An extravagant Sunday brunch is a must do experience for any foodie visiting Bali. Every week restaurants around the island offer all inclusive brunch packages, each one a feast of local and international cuisine. After some research I booked ‘The Astor Diamond Champagne Brunch’ at Kayuputi Restaurant in The St. Regis hotel.
Kayuputi is one of Nusa Dua’s fine dining restaurants, offering a sophisticated atmosphere in a beachfront setting overlooking the Indian Ocean. Sounds like something out of a marketing brochure but it’s really true.
Here’s the real marketing positioning: ‘The St. Regis Bali unveils a new haven for gourmets every Sunday, of the finest Asian inspired haute cuisine, in a style that is unprecedented both in opulence and exclusivity’. No surprises then that I was happy to splash out $200 US per person (cheaper without drinks) for an experience to remember.
The Kayuputi brunch package
Brunch begins at 11am and runs until 3pm. For Rp 1,100,000 per person ($100 US) you enjoy one hour of champagne, cocktails and canapés from 11am followed by three hours of feasting.
The full drinks package costs an additional Rp 995,000 and includes champagne and cocktails as well as red and white wines from 12pm to 3pm.
The drinks package even includes a variety of ‘digestives and cigars’.
Reasons to choose Kayuputi.
1. The location is alongside Nusa Dua’s golden sands and overlooks the Indian Ocean. Sat inside you’re surrounded by a heavenly white wood interior, luxurious furnishings and Balinese decor. It’s simply stunning.
2. Unlike most Bali brunches the experience at Kayuputi is not buffet style – rather you’re presented with the most elaborate and mouth-watering menu which includes a la carte options. From the canapés at 11am through to the desserts at 3pm everything is served to your table by the wait staff (of course you can decline if something doesn’t take your fancy, but that’s highly unlikely).
3. The quality of every dish is truly extraordinary. Previews guests have considered it Michelin star quality. A culinary team led by Executive Sous Chef Agung Gede works in a huge open kitchen to serve dishes ‘inspired by quality ingredients and an emphasis on authentic preparation’.
My Kayuputi experience
On arrival we were greeted by Harald Weismann and his team. German Sommelier Harald is a multi award-winning Sommelier and kindly greeted us and explained how the next few hours would unfold. We then took our seats at the champagne bar for the aperitif hour. Excitement got the better of me and I must have consumed two cocktails and a glass of champagne within an hour.
During the first hour we were also presented with canapés…..and I was already glad to have deliberately skipped breakfast to allow lots of room for the Kayuputi feast.
Tuna tartar canapé
Alaskan crab canapé
Sweet prawns canapé
At midday we were shown to our table – a soft cushioned banquette table large enough for four people, right alongside the large windows overlooking the ocean.
From here for the next three hours the champagne flowed and the food just kept on coming. Here’s a selection of everything that we devoured one by one. It really was like a 15-20 course degustation served at a moderate pace by passionate staff who were happy to explain every single dish.
A selection of appetiser dishes to start
Amuse-bouche – Sturia Caviar vintage served with blinis
Croissant, Danish pastry & breads, freshly oven baked
Homemade Bircher muesli, espuma yoghurt with strawberry jam, fresh seasonal fruits compote
Parma ham sliced at the table
Homemade terrine & rillettes to accompany the parma ham
Oysters – 3 ways
Pickled daikon salsa with lime espuma oyster
Bloody Mary shooter oyster
Panko fried with spicy pineapple sambal oyster
Soup – 3 ways
Chilled carrot & yoghurt gazpacho with crispy fried scallop
Light lobster bisque with minced seafood skewer
Chinese herbal duck consommé with roasted duck pancake
Sushi and sashimi with wasabi, pickled ginger and shoyu
More substantial dishes
Then we moved onto a selection of duck foie gras – each dish chosen from the a la carte menu. It was definitely an occasion to indulge on the types of food we were unlikely to find elsewhere in Bali. Hence why the ‘fish of the day’ didn’t seem as appealing.
Duck foie gras mousse and composition of pear
Carpaccio of cured foie gras with seasonal cress salad
Rillettes of duck leg confit-foie gras, with toasted brioche, green salad and balsamic meat reduction
Caeser salad – young romaine lettuce, parmesan tuile, anchovy dressing, pork crumble & crispy toasted bread
Yellowfin tuna tartar – with pickled fruits & tamarind vinaigrette
Alaskan crab & tomato maki roll with garlic & herb coulis
Seafood linguine in a white wine butter sauce with fresh herbs
Wild mushroom risotto – with duck ragout, shaved foie gras & truffle oil emulsion
Roasted prime rib from the trolley with Yorkshire pudding, meat jus & buttered seasonal vegetables
Herb crusted Australian lamb chop, Mediterranean vegetables, eggplant caviar & thyme meat jus
Medallion of Peking duck breast with orange compote & duck meat jus
On to dessert
Of course no matter how full you are there’s always room for dessert. The desserts luckily we fairly small portions which meant we could try a couple of the a la carte menu as well as enjoying the ‘pass around’ éclairs and macaroons.
Valrhona chocolate – guanaja chocolatte Vs manjari chocolate
Yuzu velvet – green tea ice cream & orange tuile
It tastes like bounty – milk chocolate, candied young coconut, coconut milk sorbet
Classic Grand Marnier soufflé
Tripych of verrine – apricot cheesecake, orange capari, chocolate raspberry
3 ways of éclair – black forest, lemon tart & Paris brest
St Regis macaroons – Sesame seed salted caramel, black current violet & passionfruit
For four hours I was transported to another world, perhaps food heaven. Stomach capacity permitting I could have continued drinking champagne and nibbling on more food through to late afternoon, past sunset and beyond. I’d even go so far as to say I’ll possibly be back to Bali next year to repeat the experience all over again.
Tips
- Make a reservation in advance – the limited seating means it can sell out quickly. And be prepared to provide credit card details to secure your booking.
- Dress for the occasion. The dress code is smart casual and offers a great excuse to wear something that makes you stand out from the crowd.
- The St Regis pool and beach facilities are reserved for hotel guests only so don’t expect to be able to grab a sun lounger after brunch.
- If you can’t make it to Kayuputi for the once a week brunch then consider visiting for lunch or dinner. They offer a highly rated 8 course degustation menu.
By Feast Wisely
Contact
- stregisbali.com
- Address: The St. Regis Bali Resort, Kawasan Pariwisata Nusa Dua Lot S6, PO Box 44, Nusa Dua, Bali 80363, Indonesia.
- Phone: +62 361 300 6786
- Email: kayuputi.bali@stregis.com
- Open from 12pm to 5pm for lunch and from 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner
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