Glenfarclas & Por Larranaga

Last week have been quite an exciting one because I finally get to taste a few expressions of Glenfarclas side by side.The vertical tasting was done at a friend's place and he managed to collect these 4 expressions - 15yo, 25yo, 30yo and a 40yo. I did ask him what happened to the 17yo and the 20yo ones? He said he didn't bother looking for them! Anyways, 4 bottles to taste is already good enough for the evening.

Before we start the tasting, we had so light food at Bier, a German pub & bistro beside El Cerdo at Changkat Bukit Bintang. We need to line our stomach before filling ourselves with Glenfarclas.

I noticed one thing about these bottles. They have a very dark tint and it makes it difficult for the consumers to see the colour of the whisky. I don't know about you but I like clear whisky bottles where I can admire its hue right from the bottle itself. However, its 10yo and 12yo expressions both had a clear glass bottle.

The 1st step is to taste the whisky neat, in its pure form. I poured from each bottle into individual glasses. Take a sniff, nose the aroma and then have a sip. When moving on to the next glass, I took some water to cleanse my palate before tasting the next expression.

15 years

It's a very lively whisky, young and full bodied and long lasting finish. It has malty tones, gentle peat and also high abv of 46%. It's bottled at 46% simply because the family's grandfather preferred it at this strength. In his 2007 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray gave Glenfarclas 15 Years Old a score of 95/100, one of the highest scores he has awarded.

25 years
On the nose, I get the vanilla, citrus and musk bouquet. It has a sherry sweetness and nutty which gave it a robust and full-bodied texture. There's also some oak tannins, peat and chocolate to its finish. 43% ABV

30 years
This one tastes of cognac and brandy. There's sherry and fruits note. The finish is short and there's a slight burnt note at the end. I didn't really like the 30yo expression because of the short finish and its lacked of complexity. 43% ABV

40 years
On the nose, there's a leathery, honey comb bouquet. On the palate, there's orange zest, burnt brown sugar and chocolatey notes. It's smooth, balanced and has a dry finish. 46% ABV

 

On the 2nd round, I added a drop or two of water into each glass and taste them glass by glass again. The flavours changes and I found that the 15yo expression has improved by having a more balanced acidity. All the other expressions also spotted slight changes to their tastes.

On the 3rd round, I added a cube of ice into each glass and taste them all individually again. This time, the changes observed are more apparent. The 15yo has opened up to sweeter notes. The 25yo tasted much better with more robust flavours but the 30yo was disappointing. The ice somehow diluted its flavour and reduced it to a mild and lack of finish expression. The 40yo is still drinking very well with notes of dark cocoa beans.

Conclusion, I would prefer the 25yo than the 30yo as price is concerned. But if it's not, the 40yo is also worth acquiring. If you're tight on budget, the 15yo is also very pleasant for drinking minus the smoothness of an aged malt.

In addition to those bottles, I received 2 surprise tiny bottles of the Glenfarclas from the 1968 casks. When asked what are in these 2 tiny bottles, I told my friend that these are urine samples! Haha... they do look like urine samples from a clinic, don't they?

This is a friend who is a whisky collector who sent me those 2 bottles through a visiting friend in Singapore. Luc Timmermans is not only a respected Glenfarclas collector, he's also a whisky connoisseur too.

Glenfarclas 1968 / Bottled 2010

70cl / 49.7% OB for Thosop BVBA, Belgium

A special bottling of two single sherry casks (fino and oloroso) of 1968 selected for Luc (his birth year), who couldn't decide between them and made the sensible decision to vat them both together. I liked this bottling. There's nice layers of ripe tangerine, cinnamon and dried fruits such as raisins and dates. The colour is of dark gold. After sometime, the wood, leather and cigar notes surfaces and it has a very nice long and lingering fruity finish. The label on the bottle is also unusual as it looks like an old hand-written note.

Glenfarclas 1968/ Bottled 2009/

70cl / 51.2% OB for Lindores Whisky Society 5th Anniversary cask #699

A very special bottling of Glenfarclas 1968, bottled for Lindores Whisky Society 5th Anniversary by Luc Timmermans. Just 11 bottles of this were produced. It has a light golden hue compared to the earlier one which is of a darker gold. This one here has a very nice vanilla and fruity notes. There's a very slight peat but with distinctive woody and oaky flavours. It's a balanced whisky with complex flavours. The finish is smooth, lingering, with hints of spice and powerful.

I'm truly impressed by these 2 bottles and I prefer the Thosop bottling more than the one. It's always a pleasure to taste whiskies that are much older than me. Thanks to Luc for the wonderful samples from his favourite vintage and Emmanuel for bringing them back for me!

"There's peace in a Larranaga, there's calm in Henry Clay"

The phrase was written by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) the famous English writer in his 1890 poem "The Betrothed". Por Larranage Petit Corona is one of my all-time-favourite smoke. Although it's surprisingly mild for a cigar with such nice brown wrapper, it makes a very pleasant smoke due to its velvety vanilla spiced notes. The burn is even and the draw is smooth. This makes a nice complement to the Glenfarclas 25yo. 

Ok, what's on the drinking menu next?

The New Dunhill Aged Cigars

It's a rebranding move for Connecticut-wrapped Dunhill Aged cigars recently which resulted in a new look and was launched into the market a few months ago.

Dunhill Aged cigars series was originally a Cuban brand was born in the Dominican Republic in 1989. This cigar series is owned by British American Tobacco International (British American Tobacco), the first from now on the manufacturing and distribution of the United Cigar Company is a subsidiary of Altria American companies. - International Tobacco Online -

I've managed to grab a box of the old packaging Dunhill Robustos before the manufacturing and distribution changed hands. 

I called them the Dunhill "Blue Label" and did a search online and was surprised that it's also casually known as the “blue label”. It has an updated look as well, sporting a modern band design instead of the old scripted logo. The "blue" made the cigars more outstanding and easily spotted. I think it's a good sign towards brand awareness.

I'm not sure which size does this one belong in the categorisation of Dunhill Aged cigars but the ring gauge is the size of a corona. If I'm not wrong, this should be their Diamantes (6.6" X 42). Every Dunhill Aged Dominican Diamantes Natural cigar is handmade from a special selection of Piloto Cubano and Olor tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic's fertile Cibao Valley. After being wrapped in a Dominican binder, the cigars are encased in the finest quality USA-Connecticut shade-grown leaves. The final stage of blending includes aging for one year in cedar-lined rooms to produce a mellow, well-rounded, and fine cigar.

It was very kind of my friend to bring some for me to try. I had one during dinner at El Rincon and it was an enjoyable smoke. It's a light cigar, nothing like the powerful Cohibas that overwhelms the palate.  Beautiful construction, the burn was very good but rather fast as well. I get an even burn and consistent draw although the draw at first seemed to be quite tight. It makes a very nice during dinner smoke. The drawback is, I don't know the price.

Balbair 89 & Scapa 16yo

I can't believe that I'm already on my 65th bottle of whisky from the Ian Buxton 101 Whiskies to drink before I die. It's been 2 years now and it's getting more and more difficult to source for some of these whiskies in the list. Thanks to a friend of mine, we managed to sample another 2 bottles from the list which I would have trouble looking for them.

The book does not have whiskies that are overly expensive, otherwise known as "water of emptiness" - whisky that empties your bank account. I was glad that thru this book, I have learnt to be more adventurous when it comes to tasting whiskies as there's so many out there! I've tried some Indian whisky (Amrut), grain whiskies, bourbons and also blended whiskies. If you want the list, just drop me a comment with your email, and I'll send it to you.

Name: Balblair 1989
Distillery: Balblair (Northen Highlands)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: Not stated (Vintage 1989)
Alc/Vol: 43%

Did you know that the Balbair distillery which is on the north of the village of Edderton is the 2nd or 3rd oldest distillery in Scotland? However, that statement depends on whose evidence you listen to. Originally dating back to 1970, though there are also records that show distilling done on the site as far back as 1749. The distillery had barely had a brick changed since it was rebuilt at the end of the last century and it had always been a architectural benchmark for all the other distilleries, including the world's malt distilleries.

How ironic for such a whisky that is so rich in history to be completely absent from our single malt market in our country. I have not heard of Balbair until I read that book. How unfortunate! While they do adhere to traditional methods of making a single malt, they do differ from other whiskies by pursuing a strategy of releasing vintages exclusively instead of the aged variants. I think vintages worked really fine, just like The Glenrothes. Every year, the Distillery Manager, John Macdonald selects the finest samples of Balbair from the maturing whiskies which he believes that it will best exemplify Balbair Highland Single Malt Scotch whisky with notes such as spices, fruits and leathery notes.

I do believe that there is some merit in the argument that whisky does have a character that varies from year to year and thus deviating from the normally aged expression to a vintage timed for perfection is not a bad idea. The Balbair 1989 won a Gold Medal in the 2007 International Wine & Spirits Competition (WSC) as it's not only affordable, it's definitely drinkable to a half-whisky-snob like me!

Tasting Notes : On the nose, it has aromas of sweetness from raisins, fruits and hints of coconut. The first sip was a bit rough on the edges but it does evolve into a spicy and citrusy palate with hints of nutty oak. It has a quick finish with hints of smoke and marine.

 

Name: Scapa 16yo
Distillery: Scapa (Orkney)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement:16 years old
Alc/Vol: 40%

We have all heard of the Highland, Speyside and Isle malts but what about distilleries from Orkneys? The Orkneys are a group of islands in the north-eastern corner of Scotland and perhaps fate has made this place a less well-known whisky producer because its two distilleries (Highland Park & Scapa) is seen as a microcosm of the industry as a whole. Huh Scapa? What is that? It is almost virtually unheard of except for a few connoisseurs in the know.

From what I read, the exterior of the distillery is somewhat characterless, doeful and ugly which can be seen from the shores of the Scapa Bay. For some time, the 14 year old expression was sold but it was not for long until Chivas Brothers replaced it with this 16 yo expression. It's for those who appreciate a lighter, unpeated island style that was unique.

This is a whisky that I would say that it's not worth my second visit. The taste is rather light with some honeyed sweetness and a tinge of saltiness. It's pleasant but not distinctive. It's a whisky that I would like to taste just to see how it fared but it's not one that I enjoyed sipping. It's definitely quaffable but I wouldn't buy a bottle on my own.

 Macanudo Baron de Rothschild

Cigars and whiskies are like lovers. They complete each other and of course a good smoke will give the right note to a night cap. This 6.5" X 42 will give you a 40 minutes relaxation. Oh well, it also depends on how you smoke it because some might take up to 50 minutes. This Macanudo here is aged for years in my friend's humidor and you can see that it's well-kept and humidified. The size of this ring gauge looks really elegant for a lady.

The cigar is indeed beautiful with its shiny Conneticut shade wrapper. Rolled in the Dominican Republic, Macanudo is well-known for its mild flavour. It's not a cigar that will knock you off your seats but this one here gives you that laid-back feeling. It's probably a morning smoke or something you would take in the evenings. There's an initial kick but it didn't last very long. It's light, sweet, with hints of chocolate and a vanilla finish.

One thing about this Macanudo, you can easily have a few inches of white ashes before it decide to fall (due to gravity pull?) Haha... I had my white ash almost to 2 inches before it fell onto the table. The draw was smooth and easy. The burn was also even. I don't think the Macanudo is as expensive as the Cubans but this one here is quite an enjoyable smoke. And because it's well-aged, it doesn't have that grassy taste that you tend to find in the dominican cigars.

  

 That's a 6.5inch Macanudo that I'm indulging!

Can't help but to have that sheepish look when I wrote that.

Clumsiness

It's been really a good weekend. There's the good and the bad. The bad thing was - I was really clumsy. My gf and I were having a swim at the pool and then a friend decided to turn up at the place I was staying and have a drink and cigar. So when he arrived, I got out of the pool and have a drink and then dinner together at the poolside bar.

The thing is, we had a cigar and it was a Por Larranaga Petit Corona. And I was busily smoking away in my bikinis and suddenly the cigar slipped and landed on my skin, just a little below my bikini top. I didn't really felt the burning sensation. The next thing I knew, the next day, the place where the ashes landed has caused a minor burn on my skin. Damn it!

Lucky the patch was really small but it still hurts now when I take a shower. The skin has started to peel and now I am hoping it would heal soon as I have another holiday coming up this week! I don't want people staring at me when I'm in my bikini at the pool. Oh gosh!

The moral of the story : Do not smoke when in bikinis.

La Vie En Rose @ Jalan Raja Chulan, KL

I read about a new place to dine in town - La Vie En Rose from one of the blogs that I religiously follow at Eat Drink KL. Check out all his posts on this place here. My friend and I decide to check it out yesterday after our dinner at Muar Restaurant on Tengkat Tong Shin. We were there not to dine but rather to have a drink and check out the place which I've been telling him about but he didn't believe me that there's a new place to dine on Jalan Raja Chulan.

This place might be easily missed as it is a bungalow located on a slightly higher grounds, on a small hill slope which connects to Changkat Bukit Bintang. If you're coming from Jalan Raja Chulan where The Weld Shopping Centre is located on the right at the traffic light junction, you just need to go straight for 300m and you'll see a Shell petrol station on your left. Right after Shell, there's a slope going uphill adjacent to the road and it's quite tricky as you'll need to do a sharp U-turn to the left to go up to the restaurant. For convenience, you can just park opposite the restaurant at the open car park on the other side of the road.

The space is too tight for the big cars to be parked uphill and it takes my friend's driver quite sometime to turn his car around to exit the place. I prefer walking up the slope anytime rather than put a dent to my car.



This place has an open concept and it's wonderful if you happened to be there on a rainy day where it's cool and breezy. The chef of this place is none other than Chef Jean Michel Fraisse from Toulouse. He is one of the chefs whom teaches at HTC, the French Culinary School in Menara IMC. The chef has been helping many restauranteurs and hoteliers alike to realise their culinary potential and he has been an executive chef when he was just 23 years old.

It's a pity that I didn't get to try his culinary skills that night as we were there just to drink after dinner. However, I did manage to check out the menu and it seemed that they have a pretty nice French menu with some of the dishes that were not served in many of the French restaurants in KL. For the drinks menu, it's somehow very limited and I'm very disappointed with some of the selection.



To be honest, the wines that I deem drinkable are way too expensive and overpriced at RM550-900 a bottle and the medium-priced wines range from RM120-290. I ordered a bottle of Gingondas, Les Conventines 2008 which is at RM200. The single malt whisky available was only Macallan and the champagne were NV Louis de Sacy, a boutique champagne which is not agreeable to my palate. Hmm... I had a tough time choosing my drinks.

The Gigondas appeared to be a disappointment. Initially, the wine was too cold and we let the wine rest a while. The first sip was tight and closed. After half an hour to 1 hour later, I found that the wine didn't really open up and it lacks a finish. A wine from Rhone Valley usually has lots of ripe fruit together with earthy and leathery notes but this one here just didn't tickle my palate. They should have offered the E.Guigal Gigondas on the list.



At the same time, my friend offered me the aged Por Larranaga petit corona which I couldn't resist. It's so good to be smoking a Por Larranaga as it offers a sweet, full of honey and some spicy flavours with a medium-bodied smoke. Very balanced and complex.

I had an enjoyable night chatting with Alex, whom is also from Toulouse and is one of the chefs there and thanks to him, I got to know more about this restaurant and the bakery which is just next to the dining area. This is also a perfect place for a small event which can accomodate from 50-120 pax. Although I told him that I didn't really enjoy the drinks menu, I'lkl definitely come back to check out the food!

From whisky to dinner at Muar Restaurant, and then La Vie En Rose, Elixir Club, my last stop was at Bar Italia having a night cap of sparkling rose. Haha... what a Friday night!

la vie en rose
restaurant francais-bar-bakery-shop

39, Jalan Raja Chulan
50200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6 012-2905 342 (vicki)
+6012-2907 645 (alex)
+603 2078 3883

Email: info@cusisine-studio.net

Cigar Review : Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas

Can't remember when was the last time I ever did a cigar review. It has been a long overdue entry as I haven't been drawing for a long long time. Probably because my parents didn't like it and they said it paint a bad picture of me. Oh well, parents are never satisfy with whatever we do. But then again, I enjoy having a good smoke once in a blue moon and so far, this is going to be my 3rd cigar of the year!

Ramón Allones is a premium Cuban cigar produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA and another factory in Honduras producing for General Cigar Company. This is also one of the very firsts cigar brands to utilise colourful lithographs for its cigar box art. The brand has changed a few hands and finally it belongs to the Cifuentes family. Production was moved to the famous Partagas factory and the Ramon Allones are still made in that factory until today.

Picture taken from friend's Cigar Blog

There are many reasons why I fall easily in love with a Ramon Allones Small Club Corona. First of all, it's not easy to find some of these cigars as they are made in small quantity. I got my box all the way from Dubai when I visited the city 2 years ago. With a length of just 11cm or 4.3inches and a ring of 42 (refer to ring guide here), it's possibly one of the best "small" cigars around!




This is a medium-bodied cigar with rich wood and coffee flavours. You can already feel the flavours from the first few draws. The cigar improves as you go along and it's ashes were even and it draws very smoothly. As you go along, you might experience some hints of herbs, spices and a little peppery notes. As you draw nearer to the last inch, the flavours get more intense and you might get some chocolatey notes as well.

Definitely a graceful cigar that makes you go Ooh-la-la....

Although this is no cigar for mornings, it actually make a very good evening smoke. It takes about 30 minutes to smoke this small guy which makes it a good quick format for those who doesn't have the whole night.

It might be just a small guy, but it was truly satisfying! Good things need not come in big packages... *wink*

1st CNY dinner @ Imbi Palace

This is my first CNY dinner of chinese food because there were no CNY dinners in Colombo. It has been a hectic week for me as I got back Colombo and in less than 24 hours, I was scheduled to fly again to Langkawi for work. My friends said that I was even busier than the PM... nah don't think so. One funny thing was, I don't even need to keep my luggage and I just leave them lying in the bedroom!


When I got back from Langkawi, my friend organised a dinner to meet up and it was wonderful because I missed all the CNY dishes this year! Usually I'll be sick of the CNY menu by now but this time I found myself craving for chinese food. Also present was Ziling, whom likes to leech (according to herself) because she's always broke and I forced her to help me capture the above picture. We shall start the dinner with a bottle of Dom Perignon and some ang pows!

Obligatory "yee sang" dish

A must have dish for every Chinese New Year is of course the "yee sang" literally means raw fish which is believed to bring prosperity and everything good that you can think of. Actually it's just a tactic by the restaurateurs to make more money from you. So, instead of you getting wealthy, they prosper first, the minute you order their "yee sang"! Amazingly, I never get sick of this dish! That night, we had extra servings of thick salmon slices and "hoi jit" which is jellyfish.

The crackers are so crunchy and crispy, the shredded carrots and the water chestnut was fresh and juicy, the THICK salmon slices and jellyfish gave it a very good contrasting texture and the sauce just compliments the whole dish very well. Since everyone else is a boss at the table except my sister and I, so we had the privilege of wishing ourselves "bou bou ko seng" 步步高升 which means promotion at work.

Next came the roasted suckling pig which I loved very much. Usually we don't get the privilege to eat this except when it comes to CNY dinners and wedding dinners but I believed last year I had it quite often and thus I am a bit guilty for causing the death of so many underaged pigs. However, I wasn't the one ordering them so I am not feeling too bad lah! The roast was perfectly done. Lucky it didn't add on the guilt by having sharks fins soup which is such a CNY dinner must-have and instead we had a pork ribs with lotus and "fatt choy" (black moss) soup. I did lick the bowl clean as well.



Well, it was CNY and I can expect to gain a kg or two from this dinner. There was a big claypot of "long tan"龙旦 or King Grouper fish which was done deep fried and then stewed with soya & sesame sauce and toufu. Then, we also had the baby abalone stewed with radish and chicken, continued by white asparagus in superior stock and also a snake bean with cuttlefish dish. Overall, the dishes were good except for the white asparagus which is a bit too old and the stem had too much fiber.



The Dom couldn't last that long. Macallan 25 years old was the first whisky we had that night. It makes everyone feel like they are 25 again except for Ziling whom is really 25 this year. It was indeed smooth, and it has a citrus and woody smoke taste with a long finish. No wonder this spirit has such a cult following that the demand has outstripped its supply. When the 25yo ran out, we continued the night with the Macallan Inspiration 1851.

It wasn't the end till the fat lady sings but in this case, it wasn't the end till I get to eat my favourite CNY dish - "lap mei fan" which literally means rice with waxed meat. This is a very popular dish during the Chinese New Year where good waxed meat like waxed duck, waxed meat sausages and liver sausages are added into the rice which is cooked in a claypot. What makes this dish so special is that the liver sausages were hand-carried all the way from Hong Kong's famous shop called "Se Wong Yee" 蛇王二 which according to my restaurateur friends are better than Yung Kee 鏞記. He told me the queue to buy the waxed meat was so long!

It was really worth all the effort as the waxed liver sausages (usually a mixture of duck and goose) is so heavenly with robust flavours and a good firm texture. I think it's quite an acquired taste just like foie gras due to it's strong aroma and taste. Some restaurants had the waxed meat mixed into the rice but I liked it to be separated. Wow, I think this is one of the best-est "lap mei fan" I had so far!

It's been quite sometime since I last had such an oppulent dinner. I know I used to do it very often a couple of years back but this year I hope not to be too indulgent. Maybe once in a while or once in a month is good enough as mom has been complaining about my weight. She also gave me her CNY wish which is to get me to stop posting about cigars. How can?!!

Speaking of which, I had been rebellious and this is my 2nd cigar of the year! I am counting and I think I made a very good progress by being less indulgent. Who needs dessert when this pretty box of my favourite Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure 2 is sitting on the dinner table?!!


Thanks again for the delicious dinner, awesome companies and great spirits!

Carmen's Vinothek

Carmen's Vinothek

Carmen's Vinothek is a new joint alongside the many restaurants and pubs in Changkat Bukit Bintang. This is a place for budding wine enthusiasts as Werner is bringing in a very innovative concept to drinking wine. This bar has got a very old rustic charm which brings out the warmness of the place.

Nice wine cellar and don't you think the picture provides a nice drinking environment? Perhaps something for the eyes to feast on?





The enomatic wine dispensers are nothing new as they have it in some of the restaurants in town too such as the Hakka Republic but the concept of serving your ownself is definitely interesting. You no longer have to drink the entire bottle and it's nice too if you just come alone and want to have a glass or two.

Here, with a minimum of RM200, you get a card (something like a credit card). Then you go to the machine with the wines you wanted to drink and slot the card in. After that, go to the bottle you want with a glass below the nozzle and press the portions you prefer. They have a tasting portion, drinking and also a half a glass portions. The price is displayed in the LED above the bottles. Unused value in the card can be kept for 12 months before it's forfeited.

The Werner's Fav pasta with smoked duck! I like!!

With Carmen whom is the wine sommelier and with Mr. Werner himself.


My favourite HDM No 2.

Price of tasting portions range from RM5 to RM19 and drinking portions range from RM10 to RM150 (for a Ch Lynch Bages) and half a glass portions range from RM20+ and above. In just a jiffy, the RM220 value in my card dwindled to RM40. Sigh....



BTW, the new joint beside Carmen's is The Whisky Bar and it's also by Werner which replaced the old La Vaca Steak House. Today is their soft opening and you can go check it out. Apparently they have got a wide range of whisky and even those of the Japanese Single Malts.

Carmen's Vinothek
Changkat Bukit Bintang
(Beside Werner's & Opposite El Cerdo)

I'm a virgin again

Errr don't get me wrong. I've not been drinking for a week, a naturally I'm a virgin again when alcohol is in concern. Now, as I'm blogging live from dinner, I'm actually having a good bottle of wine. The 2004 La Chapelle de Calon from the St Estephe region is drinking very well! It's smooth and has a long finish. Oh I can get drunk with just a glass!

A good dinner, good wines, a nice lighted cigar and some company cheers up my day anytime!

Having a mysterious Nicaraguan cigar.

It's bliss. I'm high.

Robusto @ Que Pasa Singapore

Oh how lovely to wake up with a glass of Rosé in the early morning in bed. And when you peered out of the glass windows, Orchard Rd was just there - in front of your eyes! How often one gets to have a champagne for breakfast? It's not that my system couldn't stomach alcohol in the morning, it's just that one f*cking breakfast like this will cost you at least a RM200.

This Vranken Brut Rosé Champagne Demoiselle Grand Cuvee is crisp, light and subtle notes of berries. Aahh... the indulgence and the sweetness of alcohol in bed.

I like Singapore for all the indulgences that I can get. The lovely walk in the morning, the shopping adventures, finding my favourite chocolate brands and the gastronomic experience here is just so fulfilling.

I've got this routine when I ever head down to the island. And since I don't do much shopping (cos I can be broke after that), I prefer to meet up with all my friends staying there. People asked me, what do you do in Singapore? Errr... since I only have a nite's stay, I usually eat, drink, smoke and have a good time!

A friend of mine runs this Cigar lounge called Robusto located in the row of 1910 Peranakan Shophouse in Emerald Hill Rd. It's just situated above Que Pasa, which is a wine bar and is highly popular with the expatriate crowd. With benches, wooden tables and large wine barrels doubling as table tops, there's a rustic charm to this place. The wine list is very impressive and you can find some of the top first growths here (comes with a hefty price tag) and a list of whisky from Nika to your average single malts.

This is really a relaxing place for a cigar. Robusto carries a wide range of cigars but more on Cuban like the Bolivar, Cohiba, HDM, R&J and also the Ramon Allones. It feels like home.

Having a light moment..

It's so nice to just hang out there, do nothing but just drinking and puffing my cigar. You can meet some cool people here too, but of course the patrons here are mostly men whom enjoys their cigars and quiet time. Having said that, my friend wished that more ladies whom appreciate the fine smoke would come and check out this place.

So do drop by if you're in Singapore and you want to kill some time.

Robusto
The Salon, QUE PASA
7 Emerald Hill Road Singapore 229291
(the street before Centrepoint Robinsons Shopping mall)
Tel: +65 6836 2868