It is served with chilled, honey-tasting golden champagne, the Cuvée Grand Siècle of the French Laurent-Perrier champagne house, whose wines some 30 diners are lucky to be savouring this Wednesday evening (April 18).
Ludovic De Lageard, Regional Director of Export for Laurent-Perrier, introduces the wine to diners now as the best champagne of the house. No one seems to dispute that opinion.
From a stately vineyard in the town of Tours sur Marne in the champagne region in the northeast of France, near Reims, Laurent-Perrier is famous the world over for its fine champagnes that the house started to make in 1812.
One reads with interest though that when Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt rescued the house from bankruptcy during the bleak war year of 1939, she only had 1,000 mortgaged cases of champagne. She also hid 100,000 bottles safely behind a wall, while her two sons went to fight.
Executive Chef Darren Wiper from England seems to relish cooking dishes to match four different champagnes accompanying each of his dishes. Pressed Phuket lobster, scallop and leek offers a rare and welcome taste of fresh leek as well as that of the delicate seafood.
Wagyu veal cheek, braised slowly until tender, is accompanied by a slice of rich foie gras that brings another taste of the French countryside.
A phenomenal red wine is served with this – Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005. Deep burgundy in colour, and subtly fruity, it has a taste one savours now and then try later to unravel, still unsuccessfully.
The pale pink pinot noir Cuvée Rosé finishes this rare local treat of food and champagne with a gentle flourish.