Cover image via Johnnie Walker
Earlier this month, we were invited to attend a special dinner event hosted by Johnnie Walker
Image via SAYS
The **XR 21 Mastery** was launched to celebrate John Walker & Sons' Scotch whisky of the same name. This is going to be an annual event which allows whisky fans to enjoy specially crafted local food, paired with the John Walker & Sons XR 21 – which is drawn from **extremely rare Johnnie Walker reserves** and aged for at least 21 years.
Specially prepared food sounds great right? But that's not the best part – this year's event was going to be held in **Penang**.
Being the Malaysians that we are, we went "**OMG YES**" because food, and there was no way we were going to say no to that (especially **Penang food**)!
Image via Holiday Gogogo Tours
According to the invite, the dinner event will be held in Khoo Kongsi
Image via Malaysian Meanders
Yes, *the* Khoo Kongsi. The hundred year-old clanhouse situated in the heart of George Town that is also a **UNESCO World Heritage Site**.
We were quite surprised by this. None of us knew that you were allowed to host private events in the historical building. At the same time, **we were quite curious as to how it would turn out to be**.
We reached Khoo Kongsi a little earlier and saw that they had transformed the opera stage into a dining hall
Image via SAYS
One of the most notable structures in Khoo Kongsi is its opera stage. On that day, the stage has been converted into a **fine dining space**. The tables were really nicely set: smooth black cloth with polished silver cutlery and crystal clear glasses.
There was even a box of flowers in the middle of the table, put together with a lamp that used the XR 21 bottle as a base. In short, quite *atas lah*.
Image via SAYS
The guests' names were printed on gold cards. Super classy.
Nothing could have prepared us for the view that was right before us from the comfort of our seats
Image via Johnnie Walker
This was. **The. View.** From our dining area.
No joke.
They even had performers singing and dancing to classic Chinese songs (think Shanghai in the 1920s). It was **so amazing**.
Image via SAYS
Because we're not that tall, and there were so many people, this was what we were seeing most of the time.
But isn't it beautiful?
Then there was the food, which was prepared by two top chefs from the region
Image via Johnnie Walker
The menu, which was inspired by the local culture in Penang and its homegrown ingredients, was put together by **Chefs Spider Kong** (in black) and **Jeffrey** (in white). The former is the owner and chef of Soul Food restaurant; whereas the latter is the Head Pastry Chef of Metisser Dessert Parlour – both of which are popular restaurants in Penang.
Chef Spider Kong was in charge of the appetisers and main course, which consisted of **Tiger Prawn Kerabu**, **Chicken Ravioli**, and a choice of **Seared Barramundi** or **Tamarind Lamb**.
But we have to say, it's the dessert that stole the show
Image via SAYS
Conceptualised and prepared by Chef Jeffrey, the **Ambar Tree** was a dessert served in the form of an amra fruit on a plate with branches painted with edible gold.
*Atas* right?
In case you're wondering what amra fruit is, it's actually what we call [*buah kedondong*](http://says.com/my/fun/malay-english-word-translation) in Malaysia.
Image via Johnnie Walker
The *buah kedondong* was cut into cubes and coated in a layer of **Earl Grey tea-infused chocolate mousse**. The dessert is then moulded into the shape of the fruit. We were also told that the best way to enjoy the Ambar Tree was to pair it with a glass of John Walkers & Sons XR 21 Scotch whisky, served **neat**.
It was too pretty to eat, BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE. So here's a photo of the 'destroyed' dessert:
So satisfying. It was really, really delicious when paired with the XR 21 Scotch whisky, with the sourness of the fruit complementing the drink's **subtle honey and vanilla flavours**.
Image via SAYS
All in all, it was a really amazing evening at John Walker & Sons' XR 21 Mastery
Image via Johnnie Walker
The way the Khoo Kongsi was decorated truly brought out its beauty, while respecting the delicacy of the hundred-year-old building. The food was great, and everything on the menu was paired perfectly with the whisky.
