jamie goode's wine blog

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Had some fun in Singapore today, but I'm feeling a bit jetlagged. You just can't cheat your body clock and expect to get away scott free. After arriving bright and early I decided to nip over to the botanic gardens (right) before my noon lunch appointment. Getting off the MRT at Orchard, it was a good 15 minute walk to the garden gates, and by the time I got there I was overheating. It was worth the effort, though. Nature works for me. I wandered back, did a bit of shopping (some socks at last), and then caught the MRT to Chinatown where I met with my chums at the Majestic Restaurant (www.newmajestichotel.com). The food (modern Chinese) was fantastic. It was washed down with several wines, and lots of ice-cold water plus a bit of jasmine tea. We started off with a blind Champagne which I correctly (and rather luckily) guessed as a vintage 1996 Blanc de Blancs (it was from Duval Leroy, very nice, too) and this was followed up with an Ostertag Riesling and a Porto Carras Malagouzia 2004 (Greece). For reds there were two 1999s: Allemand Cornas Chaillot and Hermitage Cave de Tain. We had four different shared desserts, including one based on the pungent smelling Durian fruit. I enjoyed it, but I can still taste it now, some two hours later. Singapore is fun, and while I'm sure I'll pay the price for my short excursion here in terms of jetlag, it has been worth it.

2 Comments:

At 2:27 PM, Anonymous keith prothero said...

Durian----you are a brave soul. Of course as I am sure you know,this is quite a delicacy,and it brings back memories for me of my childhood spent in Malaysia and Singapore.
Once tasted never forgotten!!!
Glad to see the Botanical Gardens. That is one legacy the Brits left in many countries ,and like you I have always made a beeline for the Gardens as soon as possible after arrival----whether in Singapore,KL,Sydney,Cape Town Hong Kong etc

 
At 8:56 PM, Blogger Jamie said...

Keith, apparently there are signs outside the MRT banning people from bringing Durian on the trains (although I didn't see them). I'm off to the botanic gardens in Canberra this morning, where it's shaping up to be a lovely early Autumn day, 25 degrees and a gentle breeze.

 

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home