Wine of the month: Louis Bouillot Crémant Rosé

This time on WesternTaste.com wine of the month is a Cremant from Bourgogne. Louise Bouillot makes exceptional great value bubble wines that are sold at Swedish Systembolaget. The wine is also a rose which is very suitable for the summer. I love the fresh taste of this Cremant and the vivid nose that goes perfectly with light dishes like sushi, salads, fish or fresh seafood. WesternTaste.com can really announce Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé as best value bubble rose wine from Systembolaget in Sweden that is not on the special order.

Grape Variety:

80% Pinot Noir & 20% Gamay

Winemaking:

To create such a beautiful, aromatic rosé, we begin with a pneumatic pressing combined with short maceration on the skins. We follow this with the méthode traditionnelle, involving a bottle fermentation of at least 24 months, far past the legal requirement of 9 months, to ensure that the lees impart the maximum aromas and finesse to our wine.

Visual Aspect:

Salmon pink

Nose:

Fine bubbles and light moss developing blackcurrant and strawberry's fruity notes.

Palate:

Fruity notes are mixed with a nice acidity that follows the taste until the end.

Nr at Systembolaget:

Nr 7781

Kost in Sweden:

99 SEK

Restaurant Review: SULA, Madrid, Spain

One of my favourite restaurants in Madrid, the place is modern, chic, great fresh ingredients and superb execution when it comes to food presentation and combination of flavours. The interior design is modern and very stylish. The wine list is very well selected and not only Spanish wines are represented. We can recommend the Gewürztraminer which is very nice. This restaurant is mainly famous for its well selected ham. Something every guest should try.

However if you are into fish then you should definitely try the brassied cod which gives you great gastronomic satisfaction. For starter we can recommend a plate with a little of everything; white asparagus, beans and artichokes.

When it comes to dessert it is a must to try here. The prices are very good and you will not be disappointed. Try the chocolate dream with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce or the apple pie garnished with calvados and cheese cream.

Overall we at Western Taste loved this restaurant and I, Alexander Yü, will always recommend it for future visits.

Final Grade: 4 out of 5

SALU Madrid

C/ Jorge Juan 33

28001 Madrid

www.sula.es

Tel: 91 781 61 97

Critique and written by: Alexander Yü

 

Restaurant Review in Beijing, China by Western Taste

Face Bar (Thai and Vietnamnese), (Beijing)

Grade: 3,5 of 5

Face bar is a luxurious restaurant chain that is located in Shanghai, Beijing, Bankok and Jakarta. Its focus feels more on interior and design rather than on food. Its menu is interesting however not so extrodinary. The wine list is somewhat interesting however it is still having these boring commercial wines like Masi and Moet Champagne. Although the food that I've tasted has some great qualities in it. The spices and flavours are well used and complements nicely with wine, which they try to profile themselves with (Western wine with East-Asian food).

That is why our grade is 3,5 for its effort in the wine and East-Asian cusine complementary. Also for its fantastic job in interior and design.

26 Dongcaoyuan, behind the Cervantes Institute
www.facebars.com
Phone: 6551-6788

Written by: Sofie Johansson

Maison Boulud (French Haute Cusine), (Beijing) ***

Grade: 4,5 of 5

Located in the former area; Legation Quarter but now known as Chien Men. This restaurant brings the French cuisine in Beijing to another level with excellent service and great standards. The food here is really something different from the rest of the French restaurants in China and with a wine list that consists of 800 wines is not bad at all. The wine list is probably one of the largest I have ever seen. So you do not need to feel embarrassed to ask for the sommelier when it comes to wine guidance. The restaurant is also granted 3 star "Grand Beverage Award" by Western Taste for its excellent selection of wines and perfect performance when it comes to delivery in wine service.

Qian Men Dong Da Jie (next to the Forbidden City) 

www.legationquarter.com

Written by: Sofie Johansson




My Humble House (Singaporean fusion), (Beijing)

Grade: 2,5 of 5

The food has good quality meat and provides very good service. However one big issue is that they have very commercial wine on their wine list. It is only big brands that make big quantity productions and no small wineries with good quality interesting wines. I did not like the wierd flavours of their dressing for the salads as starters and some of the meat had to much fat included. Something the chef should cut out before serving. Though their meat provides nice flavours and complements a well selected Bordeaux blend with more tendency towards tannic structures like Cabernet Sauvignon.
The brand is a Singaporean restaurant chain with locations in Singapore, Tokyo, New Delhi and Beijing. They probably will open in Shanghai and is lookng at Hong Kong.

Beijing Oriental Plaza, Podium Level W3
Unit 01-07 No.1 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing
Phone: 8518 8811

Written by: Sofie Johansson

Cepe, Ritz Carlton FS (European), (Beijing) **

Grade: 4 of 5

Ritz Carlton always gives top service, wounders in food and beverage and the understanding in luxury. Cepe restaurant in Ritz Carlton Beijing at the Financial Street gives the best. It is the first Ritz Carlton in Beijing and has top luxury service. Innovative food performance is at its best during their monthly food promotions, especially their mushroom food experience (ends in Oktober 2008). For Ritz Carlton the prices are very cheap. Around 500 RMB per person for 4 dishes is nothing compaired to Ritz Carlton standard around the world.

1 Jin Cheng Fang Street East
Financial Street, Beijing 
Phone: 6601 6666

Written by: Sofie Johansson




CJW - Cigar, Jazz & Wine, (Beijing) 

Grade: 1 of 5

One lovely family dinner at CJW in Beijing, or so we thought! Service was really bad and waitress did almost everything wrong in serving food and beverages. They did not present our dishes at the same time and one of their "main courses" was the smallest thing I ever seen. It should have been put as an appetizer and not a main course. 

Also the prices were really unnecessarily high, especially the beverages where a Coca Cola cost 58 Yuan. The only place I have seen a Coke cost so much is in Monaco, France. 
The location is wounderful at 'the Place' in Beijing. However, the only positive thing they have in CJW Beijing is the environment you sit in which is very different and modern. Also, they have a great Jazz band that plays some really lovely music. Food is terrible, service is bad and they charge you extremly high prices for it. My suggestion is: DO NOT VISIT!

Written by: Sofie Johansson

 

Da Dong Roast Duck (Imperial Cusine), (Beijing)

Grade: 5 of 5

Three things you must do in Beijing: climb the Great Wall, visit Summer Palace and eat Beijing Duck. Now, there are many places you can go to eat this lovely duck but not all of them are good and many of them are to commercial and does not care about the quality. So if you are going to eat Beijing Duck then there is only one place to visit. Da Dong, you can even see how the duck is roasted before served. Since the waiting line is very long you have to make reservation 2 days in advance. However if you did not get the chance and have to wait they actually provide with free wine for the guests that waits for a seat. Nice service, good quality food and nice surroundings. Best of the best. 

Nanzincang Int'l Building
Southwest of Dongsi Shitiao Bridge
Phone: 5169-0328 

Written by: Alexander Yu




Alameda (Brazilian), (Beijing) *

Grade: 4 of 5 

If looking for the best lunch restaurant in Beijing, then you have to visit Alameda in the Sanli tun area. Their red wine risotto with roasted duck and chicken file with passion sauce was divine. However you need to call and make reservation at least 2 hours before because of its popularity.
You will get a lovely 2 course lunch for 60 Yuan. The menu has a great selection of dishes, however the dinner menu does not provide the status it should be acquired. The wine list does not feel completed when some of the wines are too common and commercial. However, the service is fairly good, food lovely and cosy interior.

The restaurant is also granted with Western Taste 1 star "Beverage Award" for its good selection of wines.

Sanlitun Beijie 
Inside Tongli Studios (50m south of 3.3 shopping)
Phone: 6417-8084

Written by: Sofie Johansson




Le Quai (Contemp. Chinese), (Beijing)

Grade: 4 of 5

This restaurant provides innovative Chinese cusine with a touch of fusion and contemporary Chinese. However, if compaired with other fusion restaurants in Beijing, this place has actually kept its Chinese traditional core. The raw materials have high standards and the quality of food is at top. Also innovative design with an art gallery on the second floor is a plus. Wine knowledge among the staff is a little bit behind. The wine list provides the biggest brands in the business and a large variety of selections but a bit boring, nothing very exciting. Either the most expensive and the best or the cheapest and the worst.

Inside the south side of workers stadium

Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang Dist. Beijing, Beijing

Phone: 6551636

Written by: Alexander Yu




Green T. House (Beijing) *

Grade: 4,5 of 5

Waow; is the word when you step into this amazing restaurant in Beijing. It is absolutely incredible. The interior and art inside is breath taking. This is a restaurant that has sucessfully combined art with food.
The wine selection is very nice, could be better, but very nice. The food is focused on Chinese however made with fusion. Staff is knowledgable and friendly. Everything about Green T. House is an experience and you will get the feeling that you have not been in any restaurant like it before. Green T. House is also awarded with 1 star "Beverage Award" by Western Taste.

No 318 Cuige Zhuang Xiang Hege Zhuang Cun Chaoyang, Beijing

www.greenteahouse.com.cn
Phone: 1360 113 7132

Written by: Alexander Yu

Mosto (Beijing) **

Grade: 4 of 5

The Crown Princess of Sweden has been to this restaurant during the Olympic Games and loved its innovative cooking. Mosto have 3 owners where the restaurant concept and design is managed by a Swedish owner. The second owner is her husband and he is the restaurant manager and runs the entire operation. He comes from South America and used to be the Sales Manager of Torres Wines in Beijing. The third owner is the Head Chef and stands for its quality, creative cooking and high profile.
The wine selection in Mosto is very good, they also provide its wine by glass with a high end professional wine fridge where the temp is at its best. Mosto is awarded with 2 star "Cru Beverage Selection Award" by Western Taste.

Nali Patio, 3rd floor, 81 Sanlitun Beilu

Chaoyang District, Beijing

http://www.mostobj.com/

Written by: Alexander Yu