French Wine Lessons by Manila Wine and Brasserie Cicou

I’m not much of a drinker but I’m slowing learning because of my KTG buddies. I got a chance to further my knowledge by attending an Oenology class by Manila-Wine held at Brasserie Cicou in Greenhills. Manila Wine is an online seller of wines, specializing in French wine that offers free wine delivery to selected areas even for just 1 bottle. They are also the first company in the Philippines to bring in the Miraval Rose Cotes de Provence 2013, bottled by the vineyard of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Bernard Flour, owner of Manila Wine and wine connoisseur took us on an educational wine tour of France. I learned a lot about the classification and characteristics of French wines from different regions. We tried a total of 5 wines, 2 white and 3 reds, paired with a beautiful French dinner. I won’t delve into details regarding the class but if you are interested to know more, I encourage you to join one. You can check out Manila Wine’s website and social media pages for details.

First course was Pork Head Pate and Sweet Potato salad with Mustard Vinaigrette.

The 2nd course was a stunner, One Hour Slow Cooked Egg on a bed of Cauliflower Cream foam and Roasted Pumpkin puree. Thin chorizo crisps and a red bell pepper tuile provide the color pop and contrasting texture. Hands down, my favorite dish of the night.

Main course was Sous Vide Pork Belly, marinated in red wine with assorted vegetables.

Unbelievably tender pork belly, I sliced off the fat though to the consternation of my fellow diners. I enjoyed the mushrooms and assorted vegetables even more than the pork belly.

Before even starting our meal, I was already anticipating dessert which was going to be L’Original Kouign Amann. One of the best desserts you can have in Manila, caramelized dough with home made salted caramel ice cream. Once the plate arrived, I noticed something different, the two small scoops of ice cream were different. One was made with white sugar while the darker brown one was made with muscovado sugar from Bacolod. The muscovado sugar one was so good I was tempted to ask for more.

We also got to try the Kouign Amann of the month, Banana and Peanut butter, available at Brasserie Cicou and KA by Cicou.

Brasserie Cicou will be joining over 1000 chefs all around the world on March 19, 2015 for Gout de France. A celebration French gastronomy focusing on local ingredients.