WINE IN KENYA: Food & Wine Pairing Dinner at Mdalasini, Heron Portico.

With a keen attention to detail and a knack for creating a relaxed dining environment, Mdalasini Restaurant at Heron Portico is one of the most incredible fine dining spots. The restaurant is spacious and airy. I was looking forward to the #Winenot wine dinner at Mdalasini because I loved Heron Portico the first time I had a Girls(and Boys) Night Out here last month. Coming back, the staff was as affable as ever and I even met someone from staff who reads my blog. I almost hugged him 🙂

We were busy chatting with Wambui, who had won my giveaway. She is such a sweetheart and an avid wine drinker. Her friend joined us later but they sat at a different table. I searched for my acquaintances in blogging and media and we all got to work. Taking pictures, writing up notes and tasting the food and wine is not an easy task. Get used to seeing bloggers with pens, phones and cameras on the table. I sat with Lizbeth, Eric, Faith and Darshani( fellow Blogger). The KWV winemaker, Izele was present and she explained the wines to different tables. The restaurant was fully packed with an average of 60 people.

The menu was unveiled at the spot and it had both vegeterian and non vegeterian options. I started with a Cream of Hubs Chicken Soup with Garlic Straws.You have to love chicken soup especially when it is warm or hot. The KWV Chenin Blanc was light bodied and it reminded me of some pinot gris that I had tried on Sunday afternoon.

I then went to the Avocado Mixed Pepper Salad with Herb Vinaigrette. I am the only one who ordered this salad in our table. They all went for the Sambal Oelek Fishcake topped with mainland Slaw. I couldnt get over how crunchy the veggies in my plate were. They were so fresh. The wine for this course was a KWV Mentors Chardonnay which was the highlight of my night. This wine tastes so crisp and smooth and it is no wonder that it has won innumerable accolades and awards from all over the world. The wine maker was also clearly proud of this refined wine. If you are looking for wine to gift a VERY special person, this is it.

It was my first time to see a cocktail in a wine & food pairing dinner as a course of its own. To be honest I was a bit skeptical about the cocktail. Not that it wasn’t good but I did not like the pairing.

For the main course I ordered a Roast Beef Chop with Creamy Parmesan mash Green Vegetables, Roasted Pepper and Beef jus and it was paired with KWV Mentors Shiraz. Cutting this beef was an uphill task. It was like cutting leather with a stick. I remember people in my table asking for steak knives. The funniest thing was that even though the meat was unbelievably hard to cut, it was so soft in the mouth.The beef chop was absolutely flavouful and that is why the chose the shiraz because it was smoky and spicy. The portions were also quite generous.

For dessert I ordered a Dark and White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis. It was paired with dessert wine called the KWV Cape Tawny/Ruby. The wine had a sweet (mollases-like) taste and smell which is a characteristic of some dessert wines. It was a very eventful wine dinner & I had so much fun.