Sake Pairing Dinner at Portico Prime on 16 Dec 2016

For readers who have been following my blog, you probably read about my blog post on wine pairing dinner at Portico Prime.

I was invited back by Portico Prime this time round for Sake Pairing Dinner on 16 Dec 2016.  Portico Prime has won my heart since the last visit where glorious food was well matched with different types of wine from champagne, white to red wines.

So this time round, I had set a higher standard than before.  Will the food taste as awesome as the last round? Will it be even better?  How will the sake be matched with the food?  Will it be perfect matches for each dish?  Sakes are hardly used to pair with western food.  Will Portico Prime be able to achieve a breakthrough?

Read my blog post to find out my verdict on the sake pairing dinner specially organised by Portico Prime and Wakka Singapore.

As it was nearing Christmas, a beautiful Christmas tree greeted me near to the reception counter.

Something notable to mention is that Portico Prime was one of Singapore's Top Restaurants 2016 by WINE & DINE.

I supposed food quality will be guaranteed since it has won this award.

I went around to check out Portico's setting since I reached there much earlier and it was still bright and sunny.  It was a great opportunity to take a look at the alfresco seating.

I am super in love with the alfresco seating area as it makes great #ootd background, amidst the colonial house structure.

I had actually took a fair bit of photos of the interior and featured in my earlier blog post on Portico Prime so this time round, I will just show a photo of many people's favourite spot... the island bar counter.

That's where you can order a few drinks and food and sit around to enjoy people watching or just chill out there.

I am not an alcoholic but my eyes brightened up when I saw the different types of sakes which will be paired with the food.

We were given a warm welcome and introduction regarding the sakes before food was served.

My stomach was growling... couldn't wait for the food and sake to be served.

Sake Pairing Dinner on 16 Dec 2016, 7pm

The first sake to make its appearance was Kitano Roman (Hokkaido).  It is known to be a very dry sake.  Nevertheless, there is a slight fruity and mani taste of rice.  It is best to drink when it is hot.

Momotare Tomato was the first dish to be served and it consisted of oba leaves, slice damon ham, mix mesclun salad, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic foam.

This combination was refreshing to the taste, with a nice crunch provided by the fresh vegetables, with a tinge of sweetness and saltiness by the ham, well balanced by the sourness from the balsamic foam.

Yes, the dinner was off to a good start!

Next up was Kitano-Nishiki (Hokkaido). It received gold award at Sake competition held in Japan.  It has a fruity and mild rice taste.  It is best paired with any kind of Japanese Washoku cuisine especially with vegetable.

A lot of people know that I am a huge fan of foie gras.  So when this dish named simply as Pan-seared Foie Gras, consisting of caramelised banana, inure, roasted chicken yuzu jus, my heart melted.  It was love at first sight.

A bite of banana with a bit of foie gras on top of the crunchy base sealed the deal.  Never could I imagine foie gras can be matched with bananas.  I wished I could ask for a second serving!

The third dish was matched with Maruta (Hokkaido).  It is a dry sake containing polished rice as Junmai Daijin-jo (50%).  It is best match for meat dishes such as Yakiniku and Wagyu.

The Portobello Mushroom dish deserved special mention as everyone at the table all agreed that this was the best dish served so far.

It also consisted of parmesan espuma, cauliflower floret, lemon vinaigrette as well.

If you look at the ingredient used in this dish, they were pretty down to earth vegetable and mushroom but yet the chef was able to combine these two ingredients together to create something that tasted so amazing.  I believed that the chef gave a lot of thoughts in coming up with this dish by creating different texture to it.

Next dish was paired with Shodai Taizo Shochu (Hokkaido).  It is made from Shochu rice.  It has a flavourful taste and a sweet scent just like Ginjo Sake.  It is also popular with local people who likes strong shochu and local sake.

Everyone was waiting for this dish as it is Kagoshima Wagyu Beef A4 Grade with blistered US asparagus, natural beef jus and smoked strawberry puree!

The beef simply melted in my mouth with every bite... no kidding! To be frank, I am someone who doesn't really take beef cos of that 'cow' smell and taste.  But trust me, this beef is a class of its own... no such smell and taste.  It was so easy to go down and well paired with the sake.

Just look at my happy smile!  I hope I don't look drunk in this photo after a few glasses of sake... lol.

Final dish of that day was of course Cotton Cheese Cake with fresh mix berries, home made watermelon sorbet and oat crumbs.  What a better way to end on a sweet note, yet light and fluffy too.

The cake was not 'jelat', meaning it wasn't heavy unlike the New York Cheese cake style.  It went well with the icy sweet sorbet, while the oat crumbs provided a certain light crunch to it.

What better drink to go with dessert than Jyunbai Shu (Okayama) Umeshu?  So I had a full glass of it to make my night even sweeter.  

It contains no artificial additives and it is made pure from one of the best fruit match of Umeshu, Ousyuku bai.  Emcee is usually made from Shochu but this is made from Sake.  It is made from very famous rice known as Akaiwa Omachi Rice.

All the ladies invited had so much fun that night chit-chating and savouring the dishes together with the sakes available from Hokkaido.

This Sake Pairing Dinner was one of the events organised by Portico Prime.  Instead of waiting for the next event, I strongly encourage everyone to just book a table and try out their regular menu for lunch and dinner.

The quality of the food combined with the nice ambience is so perfect for celebration of special occasions, business meetings over food and of course, just for chill out to have a nice lunch or dinner.

My verdict for this dinner is that the food tasted as awesome as the last round, super impressive indeed.  Sakes were perfect matches to the food as they heightened the flavours without over shadowing the taste of the food.  Portico Prime really deserves to be one of Singapore's Top Restaurants!

Portico Prime is located in the heart of Dempsey Hill, 10 Dempsey Road, #01-20.

Opening Hours:

Monday - Sunday(Mon -Bring Your Own Wine)
Lunch:

11:30am – 3:00pmLast Food Order at 2:30pm

Dinner:

Weekdays 6pm to 10:30pm (Last food order 10pm)Weekends 6pm to 11:30pm (Last food order 10:30pm)Open for drinks at 5pm

Do call in advance to make reservations though as it is getting very popular and I heard that walk-in customers sometimes do get rejected due to the restaurant being fully packed.

If you do not want to be disappointed, call +65 6474 6427 to make your reservations.

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Wine Pairing Dinner at Portico Prime on 27 Oct 2016

What better way is there to wind down a busy work day with an amazingly exclusive wine pairing dinner by Portico Prime and Crystal Wines Pte Ltd, on 27th Oct 2016, 7pm?

Loads of thanks to Portico Prime and Crystal Wines Pte Ltd for a chance to check out the specially curated 5-course wine pairing dinner.  

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.

I think this will be one of the places I will frequent very often.  Besides the tasty food menu available, this place is so suitable for the #ootds... hahaha!  Just look at the cozy, one of a kind beautiful setting... your photos will turn out amazing!

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

You can grab a bar counter seat to sip your drinks, be it champagnes, wines, beers, whiskey etc. You name it, they have it.  I think it is so cool to sit around and watch the world go by while you relax the night away.

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 has also recently bagged the prestigious Singapore’s Top Restaurants 2016 Award by WINE&DINE under the Modern European Category.  So I'm not the only person singing praises of Portico Prime as well ya.  

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!

I am super lucky to be able to Indulge in a carefully designed modern European menu, paired with a premium selection of Katnook wines, one of Australia's finest, hand-picked to complement each course. A gastronomical treat for the tastebuds!

With just 30 seats available, the dinner is priced at $88++ per person, which I feel is reasonable as customers get to taste a five course meal paired with five different wines.  This is a good deal so wine and food lovers, do check with Portico Prime when the next round of wine pairing dinner is scheduled on.

Just look at the amount of Katnook wines on the table for the customers to drink

My 1st course was matched with Katnook Foudner's Block Sauvignon Blanc 2015.  It is pale green with elegant herbaceous and gooseberry notes with hints of tropical lychee.  Richly layered fruit and hints of herbaceous notes, it is balanced by a subtle underlying minerality and a zesty, refreshing finish.

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.

My 3rd course was Smoked Tea Chicken Consomme with silver needle noodles, edamame, cilantro and black truffle.  I could smell that distinct black truffle when the server was walking near to my table.  I loved how the soup sort of cleared my palate for the main course.  It was a very interesting course as I had never tried such soup combination before.  It wasn't heavy compared to the usual cream based soup which are served in most European restaurants.  The kitchen team is so smart to come up with this course so that diners won't feel so 'jalat' or too full for the next course.

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!

The dessert was paired with Henri Abele Brut N.V.  It has a medium-weight style, with an elegant mousse and a crisp structure.  Mental, lemon and apple notes interplay, and the mineral theme echoes on the finish.  It is subtle but persistent.

The dessert was 3 Textures Chocolate Bande with hazelnut mousse lines, rhubarb coulis and strawberry ice cream.  You have the best of both world when you get a dessert that contains chocolate and strawberry flavours.

I am a big fan of desserts and this didn't fail my tastebuds at all.  The cake was soft and moist as I sinked my teeth into it.

Nothing is better to finish the dinner then with champagne and dessert! 

I am so looking forward to the next wine pairing dinner at Portico Prime.  The date is not out yet though but probably it should probably be in December.  Meanwhile, do visit Portico Prime to check out the food and drinks menu.  Portico outlets are available for events as well.  Do contact them if you are looking for venues for special events.

Also, look out for the date on Portico Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/porticoprime for the next wine pairing dinner or join the newsletter at http://portico.sg/contact-us/ and get the latest updates for future events like this!

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