Lighter, Fresher and Oh-so Delectable
With its gorgeous beachside location overlooking the W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak pools and a grassy area with loungers beckoning those wanting to rest post-meal, the stylish Starfish Bloo has long been home to one of the island’s most popular Sunday brunches.
Recently, this hip restaurant has become home to Chef de Cuisine, Australian Matthew McCool, who has brought a raft of new ideas with him.
McCool has refreshed the menu, bringing his own unique flair to modern pan-Asian food, with some great dishes that perfectly reflect that fun, hip and edgy vibe of W worldwide.
Chef McCool’s background is in fine dining, having previously served as Chef de Cuisine at Altitude Restaurant at Sydney’s Shangri-La Hotel, a restaurant that earned three hats from the prestigious Gault&Millau Australia, as well as having trained with Gordon Ramsay at his three-star Michelin restaurant in London, the Michelin-starred Tom Aikens London and two-star Michelin restaurant Chez Bruce.
Keen to showcase a fresh, light taste suited to Bali’s outdoor beachside dining, McCool is innovative and brings quirky ideas to the table. Take the Crab Taco. The succulent crab, lying in a taco-shaped wonton skin, is served on a wooden board with a tube of house-made avocado paste, a syringe of tabasco and what looks like a half-opened sardine tin of bacon chutney.
A complete contrast to this fun, fresh snack is the Hamachi Kingfish Sashimi with ponzu-braised fennel, cuttlefish pasta, yuzu and salmon roe. This generous serving of super-fresh meaty sashimi contrasts beautifully with the smooth black pasta, salty roe and tangy fennel.
Another creative innovation is the thinly sliced scallop served in a wok-style ceramic bowl with crispy pork, shimeji mushrooms and slivers of nori seaweed, with a pork consommé poured over this taste and texture sensation at the table. Somehow, this unusual blend of textures and flavours seemed completely right and was a tasty and satisfying treat on a hot, sunny lunchtime visit.
Dessert was not forgotten and chef presented a wonderful surprise with a cheesecake that had been updated and lightened to suit the hot climate, without forgoing the taste. The contrasting textures of an almond biscuit crumb, airy, yet richly creamy cheesecake and the spoonful of refreshing kaffir lime sorbet will definitely see us returning for more.
Clearly inspired by the clean, fresh flavours of Japan, McCool has definitely pulled off a successful revamp of the Starfish Bloo menu, without altering the wildly popular Sunday brunch, which always requires an early reservation throughout the year.
The divine food is beautifully showcased in Starfish Bloo, from the quirky plating to the marine inspiration for the decor. Large rattan structures clearly invoke all kinds of fishing traps, with some hanging from the ceiling and others providing a backdrop to cosy settees for intimate groups of diners. The blue and white decor, aquarium and terrace tables are all supremely at home in this beachside location, while the long chef’s table is ideal for large groups of friends.
Speaking on his appointment, McCool said he was eager to showcase the best of Bali’s natural produce. “I’m really excited to be heading up the kitchen at Starfish Bloo. The resort is like no other property in Bali, offering pure luxury in the perfect location, and the W brand was a natural fit for me. I’m always looking for innovative ideas and cutting edge approaches I can bring to my cooking; a philosophy which W Hotels brings to every aspect of the guest experience.”
We are certainly grateful that McCool has decided to trade in the formality of fine dining for a stint of island life, sunshine and surfing.
(www.starfishbloorestaurant.com)
