Lamb Chops with Membrillo Aioli, Red Pepper confit and gratinated potatoes

This was my favourite. The meat was tender, marinated with a sophisticated tinge of garlic that complemented the intense confit and rich potatoes. The wine really enhanced the flavour of the lamb.

Lubina stuffed with Seafood and Vegetable Confit and Calamari Crisp

I thought I was biased when I thought the Chilean Sea Bass was a little undercooked, but I was wrong as a few others agreed with me. Again, very tasty with a varying consistency from the three items on the plate but it was still my least favourite dish of the evening.

Tenderloin Beef En Croute with Poultry Musseline

I adored this dish. The elegant presentation of the tenderloin, covered in pastry, baked in the oven then sliced. The meat was medium, and exquisite. Combined with the light and fluffy Mousselline made from finely minced poultry and whipped cream, it was a decadent main course.

Main courses were paired with:

Pago del Vicario Penta 2005, Tempranillo-Merlot-Cabernet-Syrah-Petit Verdot

On to the cheese!

Spanish Cheese Platter

with

Pago del Vicario 50-50 2005, Tempranillo-Cabernet.

I love my cheese, and these were good although a little on the chalky side.

And finally, dessert.

Caramalized ‘Torrijas’ with Nougat Soup

Sugar coated fried bread in an almond soup, almond soup is a traditional dessert in Barcelona for Christmas Eve.

Paired with

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava

And so it came to a close…

Three hours later, 10 dishes later, we felt like proper Spaniards. Chef Fernando made an appearance, and that was followed by a burst of applause and a short Q&A session, and a chat with Victor about the wines.

Our evening ended much later, as heavy red curtains were drawn to give the last four standing (or rather, sitting) a chance to recover from an overall splendid meal. Peter made his goodbyes and invited us to join them at Leornado’s for an after dinner drink. We looked at the wine glasses in front of us.

“You must be joking right?” I asked him.

He laughed and promised we would see the new restaurant soon. For now, for me, Cava was enough. A little taste of Spain that does compares to the real thing. I hear their Paella is out of this world…

Thanks Peter, Victor and all at Cava for a wonderful evening!

Cava

71 Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya

59100 Kuala Lumpur

03 2093 6637

Business hours :
Mon – Sat
12pm to 3pm ; 6pm till late
Sunday & Public Holidays
5pm till late