An extraordinary weekend in Penang began with the appearance of five gleaming Baccarat crystal decanters of Louis XIII. The quintet showcased four formats in which this august cognac was contained: classic, magnum, jeroboam and the six-litre Mathusalem, as well as the special Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.1, with its neck finished in gold and rhodium. The latter is so called to reflect the contents of a single tiercon, disgorged with an enchanting profile and intensity, coupled with an unexpected 42.1 per cent ABV.
At Haku restaurant, which specialises in Japanese fusion flavours, the scene was set for an extraordinary evening, which began with the tantalising and crisp Telmont champagne. To the mellow sounds of soft rock and jazz, guests of Robb Report Malaysia’s Island Escape took their seats for the start of a grand dinner.
The opening salvo of an opulent 22-course omakase menu began with Frosista caviar with condiments, as well as five variants of caviar on offer, originating from sturgeon species such as Baeriii, Kaluga, Osetra and Amur. This was followed by a Miyagi oyster trio, scallop slices and uni. The slicing of a whole burihira—a cross breed of buri (yellowtail) and hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack)—soon took centre stage. The result of this hybridisation combines the umami of the buri and the beautiful firm texture of the hiramasa, with Haku’s chefs expertly slicing choice cuts before smoking it with cherry wood.
More photos of the Louis XIII dinner
Dinner wended its way through seared foie gras and 24k golden Miyazaki A5 Wagyu, before giving way to the Louis XIII ritual. Here, the head of Louis XIII in Malaysia, Cheryl Xie, invited birthday girl and event co-host Aireen Lai to grace the stage for the bottle opening and to ‘crown the king’, capping the Louis XIII Baccarat decanter with its matching crystal stopper. The evening continued with a 10-sushi selection ranging from Binchotan-seared otoro to burihira toro, as well as a yuzu cheesecake to end the gastronomic affair.
The next day, not far from Haku, guests of Robb Report Malaysia’s Island Escape gathered at Straits Quay Marina to board the Lady Catryna Leopard catamaran for an evening cruise with Champagne Telmont. Guests were garbed in various hues of green to reflect the dress code of ‘193,000 shades of green’—a reflection of Champagne Telmont and its owner Remy Cointreau’s promotion of sustainable packaging using ‘transition glass’ for its bottles, where colours ranged from green to cinnamon.
Out on the water, guests enjoyed the delicious Telmont Reserve Brut, with its nose of honeysuckle and vanilla. During the three-hour cruise under cloudless blue skies, the group was serenaded by violinist Ken Lee, whose rendition of classical and contemporary melodies added an enigmatic panache to the day, which was capped by a glorious sunset that painted the sky with a brilliant palette of rose and gold.
More photos of the Telmont cruise event
Photography: Ken Lim and Jonnh Chan / Momenz Creation
Videography: SK Seaw, Jason Khoo and Tan Wei Keat / Momenz Creation
