mozaic in ubud, bali.
i plan trips and vacations around food first, and when i started planning our honeymoon/anniversary* to bali, mozaic kept popping up over and over again as one of the best restaurants and fine dining experiences on the island. i made sure that on the night of our annivesary, we would be in ubud and made dinner reservations there shortly after i confirmed our sleeping situation.
when you first enter, you are brought into a lounge area to wait while your table is prepared. they bring you a small snack and give you the opportunity to order a cocktail and look over the menu (which is all tasting menus).
the dining room is actually outdoors and surrounded by trees, bamboo and other foliage. each table is individually lit by overhanging lights. the focus of the menu is to introduce the eater to native balinese ingredients, but within western cooking styles. each table is presented with a wooden platter of many of whole, raw ingredients being used and as each course is presented, the server points out the ingredient of interest in the dish, and encourages you to touch and smell the ingredient to gain familiarity with it.
after we ordered a bottle of j. moreau & fils 2007 rose d'anjou and had the amuse bouche, our plates started to arrive. we went with the eight course grand menu, and we were not disappointed. every dish that came out was a beautiful work of art in addition to being perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and absolutely delicious. it was an amazing dining experience in every way!
kecicang: seared indian ocean prawns, compressed radish, fresh torch ginger flower.
suna cekuh: confit coral trout, smoked corn puree, baby corn and aromatic ginger crumble.
kunyit: norwegian salmon confied in balinese 'basa gede' oil, lemon and tumeric reduction, spiced cauliflower and laksa leaf.
kluwek: breast, confit and foie gras of duck, sundanese 'kluwek', hazelnut and lemon.
jeruk bali: kintamani suckling pork, javanese pomelo puree, kailan, oyster mushroom.
nangka: australian lamb loin, young jackfruit puree, sauteed bok choy, rock spices, cardamom-infused demi-glace.
buah pala: fresh nutmeg pericarp sorbet, sauteed dried banana, grape, pear and sage balsamic reduction.
kemangi: fresh bedugul lemon basil mousse, tumeric root sorbet, red wine sechuan pepper reduction.
petit-fours.
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
* our trip to bali was technically for our second wedding annivesary, but having skipped the honeymoon when we got married due to financial constraints, this was a go-big-or-go-home trip that's been in the works for quite some time.
