Previous trips had only seen us rushing up to Ubud, spending a day or two and then rushing back down to either Seminyak or Nusa Dua, where we usually base ourselves.

Having all the time and luxury to relax at Ubud, meant that we were able to spend some time with Owner-Chef Eelke Plasmeijer who showed us around the local farms before letting us trudge mud through their pristine restaurant (much to my horror and embarrassment), Locavore. The other Owner-Chef Ray Adriansyah, was away on a family trip in Japan at the time and we missed him on this visit.

It was my third visit to Locavore (and The Boy’s second), and once again, I was blown away by how local ingredients and produce were showcased and served to their diners, but more impressed that their menu was still surprising me at my third visit! Not only was every dish presented beautifully, but every ingredient was either sourced locally around Indonesia, or grown and harvested locally in the semi-wild farm we had visited earlier in the day.

Once you are ready to start, you’re initially presented with Locavore’s edible version of the Balinese, Canang Sari. If you’ve been to Bali, you would be familiar with these daily offerings made by Balinese Hindus to thank the gods in praise and prayers. You can see them everywhere in Bali, including shrines, on the streets, and shop fronts.

Other snacks included dehydrated pumpkin leaf with seaweed salt; black rice blini, with an egg emulsion and black rice; mushroom custard, with cava beans, and moringa leaves.

Snacks of barbecued young mango with passionfruit and chilli served with mango kombucha, and was followed by a sambal tomato sorbet, topped with frangelico, tomato and chilli to open up our tastebuds. A final snack before the main menu began, a homemade brioche (using lard instead of butter) utilising leftover herbs, cashew nuts, chilli gel, confit garlic with chives.

Cut the Crab: Mud crab, bonito garum emulsion, pickled young mango, jellied crab consomme, katsuobushi.

Foie Gras Kambing: Goat liver mousse, rice flour cracker, pickled wild berries, cured smoked goat’s heart, rosella kombucha vinaigrette.

Jagung Bakar (a.k.a. did someone just put coffee on my corn?): Charred baby corn, coffee-miso emulsion, termite powder, coffee kombucha reduction, grated coffee bean.

Cabbage and Bacon: Whole cabbage roasted in bacon fat, cashew sour cream, bacon dashi, lacto-fermented onion powder.

Into The Sawah (a.k.a. everything that lives, grows and swims in and around the Ubud rice fields): Heritage Galuh rice porridge, 64 degrees duck egg yolk, snails, frog leg abon, fern tips, wild flowers.

This is the dish of Locavore, and has been on every iteration of the menu I’ve been honoured to try. One of our favourite dishes, as it captures tradition in a modern context.

Gurita Bakar: Grilled octopus, kluwak mole, belimbing wuluh, chives, coconut curry, timun tikus, lime pickled spring onions.

Singkong 17: Cassava garlic mousseline, with 17 tasty condiments including, chives, mushroom, fried mung beans, cured egg yolk, melinjo crackers, fermented sambal matah powder.

This is possibly my new favourite dish at Locavore. It definitely showcase what they are doing in the kitchen, as well as tells their story, all in this one dish.

Burung Puyuh: Roasted quail breast, ginger-cinnamon butter, barbecued glazed quail leg, smoked pumpkin, charred pineapple gel.

We also got to try 4 different types of passionfruit (we had just learnt earlier in the day at the farm with Chef Eelke, that there are hundreds of variants to this simple fruit (and we only know 1 or 2 in the commercial market).

Bubur Tape: Left-over brem making porridge, palm sugar ice cream, fermented black rice foam, sugar cured egg yolk.

We also had a coconut based dessert and another with local mangosteen.

Congklak petit fours (we grew up in Malaysia and knew it as Congkak). Congklak is a type of mancala game popular in South East Asia, and typically involves seeds or modern day marbles.

At Locavore, this is another course that evokes nostalgia for us, and brings about a time when it was much simpler in our childhood. 

It is easy to see how Locavore was the recent recipient of the Asia’s Most Sustainable Restaurant Award, with very little food wastage (I mean they make courses with leftover ingredients), reuse as much as they can, minimise on any plastic use (if any). This is a feat that should be seriously lauded, for the fact that plastic usage in South East Asia (and most parts of Asia) is extremely high from my own personal experiences.

If you do happen to find yourselves in Bali, or plan a trip there, be sure to have Locavore on your list of places to eat at. If fine dining is too dear for you, do check out their other restaurant, Nusantara (a casual contemporary Indonesian restaurant), Locavore to Go Deli, or even their bar, Night Rooster.

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy dined at Locavore as guests of Locavore]

Address:
10 Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud
Bali, Indonesia

Opening Hours:
Tuesdays to Saturday (Lunch)
Monday to Saturday (Dinner)

Phone: +62(0) 3619 777 33

Website: https://www.locavore.co.id

As we arrived at the beautiful Corner House (@cornershousesg) located at the heart of Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, and relaxed on a balcony window to commence our lunch, we couldn’t help but admire the beautiful stately bungalow which houses the restaurant.

Led by Chef Jason Tan (@chefjasontan_sg), and unknown to us, we were about to embark on one of my favourite meals of 2018.

Choices of butter and bread before the snacks were brought out.

Back to the topic of snacks! Chef Jason Tan takes snacks to a whole other level here at Corner House. The presentation and execution was almost flawless, and we were served 6 different snacks before we started on the main part of our tasting menu.

The snacks kept coming out 3 by 3, and we were thrilled with their presentations.

From oyster leaves, to duck confit, even a snack featuring spam(!), every snack presented was meticulous and refined. 

One of the snacks, was cherry tomatoes marinated with plum, honey, calamansi and mint – so refreshing and so familiar in taste.

Foie Gras Bon Bon (served on duck feet), served with 150 years aged Grand Marnier was also a super fun treat (almost like an exploding flavour).

Smoked Eel Parfait, Yuzu, Kristal de Chine Caviar.

Royale Oyster (Cucumber, yuzu kosho, mint, creme fraiche, Kristal de Chine caviar)

Sea Urchin (Riso, seaweed, cider, crustacean, finger lime)

[Interpretation of My Favourite Vegetable (Oignon doux des Cevennes)]

The piece de resistance dish certainly belonged to Chef Tan’s signature Oignon Doux Des Cevennes. The beloved onion is served four ways.

Firstly, baked in an onion cup (a whole onion, hollowed and baked, filled with onion puree and confit, served with a 62 degree sous vide egg, chives and black truffles.

Then as an Onion Tart, a delicate onion confit on crispy filo pastry topped with cheese.

Thirdly, a delicate thin (almost glass-like or butterfly wings) slice of onion which had been dehydrated for 24 hours and lightly salted.

Last but not least, as an Onion Tea. An emulsion of onion confit and cream, with an Earl Grey-infused onion tea. Seemingly simple, this was the most complex and most expensive of the four versions, involving 3 kilograms of onions, and two days of work, to produce a mere 200ml of this liquid.

Tomato: Le Jardin de Rabelais (Strawberry, basil, yuzu, basil seed, cavaroli, Iberico Ham)

I remember being very intrigued with one of Chef Jason Tan’s dishes which he had put up on instagram, and professed that I would have loved to try it, if the opportunity was there.

To my utmost delight, the dish (not part of the menu) was brought out to us, and I was just so gobsmacked that the chef remembered!

The dish was Bomba Rice (pictured above), a Peranakan-inspired dish, consisting of Buah Keluak (pangium edule), Toretama egg, and seaweed. It was an umami bomb of flavours, with every mouthful yearning for the next. Well balanced earthy flavours.

New Zealand Blue Cod “crispy scales” (Iberico pork jowl, cha enoki, romaine lettuce, Shaoxing)

A4 Toriyama Wagyu (Shine muscat, ginnan, Fourne d’Ambert, sherry, endive)

Palate Cleanser: Soursop (Watermelon, rose, rambutan)

Cocoa “Pebbles” (66% Caraibe, Kirsch, cherry, Madagascar vanilla)

My Interpretation of Kaya Toast (Pandan, coconut, Gula Melaka, muscovado, pineapple)

A selection of Petit fours:

• Chocolate, Nutmeg, Ginger
• Jackfruit Mochi
• Canele de Bordeaux
• Caramelised Macadamia “Jivara”
• Milo Dinosaur
• Mao Shan Durian “Singroll”
• Salted Egg Yolk Macarons

And there you have it, a thoroughly delicious and beautiful meal, utilising French techniques, to celebrate local Singapore flavours.

If you happen to be in Singapore, do make time and place a reservation. It is hugely under rated and I’m not even sure why! But I promise you, if you do make a visit, you won’t be disappointed.

Address:

1 Cluny Road
EJH Corner House
Singapore Botanical Gardens
(Nassim Gate Entrance)
Singapore, 259969

Phone: +65 6469 1000
Website: https://cornerhouse.com.sg

For reservations or enquiries on press and events:
enquiries@cornerhouse.com.sg

Opening Hours:

Weekday Lunch: 12 pm – 3 pm (last order 2 pm)
Weekday Dinner: 6.30 pm – 11 pm (last order 9 pm)

Weekend Brunch: 11.30 am – 3 pm (last order 2 pm)
Weekend Dinner: 6.30 pm – 11 pm (last order 9 pm)
Closed on Mondays

Dress code:
Smart Casual
Shorts and bermudas are allowed with loafers or shoes. No slippers.

Jaan is now led by Englishman, Kirk Westaway, and he has slowly transformed the once traditional French offering of Jaan, to a modern British fare.

[Snacks: Beetroot Meringue, Smoked Eel; Devonshire Cheddar Cheese & Buckwheat Pancake; Fish & Chip Tartlet; Chicken Curry]

As we walked into the restaurant, which is located on the top floor of the Swissôtel The Stamford (where we were staying), we were just mesmerised by the fantastic panoramic view overlooking Marina Bay, and the rest of Singapore city. It happens to us each time we visit.

[Top Left to Right: Mini Loaf, Devon Butter; Roast Potato & Truffle Soup]

As the menu was explained to us, and as we listened intently on what Chef Westaway was embarking on, delicious snacks arrived on our table. Each morsel was smashing with flavours and each one had a component or an ingredient that herald from The Great Britain.

Majestic Irish Oyster, Caviar

The English Garden: Looking simple, but consists of 11 cooked vegetables, 7 raw vegetables, 8 kinds of herbs, 5 variety of edible flowers and 5 different condiments. And to finish off, a custom made mini watering can of Scottish seaweed & herb broth to “water” their English Garden dish.

Alaskan Langoustine, Violin Courgette

Eggs in an Egg… – Confit hens egg on celeriac custard, pickled shimeji mushrooms, pickled Cevennes onion and topped with caviar.

Line Caught British Isle Brill with Pumpkin – Brill coated in pumpkin seed granola served with pickled butternut squash & obsiblue prawns.

Welsh Salt Marsh Lamb with Aubergine, apricot & sweet lemon puree, coffee honey caramel & sauce made from lamb, tomato & basil.

Cheese Course
Palate Cleanser: Pimm’s in the Park – Pimm’s infused pomelo with oranges, cucumber, lemon granita, lemonade foam & lemon verbena powder.

Textures & Flavours of Chocolate presented in 3 types of dessert:

[1] Chocolate Mousse, Dark Choc Croquant, Aero Dark Choc, Caramelised White Choc Ice Cream.
[2] Chocolate Brownie, White Choc Bubbles, Dark Choc Mousse.
[3] Caramelised White Choc Ice Cream, Chocolate Cigarette, White Choc Ganache.

Petit Fours: Caramel Rocher, Lemon Meringue Tart, Coffee Cream Slice, English Breakfast Vanilla Bonbon, Devon Cream Tea

We loved how Chef Westaway has gone about Reinventing the British fare. Nothing was overly pretentious, keeping true to the flavours and freshness of the ingredients and taste of the food. Each course was balanced perfectly, and most importantly, there was fun in both the plating, and ideas presented on the plate. The tiny nervousness we had as we walked in were completely replaced with joy and positivity.

Everything was delicious, and we couldn’t have left happier. Fills my heart with joy that they are now ranked 32 on the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 ranking. Well done Kirk and team!

JAAN
2 Stamford Road
Level 70, Equinox Complex
Singapore 1788822
Singapore

Website: https://www.jaan.com.sg/
Phone: +65 6837 3322
Email: jaan.bookings@swissotel.com

It is also connected to The Fairmont (you can visit the Antidote bar for a delicious cocktail or two), and houses the current #32 Restaurant, Jaan, on the 2019 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as the SKAI Bar. Highly recommend making a booking at the restaurant or the bar just to enjoy the spectacular views (and amazing food!).

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There’s even a TWG tea parlour in the lobby should you fancy relaxing and having a cuppa after a long day shopping.

There are 1,261 rooms and suites (six categories of rooms and two categories of suites) spread over 73 storeys offering panoramic views of the city or the swimming pool and tennis court areas.

During our visit, we stayed at the newly refurbished Vitality Rooms, which come with circadian lighting fixtures which you can adjust to your mood as you wish.

As the name of the room suggests, it comes with Yoga and wellness station fitted with an interactive digital display, so you can follow the steps and have a proper work-out without even leaving the comforts of your room!

Room amenities include:

• Super-size king bed
• Standing/seating working station with Ergonomic chair
• Smart lighting system (Circadian Lighting)
• Green mode air conditioning
• 65 inch IP television
• Beauty lighting for vanity counter
• Wellness wall
• Experience shower
• Vitality mini bar
• Sound Bar system

We almost didn’t want to leave the room due to the spectacular views both in the daytime and night-time.

As you can imagine, this is a highly sought after hotel should you be around during the annual F1 night racing event.

For breakfast, guests are invited to dine at the buffet style options at Prego or Kopi Tiam.

Swissôtel The Stamford
2 Stamford Road
178882
Singapore

Telephone: (+65) 6338 8585
Website: Swissotel The Stamford

If you haven’t been fortunate enough to make a booking to Gaggan, best you hurry, as Gaggan intends on closing at the end of 2020. This article via Eater explains why.

We were lucky enough last year to visit Gaggan in October (2017). Having met Gaggan in real life during the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards earlier in the year in Melbourne. After following his exploits and fame grow in Asia, and subsequently fan-girling on his Chef’s Table episode, I took a punt when Gaggan put a call to the universe (via his Instagram page) for things to do in Melbourne. Little did I know, my innocuous reply, that I would take him out for a visit to our famed Melbourne coffee spots would lead us to a friendship that has been going strong for the last 2 years! Such is life 🙂

The menu at Gaggan is simple. So much so, that it is explained simply in 25 emojis. Like a musical composition, the courses starts in rapid staccato succession, before slowing down to a calming pace for some heavier courses, and then picking up again, finally finishing with rapid end to the crescendo of desserts. Such is the experience we had whilst dining at Gaggan for the 3 hours we were there.

Walking down the slightly dark driveway towards the restaurant, the path widens to reveal a beautiful white colonial styled mansion. If you are lucky enough to snap a seat at the famous R&D Lab seats, you will walk up a side staircase on the side of the house. It is a beautifully designed building.

As the meal starts pretty quickly, you don’t want to be late or miss out on any of the famous emoji courses. The courses start with a beautiful edible oyster shell, represented by the watermelon emoji. A refreshing combination of watermelon, shiso, and elderflower, this quick bite opens up the tastebuds for the courses to come.

The second emoji, an explosion, is none other than the famous yoghurt explosion (as seen on Netflix’s Chef’s Table) inspired by Gaggan’s time at El Bulli.

As the pace changes, the musical soundtrack changes as well, to a tune from Kiss circa 1983 playing “Lick It Up” in the background. The room instantly dissolves into laughter and with some apprehension and embarrassment, all begin licking their plates to gales of laughter and giggles. The dish that breaks the ice!

The prawn emoji was in fact a prawn head filled with a delicious tom yum cocktail sauce. Following on this, a flower emoji, a deep fried pastry filled with goat’s brain!

[Clockwise from Top Left: Chilli Bon Bon; Eggplant Cookie; Idly Sambhar; and Banana Chicken Liver]

The courses come quick and fast, much like the drinks pairing that come along side this. If you’re not much of a drinker, best to pace yourself or you may just end up pretty sloshed.

[Clockwise from Top Left: Gin and Tonic, Cucumber Uni; Chutoro Sushi; Green Vegetable Matcha; and Fish Granola]

As the dishes are presented, you fast learn that what you think is represented by a certain ’emoji’ is not often what you think. Even with a full tea ceremony, Japanese style, the ‘matcha’ brew wasn’t green tea at all!

[Clockwise from Top Left: Pork Vindaloo; Gaggan prepping a course whilst chatting with guests; Seekh Kebab with Mango Chutney; and Scallop, Uncooked Curry]

[Clockwise From Top Left: Thai Green Curry; and Seabass in Bengali Mustard]

In the recent #50BestTalks held in Bilbao, Spain, Gaggan showcased (as part of the initiative launched by Farm Africa’s Chef for Change), the Paturi, a rice and fish curry wrapped in leaf, covered by cedar wood and set on fire before being served.

[Top: Charcoal Lotus Stem; Bottom: Lobster Dosa]

[Top: Rose and Beetroot; Bottom: Milk Cake with Riesling Muscat]

[Top: Lemon Cheesecake; Bottom Right: Peach Ghewar]

As you can see, what was served to us, often deceived us from its presentation. Most courses were not what they seemed, and having only an emoji to guide us through the menu, it became a fun guessing game, where there were no losers.

We really enjoyed our dining experience at Gaggan. Together with our visit at The Fat Duck last year, it topped as our top dining experiences ever. Where The Fat Duck was a fun dining experience in a more formal dining setting, Gaggan was non-pretentious, and had no false sense of what it was. Gaggan (the restaurant) is comfortable in what it is, and its diners are invited to part with their reservations and inhibitions as they dine and follow through the menu.

It will be sad to see the restaurant close its doors come 2020, but with all great things, it must come to an end. We can’t wait for the next adventure and what the future for Gaggan Anand holds!

The Wynn Palace hotel is divided into two sections, being the North and South wings. You can choose to arrive by the usual transportation (i.e. car, cab, bus, etc), or if you were like us, take the Cable Car ride and enter the hotel via a more adventurous way.

We were informed as well in the next few years, there will be a direct train service from the airport to the Cotai area, with the train station conveniently located right at the Wynn Palace Cable Car entrance!

On first impressions, the hotel most certainly had a very luxurious vibe to it and the decor is a mixture of traditional and contemporary art pieces. From the Buccleuch Vases (the other owner of these famed vases belong to none other than Queen Elizabeth II), to Jeff Koon’s Tulips, everywhere you look, include carefully detailed arrangements of art around the hotel.

At the atrium of each lobby of both wings, are also carefully crafted large-scale floral creations custom-designed for Wynn Palace by world-renowned designer Preston Bailey. These creations often have both guests and visitors taking photos and videos due to the amazing displays.

Even the room itself, bore an elegance that spoke luxury in volumes. Every little detail in the Executive Suite we were provided with had attentive care taken. From the spacious living area to the plush bed, to the gold amenities in the bathroom that was connected to the walk-in robe, everything was thoughtfully designed to provide comfort to their guests. 

If you do intend on staying at this luxurious hotel, here are some of the details of the Executive Suite we stayed in:

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Within the Wynn Palace hotel itself, are a number of restaurants that you can visit whilst you’re there. These include both fine dining and casual dining options. If your tastebuds are attracted to the fine dining, then you may want to try out a couple of the restaurants in Wynn Palace that include Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines. More options of casual dining are also available within the casino floor and amongst the shopping gallery of the hotel.

For breakfast, we step into Fontana Buffet, which has the most breathtaking views of the Wynn Palace fountains. With 10 distinct stations, be sure to whet your appetite before heading out to your Macau adventures for the day.

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The service at the Wynn Palace was faultless, and the only thing I regret not doing during our 4 days at this hotel was that I had no time to fit in a visit to the Spa or the pool (which was closed for the event we were attending). Until next time!

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy were invited as guests of the Wynn Palace hotel]

Hotel Information:
Address:
Avenida Da Nave Desportiva,
Cotai, Macau

Tel: (853) 8889 8889

Email: roomreservations@wynnpalace.com

Website: https://www.wynnpalace.com/en

That all changed last year, when we visited The Fat Duck (TFD) on our trip to London. TFD clearly needs no introduction, however for those who haven’t heard of this restaurant, it is the brainchild of Heston Blumenthal. A man who also needs no introduction and has been instrumental for changing the stiff formal dining scene in the fine dining arena. Think fun, surprising, challenging, and to expect the unexpected, Heston, is the epitome of the mad scientist, or the nutty professor, in the kitchen. If you don’t know who he is, then you may need to crawl out from the rock you’ve been hiding in.

Having been a massive fan all these years, and having missed out on the opportunity to spend all our hard earned money when TFD popped-up in Melbourne in 2016, whilst the original restaurant was undergoing renovations, we decided it best to save our cash and visit the original location if we ever journeyed to London. Personally, I couldn’t have asked for better companions than The Boy and The BFF (who flew into London just for this experience with us) to dine with at TFD.

Getting to TFD was pretty easy. We met at Paddington Station (where we found the bear and took many photos with), and took a train down to Maidenhead. From there, we took an Uber to the quiet and quaint little town called Bray. Giggling madly in the rain (of course it was raining), and turning into the restaurant, the three of us could hardly contain our excitement that we were finally at TFD!

The dining experience began as soon as we walked in and was greeted by our personal Storyteller, Ryan.

From there we were provided with the drinks menu whilst we also familiarised ourselves with the contents laid out on the table. Imagine an entire menu devoted to Heston’s favourite childhood memories, chiefly a beach holiday, complete with a map, and a magnifying glass!

Without wanting to give too much away, we will be sharing pictures of some dishes below, minus the usual descriptions. Feast with your eyes. For a true experience, do, if possible, make a trip to London and visit The Fat Duck in person. Some of these may be familiar to you from previous cookbooks and TV shows, but the presentation and interwoven storyline is quite different.

The Day Before We Go: Are we nearly there yet?
[Clockwise from Top Left: Aerated Beetroot Macaron with Horseradish and Mascarpone; a glass of Plum wine; and Smoked Cumin Royale, Jerusalem Artichoke ice cream.]

Morning: Rise and shine, it’s breakfast time
[Clockwise from Top Left: Brioche with Clotted Cream and a Tea/Coffee Jam; Hot and Cold Tea; and Truffled Egg Mousse, Jellied Tomato Consommé, Bacon and Toasted Bread Cream, Cereals]

Mid-morning: First one to see the sea…
[Clockwise from Top Left: Sound of the Sea; Crab and Passion Fruit “99”; Waldorf Salad “Rocket” and Salmon, Avocado, and Horseradish “Twister”]

Afternoon: If you go down to the woods today…
[Clockwise from Top Left: Cornish Crab (from Mid-Morning); Mushroom, Beet and Blackberry; Mock Turtle Soup]

Evening: Are you ready for dinner? 
[Top: Starter – Veal Sweetbread; Bottom: Starter – Caviar Toast]

Evening: Are you ready for dinner? 
[Clockwise from top left: Starter – Cuttlefish Cannelloni; Main – Roast Turbot with Caviar; Main – Coq au Vin]

Evening: Are you ready for dinner? 
[From top left: Dessert – Alphonso Mango, Pepper, Mint; Dessert – Botrytis Cinerea; Bottom left: Digestif – Whisky Gums]

Bedtime: Off to the Land of Nod
[Bottom right: Malt; Orange Blossom; Tonka, Milk, Meringue, Crystalised White Chocolate, Pistachio]

Once the last course was set down, a calm quiet descended upon us. As we were one of the last tables left, and had seen the other tables before us slowly go through their dining experience, we knew that the end was nigh and we would be leaving soon. 

But with all things at TFD, that wasn’t the case! 

Our Storyteller, Ryan, emerged with his comrades with a cheeky grin and a wink. They looked at The Boy pointedly and mentioned that there was one more surprise to be had, before walking out with three glasses of kirsch wine, and three serves of the famous Black Forest Gateau.

Even as his eyes lit up, The Boy was still looking a tad surprised that we had been served an ‘extinct’ course. The BFG (as it is affectionately known), is a dessert dish from the previous TFD menu that was retired.

The Storytellers gleefully exclaimed and recounted a memory from The Boy’s 18th birthday (which I had shared secretly with the TFD team when making our reservation). On his 18th Birthday, our friends had shared and bought a Black Forest Cake (The Boy’s favourite) for The Boy. Once the birthday song was ended, one of our more obnoxious friends, decided it would be a great idea to smash The Boy’s face into the cake, thereby rendering the cake to a pile of mush that only The Boy could eat. I had thought that if TFD could provide the BFG for him, we could replace the memory of the destroyed birthday cake with a more pleasant memory. I think we succeeded!

And then to dream…
[Top: Black Forest Gateau; Bottom: Candy Shop]

There were a few more surprises during our meal at TFD (check out my instagram page for these under the #msihuainlondon).

So back to why this is the best restaurant that we have ever been to.

It wasn’t just a dining experience focused on food. It was the entirety of the experience, the drama, the theatre, the surprises, the stories, and of course, the food. Every table in the restaurant was filled with people with giant smiles and infectious laughter. It was the most positive dining room we’ve ever encountered! Every adult in attendance was relaxed and experiencing TFD with a childlike wonder.

We greatly enjoyed our visit at TFD and highly recommend it as a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. More if you’re lucky enough (and willing enough to spend) to visit The Fat Duck.

The Fat Duck
High St
Bray
Berkshire SL6 2AQ
Phone: +44 1628 580333
Website: thefatduck.co.uk

Septime is the winner of the 2017 Sustainable Restaurant Award, as well as being number 35 on the World’s 50 Best 2017 Restaurant ranking. As a high level explanation, Septime’s menu is 99% sourced locally from France; comprises of 85% vegetables, showcasing French produce at its finest; when serving meat, utilising the whole of the animal; and when it does, serves free range and sustainable farmed produce.

Not only that, Septime also believes in gender parity in its kitchen, with 51% of its staff being female. That in itself deserves a whole other award, as it’s such a rarity in the restaurant industry.

With all that positivity, how do you get a reservation to dine at Septime? Well, my friends, it isn’t an easy task, I can tell you. Once you have decided you are travelling to Paris, you need to also make an entry into your diary and count exactly 21 Days prior to when you plan to dine at Septime, to make a phone booking. Their online reservation page isn’t very reliable, so the best way is to ring and make a reservation. Once that is done, you may or may not receive a confirmation email on your successful reservation.

Indeed it wasn’t until 3 days prior to our reservation that I received an email and a phone call to confirm my reservation. We had already begun to make Plan B a viable option as we hadn’t heard back (no confirmations to emails either).

However, once there, the staff are wonderfully friendly, and the casual dining atmosphere instantly puts you at an ease.

We started off with some Grissini with Compte Creme whilst we perused the menu.

As there were only 2 options per course (3 courses for €42), we obviously decided to try everything on the menu. For an additional €9, you could opt for the cheese course.

First course: Raw bonito with cherries, salsify, broad beans, sea asparagus and pea juice

Alternate First Course: White asparagus cooked with butter and sauvignon wine, acacia flowers and pickled onions

Second Course: Pollock fish with sauce made from basil, parsley and coriander; spring onion and fennel

Alternate Second Course: Chicken, spinach and bone marrow

Cheese Course: Goat cheese (Gauche au Thym) and Pyrenees Cheese (Bethmale); and
Third Course: Strawberry with Rhubarb juice, goat cheese and olive oil with lime

All in all, the food at Septime was delightful, homey and delicious. Wonderfully refreshing yet maintaining a classically French style of cooking.

We particularly loved the first courses as the flavours were so simple, yet so stunning in both presentation and taste.

It was lovely to dine at Septime after our meal at Arpege. Chef Bertrand Grébaut trained in the kitchen of Arpege, and though you can see a little bit of the Passard influence in his theme, the food is truly Chef Grébaut’s own take on it.

If however, you are unable to get a reservation for Septime, fear not! The team from Septime also have a seafood-focused Clamato (potentially a possibility for a Saturday lunch slot in Paris) and the tiny, brilliant wine bar Septime La Cave.

Septime
80 Rue de Charonne, Paris 11
Phone: +33 1 4367 3829
Website: http://www.septime-charonne.fr

One is ranked number 12 and the second is ranked number 35 and 2017’s Sustainable Restaurant winner. The latter will be covered in another post.

For us, the chance to dine at Arpège was a dream come true. So much has been written about Alain Passard, the chef behind Arpège, and so much has been written on the restaurant itself. Heck, there’s even a Netflix Chef’s Table episode dedicated to it. The Boy has watched that episode perhaps five or more times. I know I have walked in to the lounge room after a night out a few times and caught him re-watching the show, admiring the genius that is Passard.

So it was, after a few hours in the Louvre, spent admiring medieval art, and elbowing fellow tourists to take some photos that will forever be archived into our shared drive at home, never again to be seen and perhaps only shown to friends and family who dare visit, and take us up on the offer of, “care to see some of our holiday in Europe photos?”, we found ourselves in a taxi to Rue de Varenne. Luck would have it, that we were in Paris the weekend of Emmanuele Macron’s inauguration ceremony, which meant that there were many roads that were still closed around the Parliamentary area and traffic was horrendous!

After some strongly worded negotiation from our taxi driver to the policewoman, we were let through the road and dropped off at our destination. Upon arriving, we were greeted by the staff and promptly seated at our table, and asked if we would like a glass of champagne (which we politely declined), and were then left to ourselves for a good 10-15 minutes. There were no further interactions from the staff at this point, no menu, no introductions. I was close to wondering if we had made a faux pas by declining their champagne offer!

Once the staff deemed we were approachable once again, we were handed the menus (The Boy’s with the prices indicated, mine without). We quickly concluded what we wanted, which was the lunch tasting menu at €145, an 11 course adventure. If you are planning to dine here, don’t worry, the portion sizes are manageable and are more than suitable for lunch. Do note that this option is only available during lunches (at a bargain), and if you are planning to come for dinner, be prepared to spend twice as much for your meal, per person.

To start us off, we had some potato crisps, adorned with three different vegetable purees (spinach, broccoli and asparagus). The first proper course was mind blowing, in the sense of the ingredient pairing as well as how well it worked together it terms of flavours and textures.

Strawberries, with Feta and Onions. It shouldn’t work. But it did, and oh, so well! The sweetness of the strawberries, together with the tartness of the onions melded together with the creaminess of the feta.

Next up we had the signature Poached Egg, with Maple Syrup and Sherry Vinegar. Once again, the flavor matching of the dish was perfection. Every poached egg should now be compared to this king of poached eggs when I next dine out!

As we were lucky enough to make it to the Spring menu, a lot of our dishes had components in it where they were at their prime before being harvested from Passard’s own garden, for our bellies. The salad of Potatoes and Maple Syrup Cream; Tabbouleh with Spring Vegetables of Carrots, Radishes, Turnips and Semolina; Mixed salad leaves with Candied Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese; and the Asparagus with Geranium and Hay Cream all paid an amazing tribute to Spring.

Our next favourite dish on the tasting adventure was the Potato Spaghetti flavoured with Garlic and Smoked Eel. The complete antithesis to a Paleo spaghetti which I sometimes frequent in the form of zucchini. I’ll be sure to try and replicate this when I next feel like experimenting with potatoes!

The pièce de résistance for us was certainly the Hay Smoked Chicken with Spinach. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the smokiness really came through in the skin. Almost like tea smoked, in flavor.

For dessert, we had what seemed like a dessert platter of Rhubarb Macarons, Citrus Cakes, Crispy Tuilles and Palmiers; served together with an almost too-tart Strawberry Sorbet. For a second (and last) dessert, we were served Profiteroles with Hay Ice-Cream drizzled with honey flavoured caramel. So damn delicious.

It was at just before dessert, which we noticed the service level in the restaurant had dropped. There weren’t many tables left by this stage (we had been there for nigh on 3 hours), and whilst I had spent the last 3 hours watching them serve the other guests to perfection (the serving trolley was right next to me), we were being served almost as if were an inconvenience to the staff. Whilst other tables were introduced to the Hay Smoked chicken in all its glory (before being carved), we were ignored, and our sorbet came to us almost in puddle form. As we completed our last dish, the staff cleared our table and placed an empty plate in front of us, prompting us to think that there would be 1 more dish.

However, it must have been a discrete sign to the diner, that they needed to ask for the bill and leave, but nobody said anything to us, and we were left in the dark until the bill arrived on our table. I hadn’t noted that this was done to any of the other tables either. The staff were not engaging with the guests anymore (not that they were doing a lot of that throughout the meal).

The only consolation from the human interaction bit was that Chef Passard maintained his walk-through meet-and-greet with the guests in the dining room halfway through the meal. He even took an obligatory photo with us after we requested and was completely fascinated with The Boy’s hair and earrings! It was quite hilarious!

Despite the slight hiccup in service (the only hiccup we had in our entire Paris experience), the food was so good and perfect, that we let their almost indifferent attitude pass us by.

Apart from these great sporting, dining and entertainment events, we are also often exposed to seasonal art exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). We have seen past exhibitions with collections from Salvador Dali, Ai Wei Wei, Claude Monet, William Blake, Degas and a lot more featured.

To celebrate the latest art exhibition curated especially for the NGV featuring the one and only Van Gogh, Sofitel Melbourne‘s No.35 Restaurant has collaborated with the NGV to put together a Lunch Like Van Gogh special. You have a choice of a 2 course (for $45 pp) or 3 course ($60 pp) meal to sample what Van Gogh would be eating in the 1800s, with a modern twist.

For the launch of the event, we were regaled by the hearty notes from the Victorian Opera, as we played with our food! ‘House Made Paint’ of yellow, red and green were presented to us in paint bottles together with slices of baguettes. Upon further reflection, these turned out to be delicious patés of amuse bouches, Smoky sweetcorn, blue cheese and caramelised onions (yellow), Roasted red capsicum, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, capers and basil (red), and Pine Nuts, fresh basil, olive oil and garlic (green)!

For our entrees and mains, we were served classic french fare of ‘‘Sublime’ Salad Lyonnaise, with poached duck egg, crispy pancetta and frisée lettuce’, and ‘‘Palette’ of Boeuf Bourguignon, with braised beef,
pomme purée, sautéed mushrooms and red wine sauce.

It was at this point where the guests were invited to start painting (with real painting) a copy of Van Gogh’s iconic 1887 Vase with Cornflowers and Poppies on a white plate. There were many delightful giggles and laughter as our inner artists were brought out to the forefront! Notably there were very impressive paintings made that day with the winner being D from Gastrology! Yay!

For dessert, we had a delicious light ‘Pastel’ Crème Caramel with Cognac soaked raisins. So pretty too!

If you are keen to embrace your inner post-impressionist artist and dine on the curated menu at No.35 Restaurant, the lunch is available from 12pm every Thursday and Friday from 11th of May until the 9th of July 2017.

To book, visit Sofitel Melbourne or call (03) 9653 7744 or email H1902-RE13@sofitel.com.

As an added bonus, Sofitel is offering visitors a special Cultural Package, which includes an overnight accommodation with breakfast for 2 at No.35 Restaurant, plus two tickets to NGV’s Van Gogh & The Seasons exhibition. Prices start from $315* per room per night (*T&Cs apply, limited time).

[Ms I-Hua attended the launch of Lunch Like Van Gogh, as a guest of Sofitel Melbourne]

Our humble blog turns the big 1-0 this year! TEN! Ten years of sharing with you our recipes, travel tales, eating adventures and general stories of our lives! If this was a marriage, this would be our Diamond Anniversary!

How quickly time flies when you are having fun!

To celebrate our 10 Year Blog Anniversary this year, we would like to do two things.

Firstly, we would like you to partake in an Instagram giveaway competition, where we will give a lucky follower 2 x tickets to this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants, #50BestTalks in Melbourne, worth a total of $60. So follow us on instagram to find out more (competition closes 8pm AEDT Sunday 26th March 2017).

We bought these tickets a few weeks ago to celebrate our Blog Anniversary as well as to celebrate the fact that the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards will take place for the first time in Melbourne, Australia.

The catch for the winner? You will have to be in Melbourne on Monday 3rd of April 2017 and be available to attend the event (7pm start time), which will take place at Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Park.

The #50BestTalks chef panel in Melbourne looks set to be amazing with a star-studded cast. Listen to Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (Eleven Madison Park, New York), Gaggan Anand (Gaggan, Bangkok), Jordi Roca (El Celler De Can Roca, Girona, Spain) and Grant Achatz (Alinea, Chicago) and hosted by Annabel Crabb.

So it’s definitely a star-studded chef cast on the panel and we couldn’t be more excited, than to share the experience with you!

Secondly, we would love to share with you a recipe for this decadently delicious cake, as seems to be the tradition when celebrating our Blog Anniversary.

For this version, I added salted caramel popcorn and mint leaves and served the cake with a side of salted caramel rum sauce (and salted caramel rum cocktails).

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Lastly, we would like to take the time to truly thank all of you for reading our stories, following our adventures and bearing with us as we slowed down in the last couple of years. We hope that you continue to keep us on track, continue with your support and encouragement and keeping us humble along the way.

Cheers!

Ms I-Hua and The Boy

We find that we always have a few extra bottles of wine leftover when we have guests show up at our house. This is a great way to use up the remaining leftover bottles of red wine in the house (if there can be such a thing) and to turn it into a dessert!

They’re also incredibly easy to make and it doesn’t take long at all. The best part of this recipe, is that the pears and syrup can be prepared in advanced and kept for up to 2 days in the fridge before serving up. You won’t even have to stress on the day you want to serve this up!

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With the mad Melbourne weather, this dessert is a good one to keep up your sleeve as its perfect in the cold or warm weather and you can serve it cold or warm as well. Enjoy!

This year, we couldn’t be more excited to be able to take part in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants event when it takes place for the very first time in Australia, the second time only that the prestigious event has been outside of the United Kingdom (last year it was in New York).

In conjunction with this, Melbourne will also be celebrating its 25th Anniversary of the MFWF event, so what better way than to Throwback to last year’s MFWF, when we attended one of the famed Regional World’s Longest Lunch events. If you are interested in attending one of these fantastic regional events, visit the MFWF website or find the details by following the links.

In last year’s Regional World’s Longest Lunch event, The Boy and I were privileged to attend the one that took place in High Country Victoria, Wangaratta, specifically on the picturesque winery of Dal Zotto.

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As you can see, we had a fabulous time dining and wining with delicious food and Prosecco on that hot Autumn day last year. We highly recommend taking a Friday off, and making your very own long weekend and partaking in this merry making in 2017.

For more information on Dal Zotto Winery, their details are below:

Address
4861 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road Whitfield
Victoria 3733 Australia

Tel: 1300 725 484

Email: info@dalzotto.com.au

Twitter: dalzottowines

Located at Myrrhee, Casa Luna Gourmet Accommodation is hidden down a (semi) dirt road, with the back part of the accommodation overlooking a wonderful scene of a sprawling field (with cows included) and hills, forming a fantastic backdrop.

Gwenda and David are the lovely couple who manage and own the accommodation. Both are delightful, unobtrusive and the perfect hosts in their home. If you have any questions or interested about the area surrounding their accommodation, David is more than ready to help you out with the information needed.

Rooms are split between a few buildings, including a separate family room area for guests to spend time together should they have rented the two King Suites together.

From the King Suites, it’s only short walk to the main building, housing the kitchen and dining room, where a beautiful bookcase is located. Sit and relax, play a game of chess or read a book in the main building. Incidentally that’s the only spot where the WiFi works as well if you happen to be unable to survive without being online.

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The King Suites have their own private balconies, which open up to the sprawling backdrop outside.

Facilities include large flat-screen TVs, TV/DVD combos, iPod docks, mood lighting, as well as luxuriously comfortable king beds with pure cotton linen, plunger coffee and Twinnings leaf tea, sparkling mineral water, waffle weave bath robes, and MOR amenities.

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Depending on your mood once you have checked-in, feel free to stay in and dine at the lovely venue. Both Gwenda and David are on hand to cook up delicious home-cooked fare using local produce from their own garden and surrounding area.

The night we stayed over, we had a very simple but delicious penne with home-grown zucchini and cheese. it was just perfect.

Wake up to another fabulous warm meal with breakfast cooked to order as well as fruits straight from the garden.

Address:
1569 Boggy Creek Road
Myrrhee VIC 3732

Phone:+613 5729 7650

Email: indulge@casaluna.com.au

Website: http://www.casaluna.com.au/

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Lake William Hovell

As I have mentioned in a previous post, if you are looking for another spot to visit whilst up at the King Valley region, take a drive down to Lake William Hovell. It’s just slightly past Cheshunt (about 20 minutes drive from Chrismont Winery).

Not only is it a favourite spot for locals and tourists alike (especially in the warmer summer months), Lake William Hovell plays an important part to the region as it supplies water for irrigated crops, vineyards and grazing properties along the King River from Cheshunt to Wangaratta.

When you get to the lake, you have a range of activities to choose from, starting with relaxing at the picturesque scenery for picnics and/or BBQs, walking and hiking, fishing, canoeing and four wheel driving activities. For the avid fishing expert, the lake contains trout, redfin and some macquarie perch*.

[*Source: Victoria High Country and Goulburn Murray Water websites]

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy travelled to King Valley as guests of the Rural City of Wangaratta]

For our other adventures in Wangaratta and King Valley, see:
Visit Wangaratta – See High Country
Packing Prosecco with the Forges Family
Victoria’s High Country Harvest 2016 [Part 1]
Victoria’s High Country Harvest 2016 [Part 2]

From the luxury of a 5 star hotel (Sofitel) down the road, we packed up our bags and were kindly chauffeured to Amarterra (they have the same parent company, and if you ask the lobby, they’ll arrange a transfer for you).

As we walked into the gates of Amarterra, we were instantly blown away by the beauty and layout of the resort. From the large pools of water that in turn hide a walkway, to the steps that lead up to the villas, everything was just breath-taking.

Something you will also need to get used to if you are staying in these luxury hotels, is that they only ever address you by your last name with an honorific Mister or Miss/Madam. It took some getting used to, as we aren’t so traditional here in Australia.

As we were shown into our private villa, our attention was instantly captured by the beautiful pool in our courtyard. I was like a child gone wild, as I wanted to run around the villa and plunge into the pool immediately! You can watch the video I made via instagram of our walk through the villa here.

My only regret was that we didn’t think to pack in a giant float to lounge around in the pool. Lesson learnt, this time next week, I’ll be chilling on my giant unicorn float in our pool! Wuhoo!

I particularly loved that the villa had two versions of bath facilities. One is a proper bath tub and a shower inside the villa with windows overlooking the front courtyard and private pool.

The second shower is an outdoor shower hidden at the back of the villa with rain shower, pebbles, stones, foliage set just behind the bedroom.

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We were also told that everything in the bar fridge was included into our stay, as well as the fruits that were on display in our room. Of course this meant that we popped open a bottle of sparkling and plunged into the pool to enjoy our special treat to ourselves!

For breakfast the next day, we opted to have the full room service experience, instead of going outside to join the other guests in the usual hotel buffet. This turned out to be another great treat for us! The hotel staff turned up complete with our breakfast (we got carried away and ticked off nearly everything on the order menu) to set up our table. Of course, amongst the usual Indonesian breakfast fair, we also ordered the Lobster Benedict. Because we could.

It almost felt a little ridiculous to be so spoilt! Here is a high speed video of our breakfast being set up.

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As the location of the Amarterra Villas is slightly off the beaten track, with its private villas and pools, the beach facilities isn’t as readily accessible compared to the other hotels located right on the beach front. However, the Villas do have access to a small private beach area, located only a short walk (around 5 minutes) from the hotel’s back entrance. Because we wanted to see what that looked like, we walked out to check out the beach. It was ultra quiet and felt as if the whole area was cordoned off just for the two of us.

However, it wasn’t before long where we found ourselves wanting to return to our private villa and enjoy the facilities and comfort of the villas, including some very much needed massage. We booked our very first couple’s massage and it was so relaxing, I went back a second time without The Boy the next day!

Hotel Address:
Amarterra Villas
Bali Nusa Dua – MGallery Collection
BTDC Resort Lot Block B
Bali 80363 Indonesia

Tel: +62 361 776400
Fax: +62 361 776300
Email: info@amarterravilla.com
Website: http://www.amarterravilla.com

As part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival festivities, The Boy and I were lucky enough to be invited to the James Boag‘s marquee on Melbourne Cup Day this year as VIP guests.

We were invited to the culinary adventure of Harnessed by James Boag, an adventure through the rugged region of Tasmania, showcasing the ingredients and methodology that harnesses the raw and wild elements of Tasmania. And the maestro behind this culinary event, was to be none other than James Viles from Biota Dining in New South Wales.  

As we woke up bright and early on Tuesday morning to get ready, we couldn’t shake off the level of excitement coursing through our veins as we powdered our noses and primped our hair. Our meeting point would be at the Olsen Hotel, where we would meet the other 10 influencers from around Australia, invited to this VIP experience. The twelve of us were soon whisked away in privately chauffeured cars, right to the doorstep of the Flemington Racecourse.

As we walked into The Birdcage area, we were blown away not just by the wind, but also by the colours, music, people, and excitement of the day. Walking up the stairs to the gorgeous James Boag’s marquee, we were left to our own devices and were allowed to roam the Birdcage area for an hour, but were told to promptly arrive back at the top entrance of the marquee at 11:30am. Our ushers for the day were very coy and mysterious with the details, as they wanted to keep the surprise.

The marquee itself was decorated to showcase the rugged landscapes of the Tasmanian region. This was beautifully captured by the LED installation panels, showcasing the terrain and landscapes of Tasmania. The centrepiece of the marquee would have to be the bar area, with the word ‘Harnessed’ emblazoned over the top on all 4 panels surrounding the bar. On tap and in bottles, a good list of Lion Nathan’s beverage available for consumption, not just James Boag’s lagers.

One other notable point (which is usually forgotten by others), was the available amenities within the marquee itself. The James Boag’s marquee is only one of two marquees in The Birdcage area that has an in-house toilet, the ladies featuring a collection of ’emergency items’, such as cotton pads, sanitary items, hand sanitiser, deodorant, band aids. I was suitably impressed! It’s the little things that count the most and I can’t say many events have taken this into account!

As the minute hand ticked over the 11:30am mark, a sliding door mysteriously opened up to reveal a secret dining room, seating for just 12 people, with James Viles and Riley (chef’s assistant) grinning from ear to ear. The room was magnificently decorated, with props from Tasmania all around (dried saltbushes, and seaweed hanging around the room).

Seating on hard wood stools sourced locally from Victoria (the only Victorian element to the day), Chef Viles began to tell us the journey and story of his time in Tasmania and how he was inspired by the same elements that shaped the James Boag’s Premium Lager to the cuisine he would be offering up to us.

We only had these introductory words to guide us through the culinary journey in the hidden dining area.

“The journey will begin in the rugged landscape of Tasmania, where James will visit some of island’s harshest environments to draw inspiration. Wagyu beef from windy Cape Grim, seaweed and oysters from the wild Tasmanian coastline and hand foraged herbs from Cradle Mountain. An adventure not for the faint hearted.” 

To start:
Stone Baked Molasses and Dark Rye with Tasmanian Butter.
Tartare of Cape Grim Beef (alternate dish of crab for me).
Fresh Oysters.

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The mains:
Raw Ikijime Spiked Fish accompanied with a dressing of Smoked Fish Bones and Fish Roe.

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Tongola Goat’s Cheese with Leeks cooked in Brown Butter and Fried Saltbush.

Southern Calamari with Wild Sea Lettuce, Toasted Grain Broth and Samphire.

This was an interactive dish, as we were asked to ‘salt’ our dish by pulling on the seaweed hanging above our heads! Such fun, as we stood up one-by-one to tear off the seaweed to enhance the flavour of our dish.

Robbins Island Wagyu cooked over coals and dressed with Shima Wasabi. 

Whilst all the men were enjoying themselves terribly with the beautiful wagyu dish, I couldn’t help but think that I had somewhat been the one to have scored! Instead of the beef dish (which I couldn’t eat), James prepared the most amazing Southern Crayfish. Topped with the same accompaniments, it was truly a buttery pescatarian delight!

To finish:
James Boag’s Premium Beer and Parsnip Ice Cream.
‘The Bee Hive’ a dish of Raw Local Honey, Almond Crème and Wild Spring Flowers.

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Dressed in our finest, the gents certainly turned up the Dapper-ness in the room, our tastebuds were regaled with the amazing produce Chef Viles plated up for us. As I was the only lady in attendance, I couldn’t help but feel a little spoilt, not to mention, full eye candy to myself!

I was also lucky enough to be sat next to Nathan Calman, Head Brewer at James Boag’s Brewery, who was kind enough to answer all the questions I had for him about the beer, hops, barley and even the purity of the famed Tasmanian waters!

Once lunch was completed, our tummies full and contented, we were released to enjoy the rest of the Melbourne Cup Day in the James Boag marquee and surrounding Birdcage area. The first thing we did, was to put a couple of bets on for the big race! Sadly, none of us picked the winning horses, but we all felt like winners already!

You would have thought that having just dined on an exquisite meal, we would be too full to eat anymore in the main marquee area. There was just so much deliciousness going around that we couldn’t say no to the Lunch pickings freely available to all in the James Boag marquee. One does not say no to a Glazed Southern Crayfish Roll, particularly if it was prepared and created by James Viles himself!

When the dessert courses started to roll out, I couldn’t help but feel that we needed to finish off with some more savoury options. Behold! The Cheese Room was revealed (previously the secret dining area where we had just vacated from lunch). Transformed into an amazing cheese room, filled with cheeses locally sourced from Tasmania, including the cheesemaker himself!

James Boag has created an amazing glimpse into the beautiful land of Tasmania. With its Return to Rugged campaign, and now Harnessed by JB, we feel that the brand has managed to capture the essence of the wilderness, the cleanliness and the beauty of the region. 

If you are keen to experience what we were lucky enough in the private dining ourselves, visit the Biota Dining website to book yourself a seat at James Viles’s restaurant.

Biota Dining Details
LAT -34.4792
LONG 150.4178
Bowral NSW Australia

Tel: + 61 2 48 622005
Email: info@biotadining.com
Website: http://www.biotadining.com

James Boag Website: https://www.jamesboag.com.au

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy attended the Melbourne Cup Day Birdcage as marquee guests of James Boag Australia]

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Competition Time!
James Boag’s are offering the chance for you to win an opportunity to let Chef James Viles bring you the taste of Tasmania through a curated menu inspired by the Harnessed Culinary experience at Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Click on this link to register for your chance to win this Biota dining experience.

The prize consists of 1 x $800 voucher – enough for a tasting menu including wine and 1 nights stay at James’ restaurant Biota!

The competition commences at 00.01 EDT on 08/11/2016 and closes at 23.59 EDT on 24/11/2016.

Participants must be 18+ enter. See full terms & conditions for details.

Going through our itinerary which was set out last year (2015), The Boy and I have decided to put a few of the places we ate at in one blog post for two reasons.

One: To help us remember where we should be heading to when we touchdown in Bali.

Two: To help others who might be interested in following our footsteps. This is by no means a proper Bali guide to find food, it’s just a few places which we visited based on our research from other bloggers and instagrammers who frequent this beautiful island of Indonesia.

There is so much information out there and it can be hard to distil the good from the not so good. Bali is often called the extra state of Australia, as so many of us find ourselves sunning on the beach during holidays, which means, everyone is an expert of where to go and what to do when you tell them you are heading to Bali!

So without further ado, here are some of our recommendations when hitting up Bali. If you have any other recommendations you think we should visit in the next few weeks, do let us know so that we can try and lock it into our itinerary! Thanks in advance!

Menega Cafe, Jimbaran

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What to do when you get there: Smile and grab the attention of one of the busy waiters ASAP. Else, you will be left standing on your own in this very busy night spot with no tables left. Try and snap a table away from the water (to avoid the tide waters coming in at night).

What to order: EVERYTHING! Don’t worry, they have a menu with pictures if you need some visual guidelines. Else, just go with the flow and grab some lobsters and skewers.

It doesn’t get better than: Grilled seafood over coconut husks (extra smoky) and a stunning backdrop.

Address: Jl. Four Seasons Muaya Beach, Jimbaran, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Opening Hours: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Phone: (+62) 361 705888
Website: http://www.menega.com/

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Warung Babi Guling Pak Malen, Seminyak

How to get there: Ask any cab driver, private driver, or whatever form of transport you are taking to drop you at Pak Malen (the place is famous enough that all the locals will know where it is). It’s harder to leave the place and we tried unsuccessfully to hail a cab for ages, before one came along (this was during peak lunch hour).

What to order: This place is famous for Babi Guling (Balinese styled suckling pig), which comes together with an assortment of veggies, and soup. Definitely order a few cans of Bintang or Teh Botol, trust us, you’ll need it to put the fire out when you are done eating.

What to watch out for: The level of spiciness (my ears were twining, my palms were sweaty, and my eyes were tearing. I normally am able to handle spicy, but this was insanely spicy and oh so good!).

Address: Jl. Sunset Road No. 554, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Phone: (+62) 851-0045-2968

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Restoran Sederhana, Kuta

How to get there: Again, this place seems to be popular to both tourists and locals alike and our driver had no issues finding it and dropping us off.

What happens when you sit down: You are literally brought a wide variety of dishes to choose your meal from. The staff wait for you to sit, get your drink orders, and then the food keeps coming. We worked out (by watching other tables); that you could either go the modern way of picking your dishes right at the front of the restaurant before sitting, or go full steam ahead with how the locals do it. That is go with the choices selected for you, and pick the items you want to eat. Make sure that you do only touch the plates you want to eat from (the untouched food goes back to the front for other guests), and if you touch but not eat it, you’ll get charged for it!

What to do after eating: We decided to start walking towards Kuta beach, as it didn’t look too far away via Google Maps (25 minutes walk) and we had to burn off all the carbolicious food we had just consumed. I forgot to take into account the extreme heat and humidity that would make the walk seem like a torture. By the time we got to Kuta, I was grumpy and sweating like a pig. To top it off, Kuta seemed like madness and chaos all at once. We stayed for a good 45 minutes (to stroll along the beach) before heading back to our peaceful beach resort at Sofitel Nusa Dua.

Address: Jl By Pass Ngurah Rai No.11 C, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 10:30pm
Phone: (+62) 361 754875

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Bebek Tepi Sawah, Nusa Dua Branch

Why go there: If you happen to find yourself on a short trip to Bali without time to venture out to Ubud for a few extra days, but still want to try the food available at Ubud, the next best thing is to visit the tourist area (what we deemed as the Tourist Trap) zone in Nusa Dua. Surprisingly, we found Bebek Tepi Sawah, which we were gutted to find out was in Ubud when we arrived and had resigned ourselves to missing out on this famed duck dish. The duck was amazing! The skin was super crispy and the meat incredibly tender. We also ordered the satay dish, only because it came with its own mini charcoal grill and was too cute to pass by!

What else to do when you are there: Shop around, head into some bars and enjoy the live band and music at various pubs and restaurants. If you are like us, and that isn’t quite your scene, you can also head to the mini market to purchase some delicious local fruits (think mangosteen, snake skin fruit, jackfruit, and star fruit) or local snacks to enjoy by the pool side the next morning.

Address: Kawasan BTDC Area Bali Collection, Nusa Dua, Benoa, Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80363, Indonesia
Opening Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm
Phone: (+62) 361 770221
Website: http://www.bebektepisawahrestaurant.com/

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Merah Putih, Kerobokan

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What is Merah Putih? It literally means red, white when translated. My guess is that it is a patriotic nod to the colours of the Indonesian flag. This was also our most memorable restaurant meal in Bali. Everything we ate was delicious and the architecture was a definite highlight.

How to order: The dishes are made to share, tapas style, like all modern casual dining restaurants are these days. We had planned to order 1 of each small plates to share (there were about 8 dish choices), but the waiter thought we were mad and talked us out of it, particularly, as he indicated, that there would be dessert as well. We didn’t have the heart to tell him that we weren’t big dessert eaters, and took on his suggestion about the quantity. He was wrong. We could have eaten more! He must have thought we were used to tiny Asian portions of food and not giant Australian servings.

What to do after: Walk off the calories by visiting the many shops surrounding Kerobokan up to Seminyak.

Address: Jalan Petitenget No. 100x, Kerobokan, Kuta Utara, Badung, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Opening Hours: 12:00pm – 3pm; 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Phone: (+62) 361 8465950
Website: https://merahputihbali.com/

When The Boy and I visited last year, we stayed for 3 nights and 4 days and swapped between two amazing hotels. Luckily for us, we managed to score a couple of upgrades in our hotel stays and it was as if we were on our second honeymoon!

The first two nights of our trip to Bali, we stayed at the Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort. As we are Accor Club members and as I’ve previously worked with the Accor group on a Mackay campaign, word got out that we were visiting and we received an amazing warm welcome and were immediately brought into the Club Millésime (separate from the normal lobby) for check-in.

As with all higher end hotels, there was a distinct fragrance upon walking into the hotel lobby. If I was going to take a punt and guess, I would have to guess that it was a Frangipani fragrance.

With happy smiles and drinks on offer (there is a small buffet lounge area for members) we were also provided with an upgrade to our original booked room, to the Luxury Room with Pool Access! That’s right, we didn’t even have to leave our bedroom to access the pool. Seriously worth a treat!

If you were thinking of staying at this resort, here is what you would get with this room:

• 2 x Single Beds or 1 x King Size Bed
• LCD TV
• Luxurious bathroom comprises separate tub and rain shower with distinctive bathroom amenities
• Complimentary internet up to 1 MB
• Daily local newspaper
• Terrace with direct access to the resort’s lagoon pool
• Coffee/ tea facilities, with mineral water
• *Club Millésime access

*Guests staying at Luxury Room Pool Access, Suites and Villas could enjoy exclusive access to the resort Club Millésime. Located on the main building, the stylish lounge provides sophisticated travellers with exclusive lounge areas where guests could luxuriate in style and savour exquisite gastronomy and wine. All day refreshments are provided from 10 am to 10 pm while afternoon tea and evening Millésime wine tasting are provided based on schedule.

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When we awoke the next morning, we took our time at our complimentary breakfast buffet at Kwee Zeen. Truly you have not experience a full breakfast buffet spread until you have been to one in South East Asia, and we have had our share of hotel buffets. Hand on heart, the spread at Kwee Zeen has got to be in my top 5 favourites in terms of variety, quantity and quality.

There was street food fare, continental breakfast, pastries, sushi, a fresh noodle frying section, an egg section and a fresh juice section. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we abandoned our plan to explore Bali’s street food.

Instead, after breakfast, we headed out to the private beach and scored ourselves a couple of deck chairs, ordered some coconuts and promptly turned ourselves into beached whales for the rest of the morning.

We pretty much did the same thing the next day. It was truly so relaxing and magical to just do nothing.

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Cut Catch Cucina

We were also invited to dine-in the first night we arrived at the hotel, at their very own Cut Catch Cucina, which we gladly accepted as we were a little tired from the early start from Melbourne and the flight into Bali. So once we were escorted to our bedroom, we notified our ‘butler’ that we would like to dine at 6pm.

After a quick rest and a plunge into the pool, we got dressed and walked along the path towards the resorts lagoon pool area, which is where Cut Catch Cucina resides.

The magnificent night time view of the pool and its pillars billowing flames into the night was seriously breathtaking.

All in all, it truly was quite a romantic atmosphere and dinner meals that we had unplanned in a really long time. So much so, that we were so caught up with enjoying the experience and being in the moment that we forgot to take photos and notes of the menu (#bloggerfail).

*All food prices are subjected to a 21% tax and service charge

Hotel Address
Lot N5 Nusa Dua Tourism
Complex
80363 NUSA DUA BALI
INDONESIA

Website: http://www.sofitel-bali-nusadua.com/en

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy travelled independently to Bali and received a complimentary room upgrade and dinner invite to Cut Catch Cucina]

One of the places I recommended for the Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula, was Igni.

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to have a taste of Aaron Turner’s fine dining food. He closed the popular Loam and left Australia, spending time in Nashville before bringing back Southern Fried Chicken in the form of Belles Hot Chicken to the eager crowds of inner Melbourne.

However, since the start of 2016, Turner has returned full force into the finer dining kitchen, moving away from casual food, and away from countryside Victoria (Loam was previously in an olive orchard in Drysdale), and into the City of Geelong. This new location makes it much more convenient for people to visit, and it means that you can catch a regional train to Geelong and have your meal with matched wines and not fear about driving!

The location of Igni is in a rather unassuming laneway. With grey brick walls and grey drapes covering the full length windows of the restaurant, you could easily be forgiven for walking past the restaurant. It’s not until you are on the other side of those grey drapes, that you realised the block-out is only one way and everyone inside can see you walking around cluelessly!

As we chatted to familiar faces on memories gained 5 years ago, we were introduced to a selection of snacks to start us off on our tasting menu.

There was Zucchini Flowers with pickled mussels; Smoked quails egg rolled in matcha (Japanese green tea); Salt bush leaves deep fried with freeze dried vinegar (totally addictive); Baby breakfast radishes (ala Loam); Rye crostini sticks with cured pork jowl (guanciale) and dry aged duck; Confit duck cigar; and finally, Chicken skin with cod roe.

All the snacks were seriously good, but the stand out was certainly the Chicken Skin with Cod Roe. I think I need more of this in my life!

First Course: Cuttlefish, Celeriac, Lemon

The official tasting began with raw celeriac, lemon emulsion, oxalis, and bronze fennel nesting atop thinly shaved squid. This was simply creamy and refreshing with a great contrast in textures.

Second Course: Fermented Grains, Snow Crab

We loved the interplay of textures in this dish as well as the perfectly balanced flavours of saltiness and umami-ness.

Third Course: Marron, Pil Pil, Cucumber

This dish certainly made us think of the Chef’s recent foray into Southern cuisine, with the inclusion of the slightly American-style pickled cucumbers. That being said, the dish was Spanish influenced, with the marron cooked with a Pil Pil, a sauce of Basque origin, usually using olive oil, garlic and chilli. In Igni’s case, it was a butter reduction. Certainly, the colours on the dish were very Español-centric!

Fourth Course: Beetroot, Whey, Mustard Leaf

The most unassuming dish of the day. Plain, boring, bordering on unattractive.

Yet, once the mustard leaf is lifted away and you’ve sliced into the boring looking beet, lo and behold, your senses erupt and your mind is blown.

Such was how we felt as we both stopped talking once we placed the beet into our mouths. The Boy proclaimed it the best vegetable dish he’s had so far in 2016! Confit in goose fat, slow roasted on the low girdle, drizzled with thyme oil and finally served with whey mixed with Comté cheese, this was the winning dish of the day.

Fifth Course: Pork Neck, Wild Garlic, Carrot

Chef Turner likes to cook with Western Plains pork, and this time it was no different. Using the neck of the animal, it was served with wild garlic shoots, garden spinach and a hidden blackened carrot puree.

Sixth Course: Queso de Cabra, Rosemary, Persimmon

On to the cheese course before desserts were to be served. I loved the lightly flavoured Spanish goats cheese (aged 7 months) topped with maple pickled persimmon, and rosemary flowers. It almost looked too pretty to eat. Almost.

Seventh Course: Mandarin, Cultured Cream, Honeycomb

The Mandarin sorbet proved to be a lovely refreshing palate cleanser, topped with honeycomb and dots of cultured cream. Again, another perfectly executed texturally and well balanced dish.

Eighth Course: Young Pepper, Strawberry, Shiso

For our eighth and final course, we were served pickled strawberries with a young peppercorn ice-cream topped with shiso. If you hadn’t realised by now, Chef Turner is like the ‘King of Pickles’, using his gift of pickling in almost every dish, all through to dessert, which was a lovely surprise.

With the final petite fours being Tangelo Madeleines and Roasted Pineapples, you can be assured that they know how to bade a sweet goodbye!

All up, this was a really relaxing and beautiful lunch which managed to make us think about the types of flavour matching and food profiles. It wasn’t challenging in the sense of blowing our minds (apart from that beet dish), but it was certainly thought provoking with the paired ingredients.

I know I can’t wait to return to sample the menu for next season, and I am wondering if we should plan it as a weekend away (seeing it’s only about an hour’s drive or train ride from Melbourne).

Drinks:
2015 Provenance Tarrington, Pinot Gris
2015 The Happy Winemaker, Grenache by Jean-Paul
2010 Chateau Lions de Suduiraut Sauternes
2015 de lullis, late picked Semillon

Dining Options:
5 courses $100, with pairings $160
8 courses $150, with pairings $245

Address:
Ryan Place
Geelong VIC

Closure Dates:
19 December – 4 January

Opening Hours:
Thursday – Dinner only
Friday & Saturday – Lunch & Dinner
Sunday – Lunch only

Phone: + 613 5222 2266

Email: info@restaurantigni.com

Website: http://www.restaurantigni.com

Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway

If you were thinking of visiting the region and replicating some of our visits and adventures, don’t forget to check out some of the accommodation available in the region. As we were a group of 6, we were put up in a beautiful 3 bedroom townhouse that was part of the Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway accommodation.

Located opposite the hotel in a quiet leafy street, the fully self-contained 3-bedroom townhouse offers a full kitchen, full laundry, Foxtel, iPod docking station, living and dining facilities, private car park, landscaped courtyard, outdoor entertaining area, as well as full hotel facilities. Out of the three rooms, there was two bathrooms (the master bedroom included a king bed and an ensuite), with the two smaller rooms encompassing single twin beds.

The townhouse was spacious and beautifully furnished with modern decor and furniture.

It certainly is the perfect house for a group of travelling friends or a large family party. You get all the privacy of living in a house away and full access to the hotel facilities across the road (yes there is a spa and a pool!).

Address
29-37 Ryley Street
Wangaratta VIC 3677

Phone: 1800 033 439 / +61 3 5721 8399

Enquiries: http://www.wangarattagateway.com.au/Pages/Contact_Us.aspx

Website: http://www.wangarattagateway.com.au/

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Cafe the PreVue

After the busy day and glorious night from before, we woke up bright and early to tackle the remaining activities left on our schedule, beginning with a visit to the Cafe the PreVue. The last time we were here, was a good 2 years ago and it was lovely to revisit and reconnect with the staff and team at the cafe.

As we giggled and laughed reminiscing the adventures from the day before, we were easily the happiest people having our breakfast there that morning. Between us we managed to order nearly everything on the menu to the delight of the owner.

[Clockwise from Top Left: Banana and Chocolate Freak Shake; Scrambled Red Chilli Eggs with bacon, capsicum, spring onions, on a slice of toast and garnished with parsley, parmesan and chilli hair; Veggie Stack of field mushroom, crumbed brie, zucchini, pumpkin, potato rosti, topped with haloumi, a poached egg and pesto; and the Rustic Rosti Stack with salmon, dill, spinach and free range poached eggs, on top of house made potato rosti]

If you’re looking for a delicious way to start your day, and you are in Wangaratta, look no further than to Cafe the Prevue.

Address
66-68 Faithfull St
Wangaratta VIC 3677

Phone: +61 3 5721 2092

Instagram: @cafetheprevue

Website: http://www.cafetheprevue.com.au/

Opening Hours:
Daily, 8:00am – 4:00pm

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Walkabout Apiaries

After our breakfast, the group headed back out to Milawa for a stretch, and some sweet sweet honey tasting at Walkabout Apiaries. For nearly 40 years, these family of honey makers have been bringing delicious honey to this region.

Walkabout Apiaries’ bees produce honey from the tall flowering eucalyptus of the High Country down to the mighty Red Gums of the Ovens, King & Murray Rivers. This means the honey produce in this region is unique and highly dependent on the flora and temperature in the year that they are harvested in.

Aside from honey, Walkabout Apiaries also produces a range of mead (made of honey) as well as candles. Just look at those labels! So beary cute!

Address
1531 Snow Road
Milawa VIC 3678

Phone: +61 3 5727 3468

Email: info@walkabouthoney.com.au

Website: http://www.walkaboutapiaries.com.au/

Opening Hours:
Walkabout Apiaries Honey Shed is open for tastings 9:00am – 5:00pm most days

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Sam Miranda Winery

Our last pit stop before making our way back home to Melbourne was to Sam Miranda Winery. Only a 5 minute drive down from Walkabout Apiaries, the view that this winery is located on is simply breathtaking. I know I sound like a broken record, but seriously, the whole region of King Valley is so beautiful I wonder why I don’t go visit there enough!

It was a beautiful day and as a group, we decided to take advantage on the sunny weather to sit outside and basked in the sunshine.

Walking outside to the back portion of the restaurant, I immediately fell in love with the setting. I could imagine myself getting up to no good running around and rolling in the sun and climbing the tree as if I was a little girl. Alas, I was to behave myself and act my age (Boo!).

[Clockwise from Top Left: Hervey Bay Scallops baked with a herb & almond butter crust; Tasmanian Salmon, cured in Beetroot, Citrus & Fennel; Local Rainbow Trout, Pan Fried with Honey Fennel, Cauliflower & Pistachio; and Toasted Cauliflower & Smoked Trout Soup]

Head Chef, Michael White eagerly showed us what he has been cooking up in the kitchen since he started at Sam Miranda earlier this year. Plate after plate of delicious food piled up on our table outside (ideal for the perfect flatlay!).

[Clockwise from Top Left: Orecchiette of Duck & Porcini Ragu; Londrigan Scotch Fillet (250g) with hand cut fat chips; and Chocolate Tart served with salted caramel ice cream]

My ultimate favourite dish from this lunch was the Orecchiette. It was so bang-on with flavours and really delicious.

Everyone else also raved about the scotch fillet. Looking at the way the meat was cooked, even I was salivating and full of jealousy that they were enjoying such a juicy piece of meat.

Dessert was also really delicious and summed up our perfect getaway weekend in the High Country! Rich and full of happiness!

Address
1019 Snow Road
Oxley VIC 3678

Phone: +61 3 5727 3888

Email:
General Inquiries: info@sammiranda.com.au
Restaurant Bookings: cellardoor@sammiranda.com.au

Website: http://www.sammiranda.com.au/

Opening Hours:
Cellar Door: Daily, 10:00am – 5:00pm (except Christmas & Boxing Day)
Lunch available 12:00pm – 3:00pm

New friendships forged and old ones rekindled, we cannot wait to go back up to Wangaratta and the King Valley region. It’s a home away from home!

[Ms I-Hua and The Boy travelled up to Wangaratta and King Valley as guests of the Rural City of Wangaratta]

For our other adventures in Wangaratta and King Valley, see:
Visit Wangaratta – See High Country
Packing Prosecco with the Forges Family
Victoria’s High Country Harvest 2016 [Part 1]