CnC Living Recommends: {Restaurant Review}: Mozaic, Bali, Indonesia

A place has got to be pretty good it if greets you with this right?

Bali shouldn't be known for just its beaches and markets, it should also be known for this restaurant.  Eating at Mozaic was one of my most unique and fun restaurant experiences to date (and in Pellegrino's World's 50 best restaurants).

If you're a foodie, eat the chef's (ahem, Michelin starred) table tasting menu here.  It'll be a good time and possibly your best meal in Indonesia and among the best meals in your life (this coming from someone who was getting over food poisoning in Bali but ate almost every tasty morsel here).

The chef's tasting menu was a Chic 'n Cheap Living experience - you sit in a private room with other patrons while the chef guides you through the dishes and offers tips along the way in a shining and enviable test kitchen.  It cost ~$100/person which was worthwhile considering the level of cuisine and personal attention from the chef.  This restaurant was memorable not really solely because it had good food, but because it provided such an intimate and personal dining experience.

A sampling of our courses:
Langoustine tails in a citrus ceviche

Foie Gras two ways - chilled with nashi pear and seared with candied kumquats and chocolate

Whipped celeriac ice cream with black truffle espuma (yes truffles can be eaten for dessert)

Chocolate truffles - mmm

These pictures and more uploaded to my Flickr photostream.

What was your last great restaurant experience on a vacation?

Chic 'n Cheap Living Contest: Balinese/Indonesian Batik Cloth for dress, sarong, more

Remember when I talked about batik in Bali here?  Well I bought a few pieces and thought, what better way to share the ♥, hold onto summer, and spread a little joy from Bali than to give a Batik piece away.  I love the patterns, colors, and complexity in Batik cloth.  They're also super versatile and can be used as a dress, sarong, or as a fashionable throw in your living room!

This piece is large and hard to photograph, but here are a few shots (color is a bit closer to first picture and the borders are gold).

{Le Rules}

This is for the Chic 'n Cheap Living family (aka blog followers - Blogger, BlogLovin, Google or other Reader) only because you rock!  New followers are always welcome too of course.

Please include your e-mail address if you do not have a blog or Twitter ID.

Check the blog to see if you win.  If you win, please e-mail me within 3 days.  I would hate to redraw a winner but everyone deserves a fair chance.

First entry:
Comment below - how would you use this cloth?

Extra entries:

1.  (+1) Become a Twitter Follower AND tweet about this contest with this line: "Win Balinese batik for a dress, sarong from @cncliving  http://su.pr/2tEiVt" (use the Tweet button below!)

2. (+1) Sidebar, blog about this giveaway
3. (+2) Become a Facebook Fan - for my friends who love to keep up via Facebook! (or remind me if you are already a fan, I changed Facebook fan pages, please come here!)

4. (+1) Blog about the contest/sidebar w/a picture on your page linking back here.

Note: Please WRITE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH EXTRA ENTRY, it will make the cross-referencing a little easier (esp. for people with different handles on different accounts).

I'll leave this contest up until October 5, 11:59 pm PST (short contest because I'm traveling!)   This is open to readers internationally!

Good luck!

CnC Living Travel Log: Shopping for Balinese Batik Textiles and a fun boutique in Seminyak (By the Sea)

We wanted to shop for local band interesting things in Bali.  I first encountered batik, or patterned cloth made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique there.  Batik is made by applying melted wax in a pattern to cloth before it is dipped in dye.  There will be a slight cracking in the pattern and the dye will not penetrate areas where there is wax.

Certain patterns can only be worn by people of a certain noble lineage and patterns and colors may vary by region.  Now there are many batik printed cloths which may not actually use the wax techniques.

I went to a tourist centered batik factory store in Ubud and was able to see the batik process.  I don't usually like to shop at these establishments because they tend to be higher priced.  Batik was also easily found elsewhere in Ubud, particularly in and around Ubud Market.  I bought a few batik pieces pictured at the beginning of this post (about 2.25 meters in length and can be worn as a dress or sarong) from a vendor on the ground level (I later learned the less trafficked second level could have had better deals).  Bargaining is mandatory and vendors are pretty aggressive.

I ended up getting the pieces for 40% of asking price and I still wasn't sure if it was too high because sellers may start the price at ten times above the normal price!  Luckily our driver said I got a bargain and I'd wear the batik as a skirt or dress.

Tip: Ask a local guide, concierge, etc. for pricing reference points.  

We also found the most adorable boutique on Jalan Rasa Seminyak - By The Sea (the rest of the street had random casual clothing shops, spas, and restaurants).  The baby blue Vespa by the door was already an indication of the fun and fashionable vibe inside.  It was closer to American pricing on items, but the items seemed to be of good quality.

It was like a tropical J. Crew inside and they even had great styles for guys.  Mr.Shop 'n Chomp got a t-shirt and this was the shopping bag! 

What do you like to buy when you travel? 

CnC Living Travel Log/Recommends: Balinese Beaches and Restaurant recommendations (Part 1)

My fondest memories of Bali all took place on the beach - or more specifically, dining while looking at the beach (and in one case, on the beach itself!)  It is simply idyllic.  They skies were almost always blue, the temperature just right and a constant breeze cooled things down (this also made the water too rough for swimming, but didn't hurt the view!)

Here are my favorites.  Check them out if you're in Bali!

La Lucciola - Seminyak

This seaside restaurant has a great view at Seminyak as well as great Italian food (though a tad creamy).  It was still very tasty!

Everything tastes better with truffle oil. Mmmm.

Ku De Ta - Seminyak
The place for sunset lounging though it gets really crowded; you're outta luck if you don't have a bed or table reserved and will be standing by the beach.  It's still lovely though as you see below.

Jinbaran Bay
Having fresh seafood ON the beach itself is something everyone should try.

Jinbaran Bay is an area of beachside restaurants - a long series of them line the coast and the tables directly face the ocean.

Lobster was quite expensive (~$6/100 grams and most lobsters were 2 kilos) but the other seafood was reasonably priced.  Transportation is also included with your meal so you get free car service to and from the restaurant (great value for us since we were 45 minutes away!)

Hu'u - Seminyak
I love going to a quiet, chic place for lunch.  Throw in a pool, daybeds, and sofas and it's easy to see why we stayed here for a few hours.

My more traditional Indonesian meal - loved all the sides!

Too many restaurants to list, but these were lovely and will include a part 2 when I return to Bali ;)
Look out for a post on one of my favorite restaurant experiences ever (Michelin 3 star chefs know what they're doing!)

What is your favorite view when you dine?

Photo Love {Inspiration}: Love and the sunset

Love is the dawn of marriage, and marriage is the sunset of love

French proverb

(my photo, outside Ku de ta, Bali 2010)

We're back from our anniversary/Mr. Spend 'n Chomp's birthday.  It was filled with meals on beaches, white water rafting, and meanderings through local markets (posts coming soon).   This is the first trip we've taken since we've gotten married where we weren't accompanied by or met friends and family along the way.  It was a fantastic way to celebrate our first year of marriage - one that was filled with a return to student times, moving to two countries, and finally creating a new life together here (we expect to be here quite a few years).

Some say the first year of marriage is tough,  It wasn't for us though we certainly encountered challenging times in regards to the moves and the uncertainty.  But we've been solid listeners, supporters, and partners through it all.  It's a daily process and one you get better at along the way.

Here's to love, marriage, and ending the day together beautifully.

Have a lovely week!