TRAVEL BUSINESS

Before we start, let’s get a few things straight. I’m no food connoisseur. I’m no Gordon Ramsay, I’m no MasterChef and I’m certainly not a pretentious ‘fine diner’ that’ll only eat if the food sits proudly at the centre of an oversized plate. But I do like a good feed and often base my travel plans around this daily activity.

However, the older I get the closer I drift towards favouring a meal of better quality - and perhaps just a few festive seasons away from this ‘pretentious fine diner’ title. Fortunately, one of my favourite holiday destinations, Bali, has mirrored my gastronomical journey.

No, I’m not kidding. While the Kuta circus keeps attracting mass after mass of Australians fuelled by street-meat and cheap Indonesian rice wine, a clientele that is happy to forgo the economical advantages of Kuta for a more comfortable holiday has emerged.

Seminyak’s dining is centred around Jalan Laksmana, often referred to as Eat Street.  It’s really not a lot different to most of Bali’s other streets; it’s not neat, the footpath is uneven, the ever-present scooters still line the street and you could even argue it still has that feel of seediness that is so familiar to a lot of the Asian tourist hubs.

The dining options, however, are certainly not the same. Say goodbye to Nasi Goreng and hello to Black Truffle Risotto, Beef Rendang Envelopes and Soft Shell Crab.

For our first night we chose the impressively modern and highly regarded Chandi (www.chandibali.com). We waltzed in at around 7pm, and were greeted to a fairly empty restaurant, so assumed we’d have the pick of the best tables. However, we then became aware that reservations were the norm and chose the best spot out of the last two tables available.

We emerged 90 minutes later with a belly full of Spicy Tenderloin Lettuce Cups, Black Pepper Crab Dumplings with Sugar Snap Peas in a Soy Butter Cardamom Vinaigrette, Lemongrass Steamed Red Snapper and Grilled Sliced Tenderloin with Herbed Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Soy Galangal Broth. Satisfied, surprised, and an angle for my article.

So for the next week we sampled everything from ‘Duck Breast with Caramelized Nuts, Crispy Pastillas, Spinach, Braising Turnip & Orange Sauce’ (The Living Room) to homemade Bircher Muesli (Bali Bakery),  pasta dishes at La Trattoria,  to Club Sandwiches and fish and chips at the famous Gado Gado (which by the way, is now undergoing a major renovation).

However, for every restaurant we happily waddled out of, there were five others that we didn’t get a chance to sample.

The Pick for me was undoubtedly The Living Room restaurant - just a few hundred metres from Jalan Laksmana.

Favourite travel destination either local or overseas?  I know there are a lot of better places in the world, but I keep going back to Bali because it’s close, easy and fun.

And where would you like to go next and why? Italy. I would love to do the Cinque Terre walk. Cooling off in the Med and filling up with red wine and pasta during the night.

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