Omnia Dayclub has taken Bali by storm since opening in February last year. It’s quite simple to see why as the design, styling, finishing and service are all ticked off with a total Wow! When you walk in, it’s not just the venue that feels like a million dollars, but it makes you feel like it too. There’s something about Omnia that makes you feel like you are at the top of the world, you have arrived, you are at the peak of the summit, no less. Maybe it’s that crystal, metallic cube sitting there in what seems mid-air that also helps to take it to that next level.
So, what kind of cuisine would you expect to find in such a place? Only the best, of course. In the day club area there is some very well presented and tasty fare of the more casual variety that you would expect in a day/beach club, but since we are in this very special place there is more.
Standing over proceedings in a very Alila-like structural statement, is Omnia’s destination, fine dining restaurant, Sake No Hana. Sake No Hana features contemporary Japanese cuisine, the name means sake flower, and as you would expect, the restaurant has the most extensive selection of sake in Bali. It also has a wonderful range of cocktails. Japanese, being a cuisine so stylish, well-designed and especially healthy, had to be the perfect choice for this exemplary location and restaurant. The dishes are all intricately thought out and presented by Chef Hendry and his talented team.
The simplest way to enjoy what Sake No Hana has to offer is to try their set menu. Both at lunch and dinner the SIGNATURE OMAKASE set menu (Rp 850k per person) is available and features a selection from all parts of the menu. A Top 40 list you could say from miso to sashimi and sushi to seared salmon and marbled wagyu beef. Delectable, as it is handy, giving all the decisions of what to eat to the well experienced chefs and leaving you to enjoy the majestic view and delightful tastes. There is also a premium selection menu that goes for Rp 1.2 million.
My partner and I decided splash out totally and go for our own selection, starting with salty Edamame (50k), which was followed quickly by the Hamachi Namawasabi (295k). That’s a thinly sliced yellowtail sashimi with truffle black pepper ponzu poured over the top by the server, and slices of seared Australian wagyu tataki marble 8 (270k), with a sesame dressing (both pictured left). We sat next to the edge overlooking the day club below and the Indian Ocean in the distance. This visit was around sunset, during the festive season and every day bed and cabana space below was taken.
A tomato salad (110k), with burnt heirloom tomato on a bed of smoked aubergine, baby cucumber and ginger soya dressing came to the table next and the creativity was bursting out in this normally simple salad. The mains; Gindara Mirin with Kanzuri Miso (480k), a delicious piece of mirin-marinated black cod with yuzu chili miso sauce, and a thick sliced Australian Wagyu Sumiyaki Beef Marble 7 (750k), wagyu striploin with garlic ponzu. As my partner commented, the tangy ponzu sauce featured a lot in the Sake no Hana dishes.
Sushi rolls were the final part of the mains and came with a difference. The chef prepared a special platter of three maki rolls (photo above); Wagyu Beef Maki. Middle, Salmon Prawn Tempura Roll and The Crispy Tuna Truffle Maki. All very inventive and such a great combination of maki rolls.
From there we finished with a couple of awesome Sake No Hana desserts. A stick of ‘Bamboo’ (120k) with mandarin slices, white chocolate case and sesame mousse, and the green tea based Toto Matcha (140k), cherry, lychee, matcha parfait (Left). That was a delicious finale to a spectacular Japanese dining experience.
A trip to Omnia Dayclub is fantastic in its own right, but becomes truly next level with a lunch or dinner at Sake No Hana. Enjoy. [SDW]
SAKE NO HANA
Uluwatu, Bali
(0361) 8482150
www.sakenohana.com
