Dinner at Max@iHaus

For your info. The chef Max chin is no longer attached to iHaus from Sept. His new and upcoming restaurant will be revealed soon in October 2010! So stay tuned!

It was a 2 weeks in advance-planned-dinner on Thursday as Patrick wanted to return to Max for a nice meal after he fell in love with the restaurant during one of the winemaker's dinner. I was running late because I was rushing from the airport into KL before dropping my boss at his hotel at Traders.

I have always enjoyed a good appetiser at Max's and he makes a very good Haloumi cheese that is fried on the outer layer and tender inside. it's usually paired with salad or beetroot. For the starters, we had a good bottle of Villa Maria Taylor's Pass Sauvignon Blanc which is my ultimate favourite and the stocks had been all bought up by my friend! That means, I do not get to own any bottle.

One thing that Max does exceptionally well is the pan seared sea scallops. He usually pairs it with some mushrooms and a creamy sauce topped with fish roe. The scallops is always cooked just right and it's the most important factor because an overcooked scallop is tough! As usual, the sauce is plate-licking-good.

Food is not all as the highlight of the night has to be the wines too!


A good friend brought a bottle of this Chateau Montrose 1989 Magnum which is the St.Estephe appellation. This is a very well aged bordeaux and according to our wine expert friend, this bottle has been kept properly. It's not very big on the nose, but on the palate, it's a very matured, elegant and mellow wine. It's definitely drinking very well now with moderate tannins and a long finish. Everyone managed to have a second helping from this bottle of magnum which is quite rare. According to Robert Parker, this is one of the vintage's superstars and it was rated at 97 points.

After that, we had a bottle of Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2006 from Pauilac appellation. This is the 2nd wine of Mouton Rothschild and it comes from the youngest vines, where the château attaches the same care, for Le Petit Mouton de Rothschild, as for the Great Wine of the château, either for the harvests, or the wine making process. This is a very well balanced wine with refined tannins. Rated 90 points by RP.

The food were all really good. The duck breast with Cromesquis of Goose Liver was very nicely done although I hope I could have more servings on the duck. Then, we had the pan seared tuna loin and then the beef with bone marrow. I love the pasta that we had that night. It was my first time having pasta at Max's and he didn't disappoint.

Pauillac de Chateau Latour Pauillac 2005 is actually the 3rd wine of Chateau Latour. In 1990, the estate began releasing 'Pauillac de Latour' every year, giving it the same attention and care as they do for the Grand Vin and the 2nd label, Les Forts de Latour. It has a licorice and blackberry aroma, with hints of tobacco. It's a full bodied wine, with very soft and velvety tannins which leads to a long finish. It's given 91 points by both Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

Chateau Duhart-Milon is one of the few properties in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux to lack a true chateau. And the wine is in fact finished in a large warehouse off a side street in Pauillac. That night, I managed to try the 1996 Chateau Duhart-Milon for the 1st time. This is quite a youthful wine with a hue of deep purple. It has lots of blackcurrant fruits with ripe tanins and gentle acidity. It's drinking okay to me now.



We ended the dinner with a Vegas Robaina robusto cigar and some whisky. Big E brought a nice bottle of Macallan 1851 Inspiration. It's a new sight for me as I've not seen this bottle before and as well as a new taste. It has honey, citrus and spice, followed by a long lingering buttered toffee with a hint of oak finish. Very good!

Sorry for all the poor quality pictures as they are taken with my blackberry.