Lighting Gurus open Cafe deLicious at Jimbaran Gallery
I had it with “fine dining” and self-touted “gourmet” restaurants a long long time ago. Not that I’ve got anything against great cooks, but the phrase is all too often grossly misapplied and my heart sinks whenever I hear it. Even when the food really is good, the whole pretentious paraphernalia that surrounds so-called ‘fine dining’ makes the experience well worth avoiding. All too often though, it’s an excuse for overpriced over-complex dishes comprising none-too fresh ingredients, over or undercooked as often as not, for which you may wait the better part of an hour all served up by ignorant or pretentious staff in an atmosphere of risible reverence. What makes it even funnier are the number of apparently intelligent people who buy into this nonsense. Rain forests are cut down to cater to the foodies need to be at the cutting edge of the culinary experience, and don’t even get me started on the utter rubbish spouted when it comes to wine. Some folks wouldn’t know their Alsace from their elbow if it got up and bit them.
Almost as depressing is what can pass for healthy food. Given that the ingredients are both healthy and fresh, a big assumption, doesn’t mean it has to be so plain that it becomes a jaw-numbing punishment to eat. Real food should be a pleasure, and 40% raw food in a diet is more than enough for most folks. Does macrobiotic really have to mean dreary, tasteless overcooked slop? I don’t think so.
Given such views, you might think I’m prone to complaining when I eat out. You’d be dead wrong. I’ve read my Orwell. Whether it’s the Georges V or Joe’s caff I keep my views to myself. I never complain. I either leave, if it’s early enough to do so without a fighting exit, or make the best of things, never to return.
So what do I like? Above all, I like fresh. Fresh food simply cooked on the spot. You can always tell if the food is fresh or the wine any good, because it’s an instant pleasure to eat or drink and.... you want to smile!
If that doesn’t happen, it means the food is not fresh, it’s low quality or been cooked to death, or else you’ve forgotten or never knew what real food tastes like. I like cafés to be relaxed, well-run with good food and pleasant ambience. If they play music it should blend with the place, neither repetitive nor obtrusive. They should provide reading material. Within reason, I like to eat what I like, when I like. If the food is meant to be hot, then that’s how I want it and I reckon 20 minutes is long enough to wait for a main dish. I also want the kitchen staff to observe high levels of personal hygiene when preparing/serving food. I’ve got a cast iron stomach but there are some places, which meet my criteria in all other respects, but I’ve got sick there once too often to go back.
As a simple fellow with simple tastes, not given to unreasonable expectation, you might think my needs are easily satisfied. Alas, it is not so. Even here in Bali where it’s easier than most places to get wonderfully fresh ingredients, particularly veggies, I can number such places on the fingers of one hand. It would seem then, it’s harder to run a decent café than yer actual gormay number.
I am therefore more delighted that I can welcome a new member to this select bunch with the opening last week of deLicious, located on Jalan Uluwatu just past the InterCon and opposite the Paul Ropp shop. As the name implies the new venture is brought to us by that stylish and innovative couple Sue Kilminster and Carlo Forzinetti, who have put Bali on the map when it comes to decorative and architectural lighting here and around the world with their company deLighting, established here in 1995. The new café adjoins their existing Jimbaran showroom, which in addition to lighting has been extended to become a lifestyle gallery with paintings by Balinese and Bali-based artists, very creative and one-of-a-kind jewellery by Moja, books on Bali and related subjects from Saritaksu and all manner of imaginative paper and packaging products from Kali.
The gallery and café space with sitting out area and garden protected from the busy road all combine to provide a most appealing and relaxing ambience, perfect to enjoy an al fresco dinner, quiet drink or just hang out. Carlo and Sue’s vision for the re-design and extension was put into effect with the help of Bali-based architect Franco Bendinelli, Professor of Architecture at Melbourne University. “A great team contributor. We couldn’t have realised what we wanted, a functional space with a limited budget without him. It also helped he had a great sense of humour”, says Carlo. While the whole space has a rustic Italian feel to it, in fact most of the décor is Bali-inspired. It’s a combination that works well. In addition to great lighting, as you’d expect, the public space is supported by a series of magnificent terracotta lotus columns.
The café provides a delightful and much needed resting spot, an oasis for busy traveller’s in the area. Here you can kick back and nourish both body and spirit.
In charge of the kitchen is Arlyn Landi, an experienced chef from Hollywood, who has gathered together herbs and cuisine from around the world to create healthy organic and nourishing food that ‘s a real pleasure to eat. She conjures up Mediterranean, Asian and Japanese dishes vegetarian and non-vegetarian with fresh organic vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, along with imported meats. What Arlyn’s food is not, is ‘fusion’, a word I’ve come to dread when applied to food (sweet teriyaki sauce, anyone?). At deLicious if you order an Italian dish, it’s Italian. If it’s Asian, it’s Asian. There’s no confusion here, it’s the real thing.
“People travel so much today and are used to the most diverse dining experiences”, says Sue. “Our own experience as travellers influenced the direction of Arlyn’s menu towards what’s for us the simplest and the best from our favourite regional cuisines, Italian, Japanese, with touches of Thai, Middle East and of course Indonesian. We don’t fuse dishes”, she says firmly. Amen to that!
Prices are very reasonable and portions generous. Brunch dishes run Rp. 22-Rp. 46K, appetisers Rp. 30-Rp. 40K, main salads c. Rp. 40K, pastas Rp. 46-Rp. 48K, and desserts Rp20 to 30K. There’s also an excellent take away service and casual food menu from 11.00 am to 11.00 pm for late breakfast and brunch serving Lavazza coffees and cuppuccinos, teas, scones for snacks in the garden with foccace italiene, prosciuttos and Mediterranean take away bento boxes and picnic hampers made up for excursions.
Plus there’s a great bar serving superb cocktails, not to mention long drinks with fresh juices. For the seriously healthy minded and new agey, who take their alcohol by way of Bach remedies, the bar rustles up some deliciously refreshing and restorative long drinks. Jalan Uluwatu is quite narrow and can be busy so it’s good to know that additional off-street parking is available 40 yards away and the café is so designed that you are far removed from the noise and fumes.
For those wanting to check out Carlo and Sue’s lighting business, in addition to the lifestyle gallery in Jalan Uluwatu they have three other concept galleries with another about to open. They are: deLighting Oberoi: The Art of Illumination; deLighting Seminyak: Light , Harmony & Balinese Culture; deLighting Kunti, a lifestyle gallery. Along with projects here in Bali for top hotels, villas and venues like both Four Seasons, Bulgari, Grand Hyatt , Kayumanis, Villa Ahimsa, the Chedi Club, Ku de Ta, Spy Bar and numerous others, they also do major overseas hotel and resort projects in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas, throughout S.E.Asia, the South Pacific, in Europe and the US.
The space at deLicious is available as a venue and will be hosting many forthcoming special events including film nights and Arlyn will be giving cooking classes. That deLicious is going to be a conspicuous success is already very clear and deservedly so.
deLicious is located at deLighting Jimbaran Design & Lifestyle Gallery, 99 Jl. Uluwatu. Tel: 703 162 for reservations;
e.mail dLjimbaran@de-Lighting.com
