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fashion restaurants and villas | bali & southeast asian style
edition 10.4, december '13 - january ‘14 Rp. 60.000
TOKYO
Conrad China Blue
nusa dua's prego
Rp. 60.000
Tongoriro MUMBAI
Heritage Labuan Bajo
NEPAL
Escapades of a Travelling DJ Vol 4
Jakarta Turkuaz
San Fransisco
FASHION
BALI VILLAS Malaathina | The Layar design
food
architecture
Mexicola & LV8 fashion
art
wine
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restaurants
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10.4
CONTENTS December - January 2014
FEATURES 030 Meeting the Zorlus Erza S.T. makes mouths water with his story of Turkuaz restaurant in Jakarta.
052 & 062 Bali Fashion With help from Bali Stars, Charlie, Motel Mexicola and LV8 this month’s fashion comes deep from Bali.
84 The Travelling DJ vol 4 Tony Montana spins around the best restaurants, clubs and beaches of Ibiza and wraps up the season.
90 A Closer Look at Labuan Bajo Trauts travels to Flores and discovers a whole new world of fun and property speculation taking place.
96 The Crossing
Ian Nuebauer walks across the North Island’s Tongariro Crossing and sees nature at its most sublime.
106 San Francisco Nights
Rachel Love returns to her favourite city and finds more than a few changes but much wonderfully the same.
Cover FRV Travel:
Diving is one of the most popular watersports in the region and in this edition we have a list of the best diving spots on page 86.
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10.4
CONTENTS DECEMBER 2013 - JANUARY 2014
024 028 036 072 074 076
Prego
078 080 094 104
Tara Lee
Trauts goes Italian in Nusa Dua
La Casetta
Home style dining in Umalas.
Bangkok Five
Dark spirits and good times.
Chinese food with a twist in Tokyo.
044 Chinese Tea
The joys of tea in the Middle Kingdom.
Overnight - The Layar
Ve’s take on this Seminyak classic.
Villa Malaathini
A huge new villa for Bali.
Villa Mokenbo
Art and pleasure on the sands.
86 Diving
Villa Kubu’s newest addition.
Southeast Asia’s best dive sites revealed.
Conrad Tokyo
100 Nepal
Thomas Jones’ favourite hotel.
Ve Handojo travels to the Himalayas and has a mighty high time.
Koto Kinabalu
resorts and diving with Erza.
Mumbai
A heritage tour through the city.
1 4 Events 3 8 Recipes 5 0 Cheese 1 1 4 Directory
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034 China Blue
1 6 Bits & Pieces 4 6 Wine 6 0 Fashion Scoop 1 3 0 Last Word
110
Skin Deep Portraits
Tattoo artist and portrait artist Komang Sujendra.
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P T K ubu Dua M edi a J l. Petitenget 12A, Kerobokan, Bali, Indonesia Te l. +62 361 746 3751/52 | Fa x. +62 361 847 5458 email: info@frvtravel.com www.frvtra ve l.c om Di recto r Guna wa n I nd rob a skoro Graphics Coordinator Te guh Ana nta (artwork@frvtra ve l.c om) Graphi cs He lmi Nursya h, Ric ky Afd i P ho to g raphy Moc h. Sulthon, R a ma d ha n, Ad a m Ra syid Di stri buti o n Nyoman Rupma Ii n I nd ra p utra , I ma m, Ma d e i nfo@frvtra ve l.c om Fi nance Sri W ita ri, B a gus Oka Mark eti ng Gina , Oc hy (sales@frvtravel.com) A dmi ni strati o n Dya h, Poojie , Ta ri Co ntri buto rs T homa s Jone s, Da vid Tra uts, Erza ST, Nic hola s Wa lton, Rachel Love, Herman Von Ber nhardi Aguayo, Ia n Ne ub a ue r, Ve Ha nd ojo, Da rre n Dyla n. S ubscri pti o n Yearly subscription available in Indonesia - Rupiah 315,000 Conta c t: sub sc rib e @frvtra ve l.c om Send e-mail to the above for details. Consulting Stua rt D W ilford (stua rt@frvtra ve l.c om) L eg al Asso ci ates Nyoma n Ge d e Anta guna SE, SH, MH ACS La w Offic e J l. Mertanadi 88A, Kuta, Bali. Te l: 082145689996 Fine Restaurants and Villas Travel magazine is an independent, b i -mo nthl y publ i cati o n. N ex t edi ti o n deadl i ne J anuary 15, 2014
FR V Tr a v e l m a g a z i n e i s p r i n t e d u n d e r l i c e n s e d t r a d e m a r k . N o p a r t o f t h i s m a g a z i n e shou ld be re produ c e d with ou t th e wr itte n pe r m ission of th e pu blish e r. A l l r i g h t s re s e r v e d . A r t i c l e s re f l e c t t h e o p i n i o n s o f t h e a u t h o r s , a n d n o t n e c e s s a r i l y t h o s e of t h e p u b l i s h e r s . F R V Tr a v e l m a g a z i n e i s p r i n t e d b y P T M e g a I n d a h ( T: 0 2 1 - 6 1 9 0 5 2 9 w w w. m e g a i n d a h o ff s e t . c o m ) a n d d i s t r i b u t e d b y ; P T K u b u D u a M e d i a ( I n d o n e s i a ) , P e r i p l u s - J a v a B o o k s ( I n d o n e s i a ) , P T I n d o p ro m ( I n d o n e s i a ) , N a t i o n B o o k s ( T h a i l a n d ) . Con ta c t th e e -m a il a ddre sse s a bove f or f u r th e r in f or m a tion .
F R V Trav el Mag az ine
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D ecember ‘1 3 - J anuary ‘ 14
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Editor’s Note FRV Travel – It takes you places At the end of last year the FRV editorial spoke about the positive changes coming Bali’s way in 2013. All of those infrastructure improvements have managed to arrive in some form; some completely finished like the underpass in Simpang Siur, near Kuta, or the new toll road connecting the airport with Nusa Dua and Benoa. The new Bali international airport still has some way to go before being totally finished but is almost there. People living on Bali have a lot to be grateful for in the past year and we imagine there is a lot more to come in the near future. It’s always interesting to see long term residents of the island return after an absence, and witness how they see the place. Normally, they are overwhelmed by the changes taking place, especially around the Kuta/ Seminyak areas, often not even being able to find their way around, since the place has changed so much. But this is one of the reasons we live here. Those apparent ad hoc changes that basically come from bad town
planning have their own particular charm that create a certain madness and freedom that we all, well, all the people from around the world that call Bali home, end up loving. It’s funny how all the infrastructure improvements still don’t managed to change the chaotic essence of living in Bali - those real changes all seem to be happening somewhere else. In this edition of FRV Travel we are again travelling all over the region and beyond. From Labuan Bajo and Jakarta in Indonesia, to Nepal and Mumbai in South Asia, to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu closer to home, and all the way to San Francisco with Rache. There are plenty more destinations, restaurants and hotels visited and adventures across the region to read about inside. Comments: please send any comments to editor@ frvtravel.com or log onto our facebook page. FRV CONTRIBUTORS
David Trauts Take the time to smell the roses. Never a truer phrase said as we go thru our busy days. This edition Trauts spends a few days checking whether there is any truth in the hype about Flores being the next Bali, and then dines at the new Prego Italian restaurant at The Westin Resort in Nusa Dua.
Erza S.T. This classical music producer is counting the day to his winter trip. However before he goes to Europe early next year, he decided to check out the newly renovated Turkuaz restaurant in Jakarta. Not only that, he also did a quick escape to Kota Kinabalu and did the long overdue diving experience.
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Thomas Jones Thomas Jones visits his favourite hotel in the World, the Conrad Tokyo, where he spends a few nighst eating well and soaking up the views. He also takes the chance to down a few malevolent cocktails in Bangkok’s Five, the best place in the city to head before, during and after the witching hour.
Rachel Love Told by a fortune teller that her life would take a dramatic change in a move to the East, she arrived in Bali with a few hundred pounds and a vision to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a writer on a tropical island. FRV’s resident arts writer, Rachel writes extensively on all things lifestyle and travel related.
Nick Walton Nick has been writing on travel for over 10 years, including most recently as the travel editor for the South China Morning Post. From his home in Hong Kong he regularly travels throughout Asia and beyond, looking for new experiences, trends and destinations, both for his travel pieces in over 60 magazines globally, as well as his weekly radio show.
Ian Neubauer Ian is a Sydney-based freelance journalist specializing in adventure travel. He has reported extensively across East Asia and the South Pacific for many publications. He is also the author of two travel novels, Getafix (2004) and Maquis (2006), and an advocate for Topu Honis, an orphanage and women’s shelter in East Timor.
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regionalevents
DECEMBER 2013 - JANUARY 2014
Sun Dancing - India One of the biggest outdoor dance parties to hit India’s beaches, the Sunburn Festival is in its sixth year this year and will almost double in size when it cranks up on Candolim Beach in Goa. The festival features well-known artists and DJs from the electronic dance music scene from
New Year Opera – Sydney Nowhere in the Southern Hemisphere is there New Year’s Eve like in Sydney, so why not celebrate the big
around the world spread across three days, seven stages, and untold genres of music. Dec 27-29
night with fireworks and music at The Opera Gala at the Sydney Opera House? An evening of glamour featuring ensembles from Bizet, Puccini, Verdi and many more, and with exclusive viewing of the 9pm fireworks. Dec 31
Setting Sail - Thailand Phuket’s famous international yachting event, The King’s Cup Regatta, returns to the Andaman Ocean in
Dance like never before Jakarta
December or a week of sailing, partying and beautiful people doing beautiful things. This year marks not only the event’s 21st year of prominence on the Asian yacht racing
Djakarta Warehouse Project, Indonesia’s biggest
calendar, but also coincides with the auspicious Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Thailand’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Dec 1-11
and leading annual dance music festival, is back
Thar She Blows – Sri Lanka
and will be held in multiple arenas at Ecopark
One of Sri Lanka’s major tourist pulls during the migration
Ancol in December and will feature some of
season in December and January, large pods of dolphins
the world’s biggest names in dance music at
and blue whales can be seen just a few miles offshore
the moment; David Guetta, Alesso, Breakbot
from Mirissa as they travel between their summer and
featuring Irfane, Martin Solveig, Zedd, and
winter breeding and feeding grounds. Not a single day
a selection of Indonesia’s leading EDM local
event but high quality, bucket list material. Dec-Jan
heroes. The visuals, sounds, and interactive engagement will keep visitors higher than they have ever been before. Dec 13
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Tennis Anyone? – Melbourne The first Grand Slam event of the year rallies in Melbourne with the Australian Open 2013, a tournament set to offer the highest prize money in the history of international tennis - a total prize pool will be $33 million. Get set for two weeks of strawberries, champagne, celebs, and great tennis. Jan 14 – 27
The Jesus Beat – Phillipines The Ati-Atihan Festival is a feast in honor of the baby Jesus, concluding on the third Sunday of January in the town of Kalibo. Filled by tribal dance, music and the ceaseless banging of drums, Christians and non-Christians alike dressed in indigenous colourful and outrageous costumes get crazy while showing their devotion to their most holy King of Kings. Jan 10-19
Madras Madness – India This hugely popular and much anticipated Chennai Music and Dance Festival, which is often described as the world’s largest cultural event, serves up a plethora of traditional south Indian Carnatic music, dance, and other arts. Over 1,000 performances take place during the festival, along with music related seminars, discussions, and demonstrations with over 2,000 performers. Jan 1-7
Honky Tonks in Oz Australia Tamworth is a typical country town: friendly, fewer than 40,000 but come January it goes
Symphony in the Park – Bangkok
Country & Western crazy with the Tamworth
January in Bangkok has never been so cultured
Country Music Festival as 50,000 music lovers
thanks to a series of outdoor concerts by the
descend on the town for a week of music, food
Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, held in Lumpini
fun and festivities. Highlights are the Australian
Park throughout January and February. Starting
Country Music Awards and the highly prized
at 5.30 the programme includes plenty of
Golden Guitars. Jan 17 – 26
classical Thai and Western music, including
easy-going, and small. It has a population of
famous Thai singers, music from movies and musicals and plenty of instantly recognisable classical tunes. Each Sunday in January
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BITS&PIECES
A New Boss in Seminyak Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort & Spa has just welcomed Clinton Lovell as the new GM to their beachfront property, bringing his lifelong passion for hospitality, as well as a wealth of international experience and esteemed industry accolades to the table. “I’m absolutely delighted to join the family at the stunning Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort and Spa. The opportunity to lead our Anantara team of professionals in this established and well regarded Anantara is simply a dream come true for me,” said Clinton. Both are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership.
bits&PIECES
Wine List Awards Winners The winners of the inaugural Indonesian Wine List of the Year Awards were recently announced during a Gala Dinner in the Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Jakarta. The awards were open to venues across Indonesia and entries were judged by a panel of overseas judges who had no connections to the wine industry in Indonesia. The entries were numbered, so the judges would not know the names of the venues, and then sent off to various points of the globe for assessment, before being shortlisted and the winners selected. The big winner on the evening was The Steak House, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta, which picked up awards in three categories including the coveted Indonesia’s Wine List of the Year 2013. Other winners and pictured left were, Best Listing of New Zealand Wines – Tugu Kunstkring Paleis, Best Listing of South African Wines - C’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Jakarta. For a full list of winners visit www.winelistawards.com
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BITS&PIECES
Barbacoa is the new Barbeque A new restaurant in the fast expanding culinary strip at the top of Jalan Batubelig (the traffic lights end), Barbacoa, opened last month and has already begun to create a stir amongst foodies. It’s a fusion Latin America restaurant, focusing on slow cooked, wood fired and charcoal grilled suckling pig, Australian lamb and beef and local seafood and salads. The meats are slow cooked on the open wood fire for approximately eight hours and cooked to perfection with meat flaking from the bone. Located at Jalan Petitenget 14, right near Metis restaurant, Barbacoa is a large space with views over the rice fields and made totally from sustainable materials.
A Saintly Arrival It’s official, St. Regis is coming to Jakarta. Ground was broken in early November to start the new project which heralds the Big Durian joining the select club of destinations deemed worthy of the presence of the iconic brand. Set to open in 2016, the all-suite St. Regis Jakarta will bring glamour, timeless traditions and refined service to the bustling metropolis. The 124-room hotel will sit inside a 47-floor tower near the city’s CBD and Mega Kuningan, a perfect placement offering access to both the business and shopping districts.
Westin Heading Back East Starwoods announced the return of the Westin brand to Singapore after a 10-year absence, offering to bring ‘inspired well-being’ back to the heart of Singapore’s central business district. The Westin Singapore occupies levels 32 to 46 of the brand new Asia Square Tower 2 in Marina Bay. Boasting the highest lobby in town the hotel aims to play a significant role in the transformation of the Marina Bay development as they inject a unique and revitalizing experience into the Singapore urban oasis.
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BITS&PIECES
The Warung with the Million-Dollar-View
A Roaring
The journeys of the nomads who dine under the stars upon colourful terrains and majestic landscapes are the inspiration behind the newest and most beautiful place to watch the sunset in Bali, Kakilima by the sea at Batu Bolong Beach. The name means ‘five feet’ in Indonesian, signifying the colourful Indonesian food carts that patrol the streets of the big cities and small towns, and the atmosphere is love-inspiring and free-spirited with a gipsy-ish, nomadic ambience. It is colourful, fun for families, happy for friends, and romantic for couples all at the same time. The menu features simply wonderful and generous, tasty food with Mediterranean influences with a large choice of tapas, fresh delicious salads and a main course list that includes the best pork ribs in town, juicy marinated skewers or an excellent mahi-mahi burger. This is the first and last place you will ever want to see the sun say goodbye for the night and it is right beachside of the Tugu Bali.
New Year New Year’s Eve Kudeta
Just like Mr. Jay Gatsby, it’s no secret that KU DE TA will celebrate the last hurrah of 2013 with a bang. Let KDT transport you back to the dazzling 1920s, with its fabulously charming Gatsby-like Roaring Twenties party, KDT style. Come on gorgeous people, put on your swanky suits and wear your best pearls, get behind the wheel, and let’s hit the grandest, most glamorous New Year’s soiree this side of paradise. And don’t be seen as the first ones to leave, because honey, it’s going to be the Bee’s Knees! Special NYE dinners are also planned in most of the upmarket dining institutions around town like, Metis, Gado Gado, Ultimo, Prego, LV8, Tugu, and Khaima. Check frvtravel.com for details.
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Time 7pm – 3am Price IDR 1.8 million net Pre-sale IDR 850k ||General admission IDR 950k Dinner bookings: reservations@kudeta.net +62 361 736969
Grand Hyatt Jakarta presents a magnificent New Year’s Eve party, with an evening full of spectacular entertainment. New Year’s celebrations will start at 7pm at the Grand Lobby with Big City Beat performing and leading the countdown with top-40 music and classic party hits. Big City Beat (BCB) is an international phenomenon with shows that embrace all ages and cultures. Described as the most versatile show band in Australia, the stunning costumes and sizzling choreography give the band commanding presence on stage accentuated by the BCB dancers and the acclaimed brass section. With an impressive repertoire that embraces party favourites, popular rock classics and a good dose of today’s top-40 hits, Big City Beat will ensure everyone has a fun countdown party at Grand Hyatt Jakarta. Fountain Lounge features a special dinner buffet on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2013 to celebrate and ring in the New Year. The dinner buffet is priced at Rp. 1,588,000++, including a champagne toast. (Guests can pay an additional Rp. 408,000++ for free-flowing wine and beer.)
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BITS&PIECES
A Mozaic of Party Colours Known as the ‘wild child’ or ‘naughty sister’ of the highly respected Mozaic Brand founded by Michelin-starred chef Chris Salans, the beach club targets leisure travelers and local residents seeking a breezier fare in a comfortable and vibrant setting at an affordable price and they are laying it all on this New Year’s Eve with a very special six-course dinner starting with a glass of bubbles, of course, and then dancing till late with live DJs from 11pm till the wee smalls to help see in 2014. Dinner is IDR 1,800,000++ per head, with an optional wine-paring at an extra IDR 800,000. Contact +62 361 473 5796 or email info@mozaic-beachclub.com for reservations.Contact +62 361 473 5796 or email info@ mozaic-beachclub.com for reservations.
SARONG NEW DISHES
Will Meyrick and his crew have been busy in the kitchen creating new dishes for his first and original concept restaurant, Sarong, in Petitenget, Bali. The new dishes have recently rolled out for his regular and visiting guest’s enjoyment. Appetizers, mains and desserts have been given the work over with some 50% of the menu being renewed, influenced by Will’s recent culinary journeys around the region. The tasty flavours from all over Southeast Asia that guests have loved since the restaurant opened over five years ago are still exploding across the palate. Pictured here, Kalimantan grilled chicken marinated in sweet soy and served with pickled cucumber, shallots and chilli sauce. Mouth wateringly tender, the chicken is caramelized on a coconut char grill before being sliced for serving. The Chinese char siu pork puffs with shitake mushroom. These flaky little pastries of perfection are, dare we say it, like the illegitimate love child of a tiny gourmet pie and an Asian dim sum bite. Northern Thai style beef tartar with hill tribe spices, green shallots, chilli, flat leaf coriander and roasted rice. Break off a piece of the crunchy rice crackers and top them with some of the finely chopped, spicy raw beef. The dessert menu has had a merciless shake up with the Lemongrass Pannacotta with cucumber lime jelly and citrus lemon basil sorbet. The best bit is at the bottom, so digging deep is recommended. Try these new dishes and many more at Sarong, Petitenget. 22 l FRV Travel
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