The December lunch was held in a long established favourite Malaysian restaurant. 39 members and a number of guests attended the lunch. The ladies were greeted with a glass of 2013 Taltarni Sparkling Rose from South Australia.
All dishes had an abundance of chilli, which is normal for the type of cuisine but was not to everyone’s taste but the food did awaken the ‘taste buds’ for a number of attendees.
The food was served as shared plates and consisted of 3 entrees and 4 mains.
Entrees
Salt and Pepper Scampi, deep fried
This dish was cooked to perfection with the meat of the scampi still moist. A good flavour of seafood and a balance of chilli.
Lemongrass seafood skewers
Interesting and a perfect presentation of this dish. There was a subtle and distinct flavour of lemongrass as well as the lime leaves. The pickles were a tasty accompaniment.
Too much chilli was a common comment on this dish.
A nice subtle balance of spicy flavours that did not overpower the pipis and served on a great bed of crunchy vermicelli noodles. One comment the sauce was lovely although a bit salty.
Mains
This dish also had a good base of lemongrass and was unusual as Beef Rendang is the more popular dish and is also the signature dish of this restaurant.
Another tasty curry full of aromatic flavours.
Crispy duck marylands in a nonya-style sauce. Unfortunately, the duck had been a little overcooked and tended to be dry but the sauce was full of flavour and very tasty.
This dish is a long time favourite of the restaurant. The eggplant is coated in a toffee of Asian flavours and is always a stunning vegetable dish.
The white wine on the day was a 2021 Kumeu River, Chardonnay from New Zealand. This wine showed great balance and flavour for a young wine and matched well with the chilli in the food. Although a comment was made the food needed a crisper wine for the seafood entree dishes.
The red wine was a 2021 Kalleske Clarry’s GSM from Barossa South Australia. This wine matched well with the spicy mains and did not overpower.
The service was impeccable from friendly waitstaff. The view over Darling Harbour was appreciated by the ladies and all agreed on the diverse cuisine that awakened the taste buds.
Sydney Ladies Wine & Food Society 