Friday 29 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 8, 2016.

 

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Many of us have fond memories of exciting adventures in Genting Highlands — some to escape the unbearable tropical heat, others to enjoy a thrill at the theme park or to be entertained by several rounds of blackjack. Either way, the resort has been hosting guests from near and far for decades, and as its roads keep getting wider and less winding, the construction up top keeps getting bolder and grander. In recent years, the resort has started focusing on building its reputation for fine dining, with restaurants such as Imperial Rama serving Asian food, and The Olive serving Western cuisine. 

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Their efforts have paid off handsomely, as The Olive recently received the Wine Spectator’s Best Award of Excellence in their 2015 Restaurant Wine List Awards. It is among 973 restaurants worldwide to have been honoured with this prestigious award, based on its wine list selection and appropriateness to the restaurant’s cuisine it appeals to a wide range of wine lovers. 

For this Best Award of Excellence, a restaurant’s wine list must offer a wine selection of over 350 along with superior presentation, displaying either vintage depth, top wines, or excellent breadth across many wine regions. The Olive Restaurant’s wine strengths were listed as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Australia and Italy, with moderate wine pricing and continental cuisine. 

Resorts World Genting’s resident sommelier, Kevin Yee, is proudly home-grown and his love for wine is evident in the courses that he has taken and exams that he has sat for in order to gain an intimate understanding of wines. He is a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and Wine & Spirit Education Trust in the United Kingdom. Today, he works closely with winemakers from Australia, France, Italy, Spain and the United States, which have helped him gain insight into winemaking, from harvesting grapes to fermenting, bottling and serving. In addition, he also works together with Michelin chefs to pair wines and other beverages with their menus to create a complete dining experience. 

spice-lamb_fd_080416“This award was won based on the wine selection, wine labels, storage of wines, wine training programme and how you present your wine list, which must be accessible to the public. We have 800 wine labels, but for the award only 350 labels were required,” he explained. 

According to Yee, The Olive is not focused on offering only an exclusive selection of wine that can’t be purchased anywhere in Malaysia. Instead, their intention is to pair their wines with the dishes on the menu, creating a gastronomical match made in heaven. They prefer offering decently priced wines that guests can purchase themselves at specialty wine stores anywhere in Malaysia, after having tried them at The Olive. 

“The wine prices must be reasonable and our wine list covers famous regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barossa, Tuscany, Rioja, Mosel and Napa. Our 800 labels are from France, Australia, Italy, Spain, Chile, the US and Germany. We submitted our wine list with other liquors, and the a la carte menu that showcases wine pairing. We have some very rare vintages here as well — in all, it took me five years to build this wine list, and our guests are very happy with our selection,” said Yee. 

Steve Chou, The Olive’s new head chef is the heart and brains behind their new menu, which Yee has managed to showcase so well with his selection of wines. A graduate of New York University, Chou has trained at the French Culinary Institute, which boasts alumni like Bobby Flay, Wylie Dufresne, Lars Williams and Noppon Bunnak. Originally from Taiwan, Chou grew up in New York City, and has worked under chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Gabriel Kreuther. 

“As a chef, my goal is to bring out the best in a dish. This means no overcooking, and keeping it simple. While I like Asian flavours like lemongrass, the technique used for it should depend on its role in a dish. Rendering it slowly, as opposed to stewing it with other aromatics brings out a different character,” he said. 

Always one to experiment with new flavours and ingredients, Chou has spent the past few months discovering authentic Malaysian flavours and locally grown fruits such as durian, nangka and jackfruit, trying to incorporate them into his dishes. He also makes it a point of trying to source for as many locally grown ingredients as he can to support Malaysian growers and farmers. 

The current wine pairing menu that is being showcased at The Olive includes a four-course menu featuring ricotta cavatelli with cashew pesto, carrot bolognese and Thai basil paired with Feudo Principi di Butera Chardonnay IGT 2013; grouper with macadamia nut, savoy cabbage and mustard crust; spiced lamb belly with almond, honey and brown butter yoghurt paired with Tedeschi Capitel San Rocco Valpolicella Ripasso DOC 2013; and Strawberry Farm, a dessert served with locally grown fresh strawberries, almond crumble and lemon verbena paired with M Chapoutier Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2011. 

The set menu is priced at RM300 with wine pairing and RM110 without, and each dish can also be ordered separately. For more information, visit www.rwgenting.com or call (03) 2718 1118. The Olive is open from 6pm to 11pm daily.

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