Chasing duck tales in Bali

I think I had forgotten how good duck could taste. I tried to give it up for a while because a diet stated forbidden me to eat duck, whatever screw that, duck is yum.

Bebek. I think the Indonesians have a cute name for the duck. Bebek. It has got a cute ring to it, no? Bebek bebek bebek. It is almost onomatopoeic. Believe me, I was trying not to eat duck, but that didn’t work. My resistance crumbled, the dishes sounded so good on the menu, bebek betutu and deep fried duck, the no-eating-duck plan was shelved till post-Bali.

One. Bebek betutu at Bumbu Bali, that was pre-ordered on the morning of our arrival, I expected to look a little more glamourous. Stripped of the banana leaves that cradled was our duck, there was our duck, the one that was rubbed with local spices and slow cooked for hours and hours. It was tender, very tender but I found too mildly flavoured despite the hours of stewing in spices. The pre-cursor to the arrival of the bebek betutu, the bebek soto was, however, delectable.

Two. Murni’s Warung in Ubud, one of the oldest restaurants in Bali, history is a testimony to itself. Its bebek betutu is tried and true, tender off the bone with a better distinct flavour, and no pre-ordering required!

Three. Deep fried duck at Bebek Bengil, the dirty duck diner. Maybe they should export this as a fast food. Balinese Fried Duck, and it will be commonly known as BFD. Deep fried chicken has had long success, so why not deep fried duck. And not just any deep fried duck but duck that have been sitting in marinade for 36 hours and then lowered into the deep fat fryer. Deep fried duck that is best eaten with hands. Finger licking good.

Bumbu Bali
Jalan Pratama, Tanjung Benoa,
P.O.Box 13 Nusa Dua 80363
Tel:+62-361-774502

Murni’s Warung
At The Bridge, Campuhan
Ubud, Bali
Tel: +62-361-975 233

Bebek Bengil Restaurant
(Dirty Duck Dinner)
Padang Tegal - Ubud
Tel: +62-361- 975 489

Back in Bali, Eating Again

I recently went back to Bali and I hit the ground eating. After touching down, driving through the darkness and checking into my plush villa, I just about ready to crash but was too hungry to sleep. The only solution: room service; eating in my pyjamas.

The tragic part about my relationship with the lovely island of Bali and its gorgeous beaches is that I never get to enjoy them. This trip, like my last was pretty much déjà vu, in a good way and a bad way, where I only soaked up the Balinese sun during my car drives but had the privilege of feasting at new restaurants. Breakfast, one of my favourite meals, was enjoyed at the Four Seasons at Bali at Jimbaran Bay where I obsessively ordered their ethereal fluffy and delicious macadamia and poppy seed French toast with honey consecutively for two days to be firstly washed down with nutritious fresh fruit juice and then chased with a double shot espresso.


Macadamia and poppy seed French toast

After the late morning breakfast ritual, we piled into the car and got eating. I would have liked to have squeezed in a Babi Guling or some good old comfort Padang food, but I was a guest and had little choice of our dining destinations. These are my food prints:

Amandari
(or simply known as the restaurant in Amandari)
Kedewatan
Ubud, Bali
Tel: +62 (361) 975333


Gado-Gado

The menu in my opinion is large since it covers Western and Indonesian cuisine with no in-between fusion. Gourmet set menus from both Western and Indonesian cuisines are available, and if you call a day ahead, you can have a traditional Balinese family style feast. The restaurant excels in both cuisines, so if you pick and choose from different parts of the menu and put together a totally eclectic meal, which no one understands but you, it should work. My biggest memory of this place is the gado-gado, which had one of the best peanut sauces that has a nice touch of lemongrass.

Kafe Warisan
Jalan Raya Kerobokan
Kerobokan, Bali
Tel: +62 (362) 731175
www.kafewarisan.com


Baked tomato tart

I arrived here a little too early by mistake, but things work out for a reason. Arriving half an hour too early for my reservation meant that I managed to catch the sunset and against the gorgeous backdrop of the paddy fields because after the sunset, the paddy field just merges into a patch of black. Chef Nicolas is doing a good work here. Recommended are his hot foie gras and seven-hour lamb mecchoui, but I went with a baked tomato tart with honey and rosemary, pumpkin, goat’s cheese, spinach and yoghurt emulsion and a boneless baby chicken stuffed with foie gras and sage with mustard potatoes, and my dining partner only had a Australian lamb rack with dauphine gratin, fricassee of mushrooms and rosemary juice. In short, it was good and I will return when I return to Bali.

Kisik
Jalan Karang Mas Sejahtera
Jimbaran, Bali
Tel: +62 (361) 702222



Although exercise is prescribed before and after dinner as you scale the 141 steps the view of the sunset and the Indian Ocean makes it all worthwhile. The view and the ambience charms and seafood are the food of choice. The menu is simply scratched on a chalkboard, and fish and crustaceans are displayed on ice for your picking. Make your preferences known then sit back and sip on a cocktail with sand between your toes and soak in the sunset.

Sami-sami
Jalan Karang Mas Sejahtera
Jimbaran, Bali
Tel: +62 (361) 702222



This laid back open air trattoria, is a great place to gather for a meal, and rightly so as Sami-Sami means “local gathering”. Our meal with a gorgeous bread basket of assorted freshly baked bread, and our appetisers were … for lack of a better word appetising. If you find yourself here in Bali, the light and crisp battered Frito Misto Di Mare e Vedura Al Limone e Salsa Remoulade and asparagus salad flavours were delicate and the bloddy main course of medium rare grilled fillet of US Angus Beef Tenderloin with Rucola, Roast Potatoes, Parmesan Cheese and Balsamic Sauce was succulent and powerfully flavourful. Desserts of banana pizza and double chocolate cake were predictable, good but a little on the sweet side.

* More photos later

Homage to the Beautiful Things of Bali

My heart goes out to the Balinese people who suffer the brunt of the recent terrorist attacks. Just as it appeared that the Balinese people and the island were recovering from its wounds from the Bali Bombing in 2002, another tragedy has struck. The tourism sector is the largest component of the Balinese economy and will inevitably reel from this recent incident. The Balinese people however have shown great resilience and will continue pick up the pieces (again) and to move on. Other than the recent tragedy, Bali still has much to offer, an island that is steeped in culture and mystic, sandy beaches with surfer’s waves and food that will make it a destination for dining.

Mozaic
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud 80571
Bali, Indonesia
Tel: (62) 361-975768
Website: http://www.mozaic-bali.com


Salmon Tartare

After a visit to the national park where I scaled various flights of stairs to get up close and personal with the huge garuda statue, I was ready to plant myself in the car and head off the dinner. The drive to Ubud took an entire hour during which I enjoyed the sunset and scenes of bali from the car. It drizzled and stop while we fast approached our dining destination. I was growing hungry from the walk around the garuda park and nearly let out a squeal of delight, when I saw the sign “Mozaic”. Unlike my dining counterpart who is now a regular at Mozaic, I was almost giddy from my hungry and excitement. We were greeted from the moment we stepped out of the car and ushered through the homeware shoppe and along the pathway lined with tikki torches to the beautiful garden setting.

“Your timing is perfect, we just opened the garden dining area because we weren’t sure of the weather, but it looks good now. Please …” and the sommelier tucked me into my seat.

The garden setting is romantic – the dim candlelight, the faint music of a lady crooning (from a cd) and the towering trees that form a canopy over your dining area – think dining in secret garden. The serenity is only broken by the distant noises constant ringing of the service bell and of the chef ordering his kitchen troops. The menus are set before us and there are 2 choices – 3 courses or 6 courses. My gracious host said, “Your choice, I’ve been here so many time, the choice doesn't matter, it is always good.” I was there to eat, there was no chance of suppressing the greedy, and so my only choice was to act with elegance in this beautiful restaurant.

“I think I’ll have the 6 courses, I’ll leave myself in the good hands of Chef Chris, surprise me” with that I handed the menu to the sommelier, and he asked a few more questions, “Is there anything you not eat anything? Cheese? Foie Gras?”
“No, no, I eat everything. Cheese and foie gras, I love it!” I responded and thought about the wonderful foie gras and cheese course that awaited me.
“Wonderful”, the sommelier nodded and whizzed away with the menus to work on our wine pairings for the night.

The dinner was spectacular: there was nothing on the plate that was left unfinished or less than amazing. Dining here was special, because over the course of dinner, I discovered that my dining host has become such a regular that they served us numerous complimentary items that our six course dinner stretched to a ten course dinner with a small visit from chef Chris.

Dinner started off with an array of amuse bouché: the first which was a cheese puff – cloudlike in texture with a light savoury cheese flavour, following which was an asparagus emulsion with white truffle crème and a salmon tartar. The asparagus emulsion tasted very neutral and slightly earthy – something like a mushroom soup, which will appeal to almost everyone in the very easy taste. Despite the casual nature of the emulsion, the truffle crème injected a depth of richness to the soup. The salmon tartare tasted like summer – sunny and bright, with a faint nutty flavour from the olive oil. I smiled to myself and knew I was in a good place.

For our first course, we were served the veal tenderloin carparccio with juniper dessing and white truffle oil and the Mozaic ‘Ceasar’ salad (polenta coated soft shell crab, romaine lettuce, garlic crouton and parmesan crisp). The veal tenderloin, was mellow and milky with gentle earth tones and the crab was the crispiest one I have ever eaten, was all in all crunchy dish with the lettuce, croutons and parmesan crisp, where you kept having the sound of the crunch resonant in your ear.

Next up was our fish and seafood course where we were presented with a balsamic glazed salmon serve with black olives and marjoram and a plate of pan seared scallop skewer on local “keladi” rhubarb and bouillabaisse emulsion. The balsamic glaze was complex, slightly sweet and tart, paired with the bitter vegetables were a great combination with the oily and crispy salmon. The seared scallops were sweet with a burst of saltiness from sea salt crystals. The first bite was good, but taken with the wine, it was heavenly; the sweetness of the wine was echoed in the scallops brought the flavour of the scallop back to life in my mouth.

For the foie gras course, they served us the pan seared fried foie gras on bitter cocoa and chocolate emulsion with a beet root sorbet and fresh boneless quail ‘pastilla’ baked with a touch of foie gras, Moroccan spices and cinnamon in filo pastry. The pan seared foie gras was marvelous. The crispy and luxurious foie gras and cold sweet beet sorbet melted and slid down my throat causing a slight tingling sensation. The chocolate sauce was slightly bitter rather than sweet, if not it might have tasted like a dessert. The pastille was intriguing, sounded and tasted exotic – the crackling thin pastry encased a hot spicy and piquant filling.

The meat course was roasted suckling pig with a blackcurrant sauce on a bed of red cabbage served with toasted spices and roasted veal tenderloin with a red wine infused sauce, artichoke sauce and mushrooms. The suckling pig was succulent and tender with the layers of fat sandwiched between layers of meat, and the toasted spices looked like grit, but possessed intense flavours similar to a strong gingerbread crumble, where it was both crunchy and had a spicy bite. The veal was nothing too adventurous, but very well executed. The meat got it spice and heat from the pepper and it was mellowed down by the deeper and more intense flavoured red wine sauce and cepe mushrooms.

After the intense meat course, chef Salans brings its down to a cheese course where he served us a goat's cheese mousse, walnut sablé, sour cherries and balsamic vinegar and a warm blue cheese toast with beets ( I missed the waiter’s explanation). I love cheese, and I love cheese courses – light, airy and milky with the sour, sweet and tart condiments or warm, oozy and pungent, I like them all.

With the taste of cheese still lingering on my tongue, chef Salans sends us a fruit course that is nectarous and cold – fresh mandarin sorbet on mint jelly and yellow watermelon sorbet on coconut and mint jelly. A great play on textures, where the jelly adds some bite and the pieces of fresh fruit add a feel of tropical freshness.

Dessert is on its way and I’m already really full from the six courses that have come before and the copious amount of wine I had already consumed. When it arrived, my fullness melted away after the waitresses described what lay before us, warm dark valrona chocolate moelleux, gorgonzola ice cream and sautéed strawberries with rosemary and fresh passion fruit cream baked in filo pastry with caramelized mango, milk agar agar and cardamom. I’m not a big dessert person, and the only sweets that really get me excited are chocolates and ice cream, so I have ordered a lot of chocolate soufflés/melting chocolate cakes/molten chocolate cakes/decadent chocolate cakes; this valrona chocolate moelleux, this is the mother of all cakes. I loved the combination of gorgonzola ice cream and chocolate, this plate had my name written all over it, I only eat ice cream and chocolate desserts, and often I prefer a cheese platter to a sweet plate. This is my playground – a warm oozy chocolate cake and cheese flavoured ice cream, it was a great ménage trio for me. It was at this point when I stuck the spoon of ice cream and cake into my mouth that chef Salans chose to come over and to greet us and all my poise escaped me - with food stuffed in my mouth, I tried to thank him for the wonderful dinner and to tell him about the state of bliss that I was in with the chocolate and gorgonzola ice cream streaming down my throat – I like to think that he left out table happy that I was happy. I’m more than content ending my meal at this point, but Chef Salan’s quickly informs us, “one more course.”

As the plates are being cleared and I emptied my glass of the remaining Riesling, I’m half sloshed and very full, I wait the final plate. Petit fours – pumpkin custard and a pressed pineapple with an orange peel – sweetly ushered us to the end our subliminal culinary journey.

Experiencing Bali Through My Stomach

Last week, I packed my bags and spent a few days eating at numerous restaurants in Bali for a work assignment that required eating (I agreed to the minute they asked). I’ve always ate more than I ought on trips, but this was one gargantuan eating trip. One sure sign that you are a foodie: if you went to Bali and spent more time in restaurants than the beach, your total time spent on the beach is less than an hour, and came back without a tan.

After my usual yoghurt breakfast, I took off for the airport for my early morning flight to Bali. I barely touched my plane food and chatted a little with the lovely Dutch couple that was next to me, and as soon as my plane landed, I knew what I had to do – eat. My gracious Indonesian host waited anxiously for half an hour before I appear from customs. The unfortunate delay was due to two bouts of 15 second blackouts, which in turn delayed the luggage belt. Relieved to finally exit the airport, my host asked, “Are you hungry?” I nodded, and she replied, “Ok, let’s go out for lunch then.” When she was in Singapore, we took her out for some crabs and so she wanted me to try to Indonesian variant. Laid before us was a feast – fresh drunken prawns, stir-fried kangkong, long beans, fried rice, and the roe laced crab. The entire crab head shell head covered with crab roe that is coated with a thin crispy layer of buttery rich batter! The prawns were fresh and served with a small bowl of aromatic broth that it produced when cooked, and the kangkong was crunchier than the ones we get here, it was fantastic! It was a feast and only the tip of the iceberg of their warm and generous hospitality.

Eating at restaurants was the single agenda on my schedule, and with seven restaurants on my list and 3 ½ more days on this beautiful island, I had a lot to cover. I pulled out all the details of the restaurants from my bag and started dialing all their numbers and made reservations. My schedule was set–3 ½ days, 7 restaurants, 3 lunches + 4 dinners. Here are the formal details of my eating itinerary:

Day ½, Dinner
Faces
The Balé
Jln Raya Nusa Dua Selatan
Tel: (62) 361-973111



Within this small luxurious hotel that aims to provide a holistic experience, this restaurant serves contemporary European food with a Mediterranean touch. Chef André serves up a range of raw, smoked, pureed, seared, roasted and glazed dishes that are both spicy and light. Be it cumin spiced Atlantic scallops on yoghurt-potato mash and spicy harrisa, parrot fish fillet in a port wine-orange glaze on spinach risotto and chorizo sausage or the pomegranate glazed duck breast and foie gras with Moroccan couscous, it will your palate satisfied. The pool-side dining and open kitchen makes dining here a casual and intimate affair.

Day 1, Lunch
Di Mare
Jl. Fourseasons,
Jimbaran, Bali
Tel: (62) 361-708848



The poolside location of the restaurant and the “Warhol-Buddha” inspired wallpaper gives the place an unpretentious but chic vibe that reverberates through the dishes. “Di Mare” means of the sea in Italian, but the menu is exclusively focused on seafood. The food here is both simple and elegant. Think foie gras with French green lentils and a sauce from roasted garlic and oloroso vinegar, the seven herb salad with a gorgonzola soufflé, pears and walnuts or a spicy and alluring grilled merguez with couscous served with cumin-mint yoghurt. The desserts such as warm valhorna chocolate “soufflé” served with candied macadamia ice cream and armagnac-poached prunes, or the Tarragon panna cotta served on a citrus cookie with orange confit and a passion fruit sauce also cleverly combine flavours together, bringing together, something specials on the plate.

Day 1, Dinner
KO Restaurant
InterContinental Resort Bali,
Jalan Uluwatu 45,
Jimbaran, Bali Tel: (62) 361- 70 1888
Only Open for Dinner



Although a little pricey, KO Restaurant is a wonderful place for Japanese fine dining. Soak in the peace that exudes from the zen rock garden as you are escorted to the dining area of your choice. Beautiful tatami private dining areas are available to for a delectable formal dinner of a Ko Omakase set -- 7 delectable courses, which includes a serving of the indulgent and expensive toro sashimi, uni chawamushi and Ko omakage (the chef’s selection of seafood), or you can choose to dine in the teppanyaki room, or at the sushi bar.

Day 2, Lunch
Prana Restaurant
Jalan Kunti 118X, Seminyak Bali
(The Villas Bali Hotel & Spa)
Tel: (62) 361-730840



Fresh juice concoctions and life giving dishes using only organic vegetables is the main draw here. Prana meaning life force in Sanskrit is the guiding philosophy of menu the restaurant - organic Ayurveda such as the organic vegetable curry served with rice and the Indian options such as chollay (chickpea curry) and Indian Palak Panner (Indian Spinach with melted cheese), which can be enjoyed with the juice concoctions such as de-tox deluxe composed from carrot, beetroot, parsley, kale, spinach, ginger and tumeric, and pineapple ginger juice, which will aid digestion. Dining in the courtyard is one option, but if you prefer to be in the shade, you can dine indoors in plush cushioned sitting area that will make you feel like a maharajah.

Day 2, Dinner
Kaizan
Jl Laksamana (oberoi) #33,
Seminyak, Bali
Tel: 361-7472324
Only Open for Dinner



Whet your appetite on the appetizers such as the lobster salad, baked scallops in spicy cream sauce or a fresh sashimi platter. Following, order platters of yakitori, or sample the Korean-Japanese shabu-shabu on offer. The shabu-shabu beef or pork platters serves wonderfully sweet meat that is flavoured with small layers of fat, or have the Japanese delicacy – kue nabe set – where a whole garoupa is used for shabu-shabu, creating a sweet flavourful broth. Six different varieties of aromatic broth are available – tasty chicken, medicinal herbal, spicy Korean, Thai tom yum, savory sukiyaki and simple shabu shabu, allowing you to be transported to the destination of your choice -- Korea, Thailand or Japan.

Day 3, Lunch
Waroeng Tugu
Tugu Hotel, Bali
Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong
Bali
Tel: (62) 361-731701



Travel back in time and eat a piece of history as you experience dining in hut that mirrors the Majapahit era-Waroeng Djawa kitchen. The menu presents a feast of the day to day cuisine of the Javanese. Iboe Soelastri provides the direction in the kitchen – using only the original recipes that have been passed down through the generations – making this a dining experience truly authentic. Feast with your hands and be transported back in time; a dining experience that will be etched in your memory.

Day 3, Dinner
Mozaic
Jl. Raya Sanggingan,
Ubud 80571
Bali
Tel: (62) 362-975768



As the first in South-East Asia to be recognized as a member of “Les Grandes Table du Mode”, this place is a culinary gem. This restaurant has many magical things to experience – dining under the stars in the romantic garden, culinary genius of Chef Chris Salans and Pastry Chef Francois, and the charming and attentive service staff – making it a seamless performance from start to finish.

After 3 ½ days, I planned my cabbage soup cum de-tox diet on the plane back to Singapore. More juicy tasting details about Mozaic later …