December- The most wonderful time of the year!

A belated Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! I hope you enjoyed it every second!

For most people around the world, December is the busiest month of all. Same thing in Suriname. It all starts with a bit more cars on the road, more people vacationing here and for such a small country, any small changes are noticable.

Even in my usual supermarket, I notice how the shopowner tries to stuff the shop with all kinds of gifts, chocolates and goodies for Christmas. And like every holiday, it involves food, drinks and a good time in Suriname. For this year, I had several Christmas celebrations with friends and colleagues and of course, I'd love to share the experience. This year's restaurant choice went to Residence Inn's Matutu and Moments.

Residence Inn Paramaribo - Matutu

I chose for this restaurant, because in some way, I believe it would not be crowded. Most people don't know the restaurant is open to public and the phenomenon 'hotel' creates some kind of barrier for most locals. Maybe because they believe hotels will serve expensive food or just the idea that hotels are too uptight and formal. But Matutu is a different story. The prices are affordable and they have a very beautiful garden and if the group is big enough you can even have your own little party in their hut.

We were a small group, so we just have a table in the restaurant. Even though there was a small misunderstanding, the night was very lovely. The misunderstanding was about the food. I had asked for a quotation for a fixed menu, but at the end my friends thought it would be better to just order a la carte, so one day before the celebration I mailed back to inform them about the changes, but the chef never got that notification. But my friends were not that picky, so after all we still chose for the items on the fixed menu. I gotta admit, chef Deekman really did a great job on the menu items.

This was the fixed menu:

AppetizerChristmas salad with smoked chicken fan

Entree
Pine apple glazed ham
Roast breast of turkey
Spinach Potato boat

Dessert
Cherry cheese cake

Especially the main course was really delish! The turkey was juicy, the ham was sweet and the potato boat ( potato halved, gutted and filled with a potato-spinach mix puree) was something different. We even got creamy brocolli on our plate as an extra. Everybody enjoyed the food and when we saw the bill, it was a total surprise! No,,,not expensive, but very cheap!! After some calculation, it was not even SRD 100,- ( USD 30,-) per person and that including drinks and a pasta to go. The only thing that I'd prefer differently was that the cheesecake would be cheesier and a more Christmas-y decorated garden.

Moments Restaurant

Moments is often also a somewhat forgotten restaurant. Forgotten in the way that they don't really advertise what they have to offer. This is a restaurant within an apartment complex. On the premises there are 2 swimming pools, a very nice garden to look out from the restaurant and what I like most of this restaurant is that everything seems so in place to give you a relaxed atmosphere. It feels like so far from the hustle and bustle of the city, but still within reach.

We chose for the Italian buffet and brought our own wine. The Chef, a very good friend of mine, really gave it his utmost. From all the items, I like the Macaroni salad, the Lasagne and the Ossobucco. I had this same buffet some days ago already with another group and this was way better than the other one.

Of course, they also have their own wine selection, but we chose to bring our own and pay the cork fee. Some of us like their wine dry, some prefer fruitier wines. So specially for this event, I bought 2 bottles of Dos Camelidos and 2 bottles of Beringer White Zinfandel.



My preference goes to 'Dos Camelidos'. It's a Carmenere Reserva. The texture is very well-balanced. A bit tannic, but still very smooth. Very easy to drink and good for the price.

However Christmas has passed, but the good food, great wine and awesome people really made this Christmas one to remember.

And how was your Christmas? Had anything good you'd like to share?

Evaluation on the wine course

The first week of December already passed and it's these moments that make me wonder how time can pass by so fast. And people say, it's the time of the year to reflect on your past actions and see how you can do better the coming year.
For the first evaluation, I'd like to write about the wine course. I know, I haven't blogged about everything yet, so it's also the opportunity for me to finish the wine course blogs.

The last 2 wine classes are more about distinguishing the old world and the new world wines and tasting the differences between all kinds of wines. We had some Barolo from Italy and a Medoc from France, which are both well-known to winedrinkers. The Barolo was not that tannic as I thought it would. Later I've learned that most Italian wines are not that tannic, but quite smooth on the palate.
We even had some ice wine!!!

It is the Pinot Noir Ice Wine from Mt. Boucherie. This is one of the more expensive ice wines. Pinot Noir is a very finicky grape, which means it's very hard to grow.

The tasting notes from the Mt. Boucherie site:

"Aromas and flavours of ripe dark berries, honey & caramel with a wonderful long finish. Pair with berry desserts or on its own as an after dinner treat"

For me, it was very sweet, but in a good way. Not that kind of sweet that makes you sick, but the kind where the sweetness hits you and leaves you behind with the wonderful notes of the wine. For me, it tasted like cherry-filled chocolate.

For the final class, we had a gathering first at Tulip Supermarket, where we got some pointers about buying wine. We all chose a bottle of wine and headed back to 'the classroom' to have our exam. Since the wine class is all about enjoying and no stress, the difficulty was kept at a middle level. And the final result: I'm the best winer of class Fall 2012. We all got a certificate and I also got a wine stopper. My token of victory:

Then it was time to party!! Not only did we all have our own bottle of wine, the instructor also had some and another couple also came with some. And not to forget the feast meal of Hortence. She really did a wonderful job putting all those snacks on the table.
These were the wines we chose:

 

Bottle no. 1: The 'Las Brujas', literally meaning the witches, is an Uruguayan wine. Not a very popular country for wines, but surprisingly good. It's made of the Tannat grape, which originally was a French grape and is now one of the prominent grapes in Uruguay.

 

The tasting notes of this wine:

"Excellent balance between acidity, fruit and tannic astringency. From strong style, balanced and structured ripe tannins, is expressed by the path of black plum jam filling his mouth"

 

My own experience:

It has a peppery smell and taste, have some notes of Cabernet Sauvignon and mild to taste.

 

Bottle no. 2:  The Heresford Highwood is a Shiraz from Australia.

 

Winemaker's Note:

Colour: Dark cherry with brick red hues

Bouquet: A complex aroma of blueberry, spice and oak overtones

Palate: Soft and elegant with rich berries complemented by mocha and spice. Subtle oak characters add complexity

 

This one tasted very tannic and have a sharp taste to it. So sharp that I actually feel it burn in my stomach. Probably that's the high level alcohol in the wine.

 

The 3rd bottle was the Alma Mora, a Malbec Reserva from Argentina. If you look at it real plain, drinking wine is like travelling the world in the comfort of your house.

It has a great nose, but quite tannic. From the information I got from other sites, I read that this wine can be cellared up to 7 years and I also believe that after cellaring, the tannins will soften and this will become a great wine.

 

Then it's my bottle of wine: The Lenotti Rosso Passo from Italy, a blend of the Sangiovese and Merlot grape.

Info from the net:

Sangiovese and Merlot are two grapes extensively grown and widely appreciated in Italy. Sangiovese is internationally renowned for its well-balanced structure and savory flavors. It also happens to be Italy’s most planted grape variety, one that has found considerable success in various New World regions. Merlot, on the other hand, is a relatively new addition to Italy’s stable of wine grapes, but production volumes have increased exponentially since the 1990s.

 

This has a very fruity bouquet. Tasted much lighter and fruitier than the other 3. It even tasted like a pinot noir.

 

Next to these 4, we also had some other wines:

Two of them are rose's, which in taste was totally different.

One is the Jean Sablenay, which is made from the Cabernet Franc grape. This grape is one of the Bordeaux grapes, that is not too popular and it is even found to be the ancestor of other Bordeaux grapes like Carmenere, Malbec and Merlot.

 

The other one is the Rendez Vous Thuerry, a grenache, merlot rose. This is also the one I'd blogged about in ' Rose or blush? They are just the same'. ( I kept my promise!! )

According to clubwijn's page, this wine find its origin in the valley's of the Verdon river. It presents a trendy version of a well balanced, light orange colored rose, with bouquets of summery fruits like cherries. The finish is spicy and very welcoming.

           

For me, the Jean Sablenay tasted very acidic yet fruity. Where the Rendez Vous is a bit drier. If I'd closed my eyes, I wouldn't have quessed that the Jean Sablenay was a rose. It tasted more like a red than blush.

 

People always say that where there's a beginning, there's and end. So my wine course came to and end and of course I didn't expect it to last forever, but I still have my wine mates to have wine tastings together. And for those who are interested in this course, I'd say ' go for it'.

 

It does cost quite a bit (SRD 750,-), but I'd say worth every penny. Not only do we get the knowledge, but if I'd had to add all those bottles of wine together, I think he actually didn't make any profit on us. Furthermore, there's wonderful snacks from Hortence to complement the wine. So if you're interested, just call Mr. Edward Cabell at 07110505 for further information. From what I've heard he's starting a new class in January.