Faces restaurant at the bale recently appointed a new chef to preside over its pristine open kitchen. Brendan Huisman adds some subtle indulgences to a Bali minimalist classic.......
text : John Douglas
The term 'minimalist' in architecture and interior design has become so ubiquitous as to be meaningless to many. What are you if you're not minimalist? Maximalist? Or simply old fashioned? The fact is there is more to minimalism than modular furnishings, white walls and bulrushes in mottled grey planters. For six years, boutique hotel The Bale has provided one of the leading examples of genuine minimalism on the island. From the broad white stairway that draws the eye upward like a Cartier Bresson photograph, to the geometric water features to the manicured grass-meets-pristine white stone wall, The Bale is genuine study in spare, abstract, pleasing design.
Amongst The Bale's many distinguishing elements, however, Faces Restaurant is conspicuous both for its sheer design acumen and for the exemplary quality of its cuisine. Set on a broad platform clad in creamy stone, Faces and adjacent al fresco lounge Fluid evoke the feeling of a Mediterranean Piazza. Dining takes place beneath a lofty pavilion structure set on slender wooden columns and bookend walls in pale Jogjakarta stone. The kitchen is so open, you feel like you could casually walk in and grab a spoon or some olive oil. Of course, there is no need for this. The Faces staff are uniformly courteous, attentive but not over-eager in their service. Tables are set at discreet distance from one another so that diners retain a sense of privacy in what is an otherwise intimate space.
Presiding over the gleaming kitchen is Chef Brendan Huisman, who turns out stylish and sometimes downright audacious dishes with laid-back flair. Huisman has been with The Vale for six months now, following a two and a half year stint with the Aman group working in the kingdom of Bhutan. “That experience really taught me about working with what is immediately avalaible,” remarks the affable Texan. “I'm not the type of chef who insists on particular kind of endive you only find in one tiny Belgian province.” With distribution real issue in the relativve remoteness of the Aman's mountain idyll, Huisman simply created his own vegetable garden and even charcuterie.
The transition to Bali turned out to be exceedingly smooth. The Bale's progressively minded General Manager Jose Luis Calle allowed his new chef a fairly blank culinary canvas on which to make his mark, rather than dwelling on what his predecessor had done. “There was a certain amount of experimatation – in fact I've just completed a brand new menu which we'll be launching very soon,” Huisman explains.
It is quickly decided that the FRV correspondent and his companion will make suitable (not to say extremely eager) guinea pigs for the new dishes and it is not long before a cornucopia of food arrives at our table, produced with stress-free aplomb by Huisman and his equally unperturbed team. Fish, fowl and flesh are all equally represented – first is the Duck Roulade, offering a complex of four flavors – dense yet juicy duck breast presented rather like a Sushi roll, gently seared foie gras, creamed sweetcorn and mango demi-glace. Huisman explains that he uses the sweet corn's own starch, remove and re-added, to get the creamy consistency required - “it also intensifies the flavour,” he adds.
True to chef's Texan credentials (although it should be mentioned here that he has lived and cooked all over the world) there are two steak dishes – one, the Beef Ribeye, was at the personal, if indirect behest of my companion, whose eyes literally widened when she noticed amidst roasted baby potatoes, wilted spinach and grilled racdicchio, what for her was the golden ingredient; gorgonzola cheese.
The Beef Filet was outstanding, a cut of Australian beef that looked like Ayer's Rock, though rather more yielding to the knife. Risottos tend to be uniformly glutinous, making Huisman's coffee crusted black bean variety a revelation – crunchy, sticky and with a satisfying tang that perfectly offset the juicy meat of the filet.
The final bovine offering was a veal chop of surprisingly grand proportions – its erstwhile owner had been fed on milk in its entire life, making for a supremely tender cut of meat. The accompaniments here fell into the audacious category mentioned earlier – a fava bean puree besieged by a slick of roast beetroot butter with an acid tang to it, together with an onion confit shot through with a clove.
Huisman spent many years in Singapore and he has put the experience to good use on his menu at The Bale. Apart from being served with bok choy, The Roast Spring Chicken is cooked using techniques associated with Peking duck – the skin is coated in a brine to increase its crispiness, giving it an almost caramel-like consistency.
Finally (and at this point the guinea pigs were waning a little – aren't we supposed to just eat lettuce?) there was the Gindara, or Butterfish, soft, white and resilient as the inner thigh of a Parisian courtesan, its lightness rounded things off perfectly, served as it was with herb marinated Bali hearts of palm, radish organic greens and a white balsamic, vinaigrette.
Besides a la carte dishes, Huisman is always eager to conjure bespoke dishes for guests at The Bale – during our visit, one couple is enjoying a romantic dinner in their villa, with candles strewn across every available surface and a menu created specially on the day by the enthusiastic head chef. With the quality of the food, the ambience plus, of course, an extensive wine list, Faces is a great destination restaurant too for those seeking a maximal dining experience within a serene minimal enclave.
The Bale
Jl. Raya Nusa Dua Selatan
PO BOX 76 Nusa Dua
tel : +62 361 775 111
fax: +62 361 775 222
email : bliss@thebale.com
