It's more often we hear about wine pairing than beer pairing, so when Bistro French Quays came up with a beer-pairing menu featuring French food, I jumped at the chance to speak to Chef Chamara Fonseka, the brains behind this selection of awesomeness.
He described Kronenbourg as fruity, and not too alcoholic in taste (It does, however, have a decent alcohol level. I had half a pint and my face was so red when I took a selfie with him I refuse to post it anywhere). To match that, he came up with food that was light (in taste), a tad fruity, a tad sour, and for sharing, as he pictures people chilling out with beer and having these light (not too filling) delights with a group of friends. Although I'm sure if you were having these with your lover, they won't make your date any less romantic.
And so the 5 stars of the Beer Pairing menu:
Burgundy Escargots - $11
Pretty standard French fare, but I liked how the crispy smell of garlic crept up invitingly, calling out to me to eat some snails. Instantly satisfying.
Crab Cakes, Anchovy & Vitello - $18
Subtle, tasty, well-balanced, the crab cakes were pretty solid. Pleasantly surprised to cut open and see it packed with crab meat. The real stuff. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Foie Gras Torchon - $22
This is when things started to get interesting. This foie gras was spectacular and memorable. True to his word, Chef Cham made this fruity - it tasted preciously good. You could taste, the white wine, the apple marmalade. It melted in my mouth. I felt like royalty. This is why people eat foie gras. And it doesn't get much better than this. Layered. Sweet. This was one that I thought truly complemented the Kronenbourg. Work of ART.
Roasted Frog Legs - $27
When we have frog legs we expect it to taste like chicken. When it's pan-fried to this beautiful shade of golden brown, it even looks like chicken. But make no mistake. It. Is. Not. Chicken. Underpromise, overdeliver - this was crazy good - fresh, juicy and with the taste of the sea.
For once in my life I actually had frog legs that tasted like seafood. It was incredible.
Pear, Fig and Mirabelle Tart - $22
If you're a fan of blue cheese, this is a must-try. It's mind-blowing! I loved the pungent smell of blue cheese and cutting into it reveals tasty bits of pear and it had a gorgeous, charming aftertaste of mirabelle. Mirabelle, you can't really taste, but there's that lingering aroma and fragrance, that just makes it so satisfying. As a whole it tastes very complex and really opened my palette. It's also one of the creations Chef Cham is most proud of, and I was happy to tell him that he hit the jackpot with this one.
However being annoying, I of course, questioned him on the plating, which isn't very typical of a dessert. (And hence as a photo it doesn't stand out compared to the rest, but that might just be my skills.) Chef Cham skilfully answered that he wanted this dessert to be more communal. And it's quite power-packed, gelat, so yah you should share it!
It was a great selection, with something for everyone. Also, you get to dine by the marina waterfront with a pretty neat view of Sentosa Cove:
The sensation of Beer Pairing
Kronenbourg Blanc is smooth and refreshing, so it goes well with the food, especially the fruitier, cistrus-tasting ones. Pairing makes the experience more memorable because as I'm sitting here, typing this a week later, I can remember how, especially for the Foie Gras, the sour taste played off real well with the beer.
Well, there's no point sharing this without giving you a chance to taste it for yourself, so check out this Facebook contest hosted by Kronenbourg to win a chance to taste everything on the beer pairing menu:
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[Food Tasting; Not a sponsored post]
