Gary has clearly forgiven me for my outburst a few nights ago but just to show me who's boss, he pipes up at 5.30 am this morning and 'tokays' his blessed little lizardy heart out. I like Gary, but I like my sleep more, so after counting a few rounds (5 - oh please, c'mon that's pathetic, 12 - now you're just showing off, and 6 - you're taking the p!ss aren't you Gary?) I sneak outside to have a word with him.
Me (whispering) - 'Gary? Gary? Gareeeee! Please be quiet. I'm begging you.'
Gary - *blinks at me*
Me (still whispering, and slightly concerned about my sanity when I consider that I'm outside my hotel room at 5am whispering to an oversized gecko) 'Gary - if you're quiet, I'll leave you a surprise tonight when we go to bed.'
Gary - *blink* *blink*
I wonder if it's two blinks for yes and one for no, and decide it doesn't matter - I'm clearly insane.
I slink back into bed staring at the ceiling and wait a few minutes. Nothing. I smirk to myself, roll over and shut my eyes for that last hour and half of peace before I have to get up.
Except I can't get back to sleep. Frustrated I search around in the dark for my book... Bedside? No. Couch? No. Dresser? No. Oh! That's right! I left it in the pram basket yesterday afternoon - I'll just go outside and get it...The pram is parked a little before the entrance to our little patio area so I quietly sneak out and up the path, reach down to grab the book out of the pram basket, and as I turn back around I cop not one, but two eyefuls of the lady next door 'au natural' in the doorway of her room! Given that she is of Eastern European descent, and has the delicate femininity of a Ukrainian weightlifter I very quickly disengage eye-contact and dash back into the safe-haven of our room, panting like I've just witnessed a murder in progress. I crawl into bed and giggle like a school girl - I'm so embarrassed, I can't begin to imagine how she feels! Now I'm starting to wonder if Gary was actually trying to warn me.
Breakfast is spent hoping against all hope that we don't run into each other at the tea and coffee station...I kiss Snubs and Mookie and leave them with Munch and O while C and I grab a driver off the street for $150k to drive us to Seminyak and hang around for the day until we're done.
Here is the List of Demands for The Event;
- Must be private
- Must be by the beach - the closer the better
- Food must be AMAZING
- Must include prawns - the more the better
- On a boat would be nice (yes dear...)
- On a boat towing a boatload of prawns would be even better (of course dear...)
- Must serve nice cocktails
- Must be close to where we're staying (in Seminyak by that stage)
- That will be all. (no problem dear, I'll have that all worked out by Sunday)
I know just the place. We start at The Legian, which strangely enough is in Seminyak, and next door to the hotel called The Seminyak. Confusing. Note though that this is NOT the Legian Beach Hotel - they are two vastly different hotels. Google will explain it all.
The Legian has two large bales on either side of their pool area, but nearer to the beach in which they hold 'intimate dinners'- I know this because I've seen some lucky ducks have dinner here before - and I have filed this location away for many years for just such an occasion as this. C and I stroll into the restaurant and ask to speak with someone about arranging The Event Dinner. The Restaurant Manager, Mr Ediarta, is with us in no time and whips out a copy of the 'Intimate Dinner' Set menu. OMG. If you are in Bali as I write this - GO THERE NOW and book it. If you're not there now - go on-line and book yourself a ticket to Bali.
Go by yourself, or take someone random off the street if you have to - it is a culinary experience that simply must be taken advantage of;
Tuna Carpaccio with White Truffle Mayonnaise, Rucola Salad, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese
Pan-Fried Hokkaido Scallop, Red Onion Confit, Herb and Radish Vinaigrette
Cappellini with Japanese Freshwater Shrimps, Prawn Oil and Sea Kelp
Grilled Lobster with Shallot-Lemongrass Dressing, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Valrhona Grand Cru Chocolate Soufflé, Vanilla Ice Cream
The Legian Coffee or Selection of Tea, Mignardises
Note that we had the lobster course included at our special request, in place of the regular course which was a coral trout dish - we paid a little bit more for this, but not a lot.
Also included is a bottle of South African sparkling wine for each two people (we got two of these for the four of us), and the hotel had no issue with us bringing our own cake and serving it for us.
There was an additional corkage fee for our Dom Perignon, but it was no problem at all for them to have it chilled and ready provided we dropped it off early enough.
The price of this princely menu? A mere 990k ++ per person. Tell me where you can get food like that, served to you by your own private waiter, on the beach, in a candlelit bale for a bit over $100 a head and I'll do a nudie run around my office RIGHT NOW. Plenty of people would much rather significantly more at some of the more high profile restaurants on the island, and share the experience with 50 other people. I would not.
With dinner sorted, we set off in search of a pre-dinner venue to tick off the cocktails part of the list - which would necessarily mean that we would need to sample some of their wares, after all, it would be very negligent of us to just assume that they made nice cocktails wouldn't it?
The rest of the afternoon is a teensy bit blurry, but I do recall we visited Ku De Ta, Starfish Bloo, Cocoon, Mozaic in Batu Belig and ended at Potato Head where we settled on the terrace outside Tapping Shoes for sunset cocktails. The Hostess kindly offered to reserve the space for us for The Event (not normally possible), but C works in hospitality and can talk the leg off a chair, so the hostess either bonded with her or just wanted her to shut up, either way, we were guaranteed a lovely spot and a skip right past the queue on our arrival, plus cocktails in our hands ready as we sat down. Job done.
We pour ourselves back into the car and head home to see how Munch and O have coped alone with the boys. Turns out we needn't have worried - they were having a ball pretending to be a couple pushing the pram down the beach path with one hand each on it - immaculately dressed in their straw hats and mirrored aviator sunglasses - a couple of happy cream puffs in their light pink t-shirts with their little blonde haired, blue eyed designer babies... they actually do make a very good couple.
Munch informs me that they were enjoying today so much they've booked in a 'Gay Day' at Bamboo Shoots Cooking School tomorrow - last week this would have inspired feelings of intense fear and loathing at being left alone with Mookie and Snubs while he prances off and cooks with his mate, but as Ririn is here tomorrow all is well.
Dinner is at Bennos on the beach - thankfully the food and service was much, much better than our very first lunchtime effort, but I'm still quite blown away by what it costs - 750k for really not all that much. A lovely evening bike-free stroll along the beach path back to Peneeda and we all retire to our rooms early.
True to my word I leave the patio light on for a few hours so that Gary has a buffet dinner, but he's not inclined to bestow any luck on me tonight, he throws back a 6, 8, 9, 5, and then croaks out a 2 before settling down for the night. The lucky seven still eludes me.
Sampai nanti,
dutchnat