0 One night in Provence

The Mozaic story is a culmination of one man’s globetrotting cuisine-driven life, it is a tale of passion for fine dining, entwined with a love for Indonesia. The Chris Salans story has brought to Ubud one of the most prestigious restaurants on the island and has led to the evolution of a new style of exciting fine dining: fresh seasonal Indonesian ingredients and flavors prepared with Western techniques of preparation and presentation. 

However, recently, at his sumptuous restaurant on Jl. Raya Sanggingan in Ubud, Salans rewound the clock to his first internship at L’Oustau de Baumaniere, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Les Baux de Provence, by inviting his onetime mentor, sous chef Bernard Chatton, to cook a special one-night only Provence-inspired dinner. The driving force at Mozaic is a deep passion for the food and cooking. 

These special events are an opportunity to bring chefs from around the world to help expand chef training on the island, but are also seen as an opportunity to trigger new and exciting dishes and to inspire each other. For the diner, these evenings offer a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of some remarkable food in a superb setting. But with so much nostalgia, this event was likely to surpass all expectations. 

General manager, Nicola Scaramuzzino, himself from Italy, recalled watching Salans and Chatton in the kitchen, saying the smell of the food brought back so many childhood memories. The camaraderie and fascination with new food techniques and ideas sparked in the kitchen and the resulting inspiration would surely bring about some excellent new menu items. 

The Provence-inspired menu Chatton created was in tribute to his and Salans time together and featured six courses with optional wine pairing, opening with a delicious Parmesan Sable and Vegetable Tian and closing with an extraordinary Souffleed Crepe with Orange Zests and Grand Marnier. The dining experience was fantastic, but perhaps even more impressive was the opportunity to witness firsthand the interaction between former mentor and the now master chef. 

Chatton’s understated comment was, “He [Salans] has developed,” said with a smile. Chatton said it was fascinating to see the food and different techniques used in Mozaic, where there is no fixed menu. Salans picks the very best ingredients on offer on any particular day and creates sublime dishes to titillate and delight those fortunate enough to eat there. 

Chatton, still a chef at L’Oustau de Baumaniere, now a 2-star Michelin restaurant, said he would have awarded two Michelin stars to the meal Salans had presented to him at Mozaic the previous night. Their passion for all things food was an education for the casual observer, and it must have been extraordinary to have joined them in the kitchen. As it says on Mozaic’s website about the food, it is “a fresh oasis of ingenuity in the world of gastronomy”. 

Santi, a waitress, summed up feeling of the staff, saying: “We don’t like working here, we love it.” It is this attitude that shines through in all aspects and is a worthy tribute to Salans, Scaramuzzino and all involved in this extraordinary enterprise.

source : bali daily