Of great finesse

For two exceptional nights, The Restaurant at The Legian Seminyak, Bali hosted a Four Hands dinner with Jakarta’s AMUZ restaurant.

The sound of rolling waves and the red tinted sky provided a fitting backdrop for The Legian Seminyak, Bali’s first Four Hands dinner of the year. In-house guests and the island’s fine dining aficionados converged at The Restaurant for two nights of great food and fine wine. The seaside restaurant played host for two consecutive evenings of delightful dining, with the sounds of a tinkling piano, clinking glasses and the buzz of conversations filling the room.

The Legian Seminyak, Bali‘s executive chef Stéphane Gortina collaborated with Gilles Marx, chef and founder of Jakarta’s beloved French fine dining establishment, AMUZ for the event. Before joining the resort, Gortina worked closely with celebrated chef Alain Ducasse in several of his establishments around the world. In 2018, Rech by Alain Ducasse in Hong Kong received its first one-michelin-star under his watch. Marx has more than 30 years of experience in the world’s best kitchens, so it was not a surprise that AMUZ has gained reputation as the finest French restaurant in Jakarta since its opening in 2010. He was inducted into the prestigious Maîtres Cuisiniers de France in 2018 as recognition of his marvellous effort in practicing, preserving and developing the art of French cuisine.

Both French chefs shared a penchant for using the season’s finest produce and were extremely meticulous in enhancing the flavours of their dishes. The six-course tasting menu showcased their attention to detail and sophisticated presentations to great effect. Dinner began with Marx’s smoked salmon and caviar in a baby spinach and coriander gazpacho. Gortina’s signature Black Ink Risotto came up next, topped with crustacean and shellfish, basked in fragrant sesame basil sauce, and paired with a dry Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015.

Louis Latour Chassagne-montrachet Chardonnay 2015 paired Marx’s pan-seared Hokkaido scallops, butternut mousseline, lobster cream, Brussels sprout petals, and parmesan crumbles perfectly.

The crescendo continued with Gortina’s grilled beef tenderloin, stuffed cabbage and black truffle juice. The evening ended with great finesse, amplified by Gortina’s chocolate and raspberry pallet, paired with an excellent Graham’s Fine Tawny Port.