RICH WITH DISCOVERY: LUNCH IS THE NEW BLACK
RENOWNED AS AN INNOVATOR OF CONTEMPORARY HAUTE ASIAN CUISINE, CHEZ GADO GADO BRINGS THE ART OF RELAXED FINE DINING TO MIDDAY.
Taking advantage of the recent trend of long and leisurely grazing lunches, inviting that special someone to lunch or meeting friends for a tapas-style extravaganza has taken over “date night” as the new black in today’s multi-faceted culinary world. According to Restaurant Manager Fariz Mambu, “A relaxing lunch has less pressure than going out to dinner where one tends to make it into a ‘special occasion’. Lunch has always been a ‘get-in get-out’ type of occasion, but when you’re enjoying a vacation or holiday, a lazy lunch spent with friends grazing over tapas with a bottle of wine or a bucket of beer makes for a very memorable experience, especially when it’s overlooking Seminyak Beach.”
Our favourite new dish on the menu is the chef’s Asian Style Seafood Stew. Although it looks more like an Italian Cioppino, served with fresh tomatoes, shrimp, clams and fish of the day; the lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, chilli pepper, and a few bean sprouts sprinkled on top give it a distinct Asian twist, perfect with a bowl of steaming organic rice or grilled farmer’s Boule.
Chez Gado Gado is also a great place to try traditional Indonesian ‘street food’ dishes that are all the rage. “We recently added Nasi Lemak to our lunch menu, which is pretty much a Malaysian version of Nasi Campur; coconut rice with assorted accompaniments,” explains Mambu. “Typical accompaniments are beef rendang (curried beef), salted fish with peanuts and ‘acar’, which is pickled cucumber, carrot and chilli pepper. The cut of our beef is very rare, adding an exquisite touch to what is considered a classic Asian dish.”
It’s almost impossible to imagine a lazy afternoon overlooking Seminyak Beach without a refreshing libation in hand, but what to choose in the heat of the day? A perfect pick-me-up is Chez Gado Gado’s ‘Gin Smash’, the ultimate tropical cocktail. Made with passion fruit, crushed lime, fresh mint leaves, Tanqueray gin, and a splash of club soda, it combines the sensation of sweet and tart as well as revitalising mint flavours.
