FRV Travel 8.6

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IDR 60.000 - SGD $10.50 - HKD $55.00 - MYR RM26.00 - AUD $10.00 - TWD $230 - THB 190

fine restaurants and villas | bali & southeast asian style

edition 8.6, april - may ‘12 Rp. 60.000

Wine

Dinners St. Regis Four Seasons

Thai

Villas & Food

Andara Boathouse Impiana

NEW ZEALAND

PALAWAN

Travel

Papua New Guinea Seychelles North Island

Bali Villas

Rp. 60.000

CHEFS Gray Kunz Akira Back Julien Royer design

food

architecture

fashion

art

Villa Kedidi Villa Kakatua wine

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restaurants

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aston

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april - may 2012

CONTENTS FEATURES 36 Karma Beach Ropp Style

The sun shines on the exotic fabrics from the world of Paul Ropp and the new Karma Beach.

48 Indonesian Inspiration

FRV Travel talks to Patti Seeri about life on the ocean waves in Indonesia.

78 Down On The Beach

Mr Jones sails into The Boathouse in Phuket for some beachside food and wines.

90 The Last Frontier

Ian Neubauer shares the mysteries and beauty of Palawan in the Philippines.

96 Tarawera’s Legacy

Thomas Jones explores the history, culture and geothermal beauty of New Zealand’s Rotorua.

112 Chinn Up

TV face, restaurauter, and all round good-looking guy Bobby Chinn at work in Hanoi.

8.6

Cover FRV Travel: Paul Ropp features at Karma Beach. Photo: Adam Rasyid

104

Drive time in the Seychelles.

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8.6

april - may 2012 CONTENTS

Kediri & Kakatua

028

Wine Dinners

032

Root Philosophy

052

A pair of Bali villas just perfect for families.

Trauts indulges himself once again at St. Regis & Four Seasons.

Chef Akira Back cooks for the crowd.

126

Outback Jakarta

Rachel Love talks to artist Alia Leadabrand.

Dining on organic beef from Oz.

056

66

The best pizzas in Singapore.

106

Emma Westwood stays at The Olsen in Melbourne.

058

Top of the Town

064

Boats to Boast

060

Kamala Views

072

Are You a Fan?

062

The Hansar

082

Shenzenair: International hotel

110

Dating Mother Nature in Puncak

Erza escapes to the hills and down memory lane.

The finer points boat ownership in Asia.

Singapore’s Mandarin Oriental.

74

Getting away from the crowds at Impiana Villas.

More boutique hotels in Bangkok.

Shades of Gray

A chat with Hong Kong chef Gray Kunz.

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Wine

12 Events .14 Bits .119 Cheese .120

A chat with JAAN Chef, Julien Royer.

The Andara Resort in Phuket.

Celebrating the golden age of flight.

085

& Pieces .34 Overnight Bali Recipes . 1 3 2 Listings . 1 4 6 Last Word

DELIGHTS WITH DELICIOUS DELECTABLES The Deli now extends to showcase a French Italian style bistro, featuring a menu infused with fresh ingredients and original classic flavours. From gourmet sandwiches, pates, oysters and a wide selection of cheese, the Deli now serves charcuterie, caviar, steak tartar, to name a few.

Dine in a casual yet upscale ambience with our exquisite variety of wines or simply enjoy take away sushi, sashimi and salads.

Not forgetting, the deli specialties of homemade chocolates, over 20 flavours of gelato and ice cream and cakes for any occasion, created by our resident Chef Patissier. www.balibeyondgourmet.com

KAWASAN PARIWISATA NUSA DUA LOT S6, BALI, INDONESIA 80363

STREGIS.COM/BALI

+62 361 8478111

Š2011 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, St. Regis and their respective logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates.

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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 Sya ffri Soe wa rd i (artwork@frvtra ve l.c om) Graphi cs Te guh Ana nta 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 c ul, Ma d e i nfo@frvtra ve l.c om Fi nance Sri W ita ri, B a gus Oka Mark eti ng Gina (sales@frvtravel.com) A dmi ni strati o n Dya h, Poojie , Ta ri Co ntri buto rs T homa s Jone s, Ve Ha nd ojo, Da vid Tra uts, Erza ST, Nic hola s Wa lton, Katie Truman, Rachel Love, Herman Von Ber nhardi Aguayo, Ian Lloyd Ne ub a ue r, Ke lvin Ha ye s.

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.

Co nsul ti ng Stua rt D W ilford (stua rt@frvtra ve l.c om) L eg al Asso ci ates Agus Sa mija ya & Pa rtne rs Gra ha Asa , Jl. Ka p te n Cok Agung Tre sna 49 Re non, De np a sa r. Te l: +62 361 242447, 247302, 08123924509.

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 M ay 15, 2012

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 th ose of th e pu blish e r s. F R V Tr a ve l m a ga zin e is pr in te d by P T M e ga I n da h (T: 02161 9 0 5 2 9 ) 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 (In 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 ) , F o re i g n P re s s ( H o n g K o n g ) , P a n s i n g D i s t r i b ut i o n (M a l a y s i a ) a n d N a t i o n B o o k s I n t e r n a t i o n a l ( 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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E dit io n 8 .6

A pril - May ‘ 1 2

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Editor’s Note FRV Travel – It takes you places The year 2013 is beginning to have a mythical ring about it as local authorities tout it as the time when most problems on Bali will be over. Well maybe. That year the biggest summit of them all will be coming to Bali, the APEC Summit, and many infrastructural projects including the new Bali airport, the new Tanjung Benoa – Sanur Bypass, the underpass at Simpang Siur, and who knows, maybe even a circumnavigating train around the island are all vying to be complete in time. All these measures are being implemented in order to lessen the chaotic traffic situation in south Bali, and particularly around the airport, which affects tourists and locals alike coming and going from the island - let alone getting from Seminyak to Nusa Dua. There are sure to be a few hassles and traffic jams over the next year or so while this work is being done, but it will all be worth it in the end. There may be a lot of emphasis

on 2013 and you can’t help wondering about the connection with the Mayan calendar and 2012, but we trust it will all come to fruition and we hope as soon as possible.

In this edition of FRV Travel we are travelling all over the region again with visits to Thailand, China, Philippines, Papua, New Zealand, the Seychelles, Singapore, Australia and closer to home, different parts of Indonesia including Jakarta, Java, the islands in the east and of course, the island of Bali.

Once again it is time for Nyepi and the Balinese New Year as we close this edition of FRV Travel and we’d like to wish all our clients and you, the readers, a wonderful New Year. From what we can see, it looks like being a good one.

FRV CONTRIBUTORS

David Trauts Correspondent, English.

Without too much time to rest, Trauts has been back and forth between Bali and Jakarta a lot in the past two months. A highlight was the excellent organic beef he experienced in the Grand Hyatt Jakarta, and two rather splendid wine dinners at the St. Regis and Four Seasons Resort inn Bali. The only thing he has to worry about now is his waistline.

Erza S.T. Rekindling with nature is sometimes what one needs to do in order to regain some composure.

After nine hours of detours via Bandung, this opera loving guy finally arrived in Puncak for a date with mother nature, and later dined with famed chef Akira Back.

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Ve Handojo Ve has not been behind the eight ball since he was set to write a new daily TV series for teens.

He was in Cirebon, West Java, and he revisited Ku De Ta, but he has not had the time to share the stories with us. Let this be the teaser for next edition. As for now, he only shares his overnight stay in W Retreat & Spa Seminyak.

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 is one of Bali’s most prolific authors, writing extensively on all things lifestyle and travel related.

Thomas Jones Thailand isn’t the worse place in the world to conduct business and Mr. Jones makes the most of his Phuket and Bangkok obligations and juxtaposes this with a journey thorugh the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua in New Zealand.

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.

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Sailing Away (Singapore)

Hose Me Down (Thailand)

Spring Flowers (Kashmir)

Easter time (Australia)

The Singapore Yacht Show is

It’s Songkran Festival time

In the Himalayas Spring is

Whether it’s Jesus you love

Singing The Blues (Australia)

a world-class yachting event

again in Thailand, with various

when Kashmir is at its most

or the coming of Spring and

blues festival, the Byron Bay

showcasing some of the

religious and cultural activities,

picturesque, and the Tulip

chocolate, everyone loves the

Bluesfest, will be taking to the

finest super yachts and luxury

including giving alms to the

Festival in Srinagar, home to

Easter break and there is no

hills this month in Queensland

boats in the region and is an

country’s monks to earn

Asia’s largest tulip garden with

more typical Aussie way to

and features a four-day line

exclusive opportunity for the

credit with the big guy, but

over two million blooms, is the

enjoy it than with the Royal

up that includes Crosby Stills

world’s leading yachts and

probably best known as a

place to see them in all their

Easter Show at the Sydney

and Nash, The Pogues and

yachting brands to meet high

time off to stand in the streets

glory alongside daily cultural

Showgrounds, where the best

Cold Chisel, with lead act the

net worth individuals from

to throw water and powder on

programs, folk music, local

of Aussie agriculture is on show

legendary John Fogerty from

around Asia. It’s also nice just

passersby and generally have

handicrafts, and traditional

to the city slickers along with

CCR. April 5 - 9.

to have a nosy around and

a raucous good time.

Kashmiri cuisine. April 1 - 14.

live music and loads of rides for

dream. April 27 - 29.

April 13 - 15.

the kids. April 5 -18.

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6 Aces High (New Zealand)

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Australia’s most famous

Buleleng Folk Festival (Bali)

Legu Gam (Indonesia)

Blossoms in the Air (Japan)

Getting Cross (Philippines)

The annual Buleleng Folk

The Legu Gam is a festival

It’s party time in Japan in April

For those with a taste for

Festival is one of the most

celebrated by the people of

for the annual hanami cherry

the intense then the Good

Wanaka becomes the centre-

anticipated events in northern

Ternate, the legendary Spice

blossom festival. Timing is

Friday Easter celebrations in

stage of a world-famous

Bali. It will be held in the

Islands in North Maluku, to

everything and anytime from

Pampanga province north of

Warbirds Airshow. Some of

port city of Singaraja and

commemorate the Sultan of

early-to mid-month the country

Manila will be the place for you.

the most famous Warbirds

will feature all kinds of arts

Ternate’s birthday. People from

comes alive in a sea of pink

You can witness the sight of

join forces with the classic

and cultural performances

all over the island and beyond

snow as the country turns out

devout Christian pilgrims taking

aircraft of yesteryear, modern

from both the worlds of

will gather at the palace for

to celebrate the coming of

the pain of their Lord Jesus

jets of today, warhorses,

traditional Balinese and the

lots of ritual dancing, singing

spring with lots of food, sake

Christ literally as they get nailed

vintage machinery and vintage

contemporary scene.

and a whole lot of eating for a

and revelry. Early April.

to the cross with real iron nails.

vehicles. Lots of high-

April 1 - 2.

fortnight. April 2 -16.

April 6.

adrenaline excitement and

For three days over Easter

nostalgia. April 6 - 8.

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M AY 2 0 1 2 15

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Borneo a Go Go (Kalimantan)

A Strong Cup (Jakarta)

Rev Your Engines (Perth)

Tokyo Basho (Japan)

Red Culture (China)

The Issen Mulang Festival

The Indonesian Coffee

The V8 Supercars Tradingpost

More than just two sweaty fat

True to the People’s Republic’s

celebrates the culture of

Festival in Jakarta celebrates

Perth Challenge returns to

guys with funny haircuts in

roots the Kunming International

Borneo and features decorated

the pleasures of the coffee

Western Australia in a weekend

jockstraps trying to slap each

Cultural Tourism Festival will

boat cruises down river with

bean and what it means

not to be missed for motor

other out of the ring, Sumo

start on May Day and run for

dancers and extravagant

to millions around the

sport enthusiasts. Featuring

is an ancient sport of skill,

three days, during which there

decoration, blowpipe and

world by emphasizing the

five national support categories

strength and wit where these

will be colourful and exciting

fireball competitions, traditional

culture of coffee, or to be

it’s one of the strongest event

highly trained and overweight

performances of ethnic singing

singing and dancing and food

precise, the culture of coffee

programs on the V8 Supercars

athletes vie for the highest

and dancing performances

and cooking demonstrations of

drinking. Food, drink and

season calendar and the most

prize in Japanese sport, that of

and much eating and drinking,

the Dayak and Malay peoples.

staying up late is to be

events ever featured at the

Yokozuna. May 6 - 20.

where tourists will be invited to

May 19 - 24.

expected. May 15 - 18.

Perth round. May 4 - 6.

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join in the “sea of happiness.”

May 1 - 3.

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Tally Ho (Australia)

Get Enlightened (Sri Lanka)

A Jumbo party (India)

Night Lights (Sydney)

Viva La France (Hong Kong)

The Broome Beach Polo

Vesak celebrates the Lord

The Thrissur Pooram festival in

Sydney will be transformed

Le French May is an annual

Festival sees polo players from

Buddha’s birth, his attaining of

Kerala features a procession

into a spectacular canvas of

festival that lasts throughout

around the world converging

Enlightenment and his passing

of around 30 colourfully

light, music and ideas when

the month of May, and brings

on the coast in WA to compete

away into eventual Nirvana with

decorated elephants alongside

Vivid Sydney takes over the

all sorts of things from France

for the Paspaley Cup in a free

colourful bamboo lanterns and

other attractions that include

city after dark with creativity

to the city. A celebration of the

public round robin competition

luminous displays decorating

drum concerts, ornamental

and inspiration, featuring the

best of French culture including

ending in the final held on the

the homes and streets of

parasol displays, and fireworks.

breathtaking immersive lighting

artwork exhibitions, concerts

picturesque Cable Beach. A

Sri Lanka along with street

The festival is a huge cultural

of the iconic Sydney Opera

and theatre straight from Paris

cultural event not to be missed.

performances and roadside

event that runs through

House sails - and so much

to lots of excuses for eating

May 6 -13.

stalls selling loads of food and

the night with exuberant

more. May 25 - June 11.

French food and drinking wine.

Buddha-sized fun. May 5.

celebrations and raucousness.

All of May.

May 1 - 9.

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BITS&PIECES

The Middle East Comes To Bali Jumeirah to operate luxury resort in Bali.

Dubai-based luxury hotel company, Jumeirah Group, owners of the iconic Burj Al Arab, has signed a management agreement to operate a luxury resort in Bali, known as Jumeirah Bali, and is expected to open in 2015. Jumeirah Bali will consist of 80 hotel suites and 25 private villas adjacent to Bali’s New Kuta Golf Course and will look out onto Dreamland surf beach. It will feature architectural designs reflective of Bali’s rich cultural heritage and will be modelled after an ancient Javanese-Hindu water palace. The hotel will offer a variety of fine international and local cuisines in three restaurants and will offer Jumeirah’s signature Talise Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. The resort will also feature an exclusive cliff-top wedding venue that captures stunning sunset views. A fully equipped business centre complete with meeting rooms and the latest communications technology will enable Jumeirah Bali to cater to both upscale corporate and leisure guests.

bits&PIECES Changing Seasons Four Seasons Bali introduces new resort manager.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay has announced the appointment of Ilkin Ilyaszade as resort manager, a man with a career spanning 17 years in hotel and business management in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore. Ilkin is keen to bring his well versed experience in luxury hotel operations across the globe to add value to the resort and flourish its services, facilities, operations and guest experiences. A remarkable academic, 37-year-old Ilkin, who speaks fluent English, Russian, Turkish and Azeri, boasts an MBA degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, as well as a degree in economics from Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. He is also a graduate of Cornell University’s General Managers Program in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management in the USA. His academic projects have been published by Harvard Business School in the area of investments and financial entrepreneurship and he has been actively involved in various CSR-related initiatives such as environmental, conservation, aid and community projects across Asia, Peru and Kenya.

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BITS&PIECES “I’ll never forget that day.

She couldn’t look up as the train pulled out.

It was too much, seeing them standing there, waving goodbye, their smiling faces filled with both hope and fear.

So she buried her head in the book, pretending that she was already immersed in the next chapter of her life. Which in a way, she was.

So young but impatient to be grown, wanting it all to come right now.�

Mama sees it all.

And it is beautiful.

7KH GLVK %~Q FKŇĽ 7KH RULJLQ VWUHHWV RI +DQRL $ JHQHURXV ERZO RI FRRO FUXQFK\ MXLF\ JRRGQHVV Shredded salad greens and vermicelli noodles, punchy 9LHWQDPHVH KHUEV DQG VXFFXOHQW JULOOHG SRUN PHDWEDOOV <RXÂśOO QHYHU IRUJHW \RXU ÂżUVW ERZO RI %~Q FKŇĽ 0DPD KDV D IHHOLQJ \RXÂśOO HDW HYHU\ ODVW ELWH Escape the heat and head to Mama San IRU OXQFK 2SHQ IURP QRRQ

jl. raya kerobokan no.135 br taman, bali +62 361 730 436 info@mamasanbali.com www.mamasanbali.com www.facebook.com/MamaSanBali www.twitter/mamasanbali FRV Travel l 15

BITS&PIECES BITS&PIECES

A Fresh Approach in Ubud New Hotel Manager For The Chedi Club.

The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, Ubud is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Spiller as New Hotel Manager, effective October 1, 2011. Simon brings along with him 16 years of extensive hotel management experience in various luxury hotels across four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. He replaces Stefan Noll, who has since moved to The Chedi Chiang Mai in Thailand as General Manager of another exclusive General Hotel Management (GHM) resort. In his 16 year hospitality career, Simon has gained an in-depth understanding of running the

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operations and administration of a hotel from top to bottom, having started in the kitchen and service operation back in 1989, and moving up the ranks to management positions.

Fluent in four languages (German, French, English and Italian), Simon completed his hotel management education at Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland where he graduated with a Bachelor Of Science in International Hospitality Management.

A Long Weekend For Jesus Go Green this Easter at KU DE TA A fun filled family event awaits you at KU DE TA this coming Easter Sunday (8th April), with a host of recycling-themed activities for the kids throughout the day, taking place in tents set up around the restaurant’s premises, along with an array of epicurean Easter treats to keep the parents equally amused. To celebrate this joyous occasion the chefs at KU DE TA have created a decadent menu with a mix of traditional feel good Easter recipes combined with Asian flavours. Menu highlights include a mouth-watering braised angus short rib “brick pastry” paired with roast pumpkin and walnut puree and a pickled heart of palm salad. Guests can also savour KU DE TA’s sour dough crusted snapper fillet with Moroccan cauliflower, a pine nut and mint salad and cumin yoghurt sphere. For dessert, an Easter-themed sweet finale in the form of its coconut and mango Easter egg with crispy basil and hazelnut cake. Kids can tuck into a delicious menu specially customised to tempt even the most fussy of eaters. And to top it all off, diners will be soothed by the soulful rhythms of the renowned Electric Empire from Australia. Happy Easter!

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BITS&PIECES

Filling The Gulf St. Regis joins the Middle East with three new hotels.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the debut of The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi as the St. Regis brand continues its dynamic global growth and nearly triples its portfolio in just five years. This opening marks the first of three St. Regis hotels slated to debut this year in the Middle East including The St. Regis Abu Dhabi situated on the Corniche and The St. Regis Doha in Qatar. Globally, St. Regis will build on its expansion with the debut of The St. Regis Mauritius Resort and the newly renovated St. Regis Aspen Resort later this year, further lengthening Starwood’s lead in luxury hospitality.

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Faster Than Superman Bullet elevator unveiled for world’s tallest building.

The Shanghai Tower, currently being built in China, is aiming to be the world’s tallest skyscraper at 128 stories, and will implement transport technology never before seen to get people to the top in the blink of an eye, rendering regular elevators obsolete in the process. Mitsubishi has the contract to build 106 aerodynamic elevators that will shuttle people from bottom to top at a rate of 3,281 feet per minute, more than twice as fast as those at the World Trade Center. Inside each car the air pressure will be controlled to avoid erupting ear aches due to rapid changes in altitude and each car’s interior will be insulated to quell sound and will be suitably equipped to reduce vibration.

Mitsubishi isn’t saying whether they will provide sick bags, but it might be a good idea.

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BITS&PIECES

Photos Chris Leggett

Villa Asmara Cemagi’s hidden secret.

Set snugly between the beach and the terraced rice fields of Cemagi on Bali’s southwest coast, the four-bedroom Villa Asmara is the ideal hideaway for families and friends craving peace and privacy.

Named after the ancient Sanskrit word for love, guests will be captured by Asmara’s spell from the moment they enter its doors. Perhaps it’s the large wise Buddha gazing across the natural green-stone swimming pool, the sound of crashing waves in the distance, or the exotic tropical gardens, one

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thing’s for sure, you can’t help but feel the warm and positive energy that embraces this beautiful home.

Featuring an open-sided lounge and dining room, large swimming pool, games room, media room, shared tennis court, private chef and car with driver, Villa Asmara has it all, leaving guests yearning for nothing... except perhaps the possibility of an extended holiday. www.villaasmara.com

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BITS&PIECES BITS&PIECES

One of the Best Burgers in Town Aston Rasuna Jakarta’s Mezza café, bar, and lounge presents a new item for Wagyu beef fans.

Guests staying at or working in the area of the Aston Rasuna have a new, tasty option on the Mezza Café menu now. Their new Mezza Wagyu Burger uses top-quality imported Australian wagyu beef and is served with tasty fries and a fresh salad with condiments to add as you prefer. The Mezza Wagyu Cheese Burger is topped with cheese and beef bacon while the Original comes without topping. Either way, these premium burgers will provide you with an unforgettable gastronomic experience. The reduced fat content of the beef makes it much more healthy than usual. The cattle for Wagyu beef are raised on corn, wheat, and barley, and they are also given vitamins A and B, plus calcium during their first 10 days to ensure maximum health. The fat in Wagyu beef is the more healthy monounsaturated type, and can liquefy at room temperature. “We always offer new items to provide the best food and beverages for our customers,” says Aston Rasuna Jakarta Executive Chef Windoe.

You can try the Mezza Wagyu Burger for only Rp 100,000, including a free glass of coca-cola at the Mezza café, bar, and lounge!

New Gourmet Café in Bali Another reason to go out for lunch.

Seminyak’s favourite fine-food lunch venue and take-out spot has just opened a new Gourmet Café on Bali’s Jalan Dewi Sri with pretty much the same menu - including those gloriously juicy rotating rotisserie chickens, outrageously fresh sandwiches, healthy fresh juices and all those yummy patisserie goodies, not to mention the chocolate mousse - plus a whole lot of wok-based Asian delights. It’s way more spacious than the Petitenget outlet with both outdoor and indoor seating, and the kitchen is also a fair bit larger. So you can expect that super fast gourmet service you’ve grown accustomed to in Petitenget, but just closer to Kuta.

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GO NAKED h u ’u B A R & G R I L L O N E O F L I F E ’ S F I N E S T P L E A S U R E S ...

At hu’u bar & grill, we employ simple cooking techniques, the finest cuts of imported meats and the freshest local ingredients in our cuisine.

An au naturel approach. c elebrating our 10th anniversary in 2 0 1 2 r e servations +62 361 473 6576, huub a l i . c o m , j a l a n p e t i t e n g e t , s e m i n y a k , b a l i 8 0 3 6 1

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BITS&PIECES BITS&PIECES

The Twenty Years of GHM The hotel group is breaking new ground around the world.

Khorfakkan in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and new development deals are also in the planning stages for Cuba and Brazil.

The luxury resort and hotel group GHM is expanding its wings as it moves into its third decade of existence.

Firmly centered in Southeast Asia over the past 20 years they are opening new resorts in China and Switzerland, and in India and the United Arab Emirates GHM expects to double the size of its portfolio in the next few years.

The new hotels include Suzhou, China and Andermatt, Switzerland, which are now under construction.

There’s a new villa complex in Kona, Hawaii, and also in China, GHM has launched with partners a new hotel brand, Ahn Luh. GHM will also be building The Chedi

In preparation, GHM has just launched a completely redesigned website at www.GHMhotels.com. The new site opens the door on GHM with a more user-friendly layout and design, featuring a booking engine, rich visuals and regular news updates. In its first twenty years, GHM has earned a reputation for refined hotel designs having worked with some of the world’s most sought after and creative designers. Each new GHM hotel is a study in bold design, a trend that is likely to continue as the likes of Tadao Ando bear down on projects for the group.

The Kona design, for example, makes use of Ando’s penchant for planes of exposed concrete and a topographically sensitive foundation. “Because so many of our guests tend to spend a lot of time on property, we feel an additional, creative responsibility,” said Jenni.

“Each of our properties is not merely a hotel or a resort, but a setting, a destination in its own right, and thus, an opportunity to create a space that’s not easily forgotten.”

Ubud for Locals Ubud Hotels Association (UHA) Develops Domestic Market In response to the marked increase in domestic tourism to Bali being seen in recent times, The Ubud Hotels Association UHA invited selected travel agents specializing in the Jakarta and Surabaya markets to their first Table Top meeting to discuss ways to better accommodate this increasingly important sector of the Bali tourist market. They were also introducing accommodation options available in Ubud and to strengthen partnerships with domestic market producers.

The UHA Table Top was opened by the Regent of Gianyar, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati (Cok Ace) who complimented the UHA initiative for organizing the Table Top to further promote Ubud as a major tourist destination in Bali.

“Ubud is renowned as one of Bali’s major arts and culture centres of Bali but the interest in the domestic market to come and stay in Ubud is very low,” said UHA Table Top Chief Committee, Komang Kariyana, explaining that the domestic market contribution for hotels in Ubud only averages around 10%. “This figure shows that the domestic market has a huge potential to be developed,” he said. During their stay, the travel agents are treated to Ubud unique experiences, including white water rafting, art and craft tours, and a visit to the sacred Monkey Forest.

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INSIGHTS

A Local Moment

G

onzalo Sanchez Villa has been living and working in Bali for 11 years. He’s from Valencia in Spain and is a partner in the Spanish restaurant La Sal on Jalan Drupadi in Seminyak, which in our humble opinion would be high up on the list of the top 10 restaurants on the island. He also gets around town a lot and always has something to say on most subjects. This is what he had to say when FRV Travel caught up with him recently in La Sal. were craving those specialties and I saw the opportunity to cover that empty space in Bali

FRV: Gonzalo, you obviously like Bali.

What is it you like about it the most?

Gonzalo: Hahaha. The old times when it all wasn’t so competitive and stressful.

FRV: Where would you go for a drink around town and why?

G: La Sal of course. I know the barman, he knows what I like to drink and how, so the next morning I don’t wake up with a terrible hangover.

FRV: Where would you dine on a special occasion or take visiting friends to impress them with the fine dining Bali has to offer?

G: To impress them? Kura Kura restaurant in Oberoi Hotel. Chef Enrico is just amazing.

FRV: Do you have a background in restaurants and hospitality? How did you get involved in the restaurant business?

G: No, I don’t have any previous experience in restaurants or in hospitality. In 2005 I realized that there weren’t any Spanish restaurants, nor a place that served tapas and charcoal grilled meat. I realize that people 26 l FRV Travel

FRV: What do you think is the most important thing in making a successful restaurant?

G: In my humble point of view the most important thing is to not stress yourself with the idea of “success”. Have personality and do the things that you would find when you go out for a dinner, there are always people who have your very same understanding, and success comes later.

FRV: Do you think the increasing number of tourists coming to Bali is keeping match with the increasing number of restaurants?

Is the competition manageable?

G: The increasing number of tourists and the increasing number of restaurants is not proportional at all. In my opinion it’s not about quantity, but about quality and fair competition.

FRV: Which area do you think would be the best place to establish a restaurant right now in Bali?

G: Nowhere.

FRV: How about La Sal, what kind of people are your regulars and why do you think they keep coming back?

G: Mostly Australians and Indonesians, they keep coming back because we try to improve day after day and surprise them with new dishes every time.

FRV: Favourite dishes on your menu?

G: The veal carpaccio with foie grass, and the Manchego cheese and sole fish fillet with Mediterranean flavours are two of my favourites.

FRV: With the rapid changes happening now in Bali, do you think it is a good or a bad thing?

G: For whom? For the Balinese, definitely no.

For the big hotels that destroy beaches and cliffs, perhaps yes.

FRV: What do you like doing in your spare time? Are there any places you like to visit on the island and why?

G: I have become quite interested in other places in the archipelago. My favorite now is sailing and diving around Flores far from traffic jams and construction sites, where the people and water are still clean.

FRV: What do you have planned for the future, any more restaurants?

G: I had more restaurants, one in Jakarta and another in Echo Beach, Canggu until I realized that I was working more than in New York, so I decided to sell up or close and keep myself loyal to “Why I came to live in Bali”.

But just like an entrée I would love to merge two of my passions, food and boats, let’s see what happens. Cheers. FRV

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BALIVILLA

Villa Kedidi

This page: The view from the master bedroom invites guests to take a plunge in the pool.

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Facing page: The Kakatua bale oversees the large swimming pool.

Perfect for lazing around after a dip.

E

veryone knows that travelling with kids often means packing everything bar the kitchen sink. Well, good news mums and dads â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Baliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Villa Kedidi and Villa Kakatua provide everything from pool fences to baby cots and toddler cutlery, making more room in the suitcase for a sneaky spot of shopping for those must-have souvenirs.

Just metres from Canggu Beach, threebedroom Villa Kedidi and four-bedroom Villa Kakatua (aka K&K) were the first villas on the island to cater for youngsters.

Cute, comfortable and compact, these two hidden gems offer families on holiday their very own Balinese home-away-from-home.

Parents need not worry about white suede couches or fragile glass antiques, the owners have furnished K&K with children in mind.

villa Kakatua

Text by Jo Hocking. Photos by Christopher Leggett FRV Travel l 29

What really sets these charming villas apart is the warm and friendly staff.

However they’ve still managed to create a beautiful ambiance with countless wooden artefacts from across the archipelago.

Similar in design to the traditional ‘compound’ and built using local materials, the two villas feature solid coconut beams supporting high serap wood ceilings which form the bedrooms and open-living areas to catch the natural breeze. A gorgeous greenstone swimming pool sits strategically in the centre of both properties’ lush surrounds so that kids remain under a watchful eye from any room in the house.

What really sets these charming villas apart is the warm and friendly staff. From the moment you enter K&K’s doors you are in their safe and capable hands. It is obvious they have a strong attachment to the villas and clearly love taking care of their guests.

From folding back your bed at night to cooking a delicious home-style meal, no task is too big or too small. If you’re worried about fussy eaters then don’t be. There’s a special children’s menu and special dietary requirements are easily catered for.

When the kids get bored of the pool it is time to take advantage of the nearby beach.

Great for long walks, building sandcastles and watching incredible sunsets from neighbouring five-star Hotel Tugu, even the parents will be amused. With world class surf breaks at your doorstep definitely pack the surfboard instead of the baby seat, as K&K’s got that sorted.

The open living areas ooze classic Bali style with timber, alang alang roofing, and antique furnishings.

Bedrooms are sealed and air-conditioned for comfort at night and have open-air bathrooms.

And if you think you might get lonely then bring your friends. The brilliant thing about these two lovely villas is that they can be rented individually or as a couple making it perfect for groups. While located side-by-side, they are both incredibly private, giving you the best of both worlds. FRV

www.villakedidi.com www.villakakatua.com 30 l FRV Travel

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WINEDINNER

Wine Dinner St Regis Text and photos by David Trauts

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arcello Fabbri, an Italian chef based in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Weimar, Germany, presented another special wine dinner menu for guests at Kayuputi restaurant at the St. Regis Bali Resort on Saturday February 18.

As sommelier Harald Wiesmann explained, the focus of this dinner was on the guest chef and without a guest winemaker present Harald chose all the wines directly off the restaurant’s wine list. Since St. Regis has one of the best wine lists in town this was not a problem.

After a short introduction from Harald and chef Marcello, who was in town for the third time presenting a wine dinner at St. Regis, the amuse bouche arrived – a slice of slightly seared tuna on top of a bed of salad.

The first course was a celebration of the simple apple with duck foie gras terrine served with an aspic gelatin of red delicious apple, a Granny Smith apple salsa with a dehydrated Fuji apple crumble on top, and a rosemary foam for good measure. This was pure class, delicate and the combination of tastes paired with Astrolabe Pinot Grigio from New Zealand’s Marlborough was a true culinary experience and a nice way to kick off the proceedings.

Three pieces of battered deep-sea scallop fried crispy in wild rice kernel served in the centre of a shallow bowl of light sweet pumpkin bisque came up next to the table.

This was shared with a South African chenin blanc. The crispy battered scallops were crunchy and delicious. The light pumpkin soup mixed perfectly with the scallop addition.

Chef Marcello discussing the intricacies of his creations, of which two are shown above.

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A coral trout fillet accompanied by black truffle, sautéed spinach and white truffle oil emulsion appeared next and, similar to the previous dish, the waiting staff stood by the table lifting off the dishs’ ceramic hoods in unison. Nice touch. It was the perfect flaking

fillet of white fish paired with an Italian Donnafugata Chardonnay from Sicily.

The next main was a stunner. A medallion of Margaret River beef fillet, with a slice of braised beef shoulder in red wine with beet root, leek puree and horseradish air, or foam, was exquisitely presented on the plate. This also heralded the beginning of the red wines.

This was a Chilean Sideral Altair from the Rappel Valley, which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and sangoivese. The meats were perfectly cooked and without doubt coming from perfectly reared beasts.

So tender, so fine and paired so well it was a moment with the popular of pure culinary blended wine from bliss with one Chile.

of the world’s

Caramelized master chefs.

Manchego cheese with brown sugar, sliced spring onions, sweet chili, basil oil and daikon cress was an interesting dish. The cheese drizzled with oil and sprinkled with lightly chopped spring onions and other accouterments was refined and delicious. This was washed down with a historic Aleatico from the Aldobrandesco family in Tuscany. This red wine has a sweet palate and a fruity finish which was again perfect for this cheese dish.

To finish the meal, a pear combination was served. A pear Mirliton of Rouen with a compressed saffron pear, pear sherbet, pear chips and on a bed of sauterne coulis washed down with a sweet French Chateau Lafon Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend.

Marcello Fabbri once again excelled in making a delicious, inventive and as always, creative menu for Kayuputi. The fifty or so people dining that night may well be talking about the experience for a long time to come. Once again for me it was a moment of pure culinary bliss with one of the world’s master chefs. FRV

F

our Seasons Resort and winemaker Casale del Giglio from Italy held a wine dinner last month in the Wantilan restaurant in Jimbaran Bay. The dinner was a first for the Italian-born and new chef to Wantilan, Samuele Baudoino and he passed the test with ease. Delicate, fresh and tantalizingly Italian fine-dining, the menu was just as the chef ’s style of cooking is promoted to be, home style, or even mother’s style, cooking, but distinguished by an elevated creative level. Italian dining should be simple, fresh and healthy and his menu was set along those lines like a bright red Ferrari on an F1 track: straight, true and refined.

Ms. Elsa Ricchie, Export Director from Casale del Giglio, a wine growing area near Rome, forewent the usual formalities of speaking to the ensemble as a group and came to each table to explain the virtues and history of her product. She explained that this area south of Rome wasn’t originally well known for its great wine growing traditions, but the owners of Casale del Giglio set about researching the soils and conditions of the Agro Pontino area 20 years ago and decided to plant international generic vines. As we saw at the dinner, the results have been remarkable. The wines are mostly blends and are light, subtle and very drinkable; perfect for the tropics.

We had the chance to enjoy four great wines from the Casale del Giglio stable. Starting with a “Satrico“ Chardonnay, Sauvignon & Trebbiano Giallo, 2009, an “Antinoo” Chardonnay & Viognier, 2008, a 100% Petit Verdot, 2008, and a “Mater Matuta” 85% Syrah & 15% Petit Verdot, 2007.

The dishes served were also ‘magnifico’. A chilled tuna carpaccio with watercress and spicy lemon granite kicked the evening off, with a homemade prawn tagliolini with smoked tomato sauce shortly afterwards.

These were very authentic Italian moments

Casale del Giglio at Wantilan and combinations were tantalising to the palate.

My favourites on the menu were the seared foie gras with apple cinnamon compote, truffle brioche and then the main dish of roast loin of lamb with a Taleggio wild mushroom crust, creamy spinach and natural jus was very tasty and the mushroom crust on the lamb was more than ‘stupendo’. A choice cut of lamb too all washed down with a stunning red wine. The meal was immaculately finished with a Valrhona

Text and photos

by David Trauts chocolate parfait, caramelized popcorn, salted caramel and peppermint.

Maybe it wasn’t the most frequented wine dinner I’ve experienced, but the dining was more than superb.

Casale del Giglio wines are available locally through Indowines. FRV FRV Travel l 33

OVERNIGHTBALI

An overnight business trip to Bali is never easy, especially when it’s the weekend. I found it even more difficult when I stayed in W Retreat & Spa, Seminyak.

A Failed Business Trip to Seminyak

Text by Ve Handojo

F

irst, it was the reception. Everybody there, from the girl who efficiently checked me in, to the boys who took care of my travelling bag, were in a constant holiday mood. They welcomed me with such “offensive” lines as, “The weather is perfect today for a dip, sir,” or, “You can get a massage by the beach.” I had to politely stop them teasing me by saying, “I’m here on a business trip.” Of course, they gave me that pitying look that I deserved.

Then, it was the room. It had all I needed to do my work plus an ocean-facing patio that was spacious enough for lounging and sundowning in style. However, the bathroom was the biggest distraction from my work. My Spectacular Ocean Glimpse room was located on the top floor, so my bathtub had a glass ceiling to help me appreciate the bright blue sky while lounging in my bubbles, with homemade bathroom amenities that were worth nabbing. The twin vanities appeared to mock me with, “A weekend in Bali, and you’re alone? Working? Ha!” I didn’t have time for the two hour treatment in the Away Spa, so I had to delay my five o’clock meeting for it. I said to myself that all I wanted to do was just to have a look around that contemporary-looking cave of relaxation. I was pretty sure that the design would be just too “avant-garde” for my conservative soul. The next thing I knew, I was ushered to the treatment room where Mr. Hendrawan was ready to give me my Well Healed Massage.

The treatment was superbly relaxing and made me fall asleep into a nightmare where Mr. Client was screaming at me for cancelling a meeting with no prior notice. To help regain my breath, I inhaled pure oxygen in the spa’s decompression lounge. A luxury for a Jakartan like me.

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My client rescheduled the meeting for six o’clock, and I prepared myself with a drink in the ocean-facing WooBar. The next thing I knew, it was dinner time, and I had already had three drinks and no meeting. My BlackBerry was screaming at me and I chose not to think about my client, so I instead enjoyed a plate of risotto in Fire – the open kitchen restaurant. And more drinks.

The night was filled with reading complaints sent by Mr. Client through emails; my plush king size bed helping me deal with them. I woke up to a sunny morning close to check-out time. The same room boy helped me with my suitcase and asked how my business was in Bali? I said business was good, and gave him the big tip he deserved.

The next time I have to do business in Bali, I will ask for a dingy motel room to keep me motivated for work.

W Retreat & Spa was designed to simply mess up your boring life with stylish fun. FRV

W Retreat & Spa Seminyak Jl. Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali Tel: +62 361 4738 106 www.whotels.com

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BALIFASHION

the sun shines on batu belig beach, bamboo, alang alang, and exotic fabrics from the world of paul ropp and karma beach.

Karma Beach Ropp style photos by adam rasyid garments by paul ropp location Karma Beach, batubelig

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all abo beach. bali with beauti stretches. also blesse paul ropp g and karma

out the is blessed iful sandy we are ed with garmets beach.

Rayon / Chiffon print embroidery string-back dress.

Teardrop beaded earrings in cotton & silver. Cotton palm eden necklace.

Wood silk round complexion bangle set.

Space: The entrance to Karma Beach.

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extensive use of bamboo has been incorporated into the karma beach design - bringing back the real feel of bali style.

Rayon / chiffon print embroidery 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jumpsuit Leather and cotton simple high heels.

Wood, leather, silk, chain necklace.

Silver & silk three ring earrings.

Space: North bamboo wall.

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the ideal vantage point for overseeing the beach and waves. any closer and you would be swimming.

Cotton Khanta Embroidery Sari Gabrielle Tunic Leather cotton patchwork Michelle sandals.

Cotton and silk embroidery. Beaded elastic belt.

Space: In front of the bales.

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dining is a real experience at karma beach. brad and the staff are there to serve you the freshest and tastiest dishes from both sea and land.

Cotton Tye Dye Luna Top Cotton patchwork and leather belt.

Cotton patchwork Michele sandals.

Space: The main dining room.

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Cotton Embroidery Bead Lynn Top. Cotton voile embroidery 3/4 pants.

Cotton patchwork bra.

Cotton / silk patchwork ballet shoes.

Rayon / chiffon pom pom scarf.

Space: Bamboo hut overlooking the beach.

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GARMENTS Model: Nita I AM MODELS Management (booking.bali@rightcharacter.com) Wardrobe: Paul Ropp Paul Ropp: Jl Pengubengan Kauh #1, Kerobokan. Seminyak, Tel: +63 361 734771/www.paulropp.com Photos: Adam Rasyid. Assist: Rama.

Styling: David Trauts. Happy Qalania

Karma Beach Jalan Batu Belig - on the Beach Bali. Indonesia +62 361 3618888 www.karmabeach.com

Cotton feather lite Bunga Dress Rayon Chiffon Blas cut scarf. Sandals with string tied leather, rubber and cotton.

Space: The VIP Deck for private beach viewing if you so desire.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the beach AND bali is blessed with beautiful sandy stretches. we are also blessed with paul ropp garmeNts and karma beach.

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sailingGETAWAY

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Indonesian inspiration Text by Nick Walton

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ew travellers can say they have accomplished as much as Patti Seeri, both for themselves, and for the people of an adopted land. From diving into a new and strange culture, and leading teams of traditional craftsmen to create one of Indonesia’s most beautiful sailing vessels, to helping to preserve ancient textile customs among some of the world’s most isolated tribes, Seeri has helped change perceptions in one of the world’s most beautiful – and misunderstood – nations.

Despite a life defined by her Indonesian friends, family and experiences, Seeri’s passion for foreign cultures and for textiles, began years before arriving in the archipelago. As a fresh architecture graduate, Seeri found herself working with remote Aboriginal settlements in Queensland, before moving with her husband to Gujarat, in India, where she decided to continue her studies with a master’s degree in Southeast Asian textiles.

A bird’s eye view of the deck from the rigging.

“For me, this was a fascinating entrée into Indian life,” Seeri reminisced to FRV Travel recently. But before long, she would move once again, this time to an expansive archipelago, which, despite its rich resources and culture, was still tackling the dangers

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and disillusionment of terrorism. “I first came to Indonesia to join my husband, Doug, who was providing technology to the national oil company of Indonesia,” says Seeri. “I knew the very first day, that I would be bound to Indonesia in a special way.”

Clockwise from top left: A member of Silolona’s dedicated crew; Silolona at anchor; The bounty of the sea; A life ring bearing the vessel’s name.

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Seeri was intrigued by the place where the Ciliwung River entered the sea and on her very first morning took a taxi, without a word of Indonesian, to the ancient harbour of the traditional home of the Indonesian phinisi trader vessels, surrounded by crumbling old warehouses. “As the sun began to rise, I visited several ships, and an ancient kampoeng (village), filled with kids, garbage and a lot of smiling faces and remember saying, ‘I’m going to really like this place!’ I also saw my first traditional schooner, with black sails

“The only way to get out to these islands to see the rituals and textiles was by boat, so I went by local phinisi and interisland boats.”

billowing in the wind, and knew I was hooked.”

For those people who have met Patti Seeri, and have heard her many stories, this comes as no surprise. She may come across as genteel and soft spoken, but in the years since her arrival in Indonesia, she has tackled weather and warriors, spirituality and semantics, culture and contrast, while forging ahead with her two goals; first to help preserve the customs and textiles of Indonesia’s far flung ethnic tribes, and second to create Silolona, a luxurious and modern vessel with a traditional phinisi design.

In fact, it was one passion that led to another. “As soon as I arrived in Indonesia, I realized that it was a fantastic place for textiles, so I wanted to document textile usage in the outer islands. The only way to get out to these islands to see the rituals and textiles was by boat, so I went by local phinisi and inter-island boats. It was so much fun that I decided to take my family.” In fact, Seeri was on board a

phinisi off the island of Krakatoa when she went into labour with her first son.

Whilst travelling, Seeri would often stay with locals, gaining an unique insight into their customs and traditions and this lead to friendships with the likes of the king of Sumba and the chief of the Nasmat people.

Seeri formed such a close relationship with the Dani, an emerging stone age tribe from the highlands of Papua, members of which had toured the US with Seeri as part of a cultural exchange, that she was initiated into the tribe and given the name “Herage” after one of the village’s two rivers. Chief Siba of the Dani was to become Seeri’s adopted “father” and would quiz her on the world beyond his village. “We had an immediate connection despite different languages and vastly different cultures,” says Seeri. “Chief Siba would ask me questions about the outside world, the changes he was seeing, and how best to guide his people.” In celebration of her new status, Chief Siba killed a pig as an offering. “It was a very powerful ceremony, where everyone breathed the breath of the ancestors and sent me their power and energy,

while breathing rapidly with outstretched hands. I was sitting on the floor of the honai (traditional hut), legs crossed, dressed in a skimpy orchid fibre skirt and smeared with blackened pig fat.”

the traditional boat builders. Together we created, for the first time, a traditional handcrafted vessel, built to plans, and incorporating modern technology, while respecting the boat builder’s skills and traditions.”

Seeri began taking small groups out to the far flung islands, fuelled in part by the popularity of the cultural exchanges in the US, but after becoming stuck on one remote island in 1999, when the charter boat didn’t return, she realised she had to take transport into her own hands. “I had two options; to sue the owner of the vessel, or proceed to fix the situation more permanently. I decided to build my own boat, thinking how hard could it be? Silolona exists today due to my complete ignorance about what it takes to build a boat, and my focused determination to build a vessel ideally suited for travelers, which incorporates all the best aspects of sailing on a wooden, hand-crafted vessel, but with safety and modern day navigation. I wanted to recreate my experiences, the magic of sailing through the Indonesian archipelago in comfort and safety but I only succeeded due to sheer determination and a willingness to listen to

The boat builder’s team laid the keel on September 11, 2001, and Silolona was launched in July 2004. “Silolona offers its guests the magic of sailing on the vessel of the Spice Island trade, and the feeling of stepping back in time, a sense of discovery and exploration, surrounded by a warm sense of sincere Asian hospitality and service,” says Seeri.

A second vessel was launched last year, hand-crafted by the same boat builders that built Silolona in the depths of the Borneon mangroves, where the best timber is found.

Silolona features three state rooms and two guest suites, all of which are air-conditioned.

In addition to land tours, diving, kayaking, fishing and snorkeling are also available. FRV For more info go to www.silolona.com

Left: The spacious fore deck of Silolona.

Below: Patti in her element.

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JakartaDINing

Chef Akira hard at work in his kitchen.

The Root Philosophy Chef Akira Back It Text by Erza S.T.

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was a rainy afternoon day when we went to meet Chef Akira Back after he had been invited by UNION restaurant to conduct a wine pairing dinner in Indonesia for the very first time. During his preparation for the event, we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with this talented chef, who happens to be a very popular man amongst Hollywood celebrities.

Not every Asian can make it in America, especially as a top chef in a 5-Diamond Award winning restaurant. However, Akira Back proved that it is possible. This Korean-born American with the Japanese name shows that with determination and passion, you can achieve anything that you want.

Akira Back was born as Sung Ook Back in Seoul, Korea and in his younger days, he had a serious interest in baseball. This then switched to snowboarding when his father’s business took their family to Aspen, Colorado back in 1989 and he spent his early years as a professional snowboarder, showing off his talents in extreme sports movies and garnering praise from industry magazines like Snowboarder and TransWorld.

For seven years, he spent his life on the snowboarding circuit touring all over Europe and Asia.

“For me, going out from Korea to Aspen was freedom. I could not speak English at that time but I wanted to hangout with people,” he says.

“I was a shy guy and didn’t really know how to approach people. Snowboarding just came naturally to me and was a way to communicate back then. Unfortunately, I was injured one day and that made me stop snowboarding.”

During this no-snowboarding time, Akira Back liked to hang out in Kenichi restaurant in Aspen and every time he visited the

restaurant, Chef Kenichi was always happy to see him. “I wanted to be like him. He is a cool guy with a smile. So I asked him if I could work for him and I shaved my blue and green hair off. I had never cooked before in my life, but I wanted to give it a go. I wanted to show my parents that I would not give up and that I didn’t have to go to school. The more I cooked and saw the customers and their happy reactions, the more I fell in love with cooking.”

Not long after that, Akira got his first chef job in Denver. Unfortunately, he only knew the basic concepts and he realised that he needed to go to school after all so he decided to study at The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of Colorado.

He also went to Japan and Europe to do some culinary exploration and since then, he has worked under renowned chefs such as Masaharu Morimoto, Brian Nagao and Nobu Matsuhisa.

Eventually, this Iron Chef America alumnus presented his own restaurant, named Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge

by Chef Back in 2008 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. In this prestigious 5-Diamond Award winning restaurant, he combined his Korean roots with his Japanese experience and American understanding of western food. As a result, he was awarded the “Rising Star” in 2008 and “Best Chef in Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Weekly.

His modern approach to cooking is known to have strong traditional roots. He believes that cooking should be organic with good technical skills. “Obviously you have to understand the basics of cooking, then the ingredients. If you just have good ingredients but you don’t have good technique, then you cannot get a good balance. Like humans, everything should be in good balance.

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Cooking is like a tree and it should come from the roots. If there are no roots, then there is no way you can cook. bread and candied ginger drizzled with the candy.

Though the concept was rather unusual for us, surprisingly all the elements worked together and it was a really fun dish.

Akira’s famous tuna pizza, modified with salmon for Indonesian tastes.

Sometimes you get good ingredients but don’t really know how to show the flavour. This is where you need the techniques to bring that out.”

For his first wine pairing dinner in Indonesia, Chef Akira wants to incorporate his childhood memories onto the plate. To do this, he uses pop rocks (an exploding flavoured candy - Ed) and combines it with foie gras paté and brioche. “It’s a very simple dish that everybody knows but no one has ever used pop rocks with it,” he explains.”The reason why I use pop rocks is because when I was a child and still playing baseball, it was so expensive. My teammates and I use to pitch in money to buy it and then we would share. I want to bring a sense of fun and take the diner on a journey to their childhood through the dish.”

When we experienced the dinner there it was on the plate in front of us, foie gras with toasted

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Chef Akira also introduced us to his famous tuna pizza, which is one of Yellowtail’s signature dishes, but with an Indonesian twist. “I will be doing a pizza that is our number one item, but I learned here that instead of tuna, Indonesians like smoked salmon better, so we changed it. Other than that, it is exactly the same as how we do it in Vegas. A lot of the dishes in this dinner are very similar to what we serve over there. We just twist it a little bit,” he explained.

The rest of the food like crispy barramundi and lamb carpaccio were very memorable and the main course of butter poached rib eye show us Chef Akira’s cultural merging: a Western dish with an Asian touch of kizami wasabi butter, hijiki seaweed and kimchi vegetables. It was a real delight. The night ended with “P.B. Dessert” AKA peanut butter dessert served with Oreo dust, honey caviar and mint powder, another dish that reflects on his childhood memories.

Chef Akira Back is indeed a charming person and his food creations bedazzled us and left us with great memories and these words of wisdom.

“Cooking is like a tree and it should come from the roots,” he says. “If there aren’t any roots, then there is no way you can cook.” FRV

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JAKARTABEEF

The Outback Comes to Jakarta Peter Schmidt from OBE Beef Australia brings a taste of the Australian Outback to Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta.

Text by David Trauts

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he Channel Country is an area deep in the Outback of central eastern Australia. It’s a vast plain where the clean river waters from the north of the country flood into inland lakes creating a natural and unspoiled spring of all things good. The Channel Country area is also a place where a group of farmers have been rearing stock of Hereford cattle for generations, and in 1994 the 20 pastoral families of the area joined together to make a collective called ‘OBE Beef Pty Ltd’, which has capitalized on the worldwide appreciation of organically produced goods and their very own organic inheritance from this naturally organic inland pastoral area. One of the directors of the company, Peter Schmidt, was in Jakarta recently to promote the beef with a special menu of prime OBE cuts at C’s restaurant for one week at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta. FRV Travel caught up with him to discover more about all that goodness that was once locked up in the Australian Outback, but is now available almost all over the world.

The beef is probably one of the tenderest cuts one could find on any table in the land, but the main point is the flavour. “It’s just like meats of old,” says Executive Chef of the Grand Hyatt, Mark Long. “Juicy, flavoursome, and tender. A lot of meats nowadays don’t seem to have much taste at all, but the OBE cuts are full of succulent flavour.”

Peter Schmidt puts it down to the nutrients found in the Channel Country, which are washed down the rivers from northern Australia. “It is the nutrients that pass into the meat that give these cuts their exceptional flavour,” says horticulturallyhonoured Peter Schmidt. These are natural, mostly undeveloped areas of Australia, and once the flood waters recede, the area is covered with myriad wildflowers, native grasses and herbs from which the cattle graze. Unlike coastal rivers, the river waters remain in the inland basin of Australia, retaining the nutrients, which feed the natural flora of the pastures all year round.

animal welfare code of ethics, their product is guaranteed second to none and any more organic would be hard to find.

Without much promotion, word spread quickly around Jakarta about the OBE offerings at C’s for the week-long promotion. People came from far and wide to try the new cuts on the menu list.

They included 180g and 250g tenderloin, 250g sirloin, 250g “It is the nutrients rib eye, and the really enormous that pass into tomahawk that weighs in at the meat that 800g. Dishes also prepared by the Grand Hyatt’s Chef Christer give these cuts to take advantage of the OBE their exceptional visit were an oxtail foie gras flavour.” terrine, and smoked pepper seared beef carpaccio.

Peter moved from table to table telling guests the story of the Channel Country and OBE beef in his affable, Aussie outback drawl, but the proof was in the pudding as they say, and many a juicy steak was ordered and devoured by the C’s carnivorous diners. According to the chefs, they will be adding more OBE beef, which has already been on the menu in a limited form for two years, to their permanent menu soon. If you missed out on last month’s promotion, don’t fret, as there will be more of those succulent cuts on the menu in the near future. FRV

C’s Restaurant Grand Hyatt Jakarta Jalan M.H. Thamrin, Kav 28-30, Jakarta Tel: +62 21 2992 1234 www.jakarta.grand.hyatt.com

This area of approximately 70,000 square kilometres, where all OBE beef is raised and roams freely, offers some of the best, natural and nutritious cattle feed on the entire planet. Schmidt also pointed out that the Channel Country lands are inherently ‘organic’ and of course have been that way since the beginning of time. In the last decade ‘organic’ has become the buzz word for a greener and healthy lifestyle and OBE is the real thing. Founded as a premium organic exporter with zero chemicals, pesticides, growth promoters, no grain feeding, and strictly adherence to the

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javaGETAWAY

A date with

Mother Nature

in Puncak

Erza S.T. takes FRV Travel readers on a nostalgic trip back to a place where most Jakartans can still take respite.

Ciliwung tea estate is one of the largest tea farms in Puncak.

Great for hiking.

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trip to Puncak has always been a weekend treat for many Jakartans who don’t really like traveling too far. I can still remember the joy and excitement in my heart every time my parents said that we were going to Puncak for the weekend. The thought of cool weather, beautiful tea plantations, great Indonesian food, eating corn on the cob and seeing the cold clouds veil slowly down over the hills are things that always excited me as a kid when going to Puncak.

Just an hour’s drive from Jakarta, Puncak (or ‘Peak’ in English) is actually an area surrounding the Mount Gede and Pangrango area in the Bogor and Sukabumi regencies.

This classic resort area has been well known since the twenties, when the Dutch used to go there to get a respite from the heat. The

For many city people like me, going to Puncak is not only a nostalgic trip, but also an opportunity to commune with mother nature. tea estates and magnificent green plateau views that first captured the Dutch colonial imaginations still remain popular to this day.

For many city people like me, going to Puncak is not only a nostalgic trip, but also an opportunity to commune with mother nature and one of the best places to do this in Puncak is the Melrimba Garden. Lying on approximately five hectares of land, Melrimba Garden is surrounded by the Ciliwung tea plantation. In this vast land of stunning views it offers a huge garden area with flower collections, a cactus garden, green houses filled with plants of all kinds, a strawberry garden and a creek surrounded by pine trees.

It is a great place that is very popular with families and especially in strawberry season.

Occasionally, if you are lucky, you can also see Javanese eagles soaring in the forest.

Aside from enjoying the natural scenic beauty, you can channel your floral curiosity and enjoy the rich diversity from the sophisticated phalaenopsis orchid to the elegant magnolias that this garden has to offer. You can also take the garden home with you in part by buying orchids, cacti and other plants from the souvenir shop. If you have more time to spend, then you can also hike around the tea plantation.

presidential palaces that exist in Indonesia and was recently made popular when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono used it for the wedding of his second son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono.

Built in 1740, the palace has one main white colonial style building and several pavilions surrounding it. This remarkable palace is open for visitors from Monday to Friday only and you also need to submit a request three days in advance. Nevertheless, your weekend in Puncak will only be more perfect if you could stay overnight there.

Situated close by is the 185-room Palace Hotel which features not only all the modern conveniences but is also making an effort to be environmentally friendly as well by taking advantage of Puncakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool weather, and

choosing not to install air conditioning in their rooms.

Another great feature is the big swimming pool and indoor childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground, making it perfect for any family who wants to have a weekend getaway in Puncak. The hotel can also help you to make arrangements to visit the Cipanas Palace next door. Just let them know when you are booking.

With a cool climate, mountain views, endless tea plantations, and massive botanical gardens, Puncak still proves to be as popular with Indonesians as it was with the Dutch colonialists almost a century ago and is one of the best ways to enjoy a weekend away from the Jakartan urban jungle reconnecting with Mother Nature. FRV

Melrimba Garden is not the only place you can get personal with mother nature, though.

There is another older yet well-preserved establishment called Cibodas Botanic Garden located at the foot of Mount Gede and Pangrango. In this 125-hectare garden you can enjoy, not only the views and wellmanicured valleys but also a vast collection of tropical and highland flora of western Indonesia.

Two of the must-see attractions are the outdoor moss garden, claimed to be the biggest in the world, and the famous Ciismun waterfall. But if you find all of these a bit too challenging, then perhaps you can just relax and have a picnic instead. There is nothing better then having a quiet moment with mother nature and the company of good food, family and friends.

Aside from the charming natural offerings, Puncak also has a historical side. The Istana Cipanas, or Cipanas Palace, in Puncak is not just any palace, it is actually one of the six

Clockwise from top left: Feeding the koi in the Melrimba garden; A serene lake view at Cibodas Botanical Gardens; Cipanas Presidential Palace; A superior room at the Palace Hotel.

www.melrimbagarden.com www.palacehotel.co.id

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YACHTGETAWAYS

What better way to explore the tens of thousands of islands of Southeast Asia than in your very own yacht?

Boats to Boast

Text by Darren Dylan

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over the past ten years the number of marinas across Southeast Asia and China has significantly increased due to the fact that more and more boats are imported to accommodate the yachting lifestyle that is now considered mainstream. If you are thinking of getting yourself a yacht, you will need a yacht broker who can match you with your perfect boat. A brand new yacht can start from US$100,000 and go upwards to thesky-is-the-limit kind of a price tag. “When a prospective client comes to us, we will discuss his or her needs and requirements,” says Aileen Toh of Simpson Marine, a yacht dealership and brokerage that has been conducting business in Asian waters for almost 30 years. “Often, they are not aware of what they need, or even want, so we discuss how they see themselves using a boat, where they’d like to go, is it for personal and family use or corporate entertaining, and what their budget is, etc. With this information, we’ll make suggestions and show them examples of various sizes and models that might match their needs. Once the client has made their selection, we handle the entire purchase process through to delivery, after-sales care, assist with crew and yacht management.”

So now after you own the yacht, how much is it going to cost to maintain it? “The rule of thumb is that the annual fixed and operating costs of a boat is approximately five to eight percent of the value of the boat, depending on its age,” says Aileen. “This includes berthing costs, insurance, maintenance of hull, machinery, interiors, crew salary and use of the boat by owner. The cost of ownership can vary greatly depending on where you keep the yacht, the nationality of the crew and the amount of use.”

If it seems overwhelming to take care of your yacht, don’t worry. Many yacht owners appoint a captain to take care and manage their boat; maintaining the interior, exterior and the boat’s log (history of the boat’s service, maintenance and trips made). The yacht broker will also help you select and hire the captain and crew. If the

boat has permanent crew, they should be able to attend to an owner’s requests whenever possible.

Under normal circumstances, owners should give their crew ample notice if they want to use their boat, especially for longer trips so that the captain can plan the route and purchase the necessary supplies. Fuel costs for each trip vary depending on the distance and speed of the boat during the trip. Obviously the longer the trip, the more fuel it will require.

For servicing and maintenance related to electrical, engine, other machinery and upholstery, the captain will get quotes from authorised contractors and advise the owner on the matter. “Simpson Marine is able to offer assistance in the event of a breakdown of a client’s yacht wherever in Asia,” says Aileen.

“If required, Simpson Marine can even send an engineer to the boat.”

Although yacht the annual fixed and brokers are thriving operating costs of a in China, they are now eyeing boat is approximately Southeast Asia as five to eight percent of the next big thing of the yachting world. the value of the boat.

Simpson Marine’s latest move to further tap into this market was to open up shop in Indonesia in late 2011, now with a total of 10 offices scattered all over Asia.

“According to Forbes magazine, by mid-2011 there were more billionaires in Indonesia than Singapore and Malaysia combined,” said Aileen.

“With so much wealth currently in Indonesia, we believe that there will be increasing demand for luxury items and this is the right time for us to have a presence in Indonesia and attend to those needs.” As her clients are from various backgrounds and purchase yachts for different purposes, Aileen said that they almost always share one thing in common; ‘A passion for the lifestyle and a desire to own something special.’

FRV

www.simpsonmarine.com

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SINGAPOREhotel

Mandarin Oriental Singapore Text by Thomas Jones

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ith Kevin Spacey, Helen Mirren, Brian Ferry, Vanessa Mae, and Jane Seymour, all of who’s faces have appeared in Mandarin Oriental’s massive, yet simple marketing campaign, you would be in good company if you were. As well as being actual guests who like the hotel, these famous faces were not paid the usual oodles of endorsement fees but were compensated by the hotel donating $10,000 to the charity of their choice: a nice touch in these cynical days of capitalism and greed.

The Singapore hotel itself certainly is a fan, inasmuch as it is designed in just that shape.

Standing on the mezzanine floor and looking up into the huge open atrium, the floors all concertina out from ground level to the roof in one massive extension of architecture that resembles perfectly their iconic logo.

Like all Mandarin Oriental hotels, the location in Singapore couldn’t be better. Sited right on the water above Marina Bay, the views of the stunning Marina Sands Hotel, The Singapore Eye, the neon skyline of the commercial district and the masses of lights and new developments surrounding the bay that the hotel takes in are tremendous.

There are ample facilities; a world-class spa and six restaurants, and, as expected, all 468 rooms are lavishly furnished and leave the guest wanting for nothing. Just outside the hotel guests can find great boutiques, shops and restaurants, and a special partnership with the arts centre ‘Esplanade – Theatres on

the Bay’ make it an ideal sleeping spot for those popping over to take in a show.

This development of the bay into one of Southeast Asia’s major social and iconic destinations has been an unexpected windfall for the hotel in recent years. In the past all the best rooms faced the city as no one wanted to overlook Their swimming the commercial end of Singapore’s Marina Bay. pool is an inspired But now, all eyes are masterpiece of looking outward and the tropical city escapism. harbour view rooms are as popular as a dragon baby born on the eighth day of August most certainly will be. And if you want a room over the weekend of the Formula One you had better be prepared to pay a premium.

Their swimming pool is an inspired masterpiece of tropical city escapism. So much so that when rock star April Lavigne was staying in a nearby unnamed hostelry overlooking the pool, she was so dismayed that it didn’t belong to her hotel that she made a special request to be able to come and use it. Of course MO welcomed her with open arms and she’s now, more than likely, most definitely a fan. That’s what hospitality is all about. FRV

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore 5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore Tel: +65 6338 0066 www.mandarinoriental.com FRV Travel l 63

SINGAPOREchef

Top Of

The Town Text by Thomas Jones

FRV Travel heads to the top of Singapore Swissotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Stamford to dine at JAAN and chat with Chef de Cuisine and Frenchman, Julien Royer, about what, apart from the location, keeps the restaurant at the top of the Singapore food chain.

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FRV: Late nights, abusive shouting and stressfully hot working environments define your line of work.

How did you come to choose the cut throat world of haute cuisine to make a crust?

Julien: It was my upbringing that really defined my choice of work and culinary philosophy today as I was born into a fourth generation family of farmers. I learnt to respect the idea of carefully grown vegetables and raising animals humanely from a very young age. Through this I learnt the value and the beauty of seasonally grown produce.

FRV: Where did you train and under whose influence did you fall?

Julien: I was trained by Chef Bernard Andrieux in his Michelin-starred restaurant, where he taught me true cuisine values which were all about working to extol the best flavours out of the finest ingredients available. He specifically, had a profound influence on me, reinforcing the beliefs of my upbringing and emphasizing the importance of the purity of ingredients in every dish I create. Another great influence is Michel Bras, with whom I also worked with in Laguiole in France.

FRV: What are the main demands you place on your ingredients and kitchen?

Julien: For me, the ingredients are really the stars of every dish so I use cooking as a vehicle to extract the best possible flavours from those that I source. It is all about knowing where your product comes from, how it has been raised, grown or caught and ultimately respecting these ingredients when you present them in a dish. I like to source organic vegetables and meat from animals which have been raised humanely; seasonal products, line-caught fish and so on. I like to use small volume producers that deliver quality products and 95 % of my produce is sourced from artisan producers and almost 50% of the produce is organic.

FRV: It’s tough to take over at the helm of such an esteemed establishment. What was the defining thing

I learnt to respect the idea of carefully grown vegetables and raising animals humanely from a very young age.

Julien Royer, Chef.

that you brought to JAAN that made the difference?

Julien: My artisanal menu at JAAN is a clear reflection of my culinary philosophy. I am devoted to sourcing the very best products from the most discerning suppliers around the world. I believe in celebrating and respecting seasonal produce, terroir and the skills of the world’s best gourmet producers. Cooking is a vehicle to extract the best possible flavours from the finest produce that I source and then sharing it with my customers.

FRV: Who makes up the bulk of your clientele?

Julien: Most of our clientele are discerning epicureans who really appreciate great food and wine. They are seasoned travellers who have dined at some of the best restaurants around the world.

FRV: The dishes and wines seem as intimate as lovers.

How closely do you work with your sommeliers when working out a menu?

Julien: I have a very good relationship with our head sommelier, Mathias Negro, who has great experience and an illustrious background. We like to share experiences, specifically about what we both taste in the dishes prepared, and this helps a lot in wine pairing for the menu. We have a carefully selected list of nearly 500 different labels from the Old World and New World that complements well with the ingredients in my dishes.

FRV: And finally, the restaurant is rather minimalist in design but please tell us about the magnificent chandelier that takes centre stage?

Julien: The ornate interior of JAAN features a stunning Murano crystal and silver free-form chandelier that spans the entire length of the ceiling. It’s an elegant representation of sea waves that complements the restaurant’s panoramic and enthralling sea view. The beauty of the chandelier is only outdone by two things - the breathtaking vista of Singapore’s scenic landscape and the truly exquisite culinary experience that has become the hallmark of this multi-award winning restaurant. FRV

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SINGAPOREdining

Chef Matthew White and EVPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature Pistachio Pizza.

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PurePizzazz Melanie Lee reckons Extra Virgin Pizza serves the best pizzas in Singapore.

Images courtesy of The Lo & Behold Group FRV Travel l 67

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izza and I go way back. It was the ultimate weekend treat when I was a young girl, if I had completed all my homework without too much whining.

It was the late night social supper snack in college, which left a lingering artificial foodflavouring stench in the dormitory room for days. And in later years, when I was too tired to go out or cook something after an excruciating day in the office, it was my goto frozen food to pop into the microwave.

Recently, however, pizza has pretty much been off my radar. I’m not sure if it was because I became distracted with other kinds of food, or I became more health-conscious (*gasp*) and pizza had a strong junk food association based on my prior experiences.

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The pizzas are cooked in Wood Stone brick ovens at 450°C for just 1-2 minutes, which give the crusts a yeasty, chewy texture.

However, I am pleased to let you know that all that has changed ever since paying a visit to Extra Virgin Pizza (EVP), a casual pizzeria that opened last December at Singapore’s central business district. Its slightly risqué name derives from the popular Italian export, extra virgin olive oil, and encapsulates the purity of the ingredients that EVP uses with their artisanal thin-crust pizzas. For example, the crust is made from unbleached and unbromated flour that hails from Naples, and apparently retains the nutrients of the wheat. At the same time,

EVP gets their tomatoes from an organic farm in California that exudes a sweeter flavour compared to the San Marzano tomato used in conventional pizzas. To top things off, the EVP’s pizzas are cooked in Wood Stone brick ovens at 450 °C for just 1-2 minutes, which give the crusts a yeasty, chewy texture.

I order their spicy pepperoni pizza, just as a gauge to see how it compares to all the other pepperoni pizzas I have eaten in my life. I am flabbergasted – the ingredients are the same: tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni, chilli flakes and oregano - but there is such a difference in taste when one uses premium ingredients.

The pizza practically melts in your mouth with a comforting, warm cheesiness and a lingering, tangy sweetness from the fresh tomato paste. I’m also amazed at how much flavour good pepperoni possesses – deliciously meaty with herbaceous notes.

What is perhaps even more impressive is their pistachio pizza, which consists of pistachio pesto, mozzarella, baby arugula, lemon vinaigrette and parmigiano reggiano. I don’t even usually like arugula, but the nutty, cheesy, citrusy combination of the ingredients is so compelling that I declare to my dining companions that I could go vegetarian for this.

Left: The indoor show kitchen and the breezy alfresco dining area.

Above: EVP’s artisanal thin-crust pizzas: Margherita, mushroom bianco, and sausage and capsicum.

The pizzas have already won me over, but to butter things up, the rest of the menu items at EVP are just as delectable. Their ovenfired clams, for one, are a winner with sweet, juicy clams cooked in garlic, butter and white wine. Likewise, their desserts are pretty irresistible, especially the nutella panna cotta which is a light chocolate hazelnut cream custard topped with fresh berries.

Besides the food, EVP is a very relaxing place to hang out in, as seen by the many corporate executives who dine here with loosened ties. There’s this natural breeze that flows through the high ceilinged area where EVP is situated, making this one of the few naturally cool alfresco dining areas in Singapore. Its modern decor is also pretty cute, with pastel seat cushions, timber shelving displaying the tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and other ingredients used in the pizzas, and the pizza ovens clad in colourful mosaic tiles bearing the Extra Virgin logo.

All in all, Extra Virgin Pizza is a place that will definitely restore one’s faith in pizza.

With the right treatment, it truly is one of the most bellissimo food items in the world.

FRV

Extra Virgin Pizza Asia Square Tower 1 8 Marina View #01-04 Singapore Tel: +65 6247 5757 www.extravirginpizza.com

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PHUKETANDARA

Kamala Views

Andara Resort & Villas

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Text by Nick Walton

Left: Andara has lifted the luxury living benchmark for Phuket.

Above: Beachside at Andara’s private strip of paradise.

Phuket is bouncing back strongly from some lean years, with properties like Andara, the luxurious creation of Hong Kong-based millionaire Allan Zeeman, offering citadels of seclusion above the island’s white-sand beaches.

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he open-air lobby is awash in polished slate and gleaming timbers that speak volumes about the luxuries that await.

Buddhist figures oversee new check-ins, who lounge on settees under massive arrangements of dragon lilies, while others venture up the broad central staircase towards the wine boutique and the resort’s day spa. At the end of a discretely lit hallway, a towering Buddhist statue beams down at guests, creating the effect of a timber-clad temple of relaxation and respite. Welcome to Andara.

The Residence Suites come in one- to fourbedroom configurations, while the Luxury Pool Villas offer three to six bedrooms and feature the attentive service of private villa attendants and superbly trained Thai chefs.

Our two-bedroom Penthouse Suite was located at the very front of the expansive property and offered the closest proximity to the beach, where the sand is furnished with oversized white sun loungers under white linen canopies, and white-uniformed staff offer ice-cold towels, drinks and snacks to sun-worshipping guests.

Andara’s 37 lavish Residence Suites and 26 Luxury Pool Villas blend into the steep hillside, each boasting premium views across Kamala Beach, a white-sand oasis nestled in a valley under siege by thick lush vegetation.

Size is the first thing you notice in the Penthouse Suites. Resembling a lavish home, the main space is divided into a large kitchen with breakfast bench, a dining area with circular timber dining table catering to 10,

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and a broad living area with DVD player, Bose sound system and 42-inch LCD television. The living space, in turn, opens onto a deep-set balcony with its own spacious lounge set, perfect for escaping the midday sun. A modern kitchen features state-ofthe-art equipment, including a double-door refrigerator, and begs to be used by amateurs and professionals alike. Our only regret is that we were not travelling with a group of friends – this place was crying out for a dinner party.

Andara’s signature restaurant and bar, Silk, features polished wooden floors and columns, and soaring ceilings, and although the air-conditioned interiors feature floor-toceiling glass windows, most guests choose to dine on the open-air terrace, serenaded by crickets calling to the sunset. The restaurant

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Our only regret is that we were not travelling with a group of friends – this place was crying out for a dinner party.

This page: Residences and villas afford guests spacious living areas that are impeccably furnished.

Right: With beautifully-appointed bathrooms, and private pools, many guests never leave their villas.

also features an extensive collection of Thai artefacts and touches, including locally produced silks in vivid hues and oversized bronze lantern chandeliers.

The lunch and dinner menus have been created by Chef Ooy, who has been with Silk for 18 years, and offer both Thai and Western dishes. Healthy options are always available and meals can follow fine-dining traditions or be simple alfresco affairs of pizza and local beer – whatever Andara’s guests require. We personally found the Thai dishes to be a little over-flavoured, with the phad thai rather salty and the use of curry powder in the pineapple rice detracting from its natural sweetness, but found the Western dishes, including long lingering breakfasts, cooked to perfection and served by attentive, ever-smiling staff.

If you fancy taking some of Chef Ooy’s skills home with you, Silk offers Thai cooking classes on request, and, if you’re looking for something special to accompany your meal, including Old and New World wines and boutique champagnes, the resort’s in-house wine boutique, Andara Fine Wines – located in the lobby – offers tasting sessions and a wide range of labels.

Beside Silk is the resort’s large infinity pool, a popular gathering ground for couples looking to enjoy the sun and a cocktail to boot. Lined by towering palms, this quickly became our second home (the rooftop pool is perfect for those sunset swims) and the pool attendants made sure we wanted for nothing, including bottles of chilled water and fresh towels.

The huge Andara Spa, nestled behind the main building, features Thai-inspired design, including wooden floors and soft Jim Thompson silk panelling, and a spa menu of treatments and rituals designed to calm and revitalise. Each of the eight spacious treatment rooms features private showers, while two are deluxe double suites and come complete with their own black granite jacuzzi. A private steam room is also at hand.

If you should want to leave your villa or suite and head out onto the surrounding seas, Andara owns and operates two magnificent Baglietto, Italian-designed motor yachts named Andara and Celebrity. The vessels measure 85- and 107-feet respectively and are both available for private half- or fullday charters. Vessels can overnight 8 to 12 guests depending on which craft you choose, or you can spend a day cruising Phuket’s neighbouring islands with a complement of 16 to 25 guests. Each yacht offers airconditioning, sun decks, a dining lounge, plenty of audio-visuals, snorkelling gear, a tender boat and a full crew. Can you really think of a more idyllic way to spend a weekend in Phuket? FRV

Andara Resort & Villas Kamala Beach, Phuket Tel: +66 76 338 777 www.andaraphuket.com

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PHUKETIMPIANA

Looking Down On Creation Text by Thomas Jones

Forget staying in a hotel on the beach in Phuket with the tourist hordes - the only place to be in 2012 is high on a cliff looking down over the ocean from your own private pool villa. Thomas Jones finds solitude to order at Impiana Private Villas in Kata Noi.

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tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to beat endless days lying on white sand beaches, swimming in warm waters, buying exotic fruits from passing hawkers, drinking cold beers and eating freshly cooked chili prawns on a sun lounger under a coconut tree. Ahh, paradise, just like the posters in the travel agency. But then, something unexpected happens; a pair of obnoxious jet skis race past, pushy touts start forcing aluminium elephants and Buddha carvings in your face, the beer gets warm, the sand gets in your sandwiches, and the space between the sun loungers gets smaller and smaller until the sun stops shining.

Phuket is notoriously beautiful, but unfortunately those white-sand beaches and pristine coves, smiling locals and exquisite food are no secret to the rest of the world as well, making peace, quiet and personal space a rare luxury. For those in the know, however, these hard to find commodities are very available.

You just have to know where to look.

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Since I enjoy my solitude, and don’t want to deal with touts, taxi drivers or ‘massage therapists’ desperate for my attention and spare cash - let alone other tourists - I did some simple googling and found Impiana Villas at the top of the hill at the south end of Kata Beach, one of my favourite spots on the island, and gave it a whirl.

Jutting out unto the sea on a high rocky headland the resort has seven suites and four private pool villas, each with its own infinity pools overlooking the sea and, best of all, there’s not another person in sight. I stayed in the Impiana Suite, a commanding space with a large lounge and dining room, a kingsized bedroom with its own sitting area and a large marble bathroom. Each room has sea views (including the bathroom) and massive sliding (safety) glass doors leading out to the pool deck. From here 40 metres up above the water the views over the bay and out to sea are very soothing on the weary beast indeed.

One night, cold drink in hand, I watched a thunderstorm roll in from the sea from my swimming pool. It enveloped the land and threw lightning bolts around the mountains and churned the sea to a foam as I sat

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Facing page: A bedroom, views and a shot from the library.

This page: More views of the bay and beach, and elegance in bathing.

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Ahh, paradise, just like the posters in the travel agency that sparked the idea in the first place. happily immersed in the warm water. This was Nat Geo Channel entertainment writ large, and observed from the perfect vantage point. Not once did I stop to consider the frightening fact that I was sitting in a huge body of water with lightening flashing all around me. Just too relaxed, I suppose.

Seeing as it was absolutely pelting down it gave me an excuse not to have to go out and so I dined onsite in The Living Room in the main resort building right outside my front door. Accompanied by live musical accompaniment from a crooner on a baby grand, the restaurant’s bill of fare was an assortment of Thai and Western dishes that were ably supported by a wide selection of quality wines that went down almost too well.

After dinner I would have retired to the Cigar Lounge for a smoke and a brandy, but having given recently up the habit it just didn’t have the appeal it used to. The three guests that I saw in there, however, had no such compunction and they were

well happy with their trip to Cuba and I did feel a passing twinge of regret for my having quit.

Having three days to ponder not working in this very large suite was enjoyable to say the least. I had planned to leave the confines of the resort as little as possible so as not to encounter the outside world and was assisted in this by the fantastic menu and room service that Impiana provided. When I did leave it was only to wander down the hill to the beach for a swim in the sea or to check out some of the local restaurants, so I never had to deal with the local mercenary transport army – otherwise known as the Phuket taxi driver. From airport pick-up to airport drop-off, Impiana had taken full care of me and ensured that my stay in Phuket was exactly that – my stay in Phuket. FRV

Impiana Private Villas Kata Noi 10 Kata Noi Road, Muang, Phuket.

Tel: +66 7633 0770 www.phuketprivatevillas.Impiana.Com FRV Travel l 77