Bold, strong and exotic flavours are the driving force behind the burgeoning popularity of Indonesian food. Freshness also abounds in the dishes from across the archipelago with garnishes such as basil, limes, chives, and many others. Up in the Bukit area, Double Ikat dishes up some improvements, adding the sensory excitement in the restaurant’s offerings that highlight a broad array of exotic Indonesian flavours – all in harmony.
Now that Bali’s tourism industry heads north, new grandiose restaurants have been proliferating around the island like rabbits. Yet, today, when Bali is home to bountiful dining venues, Double Ikat, despite its current establishment, holds the reputation as one of the commendable names worth mentioning.
Double Ikat, with its impressive decor that highlights the Indonesian indigenous cloth, offers a modern take on the exoticism from across the archipelago. This additional little touch gives the proceedings at the restaurant a sense of stylish Indonesian charm. With the accompaniment of the right aperitifs such as “Wayan on the Rock” (gin, elder flower syrup, fresh lime juice with sweet touch), exoticism sparks even more lavishly here. The service is genuinely friendly in that unique Bali genre, but also polished and highly efficient. Anyway, indulging myself in the splendour of Wayan on the Rock, I took a look at Double Ikat’s simple menu, yet trumpeting loads of dishes that focus on the Indonesian traditions and flavours with contemporary culinary trends. And Double Ikat’s servers are some of the most graciously knowledgeable folks ever to guide me through a menu.
After taking my order, the server went back to my table with a basket full of the typical Indonesian crackers. But what surprised me was that she also had a grinder, raw chillis and other ingredients for the spicy sambal paste with her; as it turned out, the sambal the restaurant uses as the dipping for the crackers is made from scratch on your table, right before your eyes. That was a simple gesture, yet a very lovely ritual as the prelude to my dinner.
Moving on to the dinner, my satisfying entree was “Perkedel Jagung” (crispy corn and chilli fritters with onion sambal), which was a sumptuous warm up before I hit to the “Babi Guling” (Bali’s famous slow roasted spiced pig), “Nasi Goreng Kambing” (spiced lamb fried rice, grilled bultara organic lamb chop), and “Udang Bakar Uluwatu” (grilled king tiger prawn with sambal matah and sweet soy). For the sweet finale, I had the deconstructed Indonesian cold dessert “Es Teler” (avocado lime mousse, nangka jelly, lychee, coconut custard). I doubted the Es Teles as it arrived on my table, but quickly changed my mind for it tasted just like, well, Es Teler! The drink list is snappy, concise, and it even includes the Indonesian herbal beverage known as Jamu.
“Double Ikat is the traditional, indigenous fabric that can be found in many regions across the Indonesian archipelago, including Bali. Each fabric that belongs to each region is unique, just like the food we serve here. Our kitchen team is made up of people from different ethnicities in Indonesia, and we bring dishes unique to our hometowns to the tables at Double Ikat. Each dish represents familiar flavours to our tongues as Indonesians,” said Donald Hutahuruk, the sous chef at Renaissance, the resort Double Ikat calls home.
But this is Double Ikat, after all; and after quite some time spending the better part of gnawing at burger joints, visiting a restaurant that attempts to strike a balance between casual and the grandeur of Indonesian style intimacy is certainly very refreshing.
Double Ikat
Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa
Jalan Pantai Balangan I no 1, Ungasan
+62 361 2003 588
www.renhotels.com
