| After a hectic morning of demands and deadlines at the office, the idea of stealing away to an exotic land couldn’t be more appealing, or more needed. The new Bali Indonesian Restaurant in downtown Calgary offers such a retreat, even if it’s only a lunch-hour vacation.
The soft Indonesian music, the trickling sound of water as it cascades over the marble waterfall wall, and the silent underwater life of the aquarium soothe the spirit, setting the scene for a pleasant meal. The waterfall is a vestige of the previous tenant, as is the aquarium at the entrance, which still bears its name: Passion, the Vietnamese-fusion restaurant. Bali’s owner, general manager and chef (for the time being) is Juswanto Ichwan, who moved to Calgary six years ago from the island that gives his restaurant its name. He opened the 110-seat Indonesian eatery in mid-July 2005. (Ichwan also owns two Chinese seafood restaurants in Bali.) In Calgary’s multicultural culinary scene, it’s surprising that Bali is only the city’s second Indonesian restaurant, after Restaurant Indonesia (see the review in the October 13-19, 2005 Fast Forward).
Bright yellow plates smile from the table, hinting at the colourful cuisine they’re going to host. For starters, we selected the Bali platter ($8), as it allows you to try three of the six appetizers. My favourite of the three snacks was the Dutch croquettes of fried potato and chicken served with mustard. The Indonesian martabak consists of fried triangle pockets of pork and vegetable filling served with spicy pickles, while the spring rolls are filled with vegetables, pork and shrimp.
For a main course, there are a number of steamed or fried vermicelli dishes served with lemon-grass chicken or beef, grilled pork, beef or chicken, as well as a vegetarian stir fry, ranging in price from $10 to $13. The traditional meal is chicken, shrimp and fried vermicelli served with vegetables, shrimp crackers and a fried egg. The steamed and coconut rice entrees also feature an array of flavours and meats, such as pan-fried lemon-grass salmon, chicken in coconut gravy, sweet and spicy sea bass fillet, and pork and boiled egg in sweet gravy, again from $10 to $13. Ichwan says that, while much of Indonesian meat is fast-cooked, the Balinese way of cooking is to first marinate the meat for a 24-hour period.
The dish of coconut chicken ($12) had a lovely presentation. A pyramid of rice occupied the centre of the plate and long strips of banana leaf separated the mango-dressed leafy salad from the shrimp crackers, from the pieces of chicken in a beautifully subtle coconut gravy, from the slices of orange.
The Indonesian mini rice table (rijsttafel), named after southern Bali locales, is a great way to experience a small taste of everything. Like the croquettes, the rijsttafel is a Dutch dish introduced to Indonesia during the 350 years of Dutch colonial rule. Unable to obtain the licence required from the local authority to serve rijsttafel in his restaurant in Indonesia, Ichwan was excited to be able to offer it on his menu in Canada.
You can choose coconut beef stew, sweet pork, shrimp curry or coconut chicken while the six sides remain the same. The Nusa Dua rijsttafel ($14) features stir-fried shrimp with potatoes and onions in a coconut curry sauce, sweet and spicy sea bass, a spicy fried boiled egg, a sweet and very spicy soya bean cake and tofu, shrimp crackers, rice and sautéed green peppers with bean sprouts. I enjoyed all the different flavours and the colourful look of the dish, with jagged, bright orange carrots acting as dividers. The rijsttafel is a popular dish among Calgary’s Dutch community, says Ichwan, as is the Indonesian delicacy of ox tail soup. He says it’s quite delicious, provided you can get past its pungent smell.
For dinner, the menu expands to offer three different rijsttafel for two – the deluxe features 13 dishes ($80), the executive has 15 dishes ($120) and the royal has 18 dishes ($120).
Bali Indonesian Restaurant is located at 611 - 6 St. S.W.; phone 261-9888. |
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