In Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Robb Report Malaysia recently arrived with luxury partners from timepieces, wines, and spirits for a series of events across two days. Here, in a city known for its colonial past, cultural diversity, natural heritage, and a burgeoning food and beverage scene, guests of Robb Report Malaysia delighted in the familiar and new, the latter being the Kuching debut of unique and rare expressions of horology, wines, and spirits.
A cheeseboard of duck jamon, brie, camembert, dried fruits, and grapes provided the backdrop for the parade of Delamotte champagnes that followed. Founded in 1760, Delamotte is one of the world’s five oldest champagne houses and, as introduced by Dajin Beverages’ general manager Cheryl Xie, is part of the same family of champagnes that also comprises the fabled Champagne Salon.
The stream of events opened with a ladies’ afternoon tea session at the enchanting Trevi Café in Saradise Edge. At this relaxed and elegant double-storey outlet, modelled to recall an Italian trattoria, an all-female guestlist arrived to a spread of fresh oysters with caviar, chilled prawn cocktail, truffle egg mayo garnished with caviar, and mini lobster rolls.
Kicking things off that afternoon was the Champagne Delamotte Brut, a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir-Pinot Meunier blend, offering a fresh and fruity bouquet, followed by an elegant length on the palate. Meanwhile, the Delamotte Rose that followed produces a complex, aromatic depth with the scent of rose petals, and a delicious taste of strawberries and ripe red berries.
Among some of the unique pieces of ladies’ timepieces on display by the Sincere Fine Watches team were a duo of Bvlgari’s Serpenti Tubogas with green-lacquered and black opaline dials. Also on display was the Jacob & Co. Round ladies’ timepiece, designed to be versatile and precious, and embracing brilliant blue sapphires within a 38mm rose gold case.
As the sun began to sink into the hills, the dining room of Roots at the Old Court House—a contemporary restaurant serving modern cuisine—buzzed with activity. Guests of Sincere Fine Watches and Datin Sri Jacqueline Ngu streamed into the space to discover a selection of extraordinary timepieces.
Among them was a selection of Jacob & Co.’s novelties, such as the titanium Epic X Chrono in blue and black ceramic, and the Epic X CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo, with its skeletonised dial incorporating the football icon’s likeness and signature. Stealing the limelight was Jacob & Co.’s Astronomia Solar Constellations, a gem-oriented interplanetary dance with Jacob-cut, 288-facet gems.
Roots’ chef John Lim served up a dinner menu comprising a ‘Malaysian Terroir’ starter of locally harvested produce and yuzu bearnaise sauce, a seared red snapper with sake beurre blanc sauce, and butter-poached grilled lamb loin paired with Delamotte champagnes.
To cap the evening’s gastronomic journey, Roots’ coconut ice cream with a lychee and honey beancurd crisp dessert saw the introduction of small-batch Augusto Resposado tequila as its spirit pairing. Dajin’s Xie spoke of the volcanic soil, pure spring water, and centuries-old tradition that goes into the making of this additive-free tequila. Augusto’s most unique aspect, however, is its ageing in handcrafted organic casks from Toneleria Juan Pino, and also oloroso and PX sherry casks of González Byass—one of Spain’s most well-known sherry bodegas. The result is the world’s first exclusively sherry cask-aged tequila, a deep caramel-coloured spirit distilled from ripe seven-year-old Blue Weber agave, emerging from the casks with a floral nose, hint of spice, vanilla mouthfeel, and rich woody finish.
Day two of Robb Report Malaysia’s Kuching adventures kicked off at The Royal Chamber, a tavern-styled watering hole in the heart of Kuching’s old town. This venue, with its double-volume spaces and gothic accents, was the ideal venue to host a gentlemen’s afternoon with an introduction to the complementary flavours of Augusto Reposado tequila with cigars. A combination of Cuban and non-Cuban variants was on offer, adding a smoky depth to the proceedings, and teasing out the notes of pepper, oak, and cedar from the tequila as well.
As the evening sun’s golden rays bathed the land, the roar of V8s, V10s, and V12s would emanate next to the Kuching airport as members of the Supercar Club Sarawak pulled up at Kyujin, which celebrates Bornean produce and flavours through inventive cuisine.
Here, the menu showcased umami in its many forms, with a menu that encompassed Japanese scallops and uni bomb, Gruyere choux pastry with truffle, rainbow lobster carpaccio with Oscietra caviar, foie tostada and apricot, wagyu char siu, and flame-grilled wagyu. Flutes of Delamotte champagne added to the merriment, including the Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2018 vintage, made with wines sourced from a variety of villages to offer purity, minerality, balance, structure, warmth, body, and length. More than four years of ageing rounds off the wine, resulting in an opening bouquet of pears, subtle hawthorn, fresh hazelnuts, and sweet spices, before sensuously introducing lemon, summer orchard fruits, and juicy peach on the palate.
On the horology front, guests were regaled by Sincere Fine Watches’ offering of timepieces, such as H. Moser & Cie.’s Streamliner, inspired by the aerodynamic elegance of 1930s locomotives. Another adrenaline-fuelled highlight that evening was Bvlgari’s remarkable world-record-breaking Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar, in which carbon—a material borrowed from aerospace and Formula One engineering—encases an automatic winding movement displaying the date, day, month, as well as leap year in retrograde.
Photography by Andy Phe Photography
Videography by A Dickson Ng Vision
