The flavorsome Scallop Trilogy. JP/Triwik Kurniasari
Spanish cuisine is a perennial favorite, known and loved for its distinctive exotic flavors, influenced by the cuisines of several other countries.
Part of what makes Spanish food great is the way it tends to be based on produce grown locally, whether it's the delicious fresh seafood caught and eaten daily, or the olive and garlic that form the base of Spanish recipes.
Spain also has a long and respected history of producing fine wines, with large areas dedicated to viniculture.
Lounge-restaurant Vin+ Arcadia in the Senayan complex, South Jakarta, recently held an event titled "Spanish Wine Dinner: Buen Vino, Buena Vida" (good wine, good life) to show Jakarta's lovers of fine wines just why they should include Spanish wine with their meals.
Vin+ is a wine boutique regarded as one of the pioneers in educating Jakartans about wine and how to drink it.
Vin+ Arcadia, which opened earlier this year following the success of Kemang Vin+, boasts a comprehensive wine menu comprising more than 300 brands from all over the world, including Spanish fine wines.
"We've realized that Spanish wine goes very well with Indonesian food, which tends to use a lot of spices," said Jorge Padilla from the Spanish Wine Group.
Spanish fine wines offer delights for the discerning wine lover. JP/Triwik Kurniasari
Spanish wine not only comes in the usual red and white varieties, but also in a beautifully mixed rose.
Padilla paired several Spanish fine wines with authentic Spanish delicacies for that night's dinner. First up on the dinner menu was a prawn cocktail, accompanied by Sparkling Acres Rose Brut Rosado (known as Cava rose).
The pink-colored wine was good as an aperitif, its light taste a crisp accompaniment for the prawns.
Padilla said wine producers applied the same methods as champagne producers to make Cava rose, using double fermentation.
The next item on the menu was an appetizer, Scallop Trilogy, accompanied by Lagar de Castello Albarino Casecha 2006 - a light and smooth white. When the plates of scallops were served on a large wooden dining table, everybody raised their glasses with a "Buen apetito!".
A waitress approached the dining table to fill our glasses with Orange Phoenix Rioja Tempranillo 2007.
Then came gazpacho, the famous Spanish tomato soup. The soup, served chilled, is a refreshing and flavorsome start to a meal. In Spain, it is usually served on a hot summer day, either in a soup bowl or a glass.
Vin+ served the soup in a white medium-sized bowl. Gazpacho is tasty, satisfying and very healthy, composed of nothing but fresh vegetables and a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
Another item on the menu was passionfruit sorbet topped with sliced dried apples. The distinctive sweet and sour flavor of the cool sorbet made a refreshing intermezzo for the dinner. For some, however, the sorbet may have been a bit too sour.
The sorbet came out with a glass of red, A4 Anta Banderas Ribera Del Duero 2007. Anta Banderas, previously named Anta Bodegas, has been made popular by Spanish star Antonio Banderas.
The true highlights of the meal were the main courses - a combination of mixed vegetable ratatouille, lamb cutlets with mint sauce and mixed seafood paella.
Paella is, perhaps, the quintessential Spanish dish, made with rice and seafood, pork, rabbit or chicken, and seasoned with saffron.
Paella is best served hot from the pan it is cooked in; in this case, it really complemented the lamb, which was juicy and tender.
The last dish on the menu was Sizzling Brownies, a sweet treat diners could not resist. The cake was moist and the chopped almonds crunchy - served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a light chocolate sauce.
To accompany the brownies, diners sampled another red, the Nova Ribera Del Duero Reserva 2007.
The Western-style interior of Vin+, with its wooden decor, high ceilings and Spanish music in the background, really strengthened the Spanish ambiance that night.
After dinner, guests relaxed for a chat on comfy divans in the lounge area.
Vin+ served a great night in keeping with the night's theme, Buen Vino, Buena Vida.
