Sister Restaurants in Ubud: Bali

I try and spend a reasonable amount of time in Bali when I can and it’s not because of the maddening tourism scene. I like the ambience of the island, its culture and its spectacular scenery as well as the beautiful people.

One thing I do enjoy and that is going out and trying new restaurants and warungs when I can. Ubud is an expat cosmopolitan village with some great restaurants. Trisha Sertori explains about two sister restaurants in Ubud that are putting art into their cuisine:

Sister restaurants Lamak and Warung Enak of Ubud seem as different as chalk and cheese, but scratch the surface and their common parentage becomes obvious.

Meticulously managed by German-born international chef Roland Lickert, the decor of both restaurants is the brain child of designer, landscape architect and writer Made Wijaya. His whimsical approach to Warung Enak has given this younger sister a Javanese pop art flavor while big sister Lamak is New York steel sculpture chic.

German-Indonesian sculptor Pintor Sirait’s dramatic pieces, with their lamak Hindu offering elements in paper-art style, dominate Lamak’s architecture in mounted relief and free-standing sculptures, the bar and heavy steel bathroom doors. It is quite simply fine art in steel decor.

The search for perfection in the art of cuisine is the corner stone of Lamak’s philosophy, with a menu based on the fusion of classic Cordon Bleu cooking with an Asian touch. It is also the fusion of technical brilliance, creativity and a passion for the science of cooking and dining.

“It’s fusion, not confusion,” quipped Lickert.

According to him, this technical brilliance applies even to partaking of beverages, so the restaurant has 30 differently shaped glasses, each serving a particular function in the way drinks are imbibed.

How the palate receives flavors is also explored in the dishes. An example of this aspect of cuisine design is the Coconut Cake on Pineapple Mango Compote Topped with Chili Sorbet. Each of the flavors and textures comprising this dessert address different parts of the palate in an almost orchestral combination. The chili sorbet prepares the palate with its slightly woody flavor, the coconut cake balances the chili while the pineapple gives zest and texture and the mango a rich sweetness.

The Baked Snail in Caf‚ de Paris butter is a must-try. Lickert said he discovered the recipe 40 years ago, developed it, and believes it is one of those little gems that belong on a menu.

Served with dipping bread, the melted butter is alive with Pernod and tarragon, and the snails absorb these flavors to release them across the palate.

Seared Scallops on Green Tea Noodles and Sambal Cream is also superb; visually gorgeous with the lightly grilled scallops resting on the orange sauce, the noodles provide the central color to the plate. But eating it is even better. The scallops are moist and sweet, the noodles echoing the texture perfectly, and the sambal cream gives these light flavors an energy that is sublime. A Chili Vodka Martini goes very nicely with the scallops.

If you prefer beef, try the Carpaccio of Beef with Arugula Pesto and Shaved Pecorino Cheese, thinly sliced, tender and full flavored. Again cuisine design is at work in the mix of texture and flavors. Caramelized walnuts give a sweet crunch, and the pesto and cheese give bite.

Lamak’s main coarse menu is a fine mix of seafood, chicken, beef, lamb and vegetarian dishes. One rich dish is the Lamb Rack Cutlets Brushed with Hunan Sauce, Sauteed Wing Beans and Apricot Salsa. The Hunan sauce heightens the lamb’s innate flavors, enriching each delicious mouthful; the beans are perfection, lightly blanched and retaining just enough crunch with plenty of flavor.

Lickert deliberately leaves the fat on the lamb cutlets, adding much flavor to the meat. Diners can choose to trim off the fat, but that would be a mistake. This section of the cutlet houses all the richness of the sauces and the meat itself, quite wondrous on the tongue and further evidence that Lamak’s kitchen is under the hands of a culinary master.

In true family tradition, Lamak’s younger sister Warung Enak applies these same culinary disciplines, but to traditional Indonesian cuisine, which Lickert says is sorely undervalued in global gastronomy.

Its interior follows the archipelagic theme, with Sirait’s sculptural forms in the curly beam braces, Javanese inspired steel screens and again in heavy steel bathroom doors.

There is also a dash of monkey-magic cheek at Warung Enak, with sculpted monkeys in bikinis, hats and sunglasses relaxing in true simian fashion throughout the restaurant, delighting upon entry.

Massive 1960s Indonesian posters form the walls, classic Dutch wrought-iron lamps are given a new lease on life with their lollipop-colored shades, and the mosaic floor, high ceilings and three-level design evoke the old warung cafes of Java, right down to the dominantly blue and white ceiling, beams and balustrades.

This is a fabulously relaxing space. Sitting on the terrace, sipping on a Red Rice Brem Sun-downer as the sky turns purple, orange then ink-blue over rice fields and palm trees, is the perfect introduction to the restaurant’s archipelagic menu that has diners on a chef’s tour of Indonesian warung cuisine.

Like traveling through the country, jumping a plane for a quick jaunt or taking the train, bus or ferry for a slower meander, so it is with the menu, which Lickert says took a year to research and another year to create.

Take the culinary plane to discover all the spices of the nation’s cultures in one sitting with the Rijsttafel. Traditionally, Rijsttafel is a marathon meal in which 40 different dishes are served over several hours.

Warung Enak has devised an archipelago-wide Rijsttafel so diners can begin their meal in Sunda, West Java, with spiced fruit salad Seulinca or in Bali with Tom Yum soup. From there its East Java for the famed Rawon soup of beef cubes in a black nut broth.

A choice of five gastronomic island discoveries are on offer in the main course, with Sulawesi‘s Cah Kang Kung or Sumatra‘s spicy beef stew Pengek Sapi. If you prefer the blue waters and mountains of Lombok, the classic Sasak dish of Ayam Taliwang (grilled spring chicken) will have your taste buds winging their way to the island’s white sand beaches from the first bite.

Head to Kalimantan for a dessert of Pudding Kelapa Muda, young coconut pudding served on pandan leaves with vanilla sauce, or slip into Central Java for Prol Tape (fermented rice and cassava).

Adventurous food travelers can develop their own gastronomic itinerary across the archipelago. We started with the Panada from Manado, an egg dough wrapped around spicy tuna rillettes, and to Pontianak for Misoa soup, a wonderfully light, clear vegetable soup with rice vermicelli and tofu.

Next stop was Palembang in South Sumatra for its specialty, Empek-Empek, delicious egg-filled fried fish dumplings floating in a sour palm sugar and dried shrimp sauce. We also enjoyed the Sumatran delicacy, Buntil Ayam, sticky rice stuffed with minced chicken, coconut milk, ginger and garlic — light yet flavorful, the rice’s silky finish offset by the slightly more coarse minced chicken.

Head north to Medan for Tumis Sapi Dan Sayuran (stir-fry beef with green chili, baby corn and tomato), a delicious discovery of the region’s Chinese influences.

No classic Indonesian meal is complete without satay, and Warung Enak’s Sate Campur (mixed sate) is excellent, featuring Balinese fish sate wrapped around lemongrass, Padang-style spicy beef sate, duck and chicken sate sticks. The meats and fish are so richly marinated no accompaniment is needed.

Kalimantan’s Kue Lumpur (sultanas and young coconut pancake) was a mouth-watering finish to a fabulous all-Indonesia meal very nicely accompanied by the best brem (rice wine) in town.

Price guide:

Lamak: The restaurant has lunch and dinner menus, with lunches from Rp 24,000-75,000; dinner starts Rp 30,000 for entrees and up to Rp 245,000 for main courses, at an average of Rp 90,000. Five-course Chef’s Tasting Menu is Rp 235,000.

Warung Enak: Dishes start at Rp 16,000 for entrees and mains up to Rp 90,000 (average Rp 50,000). The four-course Rijsttafel is Rp 150,000.

Lamak, Monkey Forest Road, Ubud. (0361) 974668; Warung Enak, Pengosekan Road, Ubud. (0361) 972911. www.lalakbali.com