I am Angus
by Luis Manuel D. Ermitaño
Our dinner for the month of April coincided with the visit of Chef Jonas Lundgren (Silver Medal Awardee at the 2009 Bocuse d'Or Competition) at I Am Angus on Yakal Street in Makati. All ingredients were flown in especially for this dinner.
For cocktails was a case of 2005 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, generously donated by Happy Living Fine Wines through the kindness of owner (and IWFS member) John Lim and Kathy Yao Santos. Crisp, clean, focused apple, slight Korean Iya Pear and lemon (the lemon trailing in the finish) dominate, with a whisper of brioche mid-mouth and towards the back. Lightish in body, crisply dry, with bracing lemon-acidity. Rather straightforward, but definitely easy to drink and would pair very well with seafood.
There were several pass-arounds served, but the one that struck me was a bit of herring served on a spoon with a precise dab of piquant mustard cream which was delicious.
The first course was Norwegian King Crab. Most all of us had had Norwegian King Crab countless times in the past, but this was the best one. It was meatier, had better integrity, and tasted fresher and cleaner than all the others that I have had. It was simply prepared/dressed as the crab was allowed center stage - how all good quality, fresh seafood should be served. The blanc de blancs brought a refreshing, cleansing and entertaining counterpoint to the dish.
The second course was Mussel Soup Sherry Manzanilla, paired with La Guita Manzanilla. Again, Chef Lundgren presented the seafood simply, this time in a skilfully balanced cream soup: neither overly creamy nor insipidly thin as, I find, we usually get in local restaurants, with the mussels' flavoring both precise and comforting. At the bottom of the cup lay the mussels themselves, very fresh and lightly cooked, preserving their integrity and releasing their juices in studied gastronomic explosions as one bit down on them. Excellent harmony, the touch of manzanila in the soup adding a bit more complexity. It takes admirable technique to make a simple dish so very remarkable; and Chef Lundgren displayed his masterfully in this dish.
As regards the pairing, well, I was quite ambivalent about it. With the cream soup alone it was good, but once one had the flavors of the mussels themselves on the palate, the manzanilla seemed, to me, a bit awkward. Perhaps it is because I am used to having manzanillas as apéritifs rather than with a meal.
The third course was Grilled Turbot w/ Soy-Browned Butter, paired with 2006 Leewin Art Series Chardonnay. The fish had a nice, firm and meaty texture; it was perfectly seared, which lent a contrasting, gossamer crunch to the moist, slightly creamy inner flesh. The soy-touched beurre noisette subtly enhanced the fish and added some nutty richness and depth to the dish as a whole.
The 2006 Leewin Art Series Chardonnay has fleshed out quite a bit since I first had it on the 28th December 2009. Back then, it was almost racy with slightly minerally, clean citrus and apple. Now, the malolactic treatment is very apparent and the oak has come to the fore. Its own nutty notes, however, did run with the beurre noisette, and that, I suppose, was the basis for the pairing. It was an acceptable enough match, but, personally, to my mind, because of its considerable heft, forwardness of fruit and generous oak, it would be much better suited with richer, heavier seafood dishes.
The fourth course was Braised Lamb Shoulder with Creamed Jerusalem Artichoke, paired with 1999 Château Haut-Marbuzet. The piece I got was rather lean and, frankly, I found it quite ordinary, its saving grace being the artichoke cream which one rarely gets here in Manila. The pairing Bordeaux rouge is plummier than most St-Estèphe's which is now quite soft, comfortingly warm with nice tobacco and subtler, somewhat creamy oak seamlessly woven into its black cherry, cassis and whispers of kirsch. Good showing with my piece of braised lamb shoulder.
Dessert was an interesting dish of Rose Hip and Vanilla, paired with 1990 Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha. The sauce's slight tartness providing a contrast with the ice cream. The pairing vintage port was warmly comforting, if rather straightforward on its own. It was certainly a pleasant and welcome close to a good meal.
Chef Jonas Lundgren gave a brief talk of his career and his soon-to-open restaurant in Stockholm. Among others, he has worked in Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville, California, and in Pierre Gagnaire's 3-Micheline starred Parisian restaurant.
In all, it was a very enjoyable dinner; certainly a good opportunity to have some authentic Scandinavian dishes with real Scandinavian ingredients - all prepared by an award-winning Scandinavian chef, no less.