Some more winter in the fall

My final meal with the Compatriot would be at my favorite private dining facility. I needed to satisfy a craving for Sankala but didn't have a booking of my own, so I was grateful that I managed to commandeer one with RAW Yeah. And my friend was so happy that he happened to be in town for this.

The trouble with coordinating the guest list between two people is that one of them is bound to be an idiot. In this case, it was yours truly. I miscounted my side of the party and we ended up with 1 more person than the kitchen was expecting...

Barbecued kurobuta pork and marinated cuttlefish tentacles (黑毛豬叉燒拼鹵水墨魚鬚) - I've had the char siu many, many times and it's always been very delicious. I don't think I've ever had the cuttlefish tentacles, though. Those were also nice and charred.

Pan-fried medallions with birds' nest (琵琶燕窩盞) - always love these "madeleines" made with egg white, crab meat, and birds' nest. So savory and full of umami.

Stir-fried tripe with mixed vegetables (七彩炒肚尖) - I haven't had this in a long, long time, and I still really love it. I love how springy the stomach tips get, fighting back against one's teeth. The sweet pickled mustard stem adds a certain sweetness, and the aromatics from celery, yellowed chives, celery, and black olive kernels.

Crystal king prawn (玻璃大蝦球) - a classic dish I haven't had in a while. Still love the texture, which is at once tender while offering just enough crunch. I decided to dab on a tiny bit of shrimp paste (蝦醬), whose flavors are much too pungent and strong.

Deep-fried crab claws (椒鹽肉蟹鉗) - I'M SORRY!!!! Due to your truly being an idiot, we were 1 crab claw short... so our host decided to forgo his claw and made do with a few of the "arms" and "elbows". This was very, very tasty. The fluffy and bouncy texture, and the flavors of the crab meat just blossoming in one's mouth...

Double-boiled winter melon soup with shrimps, Yunnan ham, fresh crab meat and lotus seeds (百寶燉冬瓜盅) - the one dish I insisted on having tonight.

Very clean and delicate flavors, even more than what we had at Forum Restaurant (富臨飯店) a few days ago. This was exactly what Sankala and I were hoping for.

Stir-fried sole fillets (油泡海方利球) - I wanted something different from the usual whole steamed sole, but this wasn't much better in the eyes of Sankala. After all, it's only half "white girl fish"...

Traditional salt-baked chicken (古法鹽焗雞) - this is always very tasty with the chicken's giblets, but we can never finish the chicken.

Stir-fried kailan with crab roe (蟹皇扒蘭度) - a late change to the menu. I was initially looking forward to the 4 different vegetables slowly fed some delicious superior stock (上湯), as I love the clean flavors.

Having said that, this is much more decadant thanks to the richness of crab roe.

Steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaf (飄香荷葉飯) - a classic during the hot summer months, this is always very tasty here.

Red bean purée with aged mandarin peel (陳皮紅豆沙) - I do love this, especially for the fragrance of aged mandarin peel. Possibly the best version in town.

This was not a real drinking crowd, so we were a little weak tonight...

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170éme édition, ID 121028 and 221035 - nice and yeasty mousse. Very fresh and lively.

2013 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gëwachs, from magnum - definitely more rounded and viscous than expected, and a little more ripe on the palate than a dry GG.

2007 Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille, from magnum - pretty smoky, earthy, and minty.

2018 Lucien Le Moine Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - toasty with a little sweet vanilla, which was unexpected. Some ripeness and sweetness here. Pretty nice.

2016 Benoit Ente Bourgogne Blanc Golden Jubilee - good acidity balance, with some toast on the nose.