Wine Crazy at Le Bistrot; I-S Xperience; Hereford beef at mezza9; Arabian at Anar

Time to Wine
If our cover story last week has gotten you wine-crazed, head down to Le Bistrot du Sommelier (#01-01 Prinsep Place, 46 Prinsep St., 6333-1982) as they feature 10 crus du Beaujolais from May 15-Jun 15. Aside from sublime fare courtesy of executive chef and co-owner Patrick Heuberger, you can also expect to find offerings from outstanding wineries on the region such as Château Thivin, Domaine Piron, Louis Claude Desvignes, Pierre-Marie Chermette and Vincent Audras. Our hearty congratulations go to Le Bistrot’s sommelier and co-owner Maximilen Fedkiw for clinching the recent Asian Gastronomic Awards of Excellence 2011’s Top Wines Sommelier of The Year!
Prost!
On to more things wine-related, we had our very first I-S Xperience event at Magma German Wine Bistro. The charming Leonardo Noto, Magma’s CEO, talked us through a five-course German wine appreciation dinner. It was an intimate night of fun and drinking (excuse us if we so happen to think those are mutually dependent). It was such a treat to meet some of our readers and chat over dishes such as deep-fried camembert with cranberries and bacon-wrapped pork medallions with glazed apples and mash, while sipping on Fritz Allendorf Gewürztraminer/ Schoenburger 2008 and Jean Stodden Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir) 2007. Certainly one of the favorite pairings of the evening was the unexpected match of a refreshing tomato salad with chopped onions, chives and pesto with a light red WG Lauffen Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) 2009. Thanks so much to the 16 of you who joined us. We hope you enjoyed yourselves at least half as much as we did. And of course, thanks as well to Leonardo and his team for making the evening such a wonderful one.
Beef Up
Carnivores will be pleased to know that from May 15-Jul 9, mezza9’s executive sous chef Simon Ruf will be featuring a menu centered on Argentine grass-fed Hereford beef. The selection of char-grilled sirloin ($38), ribeye (also $38) and tenderloin ($46), as well as chorizo ($26), is served with chimichurri (a blend of oregano, parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallots, dried chili and red wine vinegar), chirmol (a medley of grilled vegetables including tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchinis and onions) or Malbec wine sauce. To complete the experience, gulp down some Argentinean wines such as Luca Malbec 2008 ($25/glass, $98/bottle), Catena Zapata Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($170/bottle) and Catena Zapata Nicolas Catena 2007 ($230/bottle).
Arabian Nights
It’s hard to find Middle Eastern cuisine in Singapore; so that’s where Anar (#01-291, 26 Sentosa Gateway, 6884-6989) comes in. Specializing in Arabic food, items on the menu include classic dips such as baba ghannouj ($12) and hummus with minced beef ($14), as well as dishes like Persian spiced grilled lobster ($36) and kebab shishlik—lamb chops marinated with saffron and black pepper ($45).