Maison Mumm x Cultivate present Reserve & Regale (August 10-11)

A musical pairing dinner with the finest RSRV champagne

This August, storied champagne house Maison Mumm is partnering with innovative fine dining restaurant Cultivate on a special, two-night only, champagne-pairing dinner ($2,988 per person). The dinner, called Reserve & Regale, will offer a unique opportunity to experience the full range of Maison Mumm’s most exclusive cuvées (a French wine term that derives from cuve, meaning vat or tank) alongside eight-courses by wunderkind Chef Leonard Cheung while enjoying a live classical music performance.

The champagne

If you’re a champagne afficianado, this dinner is for you. The courses are paired with a vintage selection of Maison Mumm’s full range of 100% Grand Cru RSRV champagnes:

• RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2014

• RSRV Cuvée 4.5

• RSRV Blanc de Noirs 2012

• RSRV Lalou 2008

RSRV (standing for ‘ReSeRVed’) refers to the mark used by Cellar Masters to select and identify the best wines only from the Grand Crus during harvest and bottle aging. Previously these were only available to select friends of the Maison.

The menu

Chef Leonard Cheung is known for mixing up his tasting menus at Cultivate regularly, and it’s this renegade spirit that appeals to the Maison Mumm team. He’s prepared a never-before-seen eight-course menu to match the special champagnes presented.

The meal starts with the RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2014 accompanying a tangy lemon verbena tomato tart, Thai crab taco, and an aguachile dish (similar to ceviche). This champagne is known for its adaptability, and is able to offset aggressive and powerful flavours. There’s a lemon note in it that brings out the lemon used in the food.

Guests may experience the white fruit, mineral texture, and tangy aftertaste of the RSRV Cuvée 4.5 playing an unexpected pairing to a seared foie gras course with seared brussels sprouts and yuzu-onion jam topped with hazelnut crumble.

The Cuvée 4.5 also enhances the richness of a New Zealand langoustine tartare with Ossetra caviar, snap peas, and champagne gelee.

Chef’s personal favourite is the RSRV Blanc de Noirs 2012 which is full bodied enough to be paired with aggressive dishes. At the dinner, it’s paired with blackened monkfish from Brittany with ‘Arroz de Negro’ influences (a Valencian and Catalan dish made with cuttlefish and rice).

It’s also served with Barbarie duck accompanied by a beet merlot gel, red pearl onions, duck granola, tardivo radicchio, and compressed blackberries.

Lastly, the buttery nose of the RSRV Lalou 2008 is served with dessert. This legendary cuvée is said to express the very best of the Maison Mumm terrior and pairs especially well with Cultivate’s signature banana and caviar bite and my new personal favourite dessert ‘bowl of summer’ which contains dehydrated corn bread, fresh blueberries, and a pandan corn cream.

Verdict

This is a special dinner and less than 50 seats are available over August 10 and 11. If you’re interested, reservations can be secured via this booking link (a deposit of $1,000 per person is required). Dinner starts at 7:30pm sharp!

F, Shop A, G, 27-29 Elgin St, Central, 5303 1230

*For Foodie