On a recent Sunday evening, a select group of guests were treated to a century of flavours that many dream of, but only few have the privilege of partaking: a Louis XIII Experience dinner, hosted at Haku Extraordinary Japanese Cuisine restaurant in Penang. A generous and lavish 22-course omakase menu—consisting of some of the world’s most luxurious foodsincluding truffles, caviar, edible gold leaf and A5 Miyazaki Wagyu—was served as the perfect accompaniment to the King of Cognacs.
Guests, who arrived in a fleet of supercars including a Rolls Royce, Lamborghinis, and McLarens, were welcomed with strains of the violin by classically trained musician Ken Lee, who jazzed it up with rock interpretations of concertos.
They then converged around the treasures on display—glimmering crystal decanters of the 70cl Louis XIII The Classic (RM15,900), the six-litre The Mathusalem (RM463,000) and even a special glimpse of a Rare Cask 42.1 (price upon request).
Dinner commenced with plates of the freshest seafood flown in from the seas of Hokkaido, including melt-in-your-mouth scallop slices topped with precious pearls of caviar and ikura.
The gastronomic adventure continued with artfully prepared sashimi by Chefs Patrick Lim and Louis Chong, who prepared the Buri-Hira, a crossbreed that captures the umami of Buri (female yellowtail) and the beautifully firm texture Hiramasa (male kingfish), right before our very eyes. It was a rare culinary opportunity as Haku claims to be the only restaurant in Malaysia that carries this sought-after hybrid.
The extravagant culinary show continued with the sashimi being smoked with cherry oak, which added a delicate complexity to the creaminess of the fish.
Guest gathered around the chefs again as they skilfully flambéed Miyazaki A5 Wagyu to perfect doneness wrapped in 24k edible gold leaf.
The evening reached its apex when Cheryl Xie, Head of Louis XIII, Malaysia at Rémy Cointreau, took to the floor to conduct the ceremonial tasting ritual and guide expectant guests on how to fully savour and appreciate the complex characteristics of the inimitable cognac.
Chimes of glasses clinking and cries of “Santé” filled the air as the perfect night ended with the magnificent experience of tasting centuries-old artisanal tradition in every sip.
More photos of the Louis XIII Experience dinner at Haku
