I was at La Bodega, Bangsar Baru for drinks not too long ago and Syed (the restaurant manager) gave me a small cheese platter to try. Thanks!

From left: Ossou Iraty Onetik, Camembert Reo, Munster Wess Tradition,
Perail Lou Perac Pm & Picon Blue Cheese

Picon Blue Cheese is a Spanish cheese made with cow, sheep & goat milk. It has a solid white flesh that is very creamy and intense, with a highly pungent aroma. I liked how its overpowering flavour pairs nicely with the tangy green apples. Ossau Iraty is a traditional, unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese made with the milk of Manech ewes (sheep). It is pale, medium-soft cheese with complex and delicately rounded flavours. The rind is tart, and slightly moldy. It is creamy, slightly nutty, not bitter, not overly sweet. I liked the finish of this cheese – rich and smooth, with a pleasant aftertaste. The Munster is a strong tasting, semi-soft cheese with a shiny brick red rind. This robust cheese has a pungent, penetrating aroma and piquant flavour. I actually detected a hint of smoked meat flavour (really!) when the Munster was paired with some apricots. Perail is a traditional, un-pasteurized, natural-rind cheese made from sheep’s milk. It has a very soft rind with a nutty aroma and a sweet flavour. Beneath the rind is a soft, glistening ivory paste that is creamy, supple and easy to spread. The aroma was quite subdued, but the texture was luscious and the flavours, despite the lack of character were well balanced. I liked this best.

Camembert is one of the most famous and the most popular soft French cheeses in the world. It is luscious and buttery with a thin, aromatic rind. I found the aroma pungent, but it was not as pungent as the Picon. The flavour is fairly strong but compared with the Picon and Munster, it was the least pungent of the three. Its slightly runny texture made it easier to spread on apples.La Bodega’s cheese platter & wine set cost RM80 nett. You get all the above with a bottle of wine. Thanks again Syed! I’ll definitely return for the real-sized platter. =)