Miura

Bringing a taste of the famous Basque Country to Bali, Miura boasts authentic tapas and pintxos (pinch-os) from one of Europe’s most famous culinary regions.
Wedged between France and Spain in the Bay of Biscay, The Basque Country is a fiercely independent area where the people are proud of their rich heritage, stunning countryside and of course, their food. Elements of Spanish and French home cooking make up this unique cuisine, which is famous for its incredible ingredients and sublime flavours – carefully combined and delivered as delicious bite-sized morsels.
Derived from the Spanish verb ‘pinchar’, meaning to stab or to poke, pintxos are the Basque version of tapas – a selection of small bites generally served on slices of crunchy toasted bread and topped with a variety of mouth-watering ingredients like cheeses, ham, cold cuts and fish. Miura offers a stunning cross section of these delightful pintxos–helpfully served up on a tasty sampling platter (175k++) if you can’t make up your mind. It would be too much to detail each and every one here, but the particular standouts were the Pasaia crispy fish with a tarte vinegar hit, and the Haizea with quail egg, Spanish jamon and crispy potatoes.
As part of the more typical Spanish-style tapas, a few friends and I are completely wowed by the Pulpa con Patata y Pimenton (65k++) (octopus ajoarriero & smoked paprika), as well as the melting Croquetas de Chipiron (40k++) (chipirones croquettes with aioli foam). We also dive right in to the richly flavoured Huevos Rotos (40k++) (fried egg, grated potato & Iberico ham) – literally ‘smashed eggs’, so named because the dish should be mixed thoroughly before eating to let the yolk mingle with everything else. To go with it, we try out a couple of the creations from Miura’s specialist gin-based cocktail menu. Namely the Islero Chica (95k++) (Amaretto, ginger, lime juice, star anise & Bombay Sapphire), and the Navarra Cougar (95k++) (lime juice, raspberry coulis and Bombay Sapphire).
For the main courses, I try out the Mahi-Mahi Al Ajoarriero con Arroz En Salsa Verde (110k++) (baked mahi-mahi with smoked paprika, citrus garlic oil and green salsa rice). The others split a massive portion of the Pollo Asado con Patatas (155k++) – essentially a huge oven tray containing roasted beer fermented chicken resting on tangy citrus potato gratin. Both are impossible to fault – rich, flavourful and with that elusive ‘home cooked’ flavour that really makes a dish. Finishing off an already spectacular spread comes the Pastel Vasco (45k++), a traditional Basque cake with toffee and choco-mint ice cream. All class from start to finish, Miura makes a fabulous addition to the vibrant dining scene of Bali. (Dan Ashcroft)


Miura
Jl. CamplungTanduk no. 9, DhyanaPura
T. 3000 597| www.miurabali.com