Most people start at the bottom and build up. The incredible
Hanging Gardens started at the top and built down! After crossing
the Ayung River at Buahan, just north of Payangan, on the
main Ubud to Kintamani road, you climb to the top of the mountain
and arrive at the foyer entrance of the Ubud Hanging Gardens.
Your travel down from the foyer, between levels, via Bali’s
own funicular, well in fact there are two of them at Hanging
Gardens. The 1st one takes you silently down from the lobby
to the main fine dining restaurant, Beduur, and the 2nd from
that level down to the base of the resort [still well above
the rapids of the Ayung] where the Ayung Spa and the Diatas
Pohon French Café are both located.
Due to the constant demand from in-house guests and day- trippers,
the same lunch menu is now available at either the Café
itself or back up on the open terrace of Beduur. The choice
of nourishment can vary from the extremely healthy [particularly
if you have just come from a Spa Package] to the extremely
wicked! And all levels in between.
New French Executive Chef, Renaud Le Rasle, has certainly
wasted no time in making his mark on the cuisine now served
at Hanging Gardens. It could be generally categorized as Modern
International. Whilst he always takes advantage of the best
local ingredients, the food never looses its French touch.
For me the perfect lunch is one that is relatively small yet
very tasty. If you agree with me then ask for the Chef’s
Special Tasting Platter. Four selections of the day depending
on the chef’s degree of inspiration, in small but adequate
portions, are spread across an oblong tray. On a recent visit
it included a mini portion of ‘Balung’, a Balinese
style soup with baby pork ribs, crunchy cubes of young papaya,
whole Asian mushrooms, glass noodles and spinach leaves. At
the other end of the tray was a long thin crisp Duck Spring
Roll, resting on a bowl of that wonderful, gooey, Chinese
Hoisin sauce.
In the centre was a portion of Crab Salad that had been wrapped
in fresh rice paper and cross-sliced, resting on a thick,
sweet yet tangy, mango and papaya chutney. If that was not
enough of a taste sensation there were also three medallions
cut from a roll of thin eggplant stuffed with sushi rice wrapped
around pieces of tender lamb.
My kind of lunch!
If you are combining a healthy luncheon with a visit to the
Ayung Spa, adjacent to the Diatas Pohon French Café
then start with a Carrot and Ginger Juice, followed by the
aforementioned Rice Paper Crab Salad, Grilled Fish and finish
with Minestrone Fruit Exotique.
Other options abound, from the light to the substantial. A
Tartar of Tasmanian Salmon is served on a fresh Crostini,
with a salad of bibb lettuce, upland cress and curry oil.
The simple Club Sandwich is not so simple, being stuffed with
tender chunks of chicken breast and their Tartine de Pain
de Campagne consists of grilled Sourdough Bread, a tomato
confit, Portobello mushrooms, smoked ham, mozzarella and a
Thai basil aioli. If ravenous in the mountain air then try
a Grill. You can have Jumbo King Prawns [with a Thai basil
pesto], Fresh Fish [a garlic soya sauce] or prime Rib-Eye
Steak [with that special French sauce Bernaise, of course].
No doubt a lunch at Hanging Gardens will only whet your appetite
for a quick return to sample chef’s fine dining dinner
offerings at Beduur, which are amongst the most exotic available
in Bali. An entrée, Duo de Foie Gras de Canard, is
but a mouth-watering example of what he offers. Grilled Foie
Gras and beets napoleon is combined with plum sake scented
ballotine of Foie Gras.
Risotto de Canard Confit is a confit of Peking Duck combined
with the Italian inspired risotto. A Pork Belly confit from
a suckling pig is caramelized with honey ramboutan and served
with a stuffed baby calamari and a Chinese style pumpkin sausage.
Carre d’Agneau d’Australie is a rack of lamb with
lemongrass, combined with a braised lamb shank maki roll with
eggplant, confit of tomato and caramelized mango. An Asian
Fusion creation if ever there was one!
The service is quietly efficient, and knowledgeable, the wine
list representative and fairly priced for a luxury hotel.
The luncheon feasts are enjoyed whilst gazing out over the
river valley of the sacred Ayung River. A more peaceful location
it would be impossible to imagine. Bali at its best!
QUICK REVIEW
Restaurant : Diatas Pohon
Address : Ubud Hanging Gardens,
Buahan, Payangan,
Ubud.
Telephone : 982.700
Open : 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., daily
Parking : Secure parking. inside hotel grounds.
Price : Rp. 600,000 for two [+ drinks]
Credit Cards : All major cards.
Food : French/International
Wine : Representative list
Service : Quietly efficient
Atmosphere : Peace in the valley
Overall : Magic location for that special lunch
Reviews that appear in Bali Advertiser are based on actual
visits to the establishments listed, without the knowledge
of the restaurants, and are not paid for by the individual
restaurants.
Opinions expressed here are those of Gerry Williams and not
necessarily those of Bali Advertiser. Gerry Williams attempts
to write from a ‘typical’ diner’s perspective
and whilst quality of food is the most important criteria
overall, value for money is the real measuring stick.
