Clare Danby works her way through an exotic culinary blend of east and west known as ‘fusion’ foods, as prepared in some of the most creative kitchens in Bali...

    ‘Fusion’ is one of those current foodie buzzwords. A way of preparing food, it happens in the world’s most exciting kitchens, well doesn’t it? I’ve heard it, I’ve read about it, I’ve eaten it, but - what exactly is it? And, more importantly, what form does it take here in Bali?

The usual definition, according to Jeff Weinstein in ‘The Art of Fusion’, is “cooking that combines ingredients from dramatically dissimilar cuisines or cultures”. But haven’t foods from different cultures been fusing all along? After all, pasta and tomato sauce is a very familiar combination, yet Marco Polo originally carried noodles to Italy from the East and the tomato was an American export to Europe.
    The early roots of fusion are buried in the 1970s when French trained Japanese chefs “began to flirt with recipe intermarriage”. Innovative restaurants, particularly in the United States and Australia, saw that western appetites were developing as a result of travel to far off places. Palates were becoming increasingly ‘nomadic’ and open to cultural splicing. The combinations that resulted shocked with their audacity. A famous example is the smoked salmon and caviar pizza! This fusion seems to be a result of late 20th Century Chef creativity.
    I was very eager to taste and hear about Bali’s interpretation of this international trend, and was delighted to have the opportunity to chat to the experts at Sanur’s Jazz Bar & Grille, Ubud’s Ary’s Warung and the restaurant at Bali Bird Park.

Jazz Bar and Grille
    Plenty of parking, a pale pink façade, and air conditioning set the scene. At The Jazz Bar and Grille you could be anywhere in the world. Claiming to offer an International standard of entertainment, food and service, Fuji, the restaurant’s manager, explained that this “could be anywhere” feeling is exactly their aim. With live music including jazz, top 40s, blues and latin on offer 7 nights a week, the Jazz Bar and Grille is a small and intimate club too.
The décor is international, with hints of Bali evident in the plentiful wood, bamboo-like pillars, and colour choices. There are intimate booths lining the walls on both the bar and upstairs dining floor, which is reached by way of an elegant, sweeping, verdigris staircase. Fuji told me that the idea was to promote a clubby atmosphere through the upstairs pool table, cityscape trompe d’oeil, leather chairs, and special glass-fronted lockers, in which regular customers can keep their special bottles of rare spirits... and other customers can covet them!)
    Open from 8 am to 1.30 am, breakfast, lunch and evening meals are available here, all boasting generous portions and swift service. I absorbed the breakfast menu content and resolved to go back. The menu includes French toast, pancakes and a huge variety of omelettes. Fruit juice is recommended as is the coffee, as the restaurant’s owner, Pak Wirawan, is involved with Bhineka Jaya (Bali Coffee), so beans are specially roasted for the restaurant.
    

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Top : Stuffed Lobster at Jazz Bar and Grille
Below: Diners enjoy a selection of fusion flavours at Ary's Warung

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