The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Michelin admits two more Spanish restaurants into 3-star club Posted: 23 Nov 2012 07:34 PM PST PARIS, Nov 24 — Michelin inspectors showed Spain a lot of love this year, adding two more restaurants to the exclusive three-starred club to give the country a total of seven triple-garlanded dining destinations. In total, 21 restaurants in Spain and Portugal saw their star status rise in the 2013 edition of The Michelin Guide Spain & Portugal. In addition to two more three-starred restaurants, another two eateries were awarded two stars, while chefs at 17 restaurants also succeeded in scoring their first star. Azurmendi in Spain's Basque country received its third star this year, where chef Eneko Atxa serves up "distinctive, creative, well-balanced cuisine with authentic flavors," Michelin said. Quique Dacosta in Alicante was also promoted into the three-star club, for its "inventive, original cooking that constantly makes innovative use of textures" while specializing in the region's culinary style. Spainish gastronomy owns bragging rights to being the birthplace of some of the world's most innovative, avant-garde cuisine, such as molecular gastronomy, largely perpetuated by chef Ferran Adrià of the now-shuttered El Bulli, which for years was named the best in the world according to the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant, however, has closed down until February of next year for a major overhaul. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Posted: 23 Nov 2012 04:34 PM PST  Prince Robert with a selection of wines from his estates in Bordeaux. — Picture by Choo Choy May The managing director of Domaine Clarence Dillon, Prince Robert owns two of the most prestigious Premier Grand Cru estates in Bordeaux: Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion. The prince is extremely proud of Chateau Haut-Brion which his great grandfather Clarence Dillon bought in 1935. "It was responsible for creating the style of red wine we know today," he said. "Then in the 17th century came the new French claret, a darker wine that had a greater capacity to travel." Haut-Brion was the world's first luxury brand with the earliest mention going as far back as the 15th century. The wines were served in celebration in the court of King Charles II in 1660, and were cited in The Diarist by Samuel Pepys, an English naval administrator and member of Parliament under the king. "A tavern opened in London in 1666, and it became the meeting place of great thinkers, businessmen and traders. John Dryden, Daniel Defoe and Samuel Pepys went there to drink wine and discuss everything from politics to philosophy and literature. "There was a change of taste and we are still seeing it today in countries around the world. As with tea, coffee and chocolate, it became a new culture in the revolution of taste. It contributed to the age of enlightenment and bringing people together, both in France and England." Prince Robert was in Kuala Lumpur recently to talk about not just the premium wines but also about Clarendelle, a more affordable, super premium-branded Bordeaux wine, and Chateau Quintus, a recently-acquired Saint Emilion estate. Clarendelle is part of the company's strategy to expand the family business. "With Quintus, La Mission and Haut-Brion, we represent the top 20 estates in Bordeaux. Today we have an exclusive, new super wine Clarendelle inspired by Haut-Brion. We wanted to present the same elegant, complex wines ready to drink when they reach the local markets. The wines have been in Malaysia since 2007, served in top establishments to customers." He is proud that his wines are becoming part of the global palate. "Malaysia is now the 10th most important market for alcohol," he said, to my great surprise. The prince was very excited to be here, his first time in the country. He was eager to have a taste of the local cuisine, preferably spicy. "I like all cuisines. The first cuisine that brought me to these parts was Thai food. I'm interested to see how our wines match the local curries." He grew up in Luxembourg, went to boarding school in England and studied sculpture in the US. He spent part of his summer vacation at Chateau Haut-Brion with his mother, the Duchess of Mouchy, while she was renovating the castle. He even attended, at his mother's request, the official signing of the acquisition of Château La Mission Haut-Brion in 1983. "In the early '90s, I became conscious of the potential of the business. There was no pressure placed on me," said the elegant and dignified prince. "I had been a director of the company since young. I had been travelling a lot and moved back to Europe in 1992." He entered the business when he was 25, brought in by his mother who was running the company with his stepfather. "I became full time in it in 1997." He has lived in Central and South America and spent time in Nepal, Africa and Italy. He was in Thailand in 1989. "I like every aspect of wine making and try to participate and grow the business. I try not to micro-manage too much. It's the same winemaking team overseeing the estate's philosophy — let the style shine through the terroir to express itself." For him wine is a creative art. "I'm drawn to the business because of the creativity. You have to have a vision and join the dots." Last year, Chateau Haut-Brion celebrated its 75th anniversary. "Part of the fun was working with a 3-star Chinese chef in Hong Kong, and Hideki in Tokyo to put together menus to match with our wines. We created the atmosphere in the London tavern where people drank Chateau Haut-Brion." The prince has also tried his hand at writing screenplays in Hollywood. "I always thought I could stop and come back to it, but now my No. 1 focus is family and children. I still write from time to time, but not screenplays. My wife was a screenwriter. She would ask me to edit her work. I would bug her. One day I wrote a scene as I saw it and we became writing partners." So the prince has his princess... and writing partner. And of course, we... we can have the wines. |
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