Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2004

Date of Tasting: 4 May 2015

Wine Type: White

Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.5%

Origin: Burgundy, France

Appellation: Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru AOC

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR200

Web: http://www.leflaive.fr/
Chubby Appreciation: 93/100
Critics' Opinion: ST - 92/100, DC - 18/20, BH - 93/100, CT - 93/100

Appearance: Yellow straw.

Aroma: Reduced nose of white flower, stony fruits, nutty mineral, herbs, honey and lime.

Palate: Clean and pure with beautiful complexity and vibrancy. Soft citrus flavour and tropical fruits. Yet it also possesses feminine power and structure. Lovely acidity minerality.

Excellent white Burgundy with class. This premier cru by Anne Claude produced in biodynamic way. Upon popping up, it was still mute. But after almost an hour, beautiful perfume started showing up and revealing its class. Love the aroma of white flower and stony mineral there. This is superior and should age pretty nicely. 

Khao Jao Restaurant and Cafe @ Thonglor 17, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร ข้าวจ้าว @ ซอยทองหล่อ 17 กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Thai Food

Map: Khao Jao Restaurant and Cafe @ Thonglor 17, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร ข้าวจ้าว @ ซอยทองหล่อ 17 กรุงเทพฯ

Charged Price: THB150 per person without alcohol

Visited: 31 May 2015

Food: 5/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Value for money: 6/10

Services: 3/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Hidden in Soi Thonglor 17 which is the soi next to J-Avenue, there is a pretty decent Thai restaurant at reasonable price: Khao Jao. You can rarely find any reasonable priced restaurant these days in Thonglor. But here is another one left. Khao Jao serves variety of Thai food in an easy and comfy atmosphere. In my opinion, it is excellent for weekend family meal or else a casual chitchatting with friends. The only thing you might have to ignore here is the service. Don't expect much about it.

Khao Jao Restaurant and Cafe @ Thonglor 17, Bangkok

minimal dining room with large glass windows

classic dining room in minimalist style

As said pricing here is reasonable. Local beverage range is also great here. Most of them are priced at THB35 a glass which is like the price on streets.

For us, we started with Fried Egg Radish - ไชโปล้ผัดไข่ (4/10), Wings Bean Spicy Salad - ยำถั่วพลู (5/10), Spicy Salted Gourami with Thai Salad - ยำปลาสลิด (4/10). Fried egg radish was ok. There were a little too much of radish comparing to egg. Some may like it but it is just not balance for me. Wings bean spicy salad and spicy salted gourami with Thai salad on the other hand were too soaky though the taste was already ok with balancing flavour and not overwhelming of spiciness.

Fried Egg Radish - ไชโปล้ผัดไข่ (THB70)

Wings Bean Spicy Salad - ยำถั่วพลู (THB80)

Spicy Salted Gourami with Thai Salad - ยำปลาสลิด (THB120)

Moving on to more serious dishes, Preserved Egg Fried Basil - ผัดกระเพราไข่เยี่ยวม้า (6/10) and Salt Roasted Chicken with Lemon Grass - ไก่คั่วตะไคร้ (5/10) were ordered. The preserved egg fried basil was nice with lovely aroma of basil and chewy yummy texture of preserved egg. Love it. The salt roasted chicken with lemon grass should be a dish for those who like mild flavour food. I believe foreigners and travellers will enjoy this dish. Lastly, we ended the meal with Grass Jelly in Milk - เฉาก๊วยนมสด (5/10). This is a standard dessert indeed. The jelly texture with distinct touch of grass jelly went fabulously with milk and brown sugar. Refreshing of course.

In brief, Khao Jao deserves a visit when you feel like a comfy meal around Thonglor. No formality and no pressure here. Just enjoy it in the way you like.

Preserved Egg Fried Basil - ผัดกระเพราไข่เยี่ยวม้า (THB90)

Salt Roasted Chicken with Lemon Grass - ไก่คั่วตะไคร้ (THB80)

Grass Jelly in Milk - เฉาก๊วยนมสด (THB35)

Khao Jao Restaurant and Cafe @ Thonglor 17, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร ข้าวจ้าว @ ซอยทองหล่อ 17 กรุงเทพฯ

341 Soi Thonglor 17
Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Tan Nuea, Wattana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 10:00am - 10:30pm except 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month

Tel: +66 (0) 2712 5665

Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnappers Vineyard 2011

Date of Tasting: 17 April 2015

Wine Type: White

Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13%

Origin: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Appellation: Te Awanga

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR15

Web: http://www.craggyrange.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 89/100
Critics' Opinion: WS - 89/100, WE - 87/100, JS - 91/100, FS - 87/100, JR - 16/20, CT - 88/100

Appearance: Light yellow

Aroma: Aroma of citrus and tropical fruits. Undertone fresh herbs.

Palate: Medium-full and creamy on the palate with balance of crisp acidity and minerality. Notes of apple and lemon. Clean and pure. Dry and stony.

Clean, crisp, and subtlety in style. It is a great table wine as well as for drinking as aperitif. I like the way that it does not need much attention to enjoy it at the same time it can still manage to keep its momentum throughout. This perhaps exhibits the style in the similar pace to Chablis. Its life might not last long and it might as well last long in your cellar. Cheers.