Wine Pairing Dinner at Portico Prime on 27 Oct 2016
Portico Singapore is a boutique home-grown F&B group. The corporate philosophy is that of creating dining concepts that give customers comfort dining pleasures paired with good service and good ambience. Portico Singapore currently has 3 concepts under its wings – Portico Prime, Portico Host & Portico Platos.
Portico Prime, a modern European restaurant and bar, nested in the heart of Dempsey Hill, serves mouth watering casual modern European food-fare and tapas in an elegant colonial house setting. With the tall ceilings, white brick columns and simple yet refined interiors, anyone can enjoy a relaxing lunch or dinner.
Portico Prime has an alfresco area that looks out onto an expanse of lush greenery, a rare sight in Singapore.
It is the perfect spot for many occasions: a business lunch, chilling out with friends, that romantic date or hearty family brunches on weekends. But it was dark when I reached Portico Prime that evening hence I didn’t manage to grab any photos of the alfresco area. But I swear that area is just so suitable for my kids to roam around safely in the nature while I enjoy my meal.
I have so many favourite corners in this restaurant and I would like to share this cool bar setup in the middle of the restaurant with those who enjoy beers, wines, alcohols etc
my favourite beverage… champagne! |
Protico Prime is such a popular destination for food, wine and drinks that I strongly encourage everyone to make a reservation before dropping by in case of disappointment.
Portico Prime was fully packed! |
The friendly service staff are very attentive to customers while the kitchen is able to take into account what each customer’s likes and dislikes as well as food allergies to customise dishes suitable for him/her. For example, one of the guests that evening couldn’t eat beef steak hence the kitchen prepared a fish dish instead for her. This is indeed a thoughtful gesture!
Just look at the amount of Katnook wines on the table for the customers to drink |
My 1st course was Vanilla Butter Poached Boston Lobster with edible soil, orange staranise emulsion and grilled spring onion. This tasted amazingly fresh and sweet! I was trying to figure out what the edible soil is and was wondering if it was oreo or some chocolate bites. But after a while, I didn’t really bother because it went so well with the crunchy succulent lobster flesh, I would rather focus on enjoying the dish.
What can I say… perfectly paired! |
My 2nd course was paired with Katnook Founder’s Block Chardonnay 2013. The colour was straw yellow with tinges of green. You can get the attractive Chardonnay aromas of peach and nectarine, along with zesty grapefruit. The subtle creme caramel and creamy notes add a lovely touch of complexity. Appealing flavours of white peach, pear and citrus, with hints of brioche, highlight the elegant palate. The mouth feel is subtly rich and creamy with elegant oak, enticing fruit and fine acid that is fresh and lingering.
My 2nd course was my favorite Pan Seared Foie Gras with butter toasted bread, beetroot puree, mix berries and spiced mango chutney.
I am pretty biased… as long as Foie Gras is served, you have my vote… lol.
The foie gras was nicely done, not too hard and it just melted in my mouth. I cut a bit of foie gras and put in on top of a bit of bread, and spread the berries and mango chutney on top of everything, before I put them all in my mouth. That exploding mix of flavours and textures was just so unforgettable.
I wished for a second serving… lol |
My 3rd course was paired with Katnook Prodigy Shiraz 2009. It has a rich and complex array of fruit, oak and subtle maturation aromas. Attractive raspberry and plum fruit with subtle liquorice, vanilla and light toast adds complexity to the fruit aromas. Raspberry and plum fruit with sweet spices of liquorice and light pepper are a feature. Subtle oak with fine lingering tannins are in harmony with the well-rounded palate structure.
The soup went well with the red wine! |
The main course was paired with Katnook Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Deep garnet, bricking; the bouquet offers dried leather, crushed leaf, ample fine-grained tannins and a long carry oak conclusion; drying out and despite the price tag, it should be enjoyed from release in the short to medium term.
If you like your beef to be chewy with substance, then this is a course you should not missed. The main course was Onglet Steak with citrus lime crushed purple potato, jerusalem artichoke and perppercorn sauce.
The heavier wine was well paired with the equally dense beef |
What an amazing wine pairing dinner so far! |
All the diners got a surprise when the chef and his team pushed out an equipment from the kitchen and announced that they will be prepared the ice-cream for everyone on the spot.
We were all treated to a visual display of how ice-cream was created using this equipment! It was pure entertainment for the eyes!
Nothing is better to finish the dinner then with champagne and dessert! |