Restaurant Review: Gigibaba

102 Smith Street, Collingwood.

This restaurant is in the mould of a turkish Movida, but still quite different. The room is less polished, the food is more rustic. One does not feel the same sense of occasion sitting in Gigibaba as one does in Movida, but it's equally enjoyable

No reservations are accepted, and it opens at 6. At 5:40 I was standing in a short line, for a small room. By 6pm the line was long. I wonder what time the first ones in the queue got there.

We were seated at the bar (where most people will have to sit). My girlfriend was of the opinion, that she was sitting next to Nick Cave. And she knows her music, I would be surprised if she was incorrect.

A turkish beer, efes, was well recieved. The menu listed a number of entree and main options, as well as a chef's banquet for $55. We chose the banquet.

During the first hour, around 10 cold vegetable dishes were brough out, each delicious, especially the silverbeet. There were also dips (hoummus spiked with tahini, a smokey eggplant babaganoush, and a delicious tomato based dip. And we were also granted and oyster each to begin (dressed with tomato and pomegranite).

My usual expectation is that when I start to get full, the banquet is nearing its end. And I was starting to get full after the vegetable dishes. Next were Kofte, the finest example I've had, and cheftalye (as translated by my Greek Cypriot girlfriend), also the finest example.

At that point I was getting very full, and was glad when a waitress delivered prawns in a claypot, and a pidgeon pastry, and told us that that we were "done".

But we weren't.

A main size barbequed chicken arived, a leg and a breast, and it was delicious. At this point I was very full, and assumed the dinner to be over - but again I was wrong.

Next up were Lamb cutlets, expertly seasoned an perfectly cooked, with a blast of oregano. Again I assumed we were finished, but 2 hot vegetable dishes arrived, as well as a salad, and I think a couple more meat dishes that I can't remember. And again we were told that we were done.

Desert, however, arrived in the form of middle eastern pastries. Bakalva, a birds nest, and a middle eastern quince tart.

All delicious, and I was ready to explode from the quantity of food eaten.

As noted, an efes pilsner (from turkey) was drank first, and it exceeded expectation. My girlfriend had a virgin mary, that she proclaimed as the best she has had (and she is an expert on virgin marys - it is her drink of choice). I followed the pilsner with a pinot noir from Domaine A's second label (92), and then a peppery Rhone valley syrah(93). A spanish cava (95) followed as a pallate cleanser, and then a bortrytis infected sauternes (91) to match with dessert.

Overall, a great dining experience. Traditional and rustic, but cooked with creative eye, and expertly seasoned and spiced.

The price was also good - $162.50 before tip, with one heavy drinker (as above).

This establishment will not replace fine dining, nor Movida and the like. It is however a better option than Abla's, but similar in idea (at least as far as food is concerned). It is most likely a cross between Abla's and Movida however. The wine options also make it a better option, as Abla's is strictly BYO. And this venue takes a creative approach to wine service. All drinks are properly measured, and you have the choice of a 120ml, 300ml, or of full bottle serving.

A brilliant restaurant, would not be surprised if it got at least a hat in the next Good Food Guide.

Definately Melbourne's best Turkish restaurant (15/20).

2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series (LEAS) Chardonnay

Brilliant concentration of depth and aroma. A full bodied Chardonnay. Not crisp or mineral, this wine is a barrage of fruit flavour and toast. 

The body of this wine does not however overshadow the complexity, which is equally elaborate.

Whilst a great vintage for white in Margaret River, watch out for the '06 which by accounts of other Margaret River chardonnays, may be superior yet. The 06 Cape Mentelle was better that the '05. And the Cape Mentelle vineyards is situated close to Leeuwin Estate, in the southern part of Margaret River.

Why you want this wine: This is an exceedingly good example of the LEAS Chardonnay - whilst LEAS Chardonnay is itself generally considered the finest chardonnay in Australia. And this one is a very good vintage. Whilst there may be reluctance considering the next vintage may still be better yet, the '05 has been discounted in Woolworths from $97 to approx $75, making it good value. It might be discounted elsewhere also, to make way for the new release.

The budget option: Buy the '06 Cape Mentelle or the '05 Voyager Estate - CM is better to drink now, the Voyager to cellar.

The verdict: This blog tried the '06 Cape Mentelle and '05 LEAS side by side, and the LEAS was clearly superior. Is it worth twice to thrice the price? that's a judgement for you to make, based of the value you put on perfection (or nearer thereof).

We also tried the '06 CM v '05 Voyager together. The Voyager, being highly acidic, ought not be drunk now and is better suited to long term cellaring.

Scores:

2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay - 97/100

2006 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay - 95/100

2005 Voyager Estate Chardonnay - 95+/100

 

Trentham Estate Chardonnay 2008

Discounted to $7.something. Apparently was $15ish.

Not a bad wine - indeed, quite good for a white. There is a hint of oak, perhaps even more than a hint. Definite chardonnay varietal expression.

I will not apologise for liking this wine, why should I? It was bought at heavily discounted price, but it's worth the list ask. The back label says "sourced from our finest vinyard". That's vineyard, singular. And it tastes great.

And yet again, this is another example of cheap white being far superior to cheap red. I can't imagine a $7 bottle of red tasting this good.

I like Trentham, and I may not be sure why. I seem to remember a good wine of theirs 4 or so years ago. A nebbiolo I think. And I remember it being great. Light, but highly complex. This is another in the same mould. Trentham can be bad - I had a very bad pinot from them the other week, but when they are good they are great. One to watch.

Score: 90/100

Why You Want This Wine: Trentham has potential, and a few of their wines are great value. Just pick the right one.

Oz and James's BIG WINE ADVENTURE (DVD)

A humerous series. From the blurb:

"Featuring Oz Clarke - renouned wine authority, Francophile and former Wine Tasting Champion of the World - as he attempts to reveal the wonder of the world's most complex viticulture to James May - a beer drinker who admires the Renault 4 but can identify a wine only as being 'nice' or 'nasty'.

I really enjoyed this series. They toured through all of France's major wine regions, and it is a pleasure to view these regions second-hand. Parts are insightful, but mostly it is the humor of James May, and the probably unintentional humor of Oz Clarke, that makes this series work. Top Gear fans will no doubt enjoy seeing James May taking on an alpha-male role, a role that he could not achieve next to Hammond and, more so, Clarkson, on the BBC car show. May is humerous and obnoxious, a brilliant combination, but he takes the subject matter seriously enough to make the show work, and to culminate in what is a friendship between Oz and James, and a true appreciation of wine by May.

Why You Want This Wine: It's not a wine, it's a DVD, and a pretty good one at that. It will make you want to tour the French wine regions with one of your mates.

Rating: 95/100

GFC update #2: Bargain winelists - expensive on the cheap

My last GFC update concerned cheap wine. This post concerns expensive wine on the cheap. 

My comparator is the 1996 Krug. A serious wine, that I have not yet tried, but hope to soon. It has the remarkable distinction of being one of, I think, 3 that James Halliday has rated as 100/100 over the course of his career. Sheer Perfection, it appears.

The cheapest that I could find it at an online discount merchant: $649.99 at Winestar (http://www.winestar.com.au/prod427.htm).

And on to winelists.

The Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, 3.5 hours west of Melbourne, has long held distinction for a very impressive cellar, at equally impressive prices. In recent times, the added distinction is that of Dan Hunter, former head-chef at Mugaritz (rated 4th best restaurant in the world), now at the helm in the kitchen.

And as for the '96 Krug: $664, only $14 more expensive than the online retailer. The added benefit, one assumes is that if corked/faulty, one can have a replacement in minutes.

Can that be beaten? It appears so.

Quay, a Sydney restaurant, that swept the board last year winning 3-hats and best NSW restaurant in the most recent Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, and best restaurant in Australia according to Gourmet Traveller, has re-evaluated it's winelist.

In times of GFC, to get more patrons through the door, and increase their alcohol spend, it has discounted its winelist, hoping for volume over margin.

And the price of a bottle of '96 Krug? $516. Buy a meal and the obligatory cheap bottle of Krug, and the meal is, in relative terms, practically free.

Time will tell whether other restaurants follow suit.

Why You Want This Wine: It's more than a wine, it's a winelist. And if you have just recieved Kevin's tax-bonus, do your bit and stimulate the economy.

Westvleteren Abt 12 - Trappist

This blog discloses where if first found this beer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/westvleteren-abt-12/4934/

It rates at number 1 of the best beers in the world, and this blog had the pleasure of drinking 6 of these beers about a year ago.

Westvleteren is available only at the abbey, in theory!

The blog had the Westvleteren ebay'd to it at its home address. But the literature suggests that evading the abbey will subject one to excommunication.

We compared the beer to the rochefort trappistes 10, allegedly the 6th best beer in the world, and the only other beer in the top 10 that is a trappist beer (which is this blog's preference). 

The difference between the 1st and the 6th best beer in the world is unimaginable. The Westvleteren is amazing, the greatest possible beer experience ever. Much superior to the 6th best, the Rochefort.

Score: sheer perfection 100/100

Why You Want This (Beer): Because the greatest beer in the world is many magnitudes cheaper than its wine counterpart! ($20 compared to $6000+)

2006 Wynns black label, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra

Wynns Black Label is one of my favourite wines - It's always of good quality, and it is available at most outlets - it is one of the most accessible good wines.

I like the 2006 because it has class. The 05 was a crowd pleaser, and I purchased many bottles. But I have the feeling that the 06 will be a better long-run prospect. I think the 05 was too reliant on its vanilla oak profile, as a delicious wine whilst young. The 06 relies upon it's structure.

My advice: Buy a bottle of 06 Wynns Cabernet.

Score: 94/100

Why you want this wine: Because it is available almost everwhere. It is a great wine, and you can do much worse when purchasing from an outlet that has few other $30 wines that are good.

2007 Stonier Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

Pinot is difficult, in that it is a 'fickle grape' (see Sideways). It will cost more to find a good pinot (usually). Many pinots are abhorrent, and bad pinot is disgusting. You should look at around the $25-$35 price point. Being fickle, however, there are good value options at these lower price points, and also at the higher. It is that there is much variance, that a great degree of research is required, from vintage to vintage. 

Yarra Vally and the Mornington Peninsula are the most obvious locations. Geelong, Macedon, are regional examples. For the most part, I prefer Yarra Valley, as Mornington usually costs more for the same quality, due perhaps to the 'toff' factor. But a great Pinot is the 2007 Stonier Pinot Noir, from Mornington Peninsula, and it's not the reserve one. Around $30+ at supermarkets, it can be had for $24 at discount merhcants. My comparator is the Yarra Valley's De Bortoli Estate Pinot Noir, the '06, which commands a price of around $30 at discount merchants, and $40 at supermarkets.

I think that the Stonier is superior. It is fuller, and more engaging. Flavours of Strawberry and Plum, but also pine needles and forrest floor. With age, one might hope for truffles (hopefully). The De Bortoli was however weaker, and not just with regards to present taste, but to its future profile. It lacked the presence, and the degree of pinosity that the Stonier had. It was slightly harsh and incongruant.

I don't want to give the wrong impression, the De Bortoli is a great wine, and probably great value at the price. But I like the Stonier, and it gets my vote.

Score: Stonier - 94.5/100; De Bortoli - 94/100

Why you want this wine: This is one of the best value Pinot's.

GFC update #1: Cheap white v Cheap red

My last post alluded to this, where I recommended that you by a cheap white instead.

Whilst this blog generally drinks red wine (70-80% of the time), this blog is firmly of the opinion that cheap white is far superior to cheap red. Firstly, many whites do not need, or need less, oak. And oak can be expensive. And a corollary of less oak is that it spends less time in the barrel. It can therefore be released sooner, and the time value of money therefore becomes less important in whites. Because of this, a better white may be had for a cheaper price. 

But that is not the end of the matter. For some reason, bad red wine is often more offensive than bad white, regardless.

My normal advise would be to buy beer instead, but with the price of a 6-pack of local beer now costing $15 at the supermarkets, cheap wine may look attractive. However:

The Golden Rule: Whilst cheap white is better than cheap red, cheap beer eclipses both. 

It is just a pity that supermarkets are pricing beer out of the market on the 6-pack level. For slightly more than the price of two 6-packs, one can buy a slab from a discount liquor merchant (e.g. $30 v $32 for two 6-packs of carlton at safeway/woolworths versus a slab of carlton at 1st Choice or Dan's).

Why you want this wine: It's white, it's cheap, it's better than red for the price. Go the beer though if you can afford the slab purchase.

2007 Arrogant Frog, Ribet Red, South of France

Perhaps it is suitable that the first wine that this blog reviews is of a humble nature, given the blog's humble aspirations. Notably, the wine is made by the self styled 'humble winemaker', Jean-Claude Mas. 

The wine is self-deprecating, and I like that. It won't win any fans in France, but will he win friends here?

Firstly, the wine is not very good at all. But it is not entirely undrinkable either, which for a $10 bottle of red is high praise indeed. It definitely has the cheap red-wine taste - the disgusting smell of a watered down raspberry vodka-cruiser, a slimy mouth feel, practically no tannin, an aftertaste of running engine. On the whole, industrial. 

But what more can one expect. It compares favourably to other $10 bottles of wine, it is free of wine-making faults, and most people will find it mildly-inoffensive.

This blog predicts that many people will be looking to buy cheaper wines due to the Global Financial Crisis (hereinafter GFC). This wine may be a good choice if you are looking to spend $10. The positive effect that such a purchase may have is that you will be encouraging a segment of the french wine industry (the low-end) that ironically (and this wine is proof), is not 'arrogant' in the least.

My advice: buy a cheap white instead (see next post).

Score: 84/100

Why You Want This Wine: Because it's cheap, and during the GFC that matters - and it's french, at no extra cost.

Opening Post

Welcome to my new blog.

This blog intends to review mostly Australian wines, across a range of price points. The wine reviews will differ from most - the tasting note concept will be largely abandoned. Whilst discussing a wine's flavour profile will be inevitable, I will focus on mounting an argument for or against the wine, culminating in a reason as to 'why you want this wine'.

This blog lacks both pretense and grand aspirations. It is not however 'light hearted' nor 'fun'. It is very serious. If I say that the reason you want this wine is because you are 'cheap and nasty', I mean it. Really:)

This blog welcome comments/criticisms on any post or as to how the layout of the blog can be improved.

Kind regards,

WYWTW