Among the rare chance happened during the Ubud Food Festival was the prospect of meeting famous chefs from Bali, and from abroad as well. Take for example Chef Wan from Malaysia. Hosting several cooking shows on TV, Chef Wan's funny and talkative personality is always entertaining to watch, either when he's in the kitchen, outside on the street teaching random westerners to cook healthy Asian dishes, or staging a popularity contest between his Malaysian cooking vs UK cities' local favorite.

While I was aiming to meet him during his appearance in Ubud Food Festival, an opportunity came up earlier when Will Meyrick invited Epicurina - Bali Food Blog, to join him in welcoming Chef Wan to Mama San! It turned out that the two knows and grows close to each other during Chef Will's opening of his new restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Surely this is an opportunity that I can't pass.

The event itself was a cooking collaboration between Chef Wan and Chef Will, where Chef Wan was cooking Malaysian dishes, and Chef Will cooking Peranakan cuisine.

The Dinner Time

I managed to grab Chef Wan aside for this photo shot, during the meet and greet session before the dinner. It turned out that what we seen on TV is not much different with the reality: Chef Wan has this vibrant personality, quick wit, and very very talkative. He quickly getting acquainted with the guests, telling jokes and laughing along with the guests as if they've been buddies for years.

Chef Wan has this amazing skill of starting up a conversation, and making people felt welcomed, all in an effortless manner. It's no wonder that the Malaysian Government appointed him as Food Ambassador to Tourism Malaysia.

Our journey into the Malaysian and Peranakan Cuisine was started with Soft shell crab with torch ginger flower, char kue peanuts, sesame seed and rujak salad. While the batter fried soft shell crab gives out a mellow sea flavor, combined with the spicy rujak salad they compliment each other, and it was a quite eye opening starter.

The soft shell crab was then followed up with this woody tangy creamy fragrant dish of Sambal jantung pisang (banana flower), with fresh prawn, torch ginger flower and kalamansi. Coming from a family that familiar with both jantung pisang and torch ginger, I was quite amused why we've never thought the two works well together.

Our next dish emanates this rustic Asian flavor, especially with the addition of tauco (fermented bean curd). The Nyonya style stir fried clams with chili padi, Thai basil, green shallots and Tauco was quickly becoming the guests' favorite.

Next came Nasi Ulam with kencur (lesser galangal), ginger flower, shredded betel leaf, Vietnamese mint, lime leaf and ikan asin (salted dried fish). While Indonesia has their own version of Nasi Ulam from Betawi ethnic, the one presented was resembling Malaysian style and it contains a lot of fragrant ingredients put into it, which in turn create an aromatic dish. The addition of Ikan Asin enhanced both the texture and the taste of the dish.

Peranakan crispy barramundi, with torch ginger flower, chili, shallots and lime leaf represents the Sweet and Sour fish, one of Chef Meyric's creation in Hujan Locale Ubud which we adored. Still using the same barramundi (kakap putih in Indonesian), the difference is that this one was more aromatic and spicier.

Baba's Nyonya fish head curry with okra, tomato, tamarind and fish curry powder was among the creamiest dish of the night, even though it was well balanced with the inclusion of tamarind (asam jawa in Indonesian), and tomato.

Next came Gulai Udang Nenas, fresh prawn cooked in turmeric, lemon grass, fresh pineapple with coconut milk. While the coconut milk adds creaminess to the dish, the sweet and sour pineapple (Nenas) help lighten and balanced the mouth-feel. It goes really well with the prawns.

Came as the last main was Fried Fragrant Cumi-Cumi, squids or calamari fried with Tom Yam paste, ginger torch, lemon grass and honey. It was nicely chewy, flavorful, and the addition of honey was just enough to add sweetness into the dish.

As the closure to our dining experience was Chef Wan's Jackfruit Custard, which resembles srikaya with extra punch of the jackfruit, and Chef Will's Coconut ice cream which nicely reinforced with peanuts and roasted coconut, made perfect with the addition of young coconut flesh you can scoop right off the bowl's wall, as it was presented in halved coconut. Balance was a bit of an issue as the halved coconut has curvy base, but taste wise it was the best coconut ice cream version we ever had.

While Chef Will stayed more in the kitchen, focusing on delivering the dinner, Chef Wan would occasionally showed up and entertain the guests with small chats, funny talks, maintaining the cheerful vibe all the way until the dinner was over. Such a tremendous energy.

As with other Chef Will's invitations during our 5+ years of food blogging in Bali, the dining experience of this "Chef Wan and Chef Will Collaboration" stays on the high note throughout the dinner. The flavors were robust, colorful, comforting, and Chef Wan's humorous personality vibrates well with Chef Will's cheerful personality himself. It's been one really enjoyable dining experience. Thank you Will Meyrick for having us! (byms)

If you've been an avid food channel watcher like I do, I'm sure Jamie Oliver is no stranger. Beside TV shows and cookbooks, Jamie also went on to create several restaurant lines, which includes Jamie's Italian. showcases authentic Italian cooking, combined with Jamie's modern approach and unique twist.

While Jamie's already gained quite a hype in Singapore, in a surprising move, turned out that Jamie's Italian next target is Bali, Indonesia, joining the crowds of fine restaurants created by international chefs, which some already calling Bali their second home.

Existing in more than a dozen countries now, Jamie's Italian Kuta Beach mark their entry to Indonesian market, and Epicurina was so excited to be invited as a food blogger on their media lunch and sample what Jamie's have to offer their Bali audience.

Food

Now let's dive straight into the goodies!

For an extravagant entry, you might want to choose The Cured Meats Plank (145K/person), which consisting of Prosciutto di Parma, fennel & garlic salami, mortadella & bresaola. Served with bocconcini, pecorino & chilli jam, pickles, whole olive and crunchy salad. For a non-pork option they also have a cured wagyu beef slices.

Another good option at Jamie's is their fresh pasta made each morning on the premise. It's cooked in just about 40 seconds, and as the result you get strains of yummy buttery pasta with noticeable mix of coarse and fine grained flour, beautiful texture.

While we ordered several type of pasta, the most noticeable one is the Octopus and Mussel Spaghetti (195K) using black thin spaghetti, bathed in chilli, capers, and white wine sauce. It leans toward peppery spicy and savory with noticeable level of sweetness.

Another obvious option from the meat selections is Jamie's 30-day Matured Prime Sirloin (345K), chargrilled then served with the earthy pungent wild mushrooms. The maturing process adds intensity to the flavour, though it was quite mild, and not as strong as I thought it will be, based on my past encounters with dry aged beef.

The winner of the mains section though, would be this Lamb Chop Lollipops (280K). Consisting of four slabs of chops, it's served on top of mashed creamy artichoke, then dressed with mint sauce, roasted peanuts, and chillies. It has a nice chunky texture and combination of flavours that goes well: meaty, minty, earthy, with a hint of tartness. Definitely my favourite from the meat section.

Menu in Jamie are comprising of fresh produce sourced with meticulous attention to its quality. Our host informed that it took more than two months of inspecting suppliers in and out of Bali's rural areas and throughout Indonesia. Some ingredients though, like the red meats are still sourced from abroad for lack of local alternative.

When you're done with the mains, don't forget to take a trip into Jamie's dessert heaven! Pictured below are Lemon Meringue Cheesecake (115K), and behind that is Creamy Panna Cotta (95K), Raspberry & Chocolate Rippled Pavlova (95K). Simply says they're all good, and would be perfect for your sweet tooth.

Location

Sits in a very strategic location at Jalan Pantai, Kuta, Jamie's occupy what used to be where Starbucks was, right across Wendy's. Parking space though very limited, is available immediately next to the venue, in front of the ATMs. Alternatively you will have to park a bit further in Kuta Square, or by the beach.

If you're looking for a more festive atmosphere, and hanging out in a small party, both outdoor and ground floor seating are perfect choices. The seating upstairs on the other hand, provide a comfier and more comfortable atmosphere, away from Bali's heat.

Just a little bit about Jamie Oliver

The smiley chef from UK made his TV debut with "The Naked Chef" series produced by BBC, where Jamie took a casual approach to cooking, relating them to day to day events us men usually encounters. The show appeals to both women, and men, who thanks to Jamie sees cooking as something doable, and man enough.

And no Jamie didn't host his cooking show naked, the show's title was due because Jamie's style of cooking is by using simple, fresh ingredients, "naked" of pretense and heavy sauces and such. "It's basically stripping back to the bare essentials," as he says in the book of the same name (1). (byms)

Marked photos are from Epicurina personal collection, while non-marked ones are from Jamie's Italian collection.

(1) https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100321164903AAQPdfT

Back at the Bango Panel Discussion, I was commenting on Om William Wongso notes about his experience presenting real Indonesian taste to international audience, and the misconception of many Indonesian chef in believing that Indonesian food must be toned down to meet International standard.  I presented some of my own experience in encountering "International taste" in Bali, and one of my favourite story is my first encounter with Will Meyrick's cooking:

Having been living in Jakarta and Bandung for practically most part of my life, I too believes that Indonesian food in hotels are tend to be pale, but it is necessary as to meet the International standard, hence I always avoid ordering Indonesian food in hotels -- except for some occasional Nasi Goreng craving. Back then the standard of reducing, taming down Indonesian cuisine I believed as a standard set in stone.

That's why upon first encountering Will Meyrick's cooking in Mama San, and later Sarong, in Bali, I was thrilled by how dare and "evil" his cooking are, compared with the cooking style of most chefs I know. Will didn't hesitate of delivering extra tanginess, saltiness, or even piercing spiciness into his cookings, something that I never know a "bule" chef can do. And with this kind of extremity, do his audience hates his food? On the contrary, both Sarong and Mama San sits at the top South East Asian restaurants on Mielle Guide and some other publications, as well as known to have a regular westerner clients.

Second one, is from my own presentation during Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2014:

Being invited as a food blogger to share about street food in Indonesia with ibu Amanda Niode, I was curious about how an international audience would react in experiencing the taste of Indonesian street food, and decided to do a small experiment with presenting my 30+ mostly westerners audience a collection of sate I brought at various street food sellers.

Despite their unfamiliarity with the more exotic meat like chicken intestine and bone marrow, it turned out that the audience love the experience. (And no food poisoning report).

Third one, is from my favourite Nasi Ayam in Bali, Nasi Ayam Ibu Oki in Uluwatu:

Despite its scorching heat, among the regular patrons this eatery has are tourists, both the Asian ones and Australian. This place also known to present the "extra large" portion which consisted of extra rice portion, and are favourite among Australian surfers.

I have also conducted an impromptu interview with one of the westerners there, which I saw didn't even break a sweat after consuming a whole plate of Nasi Ayam Ibu Oki. Turned out that Bruce, is an American teacher on a NGO project in Lombok, but every once in a while visited Bali. He said he didn't mind the heat as he love spicy food, and likes Nasi Ayam Ibu Oki for it.

So, learning from all the three examples, with an appetite and taste preference not really different with us Indonesian, why on earth then, so many Indonesian chefs still believe that authentic Indonesian food is too overpowering for international standard? While many examples against it lies in their own backyard? This have to change!

As a note, I do aware though that some people can't tolerate even a modest spiciness on their food, but it simply mean making small adjustment during the final preparation of the food, instead of toning down all the flavours and making it a standard practice.

Or even better, pick from the hundreds of available Indonesian recipe, those that naturally have a softer taste spectrum. (byms)

For daily Bali Food Adventure updates

While it's not my habit to order food on airplane, however after repeatedly seen Air Asia Café promo, inviting passengers to satisfy their hunger for, eh, with the sexy chef Farah Quinn, I was curious to find out myself whether the food is really good? Or it was just another hype? Would chef Farah Quinn suddenly popped up from the plane's pantry to explain the dish?

And so, on our trip to Bandung for a quick getaway with Air Asia, I finally got a chance to try it out and ordered... Nasi Lemak.

Here's the stylized photo of the packaging.

As to why I ended up with Nasi Lemak Pak Nasser, instead of Farah Quinn's Nasi Minyak Palembang, there's two version of the story: first, since the idea is to compare, I have to choose something I already familiar with. As I haven't tried Nasi Minyak Palembang before, so the choice went to Nasi Lemak Pak Nasser.

The alternate version are involving my wife @hypnoticade craving for Nasi Uduk hence the choice. While I'd like to think it's the first, but for you who's married I'm sure you know how your wife tend to govern most of your choices.

For you who's still young and alone though, I'd recommend you watch Rio 2 and remember the mantra deep in your heart: "Happy wife, happy life."

Here's what you get inside

The portion turned out to be not bad at all, it's a proper meal with proper amount of side dishes, and the size that's enough to make one happy tummy. Despite study shows that one's taste bud tend to lose its sensitivity the higher in the air you get, the Nasi Lemak still tasted fine. Not something to die for but it's a decent meal.

Beside you can't beat the view.

For the drink I ordered Coke Zero as they don't have Tonic Water or plain soda. Sparkling water pairs well to fatty and creamy dishes.

Would I give another try? Well for sure yes! Given that the price itself is still comparable to the hip cafes on the ground. Plus you can't beat the view! (byms)

p.s.: If you're landing in Bali during day time, don't forget to book a seat on the right-side window, as you might catch a glimpse of Bali's newest landmark, the Bali Mandara Tollroad. Stretching above the Benoa Bay, this is the longest tollroad in Indonesia that stands over water, and the fastest one built as well, thanks to the absence of land freeing issue.

It's been 10ish years that we knows Carrefour, however Bali marks the first time ever that we went to this hypermarket and looking forward to its... cakes! Yes, Bali's Carrefour Bakery is an anomaly! Having only moderately satisfied with Carrefour's bakery elsewhere, Bali's Carrefour at Sunset Road hides a wonderful surprise. Their cakes are good, bread and pastries are great, cheese sticks yummy, and their meat pies are also nice. And not only tasted good they are also relatively cheap! You can get here at Carrefour's cheap price, what other boutique bakeries sells higher. And they're tasted as good, or sometimes even better. What is their secret?

It might come as a surprise but their secret is... Mr. Bean!

Well not that Mr. Bean, don't worry. Because Denis Langlois, the Carrefour Bali's pastry chef can really cook, and his creations are awesome. He wont let your Thanksgiving dinner turns into a nightmare, nor he will messed up a simple sandwich preparation, or shopping for frying pan carrying around a dead fish. He just happen to share a somewhat similar look with the famous British comical character.

I was at first a bit hesitant to highlight this likeness, but I guess I'm not the first one recognizing it because back in a Taste Magazine article in 2009 Denis mentioned:

“I am now working on funny cakes for children. People tell me I look like Mr. Bean, so I want to put Mr. Bean’s head on a Spiderman body – a Spiderbean cake!"(01)

Unlike Mr. Bean though, Denis really can make delicious bread, pastries & cakes. Like the simplistic but wonderful Mille Feuille with its crunchy solid crackers and creamy thick creams; or its delicious cheesecakes and lovely apple pies.

I found them all superb, even compared with many boutique bakeries Bali and Jakarta has. And Denis is able to sell them at the fraction of its usual cost elsewhere.

"He claims there is no reason for customers to pay a high price, as his costings are realistic and he is making a profit selling individual tarts and pastries like his famous Mille Feuille for under Rp. 8,000." (01)*

*the last time I check it's now 12,500, not as cheap as it's used to, but it's still very affordable

Denis loves watching people choose the bread, smell it and especially watching Indonesian customers taking a chance on something new. With almost 30 years of baking experience, Denis's creations are everything but boring. While he loves to experiment with new creations, his deepest passion however is to recreate traditional French cakes from his childhood.

"But the things I like most to make are the traditional ones, the ones I liked when I was a child, like éclair au chocolat chouquette mille feuille. I want to show people that simple can be beautiful, and when I manage to reproduce what I liked as a child, the customers go for it."(02)

Well after tasting many of his creations, I'm just glad that Denis is willing to share his childhood memory with us through his wonderful creations.




More about Denis Langlois can be read on these two links below. (byms)

(01) http://www.scribd.com/doc/15643938/Taste-08#page=8

(02) http://www.thebalitimes.com/2008/10/10/3693/