from bali with love

TRADITIONAL INDONESIAN CUISINE SERVED IN THE HEART OF WOLLONGONG – JULIANA MITRY’S BALINESE SPICE MAGIC TRANSPORTS DINERS TO THE TINY ISLAND LOVED BY MANY

Words Stefan Posthuma Images Stefan Posthuma; Tess Godkin Photography 130 Keira St, Wollongong NSW 2500

Authentic Indonesian cuisine can be hard to come by. The number of Indo eateries in Australia pales in comparison to the abundance of Thai, Chinese and Viet restaurants that pervade the urban dining precincts of most of our cities. Rarer still is to find a place that specialises in traditional Balinese cuisine. So, it may come as a surprise to find that one of the most authentic and delicious offerings of Balinese food anywhere, is right in the heart of Wollongong.

The creation of Bali-born Juliana Mitry, Balinese Spice Magic is a heart-on-the-sleeve kind of place, where powerful flavours are front and centre, unapologetically leaving sweat on the brows of a diverse crowd of lively patrons who return for the range of traditional Balinese dishes served with fiery sambals and exotic combinations of herbs and spices. At the heart of the Balinese Spice Magic menu is traditional spices like fresh turmeric, white galangal, candlenut, and chilli, which Jules first scorches then grinds on her ulekan and cobek (Balinese mortar and pestle) to create aromatic flavour bases that bring the menu its distinctly Balinese palette. Like traditional Balinese music, the flavours here are an eclectic symphony of notes and rhythms. An audacious concoction of texture and spice that hits the tastebuds in a bold but harmonious crescendo.

Vegan-friendly options abound on the Balinese Spice Magic menu, with an array of unique tempehs that Jules makes in-house. The vegan section sees dishes like lawar chickpea tempeh and edamame tossed in shallots, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chillies and roasted coconut, and the vegan nasi campur combo served with tofu curry, sweet and spicy tempeh lalah manis, steamed spiced vegetables and coconut sambal sing with fragrance and texture. Carnivores can expect rich Balinese satay, spiced pepes ayam chicken steamed in banana leaf, babi guling roasted pork or the meat version of the nasi campur mixed plate, served with beef rendang, spiced chicken sugar cane sticks and a hot bowl of soto ayam chicken soup. Food at Balinese Spice Magic is as ethereal as it is authentic, transporting diners to the small island familiar to so many, and leaving them with the obvious question – “how did this place end up here?”

To best understand the restaurant, and the food, we must first understand the woman behind it. Juliana grew up in Baturiti – a small farming village in the mountains of central Bali, known for its cool climate and production of vegetables, tofus and tempehs, which formed the bulk of her childhood diet. As a kid, Jules was inquisitive, constantly questioning her mother about what was being ground in the ulekan and cobek or tossed in the wok. A strong and independent dreamer, Jules always aspired to do something extraordinary – seemingly a challenge for a young girl from a small community in central Bali. But as fortune had it, an opportunity came at the age of 15, when an Australian family sponsored her to move to Australia.

A determined young woman beginning a new life in the Illawarra, she studied hospitality management at TAFE then a business administration degree at Wollongong University. Despite doing all the right things for a career in hospitality, Jules never envisaged owning a restaurant.The decision to open Balinese Spice Magic was more a matter of happenstance than a best-laid plan. After working at the university for five years, the perpetual dreamer began a stall at the Coledale Markets, selling clothes she’d make with a group of friends. Under-stocked one week, Jules decided to make some Balinese sweets to fill the gap – and what began as a way to fill some space slowly grew into something more, with Jules preparing traditional Balinese dishes from surplus produce she and her husband, Will, grew in their garden.

It wasn’t long until the stall shifted entirely from fashion to food. With Jules and Will enlisting the help of their friends to help chop onions and prepare spices for the fledgling business that was the Balinese Spice Magic market stall.The stall’s range expanded beyond Coledale, and so too did its audience, with patron’s asking: “When are you opening a restaurant,” with increasing regularity. In true Jules fashion, she plucked the number 2014 from thin air and so began the journey toward the restaurant. After inspecting a few different sites, the location was settled and Balinese Spice Magic made its home on the bustling Keira Street food strip.

Once Jules settled into the new space, the process of spreading the word and gathering support for the new venture came not through any strategy of advertising or social media, but rather via Jules’s natural inclination to support local businesses and develop a community of growers to provide the array of herbs and spices she needed to build her menu. Essentials like banana leaves, fresh turmeric, chilli and galangal were sourced from members of the local community, with new growers quickly spreading the word about the new Balinese joint in town. Word travelled fast amongst growers and in turn, the Wollongong community – who welcomed flavours reminiscent of the Seminyak streets, Jimbaran warungs or the Baturiti hillscape.

After raising a family, and continuing to build the restaurant, Juliana Mitry is showing no signs of slowing down. She’s moved Balinese Spice Magic forward with catering, regular cooking classes, donations to food relief initiatives and the commercial production of tempeh under the label Tempeh Temple (sold exclusively at Flame Tree Co-op in Thirroul). For Jules, food is more than the meal. Food is healing, spirit, family, friendship and community. It’s a reason to gather and a way to show the people around you that you’re thinking about them and that you care. A necessity and a luxury, a need and a privilege, something to be respected and revered… maybe something just a little magic.