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. In celebration of food and dining experiences . |
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Exploring and discovering new restaurants Dining and chilling out with my loved ones Baking and cooking over the weekends Sharing my love for food with others
Vanilla bean pods (one can never have enough) Valrhona Cocoa powder Valrhona chocolate Macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme Madelines mold Pretty cake stands (I only have one and only one) YUZU from Japan! (They taste great in almost anything) A food tour to Italy and France Opportunity to study at Le Cordon Bleu |
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Feast of love: Mosiac restaurant, Bali  Indoor lounge area, Mozaic When you mention Ubud, you would inevitably link it to Mozaic restaurant, the best in Bali and amongst the top restaurants in Southeast Asia. Mozaic is the brainchild of Chef Salons and it has received recognition by Traditions & Qualité as one of Les Grandes Tables du Monde (Great Tables of the World), the only Southeast Asian restaurant to be bestowed with such honour. True to its reputation, Mozaic delivers an inspiring dining experience with deft execution and infusing Balinese ingredients with modern French techniques. A step into Mozaic will surely bring you an awe-inspiring evening with personable Balinese touch, in a romantic garden dining pavillion. Mozaic holds lovely memories for me and my special someone. I am only too happy to have Mozaic encase more of such memories in our second trip there. The evening began with lovely warm bread- black rice roll. The bread rolls here are top class and I can finish plenty if not for the fact that I needed to save room for the 6-course dinner.  Black rice rollMy choice of menu was the Chef's tasting menu while J had the Discovery menu which was more Balinese inspired. My starter of the langoustine carpaccio was instantaneously refreshing. The infusion of vanilla and macadmia in the langostine was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. The dish worked its magic, contrasting with the crispy, spiced pepper crackers and refreshing herbs.  Fresh langoustine carpaccio The pan-seared ocean scallops that J had were just as lovely. Sweet and fresh ocean scallops with a crispy and slightly charred exterior go hand-in-hand with the spiced pumpkin sauce. My next course was another piece of art, culinary art that is. The pan-seared Tasmanian salmon fillet was served on a apple-ginger puree, apple gelee, tamarind reduction and crunchy apple salad. The salmon was done to perfection- the right doneness beneath the crispy seared surface. The apple-ginger puree made the dish very light and refreshing. The tamarind reduction hit the right notes complementing the apple puree and salad with its slight sourness and tartness.  Pan seared Tasmanian salmon fillet The foie gras course was the course that I was awaiting from the moment I set my eyes on the menu. It was one of the deciding factors that swayed me away from the Discovery menu. Foie Gras in 3-ways- the terrine with stone-fruits reduction, the char-grilled foie gras with a thick and rich cocoa sauce with cumquat sauce, smoked foie gras with jelly of liquorice and beetroot raspberry. With the advice from the service staff to savour the dish in the above order, I was relishing every single morsel. The saltiness of the terrine contrasted with the pure sweetness of the fruit reduction and chutney. The char-grilled foie gras was perfectly executed- a contrast of textures and flavours. The deep and rich cocoa sauce contrasted with the citrusy flavours from the cumquat sauce made this particular foie gras sing for me. Lastly, the smoked flavours of the foie gras was the strongest of all which explains why it had to be eaten last. Though not a fan of liquorice in any form, I thought that the jelly of liquorice and the beetroot raspberry was just the right touch for the rich smoky flavours.  Foie Gras in 3 ways With the first three courses ending off on such a high note, it's natural that my expectations would be as high, if not higher. The mains was one of my all-time favourite: the rack of lamb. The rack of lamb from Australia was seared and served with vanilla-coriander braised endives, jasmine balsamic reduction and guiness beer emulsion. The dish was a huge disappointment. The rack of lamb had a very gamey flavour which I dislike. It wasn't seared well-enough; the guiness beer emulsion just didn't work for me as I felt that it was too strong a flavour to go with the lamb. This is the second time the mains at Mozaic had disappointed me. I just can't figure out if I'm unlucky or if the chef at the meat station is failing.  Victoria rack of lamb On to desserts, I really enjoyed J's pre-dessert. It was a ginger-flower sorbet served with strawberries compote, lime leaf and black rice tuille. I'm in love of the ginger-flower as of now. Such refreshing flavours, well-balanced textures- a perfect dish that reflects Chef Salon's cooking philosophy.  Balinese Kecicang sorbet My pre-dessert was lovely as well. Fresh Coloummier cheese. a type of French brie served with truffle honey, mixed dried fruits and walnut pastilla. I enjoy the extra rich, creamy and nutty flavours that the Coloummier cheese offer unlike the rest of the brie family. Very nice and perfect with wine but a little too heavy for a pre-dessert, in my opinion.  Fresh Coloummier cheese My dessert was the unexpectedly boring chocolate lava cake. To be truthful, this is not what I expect from Mozaic. The chocolate used was good dark chocolate- Valrhona Guanaja, however, the lava cake was slightly overdone which cannot be forgiven. It was served bitter espresso granita which was a disastrous match in both texture and flavours. The espresso flavour was overpowering the taste of the chocolate. The texturers of the granita and choclate fondant just doesn't go. J's dessert was way better. A perfectly made phyllo pastry with a lovely passionfruit cream filling served with coconut sorbet, and milk agar agar. Now, this is a decent dessert that showcase Mozaic's use of local ingredients in creative ways.  Fresh passionfruit cream baked in phyllo pastry Despite a few slip ups, Mozaic reamins an unforgettable experience for J and I. It's almost as if the feast of sights, colours, sounds, and flavours are crafted just for us. To us, Mozaic is a feast in celebration of our love.  Mozaic
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Gianyar - Bali 80571 Indonesia Phone:+62 361 975768 reservations@mozaic-bali.com Reservations are an absolute must.
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