Yea, it’s one of those – a relaxing wine n dine session where u don’t need to worry about the bill, and kick-back.

Place to hang

La Bodega in Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) (2287-2768) has just started its Sunday chillout called El Corazon Del Vino (The Heart of Wines), where guests can enjoy free-flowing wine of the month and food from noon till 4pm.

Different wines from La Bodega’s cellars take the stage monthly, and there was even cava served during my visit. As well as whites & reds. (These are random weekly bonuses tho.)

The deal is very reasonably-priced too, at $60++.

Pepe & friends

The featured wine was a sherry, Tio Pepe from Jerez, Spain. White sherry reminds me of sweet tuak.

This is the wine of the month for September.

The bar made various cocktails using Tio Pepe, but the welcome drink was an Aperol Soda. A light intro to the session. Aperol is a Campari-like aperitif.

The drink is lightly-alcoholic, with herbal scents and a hint of vanilla.  And refreshing in that it does wake you up.

And we have lift-off..

My buddies dug into the food soon after. The spread each person gets is impressive. Enough to get your stomach to chill, and entertain the booze you’re feeding it.

Paella leads the way

The canapes platter served to each guest was good; it contained Paella Valencia (with prawns, clams, chicken and mussels), Croquetas Bacalao (cod fish croquettes), Pinchos Morunos (chicken on toast), and Calamares Fritos (deep-fried calamari rings). While for dessert, we each got some stuff.

Some stuff

Among the cocktails we had was sumtin that looked like late breakfast – a martini consisting of Tio Pepe and Martini Bianco shaken and strained into a glass – with smoked salmon rolls on a stick swimming inside.

Fishy got too drunk

I was neutral about this; my friend liked it. “Bite the salmon then take a swig” was the insight.

I dig the Garden Sprite.

Aint no Sprite

This baby has Tio Pepe, lychee liqueur, strawberry puree, orange wheels and mint leaves. It’s like a fruity rather than tangy mojito, but with sherry flavours.

The Citrus Cup is a goblet of oranges made with Pepe and a dash of Drambuie.

Refreshing with a fruity sweetness

Other cocktails served were Toffee Apple, Oceanic, and Aperol Sour. However, all drinks had Tio Pepe as the base, which can get a little too much, as its flavour is prominent.

Points for colour

I enjoy long-ass, slow dining over some wine. When i was travelling in the Basque country (Northern Spain), my lunches were always two to three hours, as that’s how the locals cruised, with the fruity local white wine txakoli always around. Awesome. (And of course the traditional ciders you pour straight from barrels, but dats another story.)

Chill indoors, or at this cozy patio area

So this one at La Bodega? Am gonna hit it again for sure.

Probably the best Sunday wine brunch in KL right now.

Brain damage: 8/10