Japan Meets Belgium In Bali

Cascades Restaurant at the Viceroy in Ubud sits above a tranquil valley surrounded by nature. It was here that Chef Junichi Shibata from Rue de Shuri restaurant in Tokyo and Executive Chef Nic Vanderbeeken from The Viceroy combined their skills and created, delicately balanced traditional Japanese dishes for a unique dining experience.

Chef Junichi Shibata who trained internationally, working first in London then in France in two Michelin star restaurants, mastered his cooking techniques there before returning to Tokyo and opening his own restaurant, whose menu is influenced by French cuisine.

Passion and knowledge are at the forefront of great chefs and the Viceroy’s ability to provide unique dining experiences for its guests and visitors provided grounds for these two Chefs Nic and Junichi to combine their abilities and create a 6 course degustation taste sensation.

The meal commenced with Canapés. Delicate and beautifully presented a Gougiere of Wakame, a choux based pastry filled with crème fraiche, shallots, a touch of lemon juice and wakame that was so light it dissolved in your mouth.  It was also a favourite on the night of the dinner. A small bite, Tart of Eel and Melted Onion was delicately topped with a sliced olive and lastly a Croquette of Octopus ensured that each canapé was an individual standout.

The next course known as Sakekasu was presented using fresh seasonal vegetables, cured mullet roe and Sake lees crème. The lees are the left over from the sake production and were used to make a delicate sauce to balance the stronger mullet roe flavor of the dish.

One of my favourites was the Pan Fried Saikyo Miso Marinated Pompano Fish and Eggplant Caviar with Yuzu Butter Sauce. This dish is known as Saikyo Yaki and its name is taken from the white miso made in the west of Japan around Kyoto. The eggplant on the dish was roasted, pureed and formed into a leaf shape and served with yuzu, a kind of Japanese orange with a unique aroma. The foaming butter sauce together with the poached fish was delectable and one can appreciate the classic French techniques used in this dish.

This amazing dish was followed by Kamo Nanban a traditional noodle dish that was reconstructed by Chef Junichi.  Using the same ingredients as the noodle and jelly from the soup was used to form the buckwheat crepe served with duck meat, foie gras, grilled leek and shitake balsamic sauce.

After such an array we were presented with the final two dishes Wagyu Suki Yaki, a spiced glazed wagyu beef tenderloin with sautéed enoki mushrooms, chrysanthemum leaf puree and soy egg yolk. This was interesting as we all looked dubiously at the egg that we had to mix with the green puree and wondered what it would taste like. An unusual surprise as mixed with the balsamic and eaten with the buckwheat pancake the flavours melded together well.

The last dish and another of my favourites was the Shiratama a traditional desert usually made with sweetened adzuki bean paste. Chef Junuchi made little soya bean dumplings from this paste and accompanied it with, a to die for, salted caramel sauce and ice-cream of Japanese hoji tea (green tea roasted in porcelain).

The meal was paired with or without wines and is one of many wine dinners that the Viceroy Bali presents throughout the year, setting a standard of excellence for guests and visitors to their luxury boutique hotel.

A perfect meal in a perfect setting.

Cascades Restaurant – A provider on the Bali Tourist Card