Morning party!

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Yea, this year, decided to throw my birthday party in the morning. 10am.

For a change.

Why are parties always at night anyway. Same ol shit.

However did have an impromptu one at Tom, Dick & Harry’s, TTDI a few days prior.

Kicked off with Guinness, then a bottle each of Ardbeg scotch, Havana Club rum, Talisker scotch, Cruzon rum, Jagerbombs (yuck) and shots of Jose Cuervo.

Not a favourite

Cheeeers...

Happy

Special thanks to Byron, Anil and Khabs. And Naveen the crazy wildcard.

Anyway, it was a beautiful Sunday morning, and i arrive at El Meson a lil after 10. Wasnt easy wakin up. Friday at TDH was obviously heavy, and Saturday i’d done the whole six-in-da-morning shit at Sniffa Dawg’s birthday bbq.

Have beers to start, followed by a few plates of Breakfast For A King, El Meson’s breakfast special.

We occupy half d joint, just nice.

Breakfast of champs

By noon, i’m several pints down n pretty zapped. Most guests are here by now.

By afternoon, it’s hazy. I recall popping a bottle of bubbly (courtesy of Mark & El Meson), drink from it, then pass it around.

Yup, recall this

Next, i whip out a bottle of Captain Morgan Black Label. Superb stuff. I have it on the rocks. Beers are not in style by now.

Who yor daddy

Hmm, watdat in the background

Then, the highlight, the ‘Caribbean surprise’ that i promised guests. It’s a rare bottle of Lemonhart Demerra 151 rum, which i featured once. Finally found a time to cut it.

At 75.5%, it’s not sumtin to fuck with. There’s a warning label about how flammable it is.

Major artillery

I have it neat, from d bottle.

This shit got me by surprise. Considering it’s strength, this dark rum from Guyana is pretty smooth, taste-wise at least. Love it.

I pass the bottle around, and everyone has a sip or two. Somehow, both rums are cleaned.

Dark rums. Yummy.

Party in effect

The plan was to end at lunchtime.

Bad plan. The thing about a plan is dat sometimes it gets in d way.

JB Paul

Experience some degree of brown-out, especially from 2pm to 4pm. I think. I might even experienced D.I.A., but dats just speculation.

My plan was for a small one, 15 pax. We probably had a lil more over the course of the day.

Quite bent, i split the breakfast party at 5pm. Time just flies.

An awesome morning, afternoon and evening. Thanks to El Meson too.

A real unique gig to remember! Or not remember, either way.

 

Brain damage: 9/10

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Sneak Peek @ Tate

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Checked out Tate at Intermark in KL.

Chillin

This is a bar modeled after a speakeasy – which is an establishment that illegally sells alcohol.

Cigars? Cigarettes?

Speakeasies flourished during Prohibition in the US, between 1920 and 1933, when alcohol was illegal in the US.

Whose stupid idea was dat??

Obviously the policy failed. And created mobsters, like Al Capone.

Luv d special bulbs over d bar

Anyway, Tate is cozy, dim and intimate, so i reckon it fulfills some criteria.

Patrón-based margaritas goin out

It’s also impossible to find da joint, unless you’ve been tipped off.

Where's da party, dammit?!

 

After a few drinks, boyz got experimental with the knight

 

Brain damage: 7.5/10

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A crafty beer-pairing session

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Happened at Craft Brews recently. It was a special five-course dinner that paired the dishes with certain beers.

The beers were Rogue, which had its launch party recently. The chefs were specially hired for the event – Cuisine Riot, a team of Malaysian-based TV chefs. The dinner was open to the public for a fee.

The food boyz

Beer-pairing is actually not uncommon, although most times it’s wine, not sure why. Beers (as in ales mostly), have depth and complexity as well. The problem here has been the lack of variety as most beers used to be lagers. That has obviously changed.

Craft Brew founder Paul Khong  says that Craft Brews wants to spearhead the beer education and appreciation trend in Malaysia. “We see it as our responsibility to create new and exciting opportunities to help and educate people on how to enjoy beer.”

Cozy

Craft Brew has a range of beers, with the latest being American-made Rogue.

Nite began with a glass of OREgasmic Ale (pale ale, ABV 6%), paired with pork belly, onion tagliatelle, onion coulis, pickled daikon and papaya ketchup.

It was an excellent dish of tender, juicy slabs of meat, with a very wild-tasting ketchup. The beer was a little too bold and tasty for me. The OREgasmic was the only beer i couldn’t finish at the launch party.

When the next dish showed up with a couple of syringes, it got my attention.

Where the needles at?

This is a mix of mushroom consomme, sago pearls and… instant noodles. As you fire the syringe into the soup (not your arm), it turns into noodles.

Cool. I enjoyed playing with my food.

This dish seemed herbal-ly, and refreshing, with medium-strength flavours, and went well with the light-medium beer – the pairing was with the Mom Hefeweizen (Belgian ale, ABV 5.2%).

Next was the duck fillet, Israel couscous and beetroot, with the Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale (brown ale, ABV 6.2%). The bird was cooked quite rare, with a nice roasted skin, and gamey – which was tempered by the sweetness of the couscous. It was a good mix for the roasty, caramely beer.

Hey there brown sugar

I missed out on the tandoori chicken and dessert as i had to split early.The next pairings were the Juniper Pale Ale and the Chocolate Stout. Dammit!

Well, am sure there’ll be other such events comin up. Look out for it if you’re into beers while dining.

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With the Blue Man

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The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ambassador is Jonathan Driver.

Blue Label. Nice job.

Met up with him when he hit town recently – he was around to launch the brand new Blue Label bottle. He’s a travelling man, on da road for most of the year.

Jonathan sure loves his job. His enthusiasm when talking about his job and product is real obvious.

Can u blame him?

The man enjoying his product

He introduces the new bottle, saying that “the Blue Label bottle aesthetics is definitely younger. It would fit in nicely at a nightclub, it would fit in a restaurant.”
I was a fan of the previous bottle; classic style. But the new bottle? Refreshing, trendy and classy at the same time. A beautiful piece, so it’s time I upgrade mine!

Ta daa!

Although Jonathan himself represents the Blue Label, it’s not a drink he consumes daily. “I do enjoy Tanqueray and tonic.” He also enjoys Black Label over ice. And a cup of tea!

Amazingly, he’s a qualified and certified sake brewer, after having spent some years in Japan. “Part of the training included spending a week brewing sake during winter in a temple in the mountains!” Obviously he’s a big sake fan, adding that he’s amazed by the sophistication of sake.

Jonathan showing us the origins of Scotch on his pimped map

He’s been on the job now with Johnnie Walker for 18 years. “These days, I’ve become more than a travelling showman, I also help develop the liquid, and work with the master blender.”

Envious? Good.

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