After dinner at Hinoki, we were looking for a place for wine around the area. The stretch between Far East Square and Capital Square houses many drinking places which air football matches on large projector screens or TVs. It was somewhat similar to Robertson Quay.

As we were looking for wine instead of beer, and also didn’t fancy large crowds, we walked further and found Kazbar.

The appearance of it seems like a Middle Eastern themed restaurant, which looked like it belonged to Arab Street. They were airing football too, so we decided on that.

It was rather empty with only 2 or 3 tables occupied. Their wine menu wasn’t very extensive with probably less than 20 types of wine or champagne to choose from. They serve 4 types of house pour by the glass or by the bottle, and for Happy Hour, which means before 9pm, it was slightly cheaper. We were there about 8:45pm so we decided to take one bottle.

La Minga Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010, Central Valley, Chile. 12.5%v/v alcohol – $42nett

Combination of ripe red fruit aromas with a blend of toast tobacco and chocolate. The palate is medium bodied with a pleasant smooth finish. It is well balanced, has a nice structure and is very easy to drink.

As it was a house pour, the common stereotype was that it was probably no good. This was also my first time trying Chilean wine. However, it was surprisingly pleasant. I usually do not like red wines as it is very tannic (acidic) and puckery, it irritates my taste buds and my stomach. However, this was very smooth and I had minimal discomfort ingesting it. It was very drinkable unlike most cheap red wines, just as how the description claimed. The aroma was also fruitily pleasant.

They also specified that this wine is best drank young, not to be vintage in other words.

Overall, I would recommend this wine. Especially for those who usually do not like the puckery feeling of typical red wines, you will not experience the usual with this bottle.

I would also recommend Kazbar for some quiet time away from the crowd. Far East Square is quite a good alternative to the more popular Robertson Quay, Holland Village or CHIJMES on a weekend, as it is significantly less populated. Other than drinks, they also serve food which looked pretty affordable. They serve Middle Eastern food, probably Lebanese or Turkish cuisine, like Lamb Chops and Kebab.