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Posted by - ® Carolyn on June 28, 2005 at 7:11 am:
This report is a bit late - about a month or so ago but thought I would put it in as this restaurant was so amazing.
Over the years I have been hearing a lot about this place and wondered what it would be like. A friend of mine had been in Ubud two weeks before me and tried to book and was told each night was full for her stay. So we booked ahead of time and glad we did. This wasn’t cheap by Bali standards – about 400,000 just for the food. When the evening was over we did not begrudge a cent spent – was just fantastic.
Firstly we walked in – just lovely. We had originally booked for lunch but were advised they only open for dinner. When we got there it made sense - this place would have been ordinary in the day time. At night time it was a magic garden with flares, candles and tea lights – was really, really special. Lots of privacy for a restaurant. Lots of mosquito coils and not obvious – to the sight or the senses. Very romantic and if anyone is looking to have an anniversary dinner or to propose - this is just the place.
We were asked if we would like indoor or outdoor dining. We chose outdoor. When we arrived at 7 pm the restaurant had about 4 other tables booked. By the time we left it was full (except for the indoor seating area which was about half full) so about 20 tables – and you wouldn’t have known. Lighting was low, music was chill out combined with a bit of Nora Jones and the like, and set at a level where you could speak and hear easily. There was a water feature which was also excellent at dulling the ambient noise. All in all very pleasant at the table.
There’s a wine matching service which we didn’t take up on – we drove up from Jimbaran for the evening and one of our group doesn’t drink anyway. I was driving so I kept it light. We started with a gin and tonic and were asked if we would like to pick from the three course menu or the degustation menu. We all chose the degustation menu. Next choice – would you all like a different menu so you can each share each course… I went to boarding school so have never been particularly good with sharing food so said NO!! So we all decided to eat the same thing at the same time.
Here is the meal…
Complimentary on arrival was a beef carpaccio with shitake mushrooms… It was subtle and delightful and set the tone for the evening. Very exciting – felt like we had hit the jackpot.
First course – lobster ravioli with seafood consommé served chilled and again, was delicious – not over powering but very complex taste.
Second course – fillet of barramundi with carrots and vegetables underneath it. I think the spices were like a cumin/coriander type – very tasty indeed and the nicest bit of fish I’ve ever had in Bali.
Third course – fillet of fois gras and this was amazing – melted in your mouth – just disappeared and was fantastic.
Fourth course – roasted pork on creamy mash with a red wine jus. Very old fashioned but in a French style – something simple but very rich.
Fifth course – AMAZING! Staff took over and told us we should split the choices so two of us got grape sorbet with berries (SO GOOD) and two of us got apple sorbet with sugar toffee apple crisps on it. This was so delicious and refreshing – best sorbet I have ever eaten.
Sixth course – Mandarin and chocolate soufflé with home made ice cream. This was divine. Served inside a mandarin skin was a standard soufflé top, but when you dipped inside there was hot chocolate infused with mandarin. Could not speak. So good.
Seventh course – petit fours a variety of mango and chocolate flavoured treats. Super to finish with coffee.
Each course was perfect – perfect size and flavour and paced beautifully. Perfect for the weather and the environment. Left feeling good – not stuffed beyond belief. Very comfortable.
Staff were excellent. When offering choices we asked for recommendations and each time went with the recommendation – we were never disappointed and it showed that the staff knew their stuff. Most impressive. Staff were also very relaxed - not at us all the time - they totally were in control.
Would highly recommend if you like fine dining. This would be up there with the top Sydney restaurants in terms of flavour, presentation and ambience. Simply the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in Bali.
C
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