Two Momentous Meal From Recent History
I have omitted to write up a couple of exceptionally fine meals that I enjoyed during my recent stay in Singapore.
I had never been to Sentosa before, but the removal of St Pierre, one of Singapore's finer and longest-standing eating establishments, to Ocean Way on the island gave cause for a visit, accompanied by some equally wine-obsessed individuals.
Emanuel Stroobant opened St Pierre in the early 1990s and, from my experience, has kept the dining experience at a very lofty level.
We had arranged to take our own bottles and kicked off proceedings with an NV Pol Roger. I find that these "basis" cuvées can vary in quality from year to year, but this was a mighty fine bottle of Pol: rich, Pinot-dominant.
Then a white burgundy from a producer about whom I knew nothing whatsoever, Fabien Coche. The wine was a Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d'Or of the '08 vintage and was good, albeit with a rather unyielding core...almost a touch of bitterness. '08 is not my favourite of recent vintages for Côte de Beaune whites and I wondered whether it had suffered from the growing season, or simply required a bit more bottle age. It did, however, serve to thoroughly whet my appetite.
The food here is very good and we enjoyed the tasting menu, so lots of small dishes with highly descriptive titles.
Other wines of the night were:
1998 Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers from Jean Grivot. Just about medium weight, the nose of this was simply rivetting and utterly wonderful to return to again and again. Palate, as I say, on the elegant side. Fully resoilved, I'd say.
2007 Granato, Foradori was deeply coloured and could be nothing but a cooler climate wine with its crisp black cherry fruit. could perhaps have benefitted from more time, but extremely toothsome in this state.
2010 Arbossar, Terroir al Limit. Well, it's a wine I sold, so of course I love it. Young and earthy, it retains a great sense of harmony.
And we finished with a fairly entry level bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry that, bizarrely, comes with a padlocked capsule.
It was a fine evening and I would very much like to go back and eat Emanuel's again.
St Pierre is at 31 Ocean Way, #01-15 Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375.
And my last night I was completely bowled over by the food at The Tippling Club. I was there for a wine club dinner and favourable rates had been arranged. I understand that things can get quite punchy, price-wise, going freestyle.
In any event, the dinner was based around the wines of Turkey Flat, a Barossa-based Aussie winery. Very good they were too. But the food really was outstanding: creative, complex and very delicious. I went from there to the airport for my flight home in very happy mood. Very much another venue that's recommended.
The Tippling Club can be found at 38 Tanjong Pagar Road...
