Kronenbourg 1664 Presents The French Art of Culinary Dinner 141212

[Event]

One thing I love about the holiday season is that traffic is slightly less heavy as compared to normal days. Why do I say that? Well because on 14 December 2012 I ventured into the heart of KL city during the height of evening rush hour to attend the Kronenbourg 1664 French Art of Culinary dinner at Nathalie’s Gourmet Cuisine, Menara Taipan, Kuala Lumpur.

I rarely go for fine dining dinners (in fact just two in 2012) with the last one also being hosted by Carlsberg at Saujana. You can read about that one here – https://timchew.net/2012/10/07/a-gastronomical-adventure-with-carlsberg-and-chef-anton-mosimann/

Nevertheless it’s something that I enjoy even though I have to dress up and eat all prim and proper (learned dining etiquette from my dad who incidentally conducts dining etiquette courses for the upper management of large corporations). Those of you who have gone out for happy hours with me would know that I’m happy with a glass of beer in my hand and a plateful of siew yoke (which explains my expanding waistline) in front of me.

Well this time round Kronenbourg 1664 was (appropriately) taking the lead for the dinner as Nathalie’s Gourmet Cuisine was a French fine dining restaurant. Actually I must admit that I thought Menara Taipan was in USJ until I Googled it. Chef Nathalie has another outlet called Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio which is a restaurant and also a studio where she conducts cooking classes!

Anyway the night started off with three (3) very amazing canapés served during the pre-dinner cocktail Asahi Super Dry which was generally quite neutral tasting which served to amplify the flavours of the canapes. These were not ordinary canapes mind you… We were served:

Foie Gras Creme Brulee, Green Apple Espuma, Popcorn – rich, creamy, fruity and salty all at the same time. Talk about a combination of flavours!

Truffle Scramble Egg in it’s Shell – you get a whiff of truffle with every bite!

Marinated Salmon Tart in Herbs Mousse – The mousse was creamy and went well with the rich salmon

I was too busy eating the canapes until I totally forgot to take photos of them.

Talk about an interesting way to start off the night. We were all pretty excited about the dinner after such a starter!

Good lookinig guests – Chui Ling and Leng Yein

It was a very exclusive and intimate dinner with only around 50 guests and it was hosted (MC-ed) by Carlsberg MD Soren Ravn himself

This time the French culinary skills of Chef Nathalie were put to the test

King Fish prepared in an inimitable French style preserved with lemon mouse, served with Mesclun salad with balsamic and lemon dressing and paired with Kronenbourg 1664 lager

Hokkaido scallops and Foie Gras Duo was presented on green cabbage infused in Kronenbourg 1664 with a cabbage broth emulsion.

floating Somersby Apple cider sorbet took to palates after. The cider made from fresh apple juice — Floating Somersby Apple cider sorbet. The cider is made from fresh apple juice. I decided to take this pairing a step further by adding in a splash Asahi Super Dry and found that it was actually pretty good! Be adventurous and never be afraid to try!

We were entertained by an international jazz band from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra during dinner. Talk about being in a posh setting! — We were entertained by a instrumental band during dinner. Talk about being in a posh setting!

Chef Nathalie hard at work preparing the main course. She later came out of the kitchen after dinner to a huge applause by the guests who really appreciated her effort!

Roasted Venison Tenderloin on top a Celeriac Puree sauce with chocolate flavours, hazelnut tuile and thyme polenta paired with Grimbergen Ambree

French Blue Cheese, Dry Fruits Chutney aka 'Gwailo's Revenge' for us Malaysians making them eat durians hahaha! Thing is that I love cheese including blue cheese so I polished up this one. The salty flavours of the blue cheese was cut by the sweet flavours of the chutney and although this dish was not paired with any beers I thought it went well with the blod and bitter flavours of the Grimbergen Ambree — French Blue Cheese, Dry Fruits Chutney aka ‘Gwailo’s Revenge’ for us Malaysians making them eat durians hahaha! Thing is that I love cheese including blue cheese so I polished up this one. The salty flavours of the blue cheese was cut by the sweet flavours of the chutney and although this dish was not paired with any beers I thought it went well with the blod and bitter flavours of the Grimbergen Ambree

Miss World Malaysia 2011 Chloe Chen was seated right opposite me

While the sexy Leng Yein was seated on my right

Homemade Brioche “Pain Perdu”, Vanilla Custard Sauce, Apple and Pear Tarte Tatin with a signature Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc Ice Cream.

Blue, white and red macarons - the colours of the French flag! — Blue, white and red macarons – the colours of the French flag!

Carlsberg MD Soren Ravn, Miss World Malaysia 2012 and MHB blogger Lee Yvonne with me

Sandwiched between 2 Miss World Malaysia - a nice place to be! — Sandwiched between 2 Miss World Malaysia – a nice place to be!

The dinner evening was presented with a vision to inspire guests to reflect on, and derive as much pleasure from the flavours, aromas and beauty of cuisine, crafted flawlessly by only the best in culinary arts. The food was effortlessly paired with Carlsberg Malaysia’s diverse portfolio of brands which included many internationed labels such as Kronenbourg 1664, Grimbergen, Asahi and Somersby.

Definitely a night to remember!

So the next time you’re out dining at your favourite restaurant why not conduct your own food and beer pairing? Try complementing flavours, contrasting flavours or even amplying flavours! You might be surprised with the results!

More info at https://www.facebook.com/KronenbourgMY

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/myhotbloggers

If you’d like to fine at Nathalie’s Gourmet Cuisine there’s more info at http://www.nathaliegourmetstudio.com

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Photo credits: FHM Malaysia and author’s own