Ron Batori, President of the
Bangkok Beer & Beverages Co., Ltd., gives a brief history about the wine being
served.
Dr. Iain Corness
The Centara Grand Phratamnak has come a long way in a very short time. Opened
last year, GM Dominique Ronge has been in charge of what has obviously been a
runaway success. Their up-market restaurant is called Ruffino - the same as the
winery whose wines we were to sample during the dinner. Apparently the Ruffino
winery and the Ruffino restaurant felt there was much to be gained in brand
awareness by sharing the name.
Ruffino’s is on the top floor of the Centara Grand Phratamnak with the area also
featuring the swimming pool and a lounge. The resident DJ Diva supplies the
music and the staff supplies the rest. Having been to the lounge before, it
certainly is a place to unwind.
Dominique Ronge, General Manager
of the Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya, gives a warm welcome to the
guests.
The restaurant is behind glass, with one complete wall being
their temperature controlled wine cellar. At the other end of the room there is
an open kitchen, under the eyes of Venetian Executive Chef Luca Pulese, with
eager kitchen staff all smartly turned out.
With every restaurant this side of McDonald’s having “wine dinners”, this could
have been a difficult market to crack for Dominique Ronge and his team at
Ruffino’s, but where they positioned themselves is different from all the
others. With only limited area, wine dinners here are a much more intimate
affair than in the larger properties. You get to know the wines in a much more
relaxed manner.
The wines were described by Ron Batori, the president of Bangkok Beer and
Beverage, who classified them into two groups - Aliens and Natives. I have known
Ron for many years and he is one of the true fonts of knowledge about wine.
Nothing pretentious, just a very deep knowledge from being in the industry for
so long.
Aliens he said were made from grapes that were not local to the Ruffino Winery,
but the vines had been imported; this covered the Orvieto and the Chardonnay
whose vines were French. The Natives for Ruffino were the Chianti’s, with Ron
saying, “Chianti is what Tuscany is all about.”
He also said that Italian gastronomy has always driven Italian wines, meaning
that as the cuisine has become more varied, the wines have followed. This
statement is one that Chef Luca must have considered in his matching of the food
under his care, to the wines under Ron Batori’s care.
The reception wine was a Ruffino Prosecco, an admirable fizz to start the
evening, leading us to the first course of sea bream, cucumber sauce, petite
salad with a horseradish vinaigrette, to be taken with the Ruffino Orvieto
Classico DOC 2012. This must have been difficult for Chef Luca, as I found the
Orvieto still a little young and lacking in character.
The second course was truly excellent with caramelized pears on a bed of
chardonnay risotto with Parmesan. Taken with the Libaio Chardonnay 2009, these
two married well. The chardonnay risotto and the chardonnay matched perfectly,
and this wine was, in my view, much superior.
The third course featured a roast beef tenderloin (and it was tender), with a
block of crispy bacon, potato cake, carrots and barley jus, washed down with a
Chianti Ruffino DOCG 2012. For me, the Chianti was not old enough for it to
develop its real nature, but would be a good one to buy now and lay down for
later.
(L to R) Dr. Iain Corness,
Supparatch Piyawacharapun, F&B Sales and Marketing Manager of the Centara Grand
Pratamnak Resort Pattaya; Peter Malhotra, Managing Director of the Pattaya Mail
Media Group; Paul Strachan, PMTV Productions Manager; and Saisamorn (DJ Yui)
Pithak, from Pattaya City Hall’s Radio Station 94.75 FM.
The next course (and I was starting to flag by this stage)
had monkfish, Parma ham, mustard greens, Porcini mushrooms, in a Riserva Ducale
Oro emulsion, taken with the Riserva Ducale Oro 2008 wine itself. At six years
of age, this wine was just starting to mature, and is one to drink now - too
good to be left lying down!
The dessert was an amazing pastry “parcels in wrapping paper” taken with a
Vinsanto del Chianti sweet wine, again nice pairing by Chef Luca.
We enjoyed the Ruffino Wine Dinner and wines, and we suggest you keep an eye out
for the next one. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Centara Grand Phratamnak Pattaya, 352/430 Moo 12 (down Soi 5 Pratamnak to the
bottom and then turn right and you are there), Telephone 038 306 337, secure
parking under the hotel.
(L to R) Ron Batori, President of
the Bangkok Beer & Beverages Co., Ltd.; Carl Duggan, Executive Assistant F&B
Manager for Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya; and Kuhrl Jan.
(L to R) Russell Darrell from 88.5 FM Radio Station,
Supparatch Piyawacharapun, F&B Sales and Marketing Manager of the Centara Grand
Pratamnak Resort Pattaya and John Howarth, Cert-PFS, Managing Director of Asia
Pacific Pensions.
(L to R) Andrea Cavazzini, Julia Kikulicheva, Daniel
Boccalini and Francesco Neirotti, Italian Wine Manager of the Bangkok Beer &
Beverages Co., Ltd.
Dinner served, guests who attended the party were
satisfied with the food, service and wine.
DJ Diva poses for the paparazzi.
(L to R) Carl Duggan, Executive Assistant F&B
Manager, Dominique Ronge, General Manager, Supparatch Piyawacharapun, F&B Sales
and Marketing Manager and Sirilak Khampan, PR and Sales Manager, of the Centara
Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya.
Executive Chef Luca Pulese (center) prepares to
serve the starters with his restaurant staff.
(L to R) Supparatch Piyawacharapun, F&B Sales and
Marketing Manager of the Centara Grand Pratamnak, Kobi Elbaz, Managing Director
of the Tulip Group and Sirilak Khampan, PR and Sales Manager of the Centara
Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya
Walter Giomi (left), Assistant Italian Wine Manager
of the Bangkok Beer & Beverages Co., Ltd., and Dominique Ronge (right), General
Manager of the Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya.
