SCENE - The Living Room

From the start, the idea was to merge the delicacies of two world to provide a menu as eclectic and tasteful as both the European and Asian culinary culture are able to offer.
With a Balinese chef, a beautiful location, great supporting staff and a good dose of perfect timing, success was immediate and everyone remembers the lovely garden and its thousand candles. Food was good and the atmosphere always joyous, though the true identity of the place was yet to blossom.
Dramatic change, as often is the case, provided the venue. In 2005, the original location became unavailable, and the Living Room moved across the street with slight regret. With the initiative of a new chef from Belgium, Jean-Francois Brouck, the menu was slowly transformed into a most inspiring and glamourous adventure. New taste and surprising flavours appeared, achieved through slow cooking techniques and creative emulsions.
From good the food became emotional, intense and most of all memorable.
Then Mr Brouck was called back and the kitchen left open. That is when the magic occurred and walked in Ida Bagus Mardita, a young Balinese chef with great talent and noticeable training, having held the position of sous-chefs for Chris Salens of the renown Mosaic Retaurant in Ubud, for over three years.
Thus, with much ability, Ida stepped in the fabulous kitchen and went about mastering the job of its predecessor, enriching constantly with much inspiration a menu that, by all reference, is today one of the most tantalising and exquisite testimony to the wonderful cuisine to be, nowadays, enjoyed in Bali.
My perfect dinner ? Probably the Beef carpacio with wasabi miso oil, black truffle emulsion and grano padano, followed by the Ocean scallop and chorizo on herb grain mustard sauce accompanied by a sweet potato risotto and chips, or maybe the Duck confit ‘a l’orientale’ which is always fantastic, and duck a great favourite of mine. Though I’ll make sure that my partner in crime settles for the Shitake and wakame seaweed cannelloni with blue swimming crab meat and perhaps, for a little more indulgence, we could share the Tuna carpaccio with ginger sushi and hot fois gras which will soon disappear from the menu, good fois gras supplies becoming rare.
Then, as his taste are somewhat more classic than mine, I’ll allow him a choice between the fabulous grilled rack of lamb with red wine sauce and rosemary infused bitter almond emulsion or possibly the honey soy caramalised Kurobuta pork loin with balsamic reduction and spaghetti carbonara grattin, though he would most certainly enjoy the grilled veal tenderloin on cognac infused fois gras sauce served with wild mushroom stew and vegetable pastilla.
And for dessert, though I might have just yet another savoury bite as those who know me well would attest, I think the banana hazelnut flambe, fluffy vanilla creme brule and classic warm chocolate fondant with rosemary flavoured strawberry sauce and rhubarb strawberry compote are all good choices.
As for wine, with such a master in the command, I’ll most certainly ask Mr Vanneque for his recommendation!

- Posted by Stephanie Robert