Fine Dining Gets A Playful Twist
Industrial-style interiors, white table cloths and a playful underground vibe; a first glance at The Parlour Kitchen, Bar & Lounge is an intriguing one to say the least. The laid-back fine dining restaurant has recently popped up on Bali’s chicest strip, so naturally, the concept had to be a unique one – and that it certainly is.
Opened in mid-July, this trendy new dining spot is a potpourri of genres. It changes its style as the day progresses in order to cater to the mood of its diners. For example, when the warm morning sun is shining through the restaurant’s colonial French windows, the cool and quirky eatery serves up bistro-inspired breakfasts; all the favourites done just as they should be. Think Eggs Benedict and French fine d’claire oysters – rivalling some of the biggest brekkie players on the island.
Then as afternoon swings around, heartier lunch options come in the form of Chinese-style Jakarta noodles, pork chops, chunky sandwiches stuffed with whopping steaks and uber fresh salads topped with pine nuts, avocado, orange segments and morinaga tofu.
But it’s when the sun sets that this stylish hangout transforms into a more romantic setting. A few of the usual formalities reveal this is fine dining, like the white table cloths and glistening wine glasses laid out with dainty tableware, but there’s no stiffness or pretension and the mood remains industrial-chic with that underground appeal lingering in the background.
The menu smartens up a notch with more serious dishes on both the a la carte and the tasting menu. Only the finest, season-led ingredients are used, both imported and local, and they are masterfully curated into artistic dishes that have already received rave reviews in just the first month of opening.
And like The Parlour’s dynamic concept, the cuisine can’t be categorised into one breed either. There are Mediterranean touches and French cooking techniques, then some Japanese flavour twists thrown in for good measure and extra balance. Everything is presented beautifully and the tastes are out of this world, all to be enjoyed in a relaxed and laid-back space.
Try a nibble of the Spanish meat selection to start, where the Iberico chorizo and rich Jamon are hands down the best we’ve tried this side of the equator. Then there’s the seared Yellow Fin Tuna Salad; a colourful mound of fresh flavours served in a heavy, rustic stone bowl – a vivid contrast to the bright and buttery fish, pepped up with shaved fennel and coriander pesto.
Up next, the most delicate filo pastry is filled with a creamy goats cheese and a dot of honey mustard. The pastry is so shatteringly crisp and impossibly light it barely crumples the bundle of wild rucola beneath. Truly outstanding. Equally impressive, a hunk of Solomillo Iberico then comes nestled in a bed of tapioca pearls, rested beside a brush of edamame purée and finished with a drizzle of chocolate Marka D’oro coffee pork jus.
Desserts are also something to shout about here. The Chocolate Cremeux is made with rich Valrhona chocolate then ‘spray painted’ with chocolate bubbles to give it a gorgeous, silky coating. Around the plate, scatterings of a caramel powder, sea salt and an edible flower tick off every kind of taste range on the scale.
It’s only been a couple of months for The Parlour, but from what we’ve tasted, the restaurant has set itself up for great things. It’s stylish, it’s unique and it’s a place for everyone from all walks of life. But most of all, it’s serious about its food and playful when it comes to enjoying it.
