Any kind of Oriental food makes me drool and I’m all for trying out new cuisines that this part of the world has to offer. I’ve tried and tested Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese and loved each one of them. What was left was Indonesian food (apart from their ever popular Nasi Goreng and Satay) and thanks to The Orient (located at City Centre 2) that agenda was also fulfilled. So one particular sun-soaked winter afternoon with my fellow KFBians Archita and Antara I headed to this place. We were ushered in by our gracious hosts of the day — members of the Ambuja Neotia Group — who ensured that the hospitality was as excellent as the food itself.
Specially curated by Chef Ghanshyam (executive chef at The Orient), this Balinese menu was a bit toned down than the usual spicy Indonesian fare. I personally like my food spicy but the riot of flavours that befell us that afternoon succeeded in winning my vote all right!
The first course on the table was Soto Ayam (Java’s chicken and glass noodle broth), mildly spicy but packed with flavour. The addition of a little bit of sambal that was served on the side took the taste higher by notches.
Starters comprised of Lumpia Sayur (Fried spring roll stuffed with vegetables and tofu) and Sate Udang Besar, Bumbu Rujak (Skewers of king prawns). I loved both — the crunch of the spring rolls generously filled with veggies as well as grilled prawns that perfectly complemented the spicy Java sauce. I am a sucker for dips of all kinds so needless to say the sauces won the day for me.
For mains we were served the quintessential Indonesian Nasi Goreng. This stir-fried rice with shrimps and chicken satay, topped with a fried egg and a prawn cracker was way too much in quantity than my appetite called for, but delicious that it was, I managed to wipe off almost the entire portion.
The Ayam Pelalah (Shredded chicken,tomato chilli sambal) served along with it hit all the right notes as well.
But Chef surely did save his best for the last and the Balinese Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate and Rum Ganache with Wasabi ice cream that arrived at the fag end of the meal completely blew our minds and left us wanting for more. The cake had a distinct layer of gooey fudginess sandwiched between the crisp brownie-like crust and the kick from the Wasabi ice cream was just the right choice to offset the chocolatey-ness.
We were also told that The Orient serves Oriental martinis in unique flavours of wasabi, galangal, lemongrass for just INR 200 between 3pm-5pm. So those of you interested in cocktails can surely make a dart for it. And if alcohol is not your thing, the food is totally worth it. So usher in the new year with some Balinese extravaganza at The Orient.
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Fond memories of an afternoon well spent 🙂 we should catch up more often