Songkran at Red Spice Road

To celebrate the Thai New Year, Gastrology recently indulged in a Thai feast hosted by Red Spice Road, matched to Villa Maria wines.

It was a delicious evening of food as Executive Chef John McLeay and Head Chef Dylan Mccormack impressed guests with a stunning degustation. Each course was matched perfectly to a curated tasting of Villa Maria wines, chosen to bring out the best flavours from both the wines and the courses.

Villa Maria Estate is a New Zealand wine company with vineyards across New Zealand. Founded in 1961, the winery is today an icon of the New Zealand wine industry, known for its bold and industry-changing moves.

To start, the Prawn betel leaf, chilli jam, turmeric and coconut exploded with a multitude of intense flavours and was highlighted by the perfectly crispy prawns and the gentle heat of the chilli jam.  

A dish of Cured salmon, sawtooth, shallot, radish and green nam jim followed - masterfully prepared to showcase the delicate texture of the salmon.  

Continuing on the trend of the evening, excellent mains of Drunken chicken, Shredded duck jungle curry, and Pad krapow moo-pork belly were an absolute delight to eat with fluffy rice. Each dish was perfectly seasoned and possessed the customary punchy flavours exhibited by South East Asian cuisine. 

Our favourite wine of the evening was the Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir. We loved the gentle berry aromas combined with fine grained, structured soft tannins.

To conclude, a selection of Thai inspired sweet treats graced our presence. The caramel mung bean custard cake in particular won our hearts with its perfect level of sweetness and interesting texture.