On a bright and cloudless Thursday morning, the hum of McLarens filled the air on the highway bound south for Desaru Coast. This fleet of 15 McLarens from the McLaren Owners’ Community Malaysia (MOCM) were headed for the closing week of the megawatt-starring Dioriviera pop-up and Dior café located at the Ember beach club of One&Only Desaru Coast.
A few hours of joyful driving would eventually lead the convoy into Desaru Coast, replete with its beautifully manicured lawns, a salty sea tang in the air, and the all-round relaxing vibe of the destination. Here at the Diorivera pop-up, MOCM members enjoyed flutes of Veuve Clicquot champagne as they visited the whimsical sandcastle boutique and browsed the various items on display from the ladies’ and men’s collections as well as footwear, bags and scarves adorned with the latest toile de Jouy sauvage from the Dioriviera capsule collection.
A dinner at the Dior café, with its menu curated by chef Raymond Tham of Beta KL, comprised appetisers of scallop carpaccio embellished with avocado, pomegranate and passion fruit ponzu, as well as duck prosciutto with Kalamata olives, caramelised onions and baby rocket. For mains—paired with pours of Hennessy X.O—MOCM members tucked into wagyu ribeye with grilled asparagus, mango citruse and roasted garlic jus, barramundi with caramelised tamarind and asam pedas fregola, and cornfed chicken with burnt corn and a sweet potato fondant. Desserts included smoked chocolate cremeux with mocha sponge and a spiced pineapple and frangipane tarte with coconut sorbet.
An after-dinner session of Hennessy X.O tasting, conducted by cognac ambassador Daphne Tan, was ably complemented by Aladino cigars by Cohiba Atmosphere. These “puro” of authentic Corojo Cuban seed, are grown at the JRE tobacco farm in Honduras, a tradition which dates back to the 1960s by the Eiroa family. Among the variants on display was the box-pressed Maduro with a dark and delicious San Andres Maduro wrapper, as well as the Corojo Reserva with subtle spices, coffee and cedar.
Images and video: Momenz Creation
