It is true that people fear what they don’t know, what they haven’t experienced. I am one of those people. Sejujurnya, bisa dihitung dengan sebelah jari pengalaman gue dengan ‘monster’ yang berjudul ‘fine dining’. Ketika mendengar kata fine dining, gue langsung membayangkan adegan-adegan di film Hollywood yang serba fancy, serba glossy, serba resmi. Yang cowok pake setelan jas dengan rambut super klimis, yang cewek pake dress lengkap dengan tatanan rambut spektakuler dan make-up tanpa cela. In one word: classy. And that’s the quality I don’t have (yet). *self pukpuk*
Makanya ketika dapat undangan dari Alila Villas Uluwatu bertajuk “New York Style Dinner”, gue agak deg-deg an. Gimana kalau gue nggak ngerti penggunaan sendok, pisau, garpu yang berderet-deret? Gimana kalo gue salah kostum? Gimana kalau table manner gue ngaco? Gimana kalo gue malu-maluin? Gimana kalau tamu yang lain merasa terganggu dengan kehadiran gue? Gimana mereka malah diem pas gue ajak ngobrol? Ah. Manusia dengan segala kekhawatirannya. It is true that overthinking kills the fun.
Jadilah malam itu gue dengan hati yang deg-degan datang ke restoran yang terletak di pinggir kolam renang, dan menghampiri meja-meja yang sudah tertata anggun dan cantik. Saat menghampiri meja, satu hal yang gue pikirkan: tempat ini teramat romantis. Have I told you that Alila Villas Uluwatu is the perfect place to celebrate your love? Have I told you that this place is so tranquil and so serene you might find the peace you’ve been looking for all this time? And have I told you that they have restaurants with absolutely gorgeous view to the ocean? No wonder the Michelin Star Chef Saul Bolton paid a visit and cooked us his special menu.
Ketika sudah duduk dan sedikit ngobrol dengan para tamu yang hadir, kekhawatiran gue perlahan mencair. Great place, great people, and here’s the best part: super great food created by one of the best chef in the world are the killer combinations for a night like that.
Satu persatu menu mulai dihidangkan. Menu yang asing di telinga dan di lidah gue. Pengalaman pertama yang mendebarkan dan yeah, sangat menyenangkan. Konsep dinner malam itu adalah 5 courses meals dengan padanan wine yang berbeda-beda. Setiap menu ditemani oleh wine yang akan menyempurnakan rasa makanan. Semuanya diseleksi sendiri oleh Chef Saul.
Kenorakan gue dimulai ketika mencicipi makanan pertama: Cured Spinach Mackerel, yang ditemani dengan champagne Pol Roger Brut. I was like whoa, the food tasted better with the right wine! Whoa whoa whoa! How could this be happening?! *sumpah gue norak banget walau tetap berusaha kalem hehehe!* Gue jadi kayak anak kecil yang menemukan mainan baru. Satu suap ikan mackerel beraroma jahe, enak. Begitu ditambah champagne-nya, rasa makanan meningkat drastis. I have no other word than: genius.
Selanjutnya, berturut-turut menu lain dihidangkan, lengkap dengan wine pairing. Kekhawatiran bahwa gue akan keburu kenyang dan gak akan sanggup menghabiskan lima menu sama sekali tak terbukti, karena makanan yang menyapa kami datang dalam porsi yang tak berlebihan. Dari lima menu, Cured Spinach Mackerel yang cantik dengan warna hijau dari bayam, Slow Poached Duck Egg yang sangat creamy karena ditambah soft polenta dan keju parmesan, Baked Baramundi yang rasanya luar biasa segar karena ada mangga muda dan kuah dari tomat, Wagyu Beef Sirloin yang membuat gue terkejut karena dagingnya seperti meleleh di mulut, serta dessertnya, Passion Fruit Sorbet yang mengingatkan gue pada kenangan masa kecil ketika berburu es krim abang-abang karena sorbet yang dihidangkan mengandung santan yang akrab di lidah, favorit gue adalah Baked Baramundi yang segar dengan wine pairing-nya: Fire Gully Chardonay. Kesegaran kuah ikan baramundi berpadu dengan Chardonnay yang tak kalah segar. Aroma white peach dari Fire Gully dengan rasa yang manis dan baramundi yang lembut dengan kuah yang sedikit asam dan gurih membuat gue tersenyum sepanjang malam. Bahkan sekarang pun ketika memejamkan mata, gue bisa membaui aroma dan rasa baked baramundi ala Chef Saul Bolton.
Other best part of that night was I made new friends. Mereka sama sekali tak menertawakan kecanggungan gue dalam memutuskan memakai garpu apa atau pisau apa. Mereka berbagi cerita traveling yang luar biasa, tertawa dan berseru mendengar kisah traveling gue yang ajaib, serta bersungguh-sunggu menyimak pendapat polos gue tentang makanan yang dihidangkan. Pelayanan tanpa cela dari Alila Villas Uluwatu malam itu juga meninggalkan kesan yang menyenangkan.
Kalau ditanya, apakah gue mau merasakan pengalaman seperti ini lagi di Alila? The answer would be: Are you kidding me? It’s not even a question as the answer would be always a huge YES! That’s why I often visit Alila’s site and peek at their current events: www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/events. It’s always fun to daydream and it’s even more awesome when you can finally make your dream come true.
33 responses to “A Night To Remember”
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