Macau Tim

It's Dayliao's turn to host an MNSC dinner.  Since he's getting married in Macau about a month from now, he decided we should trek over to Macau for his last MNSC dinner as a single man.  We would revisit Tim's Kitchen (桃花源) and actually sit in the same room as the last time Dayliao hosted his dinner in Macau...

A series of starters were placed onto the lazy Susan as we started the meal:

Century eggs with pickled ginger (皮蛋伴酸薑) - not one of those things that goes well with wine, but delicious nonetheless.

Marinated sliced pork belly (涼拌爽肚片) - these thin slices of pork belly were blanched and a little chewy.  I really enjoyed the sensation as I bit down with my teeth and felt the spring of the meat.

Deep-fried duck tongue with garlic and pepper (椒鹽鴨舌) - I normally take the tongues marinated in soy sauce, but this was pretty nice, too.  Slightly spicy.

Marinated sea cucumber (涼拌遼參) - I liked the soft yet slightly chewy texture of the sea cucumber.

Deep-fried shredded mushrooms (酥炸菇絲) - very, very tasty... Reminds me of the deep-fried shredded burdock (牛蒡) I love so much.  Slightly spicy with chipped chilis.

Deep-fried tofu cubes (椒鹽豆腐粒) - ho-hum.  Batter is sprinkled with chili powder.

After a while, the other dishes started arriving one after another:

One should never miss the stir-fried giant glass prawn (玻璃明蝦球).  While the prawn was as good as always, the thin slice of ham tonight was the star.  Unlike what I'd get at Tim's Kitchen in Hong Kong, this sliver had a honey glaze and much sweeter.

Deep-fried whole crab claw (椒鹽原隻鮮蟹鉗) - I've never had the deep-fried version in all my visits to Tim's Kitchen, but this one wasn't bad either.  The crab meat was still fresh and sweet, although the batter was a little spicy.  It was gone in no time.

Stir-fried shark's fin with bean sprouts and egg (桂花炒魚翅) - a rather weak execution.  Not fried with high heat and we couldn't taste the wok hei (鑊氣).

Stir-fried tripe with mixed vegetables (七彩炒肚尖) - can't imagine coming here without having this dish...

Roasted baby pigeon (紅燒頂鴿皇) - O-M-G.  Even though I enjoyed the pigeon at lunch today, this pigeon just blew away anything I've had recently.  The meat had been marinated with spices and the wonderful fragrance of star anise came through.  I couldn't resist cleaning up the plate since no one else was grabbing any...

Braised pomelo skin with shrimp roe (蝦子炆柚皮) - just awesome.  I used my spoon to clean up the starchy sauce and tried to get every single grain of shrimp roe...

Fried rice with beef (生炒牛肉飯) - very, very good.  The rice grains had the right balance between being moist yet dry enough, with perfect bite.  A testament to the skills of the chef.

Rice flour rolls stir-fried with satay beef (沙爹牛肉炒腸粉) - pretty yummy, too.  The rolls were very soft, and the satay sauce definitely hit the spot.

Glutinous rice balls with black sesame center (擂沙香麻球) - these were sooooo good... The flavors of the black sesame filling were just really intense.  I must have had at least three of these.

Steamed lotus seed paste birthday buns (蓮蓉壽包) - pretty good, although the ones at Fook Lam Moon still come out tops.

The food was awesome, and I think it's at least on par with the main restaurant in Hong Kong.

The main event of the evening, served in pairs:

2002 Comte Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d'Or - muted nose with some oak, vegetal, chalky and minerally.

2002 Comte Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes - a bit ripe, oak, sweet on the palate, and also hot on the palate.

1991 Comte de Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - ripe and mature.  Suddenly oyster sauce notes emerged, along with a little salty plum (話梅).  Really silky smooth on the palate.  Later on the wine was much more acidic.  91 points.

1991 Dominus - brett and medicinal, smoky, lead pencil and some fruit.  93 points.

1994 Dominus - mint, smoky, brett, sweet and a bit of caramel.  Should have known from the caramel that this wasn't French...  93 points.

1994 Latour - initially closed, later some smoke.  Actually still a little tannic.  94 points.

1988 Dujac Clos de la Roche - very fruity, sweet and full of berries.  Vibrant and lively.  95 points.

1988 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - orange marmalade, a little farmy, nose seemed a little cooked.  A little grassy and vegetal, with some potpourri.  93 points.

1985 Margaux - very bretty and medicinal, green, vegetal, mint, and almost a little ripe on the finish.  94 points.

1985 Mouton-Rothschild - ripe with a little brett, and a little sweet on the nose.  94 points.

That was a lot of good wine for one evening...