Kayu manis

Serving ‘Exotic Indonesian food and international cuisine’, Kayu Manis,  tucked quietly into the complex of Pecatu Graha Bali (Kuta Golf Resort Link) of the New Kuta Condotel, has a stunning view of the Dreamland Ocean and the cliffs that surround it. 

The man behind the Kayu Manis story is I Wayan Susana, the Executive Chef. As a child, he did not dream to be a chef, but to join the army. “I remember as a child I was marching and singing military songs around the rice fields with a backpack pretending I was a soldier. Then grandma would call me up to the kitchen to help her,” he said with a laugh. One day my uncle suggested I become a chef instead of joining the army; he thought my true talent might lie in the kitchen. “He followed the suggestion and started his culinary career in 1992. Eventually his  talent led  him to various five star hotels in Jakarta, until moving back to Bali in 2008.

Sop Buntut, the oxtail soup local style, served with diced garden vegetables, steamed rice and melinjo bean crackers opened our lunch. It looked simple, but the fresh, savory taste of the broth that compliments the tender oxtail was a very nice surprise. “This is a best seller among golfers,” he said proudly, “they like something fast, good, cheap and simple. We can sell hundred of these bowls during golf season.” We also tried the fried version, Sop Buntut Goreng where the meat was separated from the bowl of broth instead of boiled together inside, and it tasted sweet and savory. So what makes this soup taste lighter and fresher than others?  “I don’t use kemiri (candlenut) which can overpower the taste of the broth,” explained Susana, “and no MSG!”

Bebek Goreng is a specialty and this famous Balinese dish of deep fried duck, comes with plecing kangkung, water spinach with sambal and steamed rice, and is surely one of the best on the island! “We boiled it for six hours in a slow fire before deep frying which makes the meat tender.” Susana dished his secrets, “The original recipe uses shallots; this uses none, so avoids the strong smell, I also use white sugar instead of palm sugar so the meat is crispy and not easily burned.”
The Nasi Goreng Seafood was also lovely; traditional fried rice served with fish skewer, deep fried floured prawns and cucumber-carrot-chili pickles. My personal favorite was the tasty, tender, melt in your mouth Tuna Bakar or spiced barbeque tuna fish on a skewer, that came with a yummy pencok jagung,  corn risotto and sambal matah,  shallots and lemongrass chili; simply delicious with a  pretty presentation.

For drinks we enjoy fresh and sweet mocktails such as Passionate, fresh passion fruit, orange and lime juice, Sunriser; fresh orange and pineapple juice sweetened with grenadine, and Tutti Frutti; fresh strawberry, melon, pineapple and orange juice. Dessert is a sweet and light Low-fat Tiramisu that came with fresh fruits and a candy cane.

Good local food with fair prices can be found all over the island. But  good local food prepared with  passion, at a fair price, and with a  stunning view can only be found in a few places. One of them is Kayu Manis. MK