When I read about the Bali Food Safari, which offers mystery dining tours across the island, it immediately piqued my interest. This is a culinary tour put together by Australians Simon and Gael, after they enjoyed diverse food encounters on the amazing island. After several emails, I registered for the Jimbaran tour. The team was very thorough in their communications, which included questions about food allergies and preferences.
On the day of the tour, our petite guide, Devi, explained that though we would travel as a group, we were welcome to individual tables. At each venue, we would be offered three-course meals in small plated portions. This was to ensure that we could taste up to 12 different dishes. The four unique restaurants we would visit were influenced by Indonesian, French, Japanese and Moroccan cuisines.
Our first venue was the very appropriately named The Edge, as it was literally situated on the edge of a cliff. Golf carts transported us to the breathtaking restaurant. A glass railing stood between our tables and the sheer drop, and the wooden deck had portions of clear glass where one could see the waves hitting the rocks below. Just as the food was served, the sun set slowly behind the clouds.
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We were treated to Chef Darren Lauder’s perfectly grilled scallops, followed by a creamy potato-and-carrot soup with bacon bits, the cheese and bread plated in the middle to resemble a burger. The last course was a portion of crispy duck on a bed of bok choy; a tad salty, but the crispy skin more than made up for that.
An hour later, we arrived at Ju-Ma-Na, which means white pearl. The table décor and crockery were as white as the pearl beads in a glass goblet. The welcome included having our hands washed with fragrant frangipani water poured out of a beautiful beaten brass vessel. Though the tuna tataki here was not great, the other two dishes were exquisite in taste and presentation. An egg custard with a prawn and mushroom ragout was served in a brown egg shell. The second dish— yellow cherry tomato soup with milk foam eaten with cold crab meat —was the dish of the evening for me.
From here, it was a 25-minute ride to Bali Belmond. Our tables were laid on the soft sandy beach, where we had a lovely view of aircraft taxiing down the runway. The menu comprised saffron ravioli served with a rich tomato sauce, tender slow-cooked beef ribs and a spicy lamb kofta served with fruity chutney. The final stop was for a three-course meal of only desserts at Cuca, where Canada-born chef Kevin showcased his quirky dishes. The dishes here were not plated individually, but served in a large bowl with a broad wooden paddle-like spoon to encourage sharing.
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The Bali breakfast dessert, which looked like a big fried egg, was a confection made of mango, coconut cream, shortbread and passion fruit. Though mint and chocolate is not my favourite combo, Cocoa 99 changed my mind with cold mint ice-cream, hot satiny bitter dark chocolate sauce and roasted cocoa nibs with icing sugar. But the piece de resistance was undoubtedly the caramel apple mousse with stewed apple in lemon balm served alongside a Japanese black pepper ice-cream and waffle croutons. As the ice-cream melted, a hint of pepper highlighted the sweetness of caramel and the sourness of lemon balm.
It was a great way to end an evening of sampling not only fine cuisine but also one that opened our palates to the artistic traits of the many talented chefs who call Bali home.