Omotenashi Hobart

I had booked a few months ago for a birthday date with my father. I had no idea at the time what we could possibly be in store for, or how incredible an experience we would have waiting for us. 

A week before our dinner was due I received a text confirming my booking. I looked at the text thinking, "do I still know how to enjoy a fancy dinner? Am I still THAT Beck?" I replied to the text yes, that we would be attending, but had a gnawing anxiety.

What did I know about Omotenashi? I knew it was in a car showroom. I knew it was around 15 courses of seafood and vegetable heavy kaiseki style dining. I knew the seating was only for 10 people.

We drive into Hobart to get in by 5pm. The restaurant requests a prompt arrival by 6.30, so we stop into Grinners Dive Bar for an aperitif. I have a Dr Edge Chardonnay. Fun fact, I spent 2 days onsite at Dr Island wines which is a colab of Dr Edge and Small Island winemakers, learning all things winemaking. The chardonnay was delicious.

We then head to the Lexus showroom.

We make our way down a side alley to a discreet door, we enter, are offered tea and told we may make our way freely through the showroom at our leisure. Inspecting some very lovely Lexus while taking in the ambience. 

We are introduced to one of the owners and chefs, Sophie who gives us a brief rundown of how the night will go and then shown to our table.

Photography: Courtesy of Omotenashi/Luke Burgess

Owners and chefs Lachlan and Sophie are our hosts and welcome us like family. We are introduced to them, their vision and what to expect from the rest of the night. Being such an intimate setting, we the guests all introduce ourselves and before long the guests and hosts are interacting freely and without worry.

The crockery/lacquer wear is all antique, sourced from Japan, including our Sake cups and we are invited to select our favorite from a tray. Matched sakes are included and we are invited to request as many refills as we like by placing our cup on the bar and not to be shy about doing so. 

We watch in awe as Lachlan prepares the starting courses before our eyes with all of the skill and ease of a master sushi chef.

We begin with sashimi scallop, with apple from the Huon Valley and strips of okaka, thinly sliced and dried bonito.

Next up we have abalone, with liver sauce, vegetables and artichoke sushi (rice ball). It is my first time trying abalone which is highly prized in Asia and although sourced in Tasmania, most of ours does make it's way to the Asian market. It was lovely and the umami liver sauce was rich and delicious. The vegetables were were lightly blanched and their fresh flavours shone through. The addition of Chilian Guava berries was delightful and the first time I had seen them on a menu. The sushi was excellent. Can we also talk about the outstanding presentation and addition of wattle flowers?!

Following on was a bowl of warm and I must say, warming dashi broth.

We are then introduced to the sashimi courses. Whiting, rock lobster and bonito.

The whiting is served only with river salt which we are informed is to provide crunch. The fish is excellent and the crunch really elevated the dish,

Rock lobster or crayfish as we call it in Tasmania is not uncommon, especially around Christmas time. I had never had it raw before. It was incredibly delicate. Having sashimi with no sauces or extra accompaniments also really spotlights the flavour of the fish.

I had to google bonito: it's a fish in the same family as tuna and mackerel and looking at it now I can see it in the flesh of the sashimi and also how bonito flakes and dashi have such a meaty flavour. This bonito served with egg yolk and dashi was absolutely wonderful. One of my meal highlights.

To follow we are made individual maki rolls of bluefin tuna. The crunch of the nori sheet sourced from Kyoto is delightful.

We commence our next set of dishes with Chawanmashi, a steamed egg custard. Which is super light but also warming and hearty, if that makes sense?

The sake pairings are excellent and possibly the first time I had tried/enjoyed quality sake. The intricacies of sake is fascinating and the tasting notes are as many and varied as that of wine or whisky.

Following on from this is our second whiting of the evening, served grilled. Whiting is an excellent fish and not one I have eaten much of since the move south.

The next three dishes I think would be considered our main/s. And flavourful mains at that. The first was, I would almost describe as a warm potato salad with brocolli fleurettes and mushroom and was very very moreish.

The hotpot bowl of dashi, vegetables and the most wonderful grilled moshi (another highlight of the meal.

And the gohan dish of scallops on rice which had a flavour which isn't unfamilar to me but difficult to describe The scallops were perfection and the garlicy rice was [insert happy, yummy pleased sound here]. It had that feeling of 'home' when you ate it. And on a cold winter night these three dishes really warmed the cockles.

Then we move onto desserts: Meyer lemon ice cream with lemon curd. Presented in such a perfect capsule. Sophie announces that she could only present it like this to us as we've had such a fun night as a group. The mother of pearl spoon apparently conducts the temperature differently to metal and will affect the taste accordingly.

All I can say is the dessert definitely tasted amazing.

And to round out the night, a rhubarb and matcha mochi .

Dad and I were beyond amazed by this dining experience. The hosts , the food, the experience, the location and even the addition of our fellow guests just made this a once-in-a-lifetime evening (though I hope I can go again soon). I made a statement recently in that this was in the top 3 dining experiences of my life with the 3 Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay click here to read and the Michelin starred Number One at Balmoral here. I still can't believe how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to dine here. I don't know If I'm still a fine dining Beck, but I had a most wonderful night.

Sophie and Lachlan are amazing and I wish them all the luck in the world. In any other capital city, I imagine this restaurant would have a 3 to 6 month waitlist and charge $500 a head. I'll just count my blessings that I live in Tasmania.

Cost $300 per person.

Omotenashi

Lexus Showroom

Elizabeth Street Hobart

All Inclusive at Grand Mirage Bali

The one we've been waiting for. Let's explore The Grand Mirage and Thalasso, Benoa Bali.

Firstly, why choose all inclusive?

1: When you don't want to worry about a thing 

2: When you want to know upfront how much your holiday will cost

3: If you don't to be bothered by converting currencies and adding taxes

4: When you realise Bali is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be

5: When you cook at home and for a job and it's the very last thing you want to do on holidays.

Day 1:

Wednesday

We start the day with coffee brought to the room by room service. The fruit bowl in our room is a gift on arrival. I ate the banana, it was delicious.

We are both up quite early and make our way down to Grand Cafe as it opens. The breakfast is vast, very vast I'm talking every breakfast thing you can think of, plus Japanese, Korean, Indian, Indonesian, sweets, delicatessen... I mean VAST.

I start with a lovely fresh and squishy bagel, cold meats and cheese and Lurpak Danish butter (the best butter) and also some dim sum, cause I love dim sum at any time

This morning we explore the resort, it's pools and stunning grounds, the beach front and local area. I'm peckish again after a walk around 11am so have some sushi and karaage fish with pickled ginger. And what a lovely spot to sit and nibble.

After popping out to local shopping area Bali Collection, we stop in at Jukung Grill which becomes probably my favourite spot to eat, not only for the view and for the option to sit in air con, but also for their very fresh menu and wonderful service.

How pretty is this outlook?

I start the meal with a Margherita and water.

For starters I have the bocconcini salad which is a gorgeous creation of bocconcini (mozzarella), tomato, melon, crouton, olive, balsamic and greens. It is so fresh and so good, those tomato's have been peeled!

For main I have the soft tacos, with fillings of chicken, beef and prawns. Great flavours and super fresh ingredients.

For dinner this evening, after around a thousand cocktails I join some new-found friends for Indian at Bumbu Delhi. I love Indian food and this restaurant did not disappoint, it was just perfection- sans photos- oops.

Day 2: Thursday

I wake late with a dusty head and after a breakfast of panadol and hydralite, I dust myself off and face the day.

Back at the beachside grill I start with a very good Bloody Mary

The calamari salad. A refreshing dish with perfectly cooked cool calamari, mandarin, avocado, cucumber, capsicum and coriander dressing

And a Seadood Pizza (because hangover). The base is excellent and I'm quite sure this has been wood-fired, I can taste fish, prawn and calamari and the egg yolk is a nice touch. No fishy taste is sign of no frozen seafood, great flavour and texture.

I can't fit it in, but as I watch one of these mango Panna Cottas delivered to a table near us, I had to have one, and it was incredible. 

And an afternoon of recliner-service pina coladas. 

What a happy time.

For dinner, we rooftop dine. A beautiful spot but we think very under-utilized, this would be the loveliest place for sunset cocktails. But is merely used as overflow tables for the beach grill downstairs.

We are joined by our new friends. I decide to forego a main and instead have 3 starters. I am happy with all of them. Tuna Tartare, Prawn Cocktail and Burrata

Firstly, the tuna. I actually had this for diner the night we arrived but was just so happy to be off the plane that I didn't even have my camera with me. From that night I had two extraordinary dishes, this tuna, and a gnocchi, both of which I recommended to everyone I meet and everyone was grateful for the recommendations. 

Minced raw, fresh tuna with avocado salsa and wasabi mayo. Absolutely a dream dish.

The Burrata is a lovely Italian style soft cheese salad, bold Italian flavours and an all round delicious dish.

The Prawn Cocktail is lovely as well. Not one hotel guest I spoke to could confirm if the prawns were fresh or not, they had a nice taste, and a pretty good texture, but they weren't prawns you get used to living in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

We wash these down with many glasses of the house white, which is nowhere near as bad as reviews I had read. And as previously mentioned in Bali posts, wine is SO EXPENSIVE over here. Very happy these were included in the price.

Day 3: Friday 

We decide to do a late breakfast/ early lunch combo today... brunch you may call it where I get, oh my gosh, another salad??? I think the heat just made me crave cool refreshing dishes.

I get the Romaine which is a Caesar Salad/Prawn/ Chicken dish and it bloody delightful.

I wash this down with 2 or 3 iced coffees and a delightful ice cream dish where I take my time and just watch the world go by.

I'm going to use this time to reiterate the whole "all-inclusive thing"... So, the price you pay up front includes your room, transfers from and to the airport, all food at all restaurants and room service, all drinks including alcohol, water sports, any and all activities within the resort, and if you're after a Rancho Relaxo calm holiday, it really is a great way to go. If you do, do your research, quality will vary hotel to hotel as will drink inclusions. 

And as lovely as it is, I still like to head out from the resort and I was in the mood for Japanese. We head down the street a few hotels to the Hotel Nikko to Nagisa Izikaya.

Ahh, golden hour on the beach

I start the evening with a dry, dirty vodka martini, one of my favourite drinks. This one was very good.

We select a variety of dishes to share including the sashimi plate, which had some beautiful fresh fish, prawn, and scallops.

Following this, we have chicken gyoza, agadashi tofu (I love agadashi tofu, but it seems to be quite a polarising dish, what are your thoughts?) and the spicy salmon roll.  All are very well made and delicious. We also had, (not pictured) cold soba noodles with dipping sauce and mixed tempura and edamame.

This meal, not being at our hotel, and therefore needed to be paid for (sigh), with the martini and a wine for my guest came to around $120 Australian including Bali's 21% government and service tax (not included on menu prices and very annoying to try to remember to total in your head).

We return to the hotel for some wine in the lobby bar before retiring for an early night.

Day 4: Saturday

The following day we have a day out where we head to a glorious museum, the Museum Pasifika which is an absolute highlight of our trip.

Followed by afternoon tea at the Apurva Kempinksi (click to see post)

I hadn't had breakfast though, so decide on a quick bite before that, and I had to share it cause it was wonderful.

We found a nice shady cafe with a breeze in Bali Collection where I enjoyed this delicious iced coffee and Caramel Mango, which is genius in its' simplicity: mango, pan fried in caramel served with ice cream. Yum. Around AUD $15 for the both.

When we get back to the hotel, we then take a leisurely walk looking for night markets, but are unlucky and cannot find any this evening. We return for a late bite.

I decide I'm not that hungry and just opt for a dessert of pavlova which I had seen on the Grand Mirage's social pages.

Before I even take a bite my guest announces I MUST try a bite of her steak. I am surprised as it came out so quickly, I thought there was no way it could have been rested. But as I try I am blown away by the tenderness and moistness of the rib eye. I throw my pav to the side and I flail my arm in the air,  announcing to the waitstaff that I simply must have exactly the same!

I comes out no more than 10 minutes later. It's just gorgeous! I think it has been sous vied then finished on the grill as there is no way a steak can come out so nicely in such a short about of time. The veg are cooked perfectly al dente and the mash is creamy and well seasoned. A perfect meal.

The pav on the other hand is underwhelming. The meringue is too crispy and brown and there isn't enough cream or fruit to balance it. Lucky for the steak.

Day 5: Sunday

Our last full day at the resort, a sad realisation. We decide to have the most chill day we can handle, and make use of the time we have. There was two things at the breakfast buffet I really had my eye on.

The make your own ramen, and the made to order naan station.

The ramen station: you spoon the noodles as well as anything else you want into your bowl, before it is dowsed in boiling water, returned to your bowl then broth added, before you add any extra bits.

It wasn't the best ramen I have had, but it was very fun, and like pizza, an average ramen is still a pretty flippen good ramen.

Breakfast under the Bougainvillea by the pool

The Indian section is manned and as well as hot cooked dishes they do make to order naan and roti. I was very keen to have a naan bread made fresh for me. I added some pickles and extra dippy bits and it was just lovely.

After breakfast, H heads off for a massage and I go for a nice beach walk before we made our way to the onsite Thalasso Spa for an aquamedic pool session (a pool massage.)

Feeling like we're floating on clouds after our aquamedic massage, we return to the Grand Cafe for lunch. I had decided I hadn't tried any Indonesian food on this trip, so this was my plan for lunch today.

Some crazy healthy juice, which I actually really enjoyed and had two. (no booze)

To start I have the Gado Gado which is described as a vegetable salad with peanut sauce, peanut cracker, boiled egg, crispy bean cake, tofu.

Although presented differently to what I expected it was light and fresh and packed a real punch of flavour.

I was tossing up what to have for the main, but decided the Nasi Campur would give me a nice chance to try plenty of things

It was a smorgasbord and although on the spicy side, everything was really tasty. Its' flavour combinations aren't like anything I've tried before but they are intense and excellent. It contained rice, beef, chicken, prawn, veg and sate and filled me right up, with both food and happiness.

I had read numerous times about a banana dessert that was a MUST TRY, reviewers RAVED about it. Although I was rather full I thought this might be my last chance so I got one to try. It also, was massive, however underwhelming in my opinion, it was deep friend banana with not really anything else going for it. I am glad I got to try it though.

We spend the afternoon by the pool bar before retiring to our balcony to finish some of our duty free drinks before ordering room service for dinner.

Two pizzas: margherita and meat lovers and a mie goreng.

Day 6: Monday

Check out day.

We pack our bags, make plans to get last minute gifts and generally get ourselves together.

I pop down and get myself a light brekky to bring back to the room. Before a quick kayak.

Once we're sure everything is under control, we head downstairs for our last few hours before our 12.30 check out, and what else to do, but sit on the beach with a cocktail to calm the nerves before the craziness of Denpasar airport Departures.

And a last bite to eat at our lovely, lovely Jukung Beach Grill

An excellent burger. Chips not as good as the ones from my work though.

And just like that, it's all over, the flights back hope are not on time but not too uncomfortable. I've been back home for a week now and there's rarely a moment I haven't thought about the lovely and relaxing trip with my very good friend of 20 years.

Some info:

Stay:

Grand Mirage Resort and Thalasso.

We actually chose this holiday because overall a week here all inclusive was cheaper than a week in Queensland.

I wanted a Oceanview (I miss the ocean now that I live in the country) and also a suite, at more than double the size of a standard room, it would allow us both space to ourselves.

Prices:

Flights were around $1000 Brisbane to Bali return with Virgin, plus $90 each way for Economy X (extra leg room, priority boarding).

The Oceanview suite all inclusive came to around $3900 for us both all inclusive or $650 per night or $325 per person per night. This was around twice the price of their entry level room with garden view.

I spent an extra $140 for the Business Class upgrade, around $160 on the flights for food and beverages and around $300 in total on everything else in Bali (food, drinks, shopping, duty free, gifts, taxis and tips).

Links:

https://www.grandmirage.com/

https://www.kempinski.com/en/the-apurva-kempinski-bali

https://hotelnikkobali-benoabeach.com/dining/nagisa-japanese-izakaya-experience/

https://museum-pasifika.com/