Woah, what a stormy night. The rains fell fast and furious all night long. It is monsoon season afterall. I was informed that tremors were felt from a small earthquake a couple of hundred kilometres away around 5am. I slept through it of course.
So there we were at the lobby at 9am sharp. Budi did keep his word afterall and sent his driver to pick us up. We were driven to his other Japanese restaurant, Musashi about 10 minutes away from our hotel. Many of the roads were flooded. If you make a reservation at Musashi,they can send a driver to pick you up almost anywhere in Bali.
Budi was nowhere in sight. We were served green tea and delicious, healthy edamame. We were introduced to chef Wayan who has over 10 years of experience behind the sushi bar. His job today was to teach my two kids the art of sushi preparation. From the art of slicing sashimi to rolling nigiri, maki and california rolls. I could hardly believe our good fortune.
Sushi knives are long and extremely sharp but only on the right hand side.
Always have a bowl of water nearby to wet your hand slightly when handling the rice so that they do not stick to your fingers. The key to good nigiri is to squeeze the rice roll very very tight so they don't fall apart when dipped into soy sauce. Incidentally, did you know that the Japanese dip their nigiri sushi into the soy sauce fish side down rather than rice side down? This is so the rice does not come apart on contact with the sauce.
Make an indentation in the middle of the roll, smear some wasabi and place sashimi or choice of vegetable in indentation.
Place thumb on the bamboo roll, fingers pressing on the sashimi to keep them in place and start rolling the bamboo roll forward. Manipulate bamboo roll to desired shape either round or square.
Tidy up the two sides of the maki by lining it along the edge of the bamboo roll and using the hand to push the rice fitting it neatly and tightly back into the nori.
Makis are commonly cut into 6 or 8 pieces. Always wipe your knife with a wet cloth after every use.
One of Wayan's student's maki. Not perfect but it doesn't look like chopped liver either.
Makis are made with the nori on the outside whereas California rolls are made with the nori on the inside. California rolls may be cut into as many pieces as you like.
There was plenty of food. Despite having had our big cooked breakfast back at the hotel, it was hard to resist the yummy sushi placed before us. The rice in particular was extra delicious. We love our sushi and could eat it everyday.
Budi arrived as we were half way through our lesson. Clearly this was a fantastic opportunity for us. The hospitality, generosity and friendship shown by Budi and his staff made this a memorable experience. Budi owns Hanabi, Musashi Japanese Restaurant as well as Lococafe all located in Nusa Dua. Terima kasih, Budi. Kampai!
The rest of the day was pretty miserable with the rain staying around all afternoon so I hit the shops on my own for some retail therapy. I headed to Legian. Had the best time. Dodging the rain, I managed to find a few lovely outfits - dresses, of course, and two lovely leather bags. Leather products are a bargain in Bali. Great quality, soft, excellent stitching and detail. Highly recommended.
Everyone was helpful and friendly as usual but many shoppers must have stayed away because of the rain. Shopkeepers were desperate to make a sale and were very open to negotiations. Best time to shop! Had a lovely time.
The BBQ dinner was brilliant. Extremely good quality for a meal that's included in our room package. There was entertainment in the form of a guitar duo whose song choice and friendly personalities made it so much fun singing along, we ended up staying til they finished for the night. But not before I went up to join them in song. I went up and sang Eternal Flame with the boys much to my daughter's dismay and embarrassment. Scared for life. There are no photos because one: my family were so mesmerised by my singing they forgot to use my camera I had left on the table. Two: If you remember my A$2 fringe trim, I still have my retarded lopsided fringe. So photos of me was out of the question. And no, I haven't tried to fix it because knowing my luck it would only get worse. I don't fancy the thought of coming home with a salad bowl cut with 2cm left on my fringe.
Unexpected additional entertainment came in the form of two very inebriated and hilarious Aussies (!) who stumbled into the restaurant, slipping and sliding, drinks in hand, giggling like a couple of school girls. It was a funny sight especially with one of them looking like he had on a three year old girl's bright lolly coloured crochet hat. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi,, oi!!
...abroadin5inchheels
No comments:
Post a Comment