Ubud’s Intriguing New Italian Eatery
Uma Cucina adds sophisticated Italian dining to Uma by COMO’s offerings.
Uma by COMO is a favourite for travellers to Ubud, Bali’s art and culture capital. The resort is known for offering an inviting mix of exclusive luxury accommodations and easy access to some of the town’s best art galleries and eateries. Recently, the resort added its own restaurant to the mix with the opening of Uma Cucina.
Located at the front of the resort, along a happening stretch of Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Uma Cucina features a stellar menu of Italian classics in a sophisticated setting. It is a restaurant meant not just for the resort’s guests but anybody interested in high-calibre Italian cuisine. The open air dining area is elevated, literally, above street level, giving it the same serene atmosphere as the resort. The interiors, which fuse polished wooden surfaces, flashes of bright orange and vaulted ceilings, were designed by architect Cheong Yew Kuan, who also created the magnificent COMO Shambhala Estate. The design is centered around a large communal dining table at the heart of the space, reflecting the homely “kitchen” spirit behind the name (“cucina” meaning kitchen in Italian). Scattered dining tables also spill out onto the open-air terrace and lounge bar.
Considerable talent can also be found in the kitchen, which is helmed by Australian-born Executive Chef Nicolas Lazzaroni. Lazzaroni has an impressive pedigree, having worked at Rockpool in Sydney and Bridges, Bali (another Ubud fine dining institution). The menu also features dishes devised by COMO’s Executive Chef Amanda Gale – best known for her award-winning healthy cuisine served at COMO’s flagship wellness resort, the nearby COMO Shambhala Estate.
The menu focuses on using fresh, locally sourced produce to create the classic flavours of the Italian kitchen. Seasonal vegetables, seafood and slow cooked meats are rendered in colourful, easygoing options, perfect for sharing with friends. House specialities include handmade pastas, breads, sausages and wood-fired pizzas, as well as classic Italian gelatos and granitas.
We started our meal with a few of the more tempting small plates on offer. Uma Cucina’s version of arancini, crumbed and fried balls of arborio rice (the same kind of rice used to make risotto), is stuffed with a luscious braised beef ragu. The combination of the crispy exterior, the creamy rice and savoury beef was extremely flavourful, the richness balanced by the acidity of the accompanying tapenade. The plate of Mediterranean-style braised octopus was impressively tender and beautifully seasoned with the accompanying tomato, chilli, chickpeas and green olives, all of which beg to be scooped up with the chargrilled bread.
The handmade pastas are a definite highlight of the menu, with plenty of interesting combinations sure to entice. The gorgeous spaghettini, which features generous chunks of hand-picked crab, tastes fresh and vibrant thanks to a combination of lemon, chilli and mint. Zucchini and pine nuts add further body and textural contrast. Another pasta we must praise is the pappardelle lathered in a rich sauce of slow cooked rabbit ragu and porcini mushrooms. The intense earthiness of the sauce is contrasted by the brightness of fresh sweet peas.
The wood-fired pizzas here are quite possibly the best you’ll find in Ubud, with crisp delicate crusts and intriguing toppings. The zucchini blossom pizza sees the trendy vegetable matched with the saltiness of white anchovies and ricotta, with a piquant salsa verde tying it all together. The pizza utilising house made pork sausage, zesty and earthy from fresh fennel, is another winner.
The main plates mostly feature the chargrilled meats that the kitchen here handles quite well. A dish of enormous grilled tiger prawns features more of those strong Mediterranean influences. Served with a wholesome cracked wheat salad and a wonderfully smoky eggplant purée, the dish is light, balanced and irresistible. The decadence of the chargrilled tonkusen sirloin steak is balanced with a fine balsamic sauce and a moreish burnt broccoli salsa verde.
Uma Cucina kept impressing us up to the very end with desserts that were surprising yet supremely satisfying. The delicately crunchy cannolis are filled with a rich, lemon-scented ricotta that is contrasted by the tartness of stewed tamarillos, strawberries and zesty basil. The creamy panna cotta is enhanced with a touch of rosemary and the saltiness of toffee puffed corn.
The innovative twists found throughout the menu are always well-considered and always done with the ultimate aim of elevating the overall flavours of the dish. Uma Cucina is Italian cuisine in Ubud taken to a higher level, literally and conceptually, and definitely destined to be one of the area’s hottest restaurants for the foreseeable future.
(www.comohotels.com/umaubud/dining/uma-cucina)
CRUDO OF KINGFISH, LEMON, OLIVE & CELERY SALAD WITH CAPERS
INGRDIENTS:
• 60-80gr kingfish, sliced sashimi style then placed between baking paper and smoothed out with a rolling pin until round
• 5gr tender celery, thinly sliced
• 5gr lemon, segments & juice
• 6 pc preserved lemon, julienne
• 5 pc green olive cheeks
• 8 pc salted baby capers, washed
• 5 pc long green chillies, sliced into fine rounds
• 6 pc parsley, picked and washed
• 10 pc baby wild rucola, washed
• 8 pc tender celery leaves, pickled and washed
• 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
METHOD:
After all ingredients are cleaned, and sliced as directed, place evenly over the flattened kingfish and dress with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.?Serve immediately after plating.
