Locally Influenced Haute Cuisine In Seminyak
World famous for its gorgeous Seminyak beachfront setting, fine cuisine and elaborate parties, Ku De Ta presents the pinnacle of its dining experiences at Mejekawi, where three top chefs, Phillip Davenport, Ben Cross and Will Goldfarb have joined forces to present an innovative ‘kitchen and laboratory concept’. Opened in June 2013, its name is a play on the local words meja and kawi – ‘table’ and ‘high’ respectively. Mejekawi occupies the top floor of Ku De Ta’s south-eastern wing and is set to become a distinct part of the enterprise, serving set course degustation menus with items prepared through high-technology methods.
Mejekawi’s central kitchen and a secondary pantry beside the wine cabinets serves as a ‘lab’ for cooking demonstrations, classes, wine tastings, and guest chef dinners, and it features top-of-the-line, high-tech appliances from Sub-Zero & Wolf. The central open kitchen is only steps away from the surrounding tables, which is deliberate and meant to minimise the distance between chef and diners, enabling you to view the exciting process of creation before each fine presentation comes to your table. The farthest end of the venue allows bird’s eye views over Seminyak beach, and the rolling surf is floodlit from its beachfront lawn, adding dramatic effect to the scene. Mosaic glass panels line the walls, with subtly lit interiors and chic table setups.
Throughout your dining experience, long-time Bali resident and part-time surfer Executive Chef Ben Cross throws in a couple of hidden courses that adds to the element of surprise. Our seven-course treat starts with a unique wooden plate of smoked yogurt spheres on intricately folded salmon strips, and continues with a petite but flavoursome coral trout ceviche with Chef Cross’ take on the ‘sambal matah’, a favourite traditional Balinese seafood condiment, which tastes so much better due to his secret substitution of exotic ingredients. Then a couple of surprisingly impromptu servings arrive before our actual third-course ‘sop buntut’ oxtail soup, and the ‘babi guling’ roast pork with smoked potato puree, urap vegetable mix and rendang jus. All are extraordinary takes on local Indonesian dishes; presentation is very modern and Western, and most of the time some selections turn out tastier than the traditional.
Opening Hours: 18:00 – 23:00
Location: Jalan Kayu Aya No. 9, Seminyak
Tel: +62 (0)361 736 969