BALI – KAYUPUTI RESTAURANT

Starting our South East Asia honeymoon, The Hubby and I spent 5 glorious nights at the St. Regis Bali. We stayed in a pool suite for the first 3 nights and upgraded to a villa suite for the last 2 nights. Between the two rooms, I actually prefered the pool suite for us because we were mostly away from the resort and really didn’t need all the space of the villa, which even included a separate living area for a nanny.

Pool Suite – Large king size bed with a sitting area. Sliding doors to a private backyard with loungers, a gazebo and private jacuzzi. Perfect for two people and offered lots of privacy.
Villa – Basically a small house with multiple rooms. A larger “backyard” with a private pool, gazebo, loungers and direct access to the salt water lagoon. Less privacy in the outdoors area, but we rarely saw any other guests. Great for families.

We spent one day of our trip enjoying the resort’s saltwater lagoon and white sand beach. We visited during off peak season, this had no trouble finding loungers and rarely swam into other guests. Service and hospitality was also exceptional. Many times, we found our needs being taken care of (towels, drinks, moving luggage) before we realized they even existed.

While researching fancy restaurants in Bali, I was happy to learn that two of the top rated ones were at the St. Regis. Score. We were already being spoiled daily with the buffet breakfast at Boneka that included oysters, wagyu steak and eggs, rock lobster omelets, and foie gras. Yes, starting every day with foie gras and lobster. I was in food heaven. With the great experience with breakfast, we decided to splurge for a dinner buffet at Boneka as well. During dinner, the selection was equally indulgent with an overwhelming variety of choices and fresh ingredients. Unfortunately for blogging purposes, none of my photos turned out.

On our last night in Bali we dined at Kayuputi, the signature restaurant of St. Regis Bali.

Atmosphere: The restaurant was located on the beach with a stunning view of the sunset. At first, we settled at an outdoor table but the evening breeze proved chillier than I had anticipated. We moved to a table inside instead, that also offered a view of the open kitchen. Tables were set far apart affording guests privacy in the large open room. Generally, conversation throughout the restaurant was hushed and there was an air of tranquility.

Service: Like all other aspects of hospitality at the St. Regis, service at Kayuputi was top notch. Our server was efficient, friendly, volunteered to take a photo for us and more than happy to help us move tables. The seats inside were also long benches and each time The Hubby or I stood up, someone came by to shift the bench and then help us back in. Dishes arrived at a steady, leisurely pace.

Food: Glancing through the wine list and comparing against LCBO pricing, we decided cocktails were the way to go. On the second page of the menu, there was even a note explaining why prices seemed exorbitantly high (starting at $65 CAD for a non-vintage bottle of white Indonesian wine).

As a starter, we ordered Kayuputi’s signature grilled seafood for two. Ingredients were stacked artfully and included grilled lobster, marinated butterfish, squid skewers and king prawn tempura. Each bite was fresh, tender and succulent. I believe the lobster used were rock lobsters, slightly smaller than the kind we’re used to in North America.

For mains, The Hubby chose the Black Angus Beef Filet while I had the Lamb Rack. With both dishes, the meat was pink and tender. I did find my lamb had a strong gamey flavour, especially the section that was crusted, where the fat was left behind. Overall the entrees were good, but not spectacular. Rather, I found our dinner at Boneka offered stronger and more enticing flavours.

Dessert however, was unforgettable. I ordered the warm passion fruit souffle, that was served with a mini pitcher of fresh passion fruit, to be poured into the souffle at our table. The fruit was ripe, sweet and tangy. The souffle was like a cushion of air. Each spoonful had a burst of pulp, pillowed by fluffy, delicate cake.