I am always looking for places I can escape to, not always easy in a tourist haven like Bali. It must be air-conditioned with any music being just background, but still of the right selection. Service must be friendly, yet efficient, ready to talk if you want to but not interrogative if you do not wish. The food must be interesting and different, taste of paramount importance. Top coffee a must! Cost almost immaterial as long as it still represents value!
My little slice of Heaven!
Not easy to find, but I have a few secreted away, across our magical island. Now amongst the aggression of Kerobokan and Eat Street, a newcomer that fits that bill! Mezzo is its name, and a strange one at that. Mezzo is Italian for middle or medium but there is not medium about this place, except for the prices!
On the site of the old Woodstock, which achieved little in its short life, Mezzo has taken a little while to establish itself. Early teething problems have been corrected by the very astute Austrian management, and their original ideal has now been reached.
At front, a super cool room in black and white. Out back a garden courtyard for relaxed evening dining. Mezzo is that sort of place that you can drop into at any time; breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in between snacks or that perfect coffee. If you have to keep on working, then bring your laptop and use the free Wi-Fi.
As the Austrian owner has spent many years in London, Mezzo offers an ‘English’ Breakfast that really is English. Eggs, bacon, ham, grilled sausages, baked beans, tomato and mushrooms with wholemeal toast, all for Rp. 34,000+. International alternatives are Buttermilk Pancakes, Muesli and Fruits, Bagels and Cream Cheese or Omelettes of every variety.
The appetizers are quite amazing. All are presented well and provide a taste that surprises. The Char Grilled Scallops actually sit in Portobello mushrooms with the smallest dab of pesto on top [so as not to overpower the other ingredients], the overall taste is a mouthful to savour. The Vietnamese Rice Paper Roll is wet rice paper rolled around vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and carrots, prawns and coriander.
The Mezzo Surprise is just that! Asparagus spears grilled then combined with ham in a spicy sauce. An even bigger surprise is the Mallakof. It is an Austrian adaption of the original Russian layered cake of that name. Sandwich quarters of cheese and honey mustard are deep fried in a sweet batter. Simple, but wonderful! Try to stop eating this one!
The Thai Fish Cakes are more like Indonesian ones but still OK, though a bit dry. Use all of the accompanying lime to soften and then submerge in the dip of fish sauce with finely chopped coriander and chilli. Salty and fishy, with a tang! The Tuna Spring Rolls are light and crisp, all four of them, stuffed with tuna and watercress and served with a Thai sweet chilli sauce. Soups offer most of the usual plus a Mushroom Cappuccino which is served with a tapenade bruschetta, whilst the Sweet Corn Soup comes with a corn cake. That Bali standard, the Thai Tom Yum Goong, like most things at Mezzo, is just that bit better than what you get elsewhere. It is a rich hot and sour broth with large prawns sitting up like statues.
Salads are unusual and make an excellent lunch. Crisp bacon is combined with baby spinach and parmesan honey, a Greek Salad is combined with pieces of lamb and balsamico, from Thailand a Green Mango salad with that slightly hot and sour tang and for the meat eaters a Chorizo Salad. Burgers [beef or chicken] and traditional pasta dishes are on the menu for that sudden attack of the munchies from the lone traveler. Not a bad burger either, the Special Burger! It is a beef one, with cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles.
The mains are relatively standard, except for the quality and low cost [nothing over Rp.50,000+]. Fish is either Ahi Tuna, lightly grilled, with couscous in a white wine sauce, or Butterfish with pesto. Prawns come on a skewer with the unusual combination of Thai Jasmine rice, kidney beans, fried tofu and an oyster sauce. Steaks are Tenderloin or Rib Eye, perfectly grilled, whilst the Chicken Breast is stuffed with spinach, then wrapped in bacon and served with an apple sauce.
For that Asian taste there is a Pad Thai, those Thai pan-fried noodles tossed with prawns, cashew nuts, bean sprouts and dried chilli. Khao-Pad Supprarod is Thai fried rice with cashews, pineapple, raisins and prawns, served in a half pineapple. Every café must have a Nasi Goreng and at Mezzo it is a Kampung Nelayan version, with quail eggs and mixed seafood.
Desserts include a Chocolate Cake with strawberry and vanilla ice cream topped with a Kahlua sauce. The Coupe Romanoff is sliced strawberries mixed with yoghurt and Cointreau syrup. The most amazing thing about the food here is that just about everything tastes that little bit different and better than you expect. The surprises are all good ones.
The wine list is still small, but growing rapidly as the import situation eases. Prices are amazingly low. Coffee is one of the main attractions at Mezzo, a quality espresso machine produces either an Italian or Ethiopian blend [a much more pungent taste for the real coffee addicts] in all the usual styles.
Service is friendly but relaxed, which is what you always feel when you arrive. A real home away from home, a little slice of heaven!
QUICK REVIEW
Restaurant : Mezzo
Address : Jln. Laksmana 56,
Kerobokan
Telephone : 313.1777
Open : 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 midnight, daily.
Parking : Street only.
Price : Rp. 240.000 for two [+ drinks]
Credit Cards : Visa, Mastercard.
Internet : Free wi-fi
Food : International.
Wine : Small list, growing.
Service : Relaxed, yet efficient.
Atmosphere : Cool!
Overall : A place to relax and enjoy.
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 William 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.
