Ubud, Bali's SAYAN HOUSE is super (3-20-24)

 Seems I skipped one posting about our penultimate night in Bali at Sayan House just a couple of blocks down the road from the Four Seasons where we stayed. Like the Four Seasons the location is on the top of the Ayung River Valley but at the very end of the valley so our view was a bird's eye one indeed just over all the properties hanging on the valley edge including the Four Seasons, and the sunset was indeed spectacular.

It is an outdoor setting like almost every place in Bali, but the cool breeze from the valley permeated so we did not melt like the night before. There were fans as well and the setting was quite remarkable.

Hibiscus Margaritas were fabulous, and a fun amuse arrived of Potato Salad(with mustard and mayo) on a Potato Chip arrived; odd, but quite tasty. Will & I decided to share starters and it was a great idea as we loved the huge NIPPON SALAD with Romaine, Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado, Bacon, grilled Chicken, Prawns, Egg, Radicchio & Lettuce with a Fab Kombu Dressing. The CEVICHE DEL MAR was also huge and superb and loaded with tuna, salmon, octopus and prawns in a salsa Veracruz with Green Tabasco, ohban leaf, soy and shiso oil. You may have noticed the food style here is not Indonesian, but the chef does a fusion of Japan and Latin America! Our wine was a new find called TWO ISLANDS because the grapes come from Australia, but the wine is vinified in Bali! we had a glass each of the Limestone Coast Chardonnay from South Australia which was more on the minerally side than vanilla or oak and was superb with the salad and ceviche.  We had a bottle of the TWO ISLANDS Reserve Shiraz 2020 from the Barossa Valley which came ever so slightly chilled--almost a requirement for red in Bali due to the heat--and we adored the spicy finish. 

Our mains were Yuki's Ribs for Will with a Chipotle Sauce, Yukari-Cilantro Rice, Grilled Veggies and I loved my Duck Teriyaki which was a nice breast with teriyaki-Balsamic glaze with green onions, peanut and wasabi mashed potatoes. It was super indeed and cooked to perfection unlike the super-dry crispy duck the night before.

A refreshing palate-cleanser was a granita of dragonfruit, mango and something else. Our server Made was very sweet and indeed helpful, but sometimes it is difficult to parse the English of some Indonesians as it is not their primary language. Indeed, many of them speak multiple languages, so it's something I don't push if I miss something on the second explanation!

We decided to split a dessert and while the EL DAIFUKU was refreshing with Yukimi Daifuku Coconut Soup and marinated fruits, vanilla ice cream, palm sugar and sweet bean paste. A sticky rice mochi was a very goopy rice cake that was not remarkable.

It was a pretty great meal and we left very full knowing we had to rise the next day early for a full day of touring followed by a 30 hour trip home!

AUYUNG TERRACE at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is super (3-21-24)

 Our final meal before heading home was at our beautiful hotel on the AUYUNG TERRACE overlooking the resort and river valley. It's a nice setting and we had enjoyed wonderful breakfasts here every morning of our stay as well. The food is indeed typical Balinese/Indonesian but we did have to ask them to bring the spice levels up as it does seem to cater to foreigners. 

We decided to split a starter and it was a smart move as the Cakalang Sambal Bongkot was four huge slices of beautifully seared tuna with Ginger torch, shallot relish, raw crunchy green eggplant and peanut crackers--we loved it.

The Lombok Lobster was cooked to perfection with Thousand Spices and came with a raw sambal that had a slight kick, just right for the light shellfish. The side was called Morning Glory and was a magnificent seared Asian greens with fried shallots. All the dishes came with rice which, of course, we ladled the yummy spicy sambal olek onto. Will had the Woku Belanga, a seafood agglomeration of scallop, octopus, mussels and snapper all in a turmeric lemon basil sauce.

A bottle of Barossa Valley 2022 Rawson Retreat Chardonnay was simply perfection!

We loved it all and while we loved Bali, we were happy to load our bags into the car to head to the airport and now are about to return home after an amazing 8 weeks in Australia, New Zealand and Bali!

The DINING CORNER (at the Kayu Manis Resort) in Ubud, Bali is delicious save the duck (3-19-24)

 Our second night in Bali took just down the road to the nearby Kayu Manis Resort and their Indonesian outdoor dining spot, The Dining Corner. On arrival we waited for an escort from the small outdoor reception lobby to the "corner" of the resort (about 4 minutes away) where the restaurant is located around their pool on a balcony literally in the middle of the jungle. We were offered a bug spray, which we quickly used, but really it was not an issue. What was a tad weird were the deep screechy sounds of the small geckos and then the fruit bats flying in the nearby trees looking for food; they were not small. We got some videos(all on FB with the food) and settled in with the menu as we enjoyed their night antics. Will ordered the Bintang local beer which he likes alot and I chose a carafe of white local wine from Bali called Plaga which was akin to an off-dry Riesling and went quite well with the spice in the food, albeit the heat was so oppressive, the wine, beer and even iced water was warm within 5-10 minutes; we were indeed dripping.

The menus here all seem to have burgers and pizzas for the tourist but we found many Asian dishes and settled in on particular Indonesian local dishes to try.

I have always loved Lumpia Goreng, the wonderful spring rolls filled with chicken, and these were indeed delicious and had a wonderful spicy dipping sauce, but I totally burnt my mouth as they came to the table scalding hot from the deep fryer! The Ote-Ote Udang Jagung is a Fried Prawn and Corn Cake that is quite tasty and comes with a sweet chili, sambal, soy dipping sauce.

Next was the Nasi Goreng Mawut, as Nasi Goreng is pretty much the national dish of stri fried rice with egg noodles and here came with some prawns in the mix, cabbage, box (spelled that way) choy and two large grilled prawns on skewers that were superb, as well as rice crackers. The dish was superb, but I am getting over-riced a tad.

We both wanted to try the famous local Crispy Duck or Bebek Goreng with comes with vegetable urab (a kind of mix of beans with spice and other veggies) in a chili lemongrass sauce and chili sambal. Indeed, there were three condiments on the side plate: the traditional red Sambal Olek, the green less spicy Sambal and then a chili/ginger/garlic mix, also not super spicy. We loved them all but sadly the duck was dry and there was not a lot of meat on the two small pieces; we felt cheated.

We left full as we had had two large Indonesian meals that day--the lunch was a delicious single Indonesian platter(check out the FB picture) loaded with everything.

Hoping to discover more good food tonight after a super Indonesian breakfast of spicy broth with chicken, noodles and a poached egg on top--very ramen-like.

Bali's APERITIF is amazing Michelin-starred European-style/Indonesian/Asian flavors in an extremely elegant setting (3-18-24)

 We arrived in Bali from our cruise and set off to our private pool villa at thew Four Seasons at Sayan, near Ubud in the foothills of central Bali. It's much quieter that the beach resorts and allows access to many wonderful sites and experiences of the beautiful Balinese culture. After resting all day poolside, we headed over to the Viceroy Bali, another 5-star luxury resort and their fining dining venue, Aperitif. The restaurant is in its own pavilion complex with a monstrous bar area (inside and out), pool table and more plus a huge, elegant dining room and open kitchen. We were royally greeted and chose to sit on the terrace overlooking the resort and jungle as we sipped our Aperitif Negroni made with Raku Japanese Gin, Vermouth di Torino, Campari, Sandalwood and Ylang-ylang...we loved them.

Three gorgeous canapes arrived which shamed the ones we had been having on Silversea for the last month: 

-Cured Red Snapper with Ponzu and yogurt that was super light and refreshing

-Chicken Liver Mousse with Balado & Shallot which was creamy and rich

-Charcoal Puff with Smoked Mackerel cream that was revealed under a smoke dome tableside and with so creamy and rich and indeed divine.

We were escorted to the large, elegant dining room with about 20 tables of various sizes with crisp white lines, silver and crystal. There seemed to be dozens of staff all over the place. We took a table for two facing the large open kitchen where there had to be over a dozen staff under the constant eye of Belgian chef Nic Vanderbeeken. Keeping in mind all these people, only 8 people were dining at Aperitif on Monday including us!

There is a choice of two menus: Signature and Avant-Garde both priced the same at 1,690.000 rupiah each +21% tax and service(tipping not necessary) which comes to $130 for 8 courses! The wine pairing was an additional 1,000,000++ or about $77, a real steal considering the large pours and amazing quality of the imported wines.

JB, the Sommelier, from Nimes, France, was amazing and explained each wine in detail and it was apparent he chose them all with great care as each one match each course brilliantly.  Each wine arrived just before the course was served so we could taste it first, and the entire meal was spaced to perfection and lasted from our 630pm arrival and 715pm move into the dining room until our 1030pm departure.

Chef Vanderbeeken was in Tokyo prior to opening this magnificent establish just before covid and the menu shows that. There are also many additional items that you can add (at fairly high costs) such as caviar, lobster, truffles, Wagyu main course and more, but our choice was just enough food indeed.

The amuse of Chawanmushi(Japanese egg custard) with Mushroom and Dashi was a brilliant concept to have the dashi surround the custard to cut the richness.

We watched the kitchen as some 6 staff hovered around the chef prepping our first course of Japanese MUROTSU BAY OYSTER(all photos on FB) with Dabu-Dabu sauce(a local chimichurri-style sauce, but not spicy), watermelon and Kemangi(edible flower). The one oyster was huge and an amazing treat while the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre "Les Baronnes" 2022 from the Loire Valley had us almost forget those we had in New Zealnd and Australia!

A bread cart arrived that might have been much smaller than that of Stierereck in Vienna, but just as impressive with many breads and they were all served warm with three butters: Sourdough, Truffle and Salted. I had never heard of sourdough butter, but it was interesting indeed with a slightly yeasty flavor. There were baguettes, focaccia, amazing onion rolls, sourdough bread, but the best was the local black rice bread!! WOW!

Course #2 was WAGYU served in the Japanese style of Tokusen Roast Carpaccio that means just barely seared on the edges. It came with a Black Garlic & Bone Marrow Emulsions and Mustard Seeds that made the dish superb. The paired Chateau d'Astros Minuit(menaing midnight as the grapes are harvested at night), Rose from Cotes de Provence 2021 uses Syrah, Grenache and Carignan and was magnificent, not to mention JB poured it from a monstrous Jerobaom bottle!

Next came and additional course which JB offered complimentary, and we jumped at the chance to try to huge local SUMBAWA PRAWN, again barely cooked and served on a Jerusalem Artichoke Puree with Cucumber and a light Coconut-Soy Dressing. JB even paired it with EDDA Chardonnay/Fiano from Puglia 2020 that was oaked lightly and paired perfectly with this divine local crustacean.

Course #3(no photo), really #4 was a Perfectly seared Hokkaido Scallop in a light Clam Chowder with Baby Clams and a wonderfully lightly-spiced Pineapple Sambal that in no way overpowered the delicate scallop. M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut "Occultum Lapidem" (meaning gemstone), Cotes de Roussillon was a combination of White Grenache and Vermentino with an uber mineral nose and taste that Will compared to licking rocks. JB said the stony soil does make the terroir so apparent in this unique wine.

Spring Chicken sounds simple but this steamed version came with a Tori Paitan Sauce(local Indonesian) with Koya (dried milk with garlic?) and Bumbu Kuning(Turmeric condiment that resembles aioli). We had truly moved to Bali for this dish paired with Pascale Jolivet Attitude Pinot Noir 2021 from the Loire, a beautiful unoaked but medium-bodied Pinot!

Our main was Venison (from New Zealand) Wellington with Foie Gras(from France), a lighter than usual yet super tasty, lightly spicy Rendang Sauce and sweet potato puree. This dish was as close to perfect Wellington as it gets, and the venison was as tender and lean as could be. The wine was a magnificent The Chocolate Block Syrah(with Viognier) 2021 from Franschhoek in South Africa.

A palate cleanser of Pomelo/Yuzu frozen yogurt with crisp and flakes was delightful and oh so refreshing and the JB arrived with the cheese trolley(included in the dinner!!) laden with gorgeous cheeses.  We called this the Grand Finale first night in Bali!

Our choices were 

-Camembert

-Fourme d'Ambert(blue)

-Muenster

-Aged Chevre from France and we had a choice of two condiments from poached apples, raisin puree, strawberry chutney(great with the blue), fig jam, walnuts, cashews and grapes! JB suggested a Dr, Loosen 2-21 Riesling which I liked, but Will passed on and got some Churchill 2017 Vintage Late Bottled Port, which JB poured for me as well; what a treat!

The dessert was a truly novel dish called PB & J with a home made biscuit (and a giant "A" on it for Aperitif) with a Peanut Mousse & Raspberry-Blackberry Jam. Will hates peanut butter, but managed to eat this!!

Mignardises were presented as well, and they included: Smores/Snickers/Passionfruit Fudge/Pistachio/ Sesame and Orange Sponge...check out the video on FB! These were served with Manco a local hot chocolate/tea drink with soy and sesame as well!!

Needless to say we were full, but thrilled with our first night choice in Bali! On to more local food now!!

Darwin's SNAPPER ROCKS really rocks for seafood, wine and more (3-14-24)

 Our last port on this 32-day cruise and final stop in Australia before heading to our final destination Bali was Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory. For a small city, it has a lot going for it and we decided to pop off the ship for a final dinner ashore as we were overnighting here. Our new friends, Priscilla and David, joined and we walked across the waterfront to the very busy and active dining spots just off the wharf. We chose SNAPPER ROCKS as the menu was quite varied and had, yes, OYSTERS. We really wanted some local ones, but the featured ones here were from Coffin Bay in South Australia, but we loved them as well. A couple dozen later we were thrilled as we chose them plain and also with finger lime "caviar" (really just a dash of these amazing limes from Queensland) and shallots ....what a great way to end our oyster journey.

We chose a Hahndorf Hill Grüner Veltliner from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia to start and it was ideal with the yummy bivalves having great acidity and also superb melon and tart apple flavors. Our second wine was the D’Arenberg ‘The Sun Surfer’ Fiano from McLaren Vale, also in South Australia which we all loved and never heard of, as I assume the Fiano grape is not exported to the USA from this well-known winemaker. Wines are not produced in the north as the temps are so high and they have a huge wet season which is just about to end followed by a dry season; no way for grape vines to survive.

Priscilla said we had to try the "Fish Wings" which are actually grilled cheeks from the local snapper seasoned with peri-peri sauce that we all loved. Next came the "Bugs," the famous large crayfish in Australia that here came from the nearby Gulf of Carpenteria and simply grilled with lemon, butter & garlic. These crayfish are the size of lobster tails and taste truly magnificent. Fried Loligo local squid was lightly battered with Geraldton wax, salt, leaves, and were served with a remoulade/aioli. we loved it all!! 

We decided to try the local specialty main: Whole wild-caught local Snapper with cashew sauce, papaya & coriander. The meat came off the bones beautifully and we all loved the dish which also came with a not-spicy-at-all Green papaya salad. Our sides were yummy Crispy Potatoes with rosemary & salt as well as super tasty Sauteed Snake(string) Beans with chillis and shallots.  For the wine we moved to a super light-bodied Serafino ‘Bellissimo’ Montepulciano, also from the McLaren Vale, South Australia.

The four of us waddled back to the ship knowing that this wonderful fresh fish meal would stay in our minds and hearts for a long time. It was even better sharing it with our wonderful new friends.

Kaikoura, New Zealand's HAPUKU KITCHEN is a killer cooking experience not to be missed (2/23/24)

 When a Kiwi friend of mine told me about the HAPUKU KITCHEN experience over a year ago, I started to check out this renowned location on a remote corner of the South Island and learned that the couple who created this amazing place in their home were pioneers of New Zealand modern cuisine and also just great folks. I knew our ship was scheduled to stay into the late evening in Kaikoura (which means "eat crayfish"!!) so we planned to do the cooking lessons in the afternoon followed by dinner as a private event for just Will and me.

As is the issue with all well laid plans, the ship decided to curtail the later evening tenders and a day prior we were scurrying to reschedule. Luckily it all worked out perfectly in the end.

Chefs Fiona Read and her husband Chris have lovingly built a home around their kitchen, gardens and homestead for many years after previously having worked at the luxury Hapuku Lodge just up the road. Their plans were a tad delayed with Covid, but now they welcome small groups and individuals for group cooking lessons and meals which had to be one of the best things we have done on this entire trip Down Under (and that includes some pretty momentous stuff!).  We were warmly welcomed by Chef Fiona and her amazing co-chef Jerusha(all the photos are on FB) and immediately seated with cups of coffee and home made Anzac biscuits(cookies) as we discussed the menu and what was to follow and compared notes. We headed out into the gardens to forage for herbs, veggies and more and visited with the pigs, ducks, chickens and whatever else flew by during our outing. Back in the kitchen, Jerusha brought out the best-ever home made cheese scones and we began to prepare what was to be our dinner:

-Ravioli with whipped Ricotta, Black Garlic ,Sorrel, Sheep Cheese & Sage Butter

-Kaikoura Crayfish with Miso & Herb Butter & Foraged Salad

-Plum & Ginger Galette with whipped Mascarpone, local honey & rosemary

This may all sound quite simple, but we spent a couple of hours preparing this and Will actually made the ravioli for the most part and may have even gained an interest in cooking! I did most of the pastry dough for the galette and then Chef Fiona taught Will how to use the pasta machine(watch the amazing videos on FB). The gorgeous local Kaikoura crayfish are a delicacy in this region, and we spiced them up with some chillis as well and all the ingredients (for the most part) were all local or regional and largely sustainable. I do have to say that I don't think I ever saw more butter used in a meal for two people anywhere on earth, but then if you are in New Zealand butter is indeed essential in most every dish!

You will see from the FB photos that our meal was dreamy, and the wines were excellent as well--we had several. Our dinner was outside in the gardens where the native birds flew by, the ducks waddled around, and the dogs came by for an occasional pet. We had arrived at around 1245pm and had our dinner early at about 430-5pm so as to be able to get back to the pier by the new last tender time of 630pm. It all went swimmingly smoothly well, and we waddled back on the ship having had the best meal in New Zealand for sure....that we helped to cook. We have the recipes and maybe we shall try to replicate them, but nothing can match the experience of this wonderful team, the love they have for cooking and patience they have for teaching. Brava to Chef Fiona and to Jerusha as well as Fiona's husband Chris who joined us later as he was setting up for a huge local event in Kaikoura coming the next day! I can assure you that when we are next in this region, the first event we shall plan is a return to Hapuku Kitchen!

Hobart, Tasmania's FICO is fabulous for fusing Australian & Italian!!(2-17-24)

 Two weeks ago as we began our 32-day cruise we stopped overnight in Hobart, the exciting capital of Tasmania where we had two brilliant days and also afforded for off-ship dining on our night in port. FICO (Italian for "fig") is an intimate setting in downtown with maybe a dozen local wood polished tables that are far apart from each other offering a very spacious feeling. The room is quiet, even when full (when did you last experience that?) and there is an open kitchen with a small bar/tasting table around it for some folks as well. The shelf around the top of the room had hundreds of empty wine bottles showing off the wonderful rare wines they offer from all over the world.

We were warmly welcomed by Mohed and after perusing the tasting menu (there is no choice here) we asked him about pairing local wines with the nine courses and he said he would be able to do that easily, but had to bring in some foreign wines for certain pairings; we agreed and at $120AUD($78US) we were thrilled, and the pours were very generous as well. 

There were some additions and we both agreed we had to add the local Pipe Clay Lagoon Oysters (from nearby southeast Tasmania) which were creamy and oh so subtle; indeed some of our favorites on the entire trip. (I have to add we have had oysters four times as well in New Zealand and they are also all excellent). Anim "Hairy McLary" Sauvignon Blanc 2022 from Coal River Valley in Tasmania was an ideal wine and it also paired with the next course of Carrot Gazpacho with orange oil, cumin and capers.

A magnificent freshly baked hot loaf of sourdough arrived with Fig leaf oil mixed with Tasmanian sea salt and Aged Balsamic which we tried to resist, but alas, it was gone very quickly.

Holymar Chardonnay 2022 from Tasmania's Tamar Valley was a wonderfully minerally chard that we loved and was paired with Bluefin Tuna (from Maria Island in eastern Tasmania) served with Horseradish, Beurre blanc and Suzi's Herbs. The herbs of tarragon, mint, flowers come from 75-year-old Suzi who supplies them from her gardens, but it was the Jogn Bignell supplied horseradish from midlands Tasmania that had to be the best horseradish we have ever had on earth. The combination was beautiful but also award-worthy.

Sea Urchin Risotto(local from Tasmania of course) was bursting with lemon and hints of Thai basil and Mohed had to bring an Italian wine for this from Friuli: 2021 Isonzo Fiore di Campo F2 from Lisneris had a wonderfully high acidity to complement the richness of the risotto.(remember all the photos are on FB!)

Our favorite dish of the night was easily the Tortellone which was one giant ravioli stuffed with Hare Bolognese sitting on a bed of Porcini Mushroom custard and Lovage Puree. Mohed offered shaved summer truffles from Tasmania and we could not resist, especially at about $10US for what would cost 3 to 5 times that in the USA!! The entire dish was heavenly indeed.  Stargazer Rada 2023 Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier from Piper River in the north and Coal River Valley near Hobart was a super wine with an intense nose and so complex we wanted to buy a case!

The main course was Venison alla Brace that was cooked superbly and deliciously peppery with Charred Eggplant Puree, Baby Zucchini with its flower and Game Jus (which sounded like "Gay Jew"!!). The locally grown venison is less gamey than ours in the US and more subtle indeed, but lovely nonetheless. The wine was a Hughes & Hughes 2022 single clone Syrah from Penna also in Coal River was very French in style(hence the use of syrah instead of shiraz).

Cheese was next and came in the form of Tongola Goat Curd "Panna Cotta" which is from Marion's Bay in the east. It was a deliciously cheesy custard that came with an onion reduction, which I thought sounded weird, but the taste flavors were perfect. We called this "goat cheese on crack!!"  Mohed paired this with a sparkling Eric Bordelet Poire, pear cider from Normandy which was simply brilliant.

Two desserts followed: "Strawberry Tart" with "Leatherboot"(local) Honeycomb Gelato was a caramelized honey/strawberry tart with creme diplomate in puff pastry with honey gelee all in a strawberry consomme. I love fruit desserts and pastries and this one was a dream. "Braida" Brachetto d'Acqui 2020 from Piemonte was a nice pairing. The final dessert was Cassis & Yogurt which was simply a super Cassis meringue macaroon-like sandwich filled with vanilla yogurt! What a great taste to take home as we headed back to the ship!

All the team at FICO made us feel so welcome and indeed everyone here Down Under (save the luggage lady for Jetstar Airlines at Melbourne Airport) are all SOOO nice.