Aug/Sept, 1998
No. 036/VI/98
Young Guns
Bali's Generation X speak out
Bali-Sumbawa Surfari
Gone Surfin",
by boat
Gallery
Imagining the Soul
Health and Beauty
Which Doctor?
Something Fishy
Fiction
Womb by Cok Sawitri
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There
is something inherently luxurious about a repast of seafood. The curve of a lobster tail,
the prissy pink of prawns and the erotic suckers of octopus never fail to tempt.
“Getting this assignment was like winning a gustatory sweepstakes,” reveled
Melody Kemp after reviewing a selection of Bali’s seafood restaurants below.
PANTAREI
I had only to close my eyes and smell the
oregano to be transported back to Greece. Ios in the early 70s was a paradise of tiny
pensions and tavernas right on the quay, where could spot the fish one was about to eat
being carried straight off the boats. That’s before it was discovered by loud
Manchester United and Collingwood fans.
Pygmalion
Diakudis is the impish chef at the Pantarei. He had prepared some classic Greek dishes for
us: taramasalata, octopus salad, stuffed potatoes and a Greek salad to start.
Unlike the vulgar orange mash usually passed off as taramasalata, this was one of
the best I have tasted. It was not only a glossy cream in colour, but creamy also in
consistency and subtly rich in flavour. Do not miss this dish. The octopus was bathed in
olive oil and peppers, lightly dusted with garlic and tender as a baby’s bottom. A
squeeze of lemon would have added some piquancy.
The potatoes were fabulous. The zing of dill infected the spinach and cheese stuffing, and a whiff of garlic added to the depth of flavour. The Greek salad turned out to be a barometer of these troubled economic times. The increasingly rare feta was sliced with the trouble one usually reserves for truffles. Later four more slices appeared, slipped into coats of olive oil and dusted with oregano. The feta was made from goat’s milk and is deserving of the reverence one has for communion wafers: it too comes from the gods.
While waiting for the arrival of the main courses, I had a chance to take in the decor. Terra cotta and warm timbers lent a welcoming atmosphere and impressive entrance. The restaurant, designed by Italian architect Giovanni D’Abbroggio, is lit with muted lamps, and candles are reflected in multiple mirrors. But there is nothing smoke and mirrors about the food - Pygmalion insists on freshness and taste. We talked about the difficulty of finding produce in these times of krisis moneter. “Even in normal times it is hard to find regular supplies of cuttle fish and octopus, but things are now so much worse,” he complained. The drop in the rupiah has discouraged agents from importing goods and he has had to rely on friends returning from Greece to bring in herbs and cheese.
The
main courses were delivered by the quietly attentive staff. We had settled on seafood
kebabs after turning down an offer of spaghetti with lobster. They were served on plates
the size of cricket pitches. My partner had cuttle fish and I prawns. Each was served with
a delicious vegetable kebab. The cuttle fish was worryingly thick, but despite this,
succulent and certainly not as tough as it looked. To cook squid and cuttle fish
correctly, my Spanish ancestors advised me, requires less than thirty seconds or more than
three minutes cooking - more or less than that, and the results are like steel belted
radials. The prawns were sweet and cooked with restraint, but needed a dipping sauce of
lemon oil, garlic and maybe a hint of tarragon to lift the taste.
Pygmalion told us that tourists are often nervous about eating salads in Bali, because all the guide books boringly warn naive travelers to avoid all fresh vegetables and unpeeled fruit. He reassured us that at Pantarei all the vegetables are bathed and pampered in filtered water. My own antidote is to drink wine.
But enough chat and on with the food, To finish, Pygmalion produced an apple pie and lukuma, small puffs of light yeast-based dough fried until golden and dipped Greek-style, into warmed honey. The pie was packed with apples and cashew nuts - not exactly something you would associate with Greece but still luscious and rich. The lukuma, looking suspiciously like fried bananas, were in fact scrumptious.
Prices are mid-range and provide very good value for money. This is a place to woo a lover, enjoy a friendship or revive a marriage. Jalan Raya Seminyak No. 17. Tel. 081 139 6251.
Above:
1. Spaghetti Lobster from Pantarei
2. Assorted Plate with Small Bites from Pantarei
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