Black sand beaches and emerald green rice terraces are not the only allures of Bali. Crave discovers the “Isle of the Gods” offers a cornucopia of edible pleasures.
Text by Cynthia Rosenfeld
Anyone who has taken the five-hour flight from Hong Kong to Bali will remember that intense sense of anticipation as the jet’s wheels hit the tarmac at Denpasar airport.
They will have seen images of aquamarine skies and ocean, vibrant green paddy fields and pink and yellow sunsets on the beach. Little wonder then that filling their stomachs may not have been uppermost in their minds.
Thanks to its natural beauty, the Indonesian island of Bali doesn’t really need to sell itself on culinary reputation. However, it would be churlish to overlook the great progress its top hotels and restaurants have made in recent years in providing its guests with a gastronomic experience to match the visual sensation of its stunning environment.
The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay is a case in point. Just a 15-minute drive from the international airport, this hillside retreat, complete with 147 courtyard villas with jaw-dropping views over Jimbaran Bay, obviously believes that people visiting the tropical paradise should eat like kings.
Strolling through its 35 acres of gardens that gracefully descend onto a white sandy beach, one could be thinking this is a lifetime – not a five-hour flight – from the hurly-burly of downtown Hong Kong.
And on Thursday and Saturday nights it gets even better when the hotel holds its “Beds on the Beach” evenings. Tea candles are tucked onto the sand and impressive Balinese paintings are set up like an impromptu art gallery along the beach. Amid this heady mix a delectable five- course dinner is served featuring succulent Australian sirloin and barbecued lobster.
If we thought things would go downhill after this regal introduction we hadn’t counted on the splendour of St Regis Bali’s at Nusa Dua, a drive southeast of Four Seasons. We followed rows of illuminated torches to the beachfront kayuputi and climbed the volcanic stone stairs towards chef Oscar Perez’s open kitchen. Palms swayed overhead in the cool sea breeze as we indulged in Perez’s signature “Hot Experience”, a gourmet seafood combo including Bali lobster and miso-marinated butter fish, caught a few steps away in the ocean below.
It is not just in Bali’s hotels where you’ll find gastronomic delights. On Seminyak beach’s shopping drag, we stumbled on the superb Wah Wah Gourmet Burger Winebar. This humble roadside shack is deceptive in appearance – inside Shanghai-born owner Louis Wah serves quite superb foie gras and zero-fat Wagyu burgers and his tour de force, the WW Ultimate Burger, served with prosciutto, parmesan, mozzarella and quail egg. And don’t be put off by the risque sounding drinks list, “the Stiff Cock Menu,” featuring the “Hot Latino Cocks” cocktail. The wording might offend some, but others will simply delight in the fruits from the slopes of the nearby Kintamani volcano that go into these mojitos and caprioskas.
Around the corner, Aussie Executive Chef Will Meyrick – known to Hongkongers from his time at Lotus in SoHo – has set up at Sarong. We munched raw tuna with betel leaf, lemongrass and basil here before continuing to the open-air dining room where we sampled his delectable Thai prawn salad with tangy pomelo, garlic and mint, and then Peking duck.
Ku De Ta on Seminyak beachfront is by far the coolest stop on any Bali itinerary and it throbbed with beautiful bodies when we arrived for watermelon mint martinis. Over 2,000 fabulously frocked people turn out for annual August parties here, but on this only slightly less festive evening, we dined on Executive Chef Benjamin Cross’ Hiramasa kingfish sashimi and lemon salad with seared baby lobster, roast Harvey beef fillet and Wagyu short ribs in bordelaise sauce followed by the double Valhrona chocolate tart with gold leaf and cinnamon ice cream. Next I trekked into Bali’s famed rice terraces to Glow on the COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali’s premier destination spa. Here chefs turn nuts, seeds, fruits and leafy greens into raw cuisine. According to raw foodists, uncooked foods contain more digestive nutrients and Bali’s fertile land certainly produces ingredients best eaten raw, such as honey-sweetened pad thai salad made with sliced coconut “noodles.” The zucchini, basil and semi-dried tomato lasagna was also worthy of special mention, but my favourite was the luscious strawberry agar-agar with cashew nut ice cream.
Many travellers swear the true Bali food experience is best sampled at the multitude of roadside stalls, but I insist on traipsing down the Bukit Peninsula to try local curry recipes in high style at The Warong inside Alila Villas Uluwatu. Sit at the indoor table to savour the aroma and action from the adjacent open kitchen, which turns out plates piled high with Balinese chicken and fish sate, sweet corn patties and bebek menyatnyat – duck curry with red rice, after which we were ready to head home in complete gastronomic satisfaction.
COMO Shambhala Estate
PO Box 54 Ubud, Gianyar 80571 Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 978 888
Grilled or raw, locally sourced dishes at COMO Shambhala Estate taste as fresh and invigorating as these tropical surroundings. Watch COMO’s top-notch Indonesian and international chefs chop organic greens in the open air kitchen at Glow or check in to Bali’s most luxurious destination spa to savour each meal in the privacy of riverside pleasure palaces.
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Jimbaran, Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 701 010
Uniquely romantic, Four Seasons “Beds on the Beach” invites Bali-bound couples to sink their feet into the baby soft sand of Jimbaran Bay. As the sun sets, dine on fresh catch and sweet confections amid flickering candlelight and original Balinese art.
Ku De Ta
Jalan Kayu Aya 9 Seminyak, 80361 Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 736 969
Groove to the spins of international DJs and gawk at the exotic sartorial concoctions favoured by KDT’s young and beautiful jetset clientele who convene day into night at Bali’s hippest beachfront address. Sip the tropics through a straw here and dine on fusion feasts of innovative flavours.
Sarong
Jalan Petitenget No.19x Seminyak, 80361 Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 737 809
Celebrity chef Will Meyrick perfected his culinary techniques in Hong Kong before commanding his crew of a dozen chefs from across Asia who turn out tandoor chicken, Peking duck and indigenous Balinese flavours to equal perfection.
St Regis Bali
Kawasan Pariwisata, 80363 Nusa Dua, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 847 8111
Seashell chandeliers lead the way to Nusa Dua’s chicest eatery. Sit by the beach or inside this double-height, white-washed space by the open kitchen that turns out gourmet seafood straight from the surrounding waters to imported Wagyu, enhanced by world-class wines and sublime sweets.
WAH WAH GOURMET BURGER WINEBAR
11A Jalan Laksmana, Seminyak, Bali.
Tel: +62-361-736585
Open air and understated, the signature zero fat Wagyu burgers are a must-try. Those looking for desirable trinkets from across Asia will find a range of items, such as Vietnamese buffalo horn jewelry and hand-pounded bronze offering bowls.
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