Tummy Prosperity: KAUM, The Genuine Indonesian Taste

The group of Potato Head beach club now spread its wings to a 180-degree different type of cuisine, serving authentic Indonesian dishes at its new restaurant, Kaum. Located just at the second floor of the existing Potato Head at Seminyak, Kaum's Bali outlet's actually the second one after the initial outlet in Hongkong.

Having the desire to emphasize the genuine concept of our country Indonesia, the venue was designed with several touch points showing traditional Indonesian remarks. Walls with Torajan wood carvings (known as pa’sura or “the writing”), ethic ceramic tablewares by Gaya, and most importantly the long communal table in the centre which invited the guests to experience the traditional family-style manner of Indonesia’s tribes. Yes, simply said the togetherness, which has always made me fell in love with this special value our beautiful country consistently held across generations.

Besides delivering the strong ambiance of Indonesian culture, the venue itself had several eye-catchy corners, including the saddle, the helmet, and the horsetail without the horse-rider, located at the entrance, just right after the staircase. Sitting at the restaurant, the guest could also enjoy the panoramic scenery of the private pool and the private beach belong to Potato Head. Such a breathtaking one, especially at sunset time.

Though the dishes served were all Indonesians, this didn't stop the tourists to dine in here as well. At my visit, I did see some tables occupied by non-Indonesians, even the Westerners. Yeah, Kaum's mission to introduce Indonesian traditional cuisines to the entire world's apparently attained here.

Offering casual semi fine dining concept, the service given was top-notch, having the waiters and waitresses being highly responsive to every single request raised. Kaum did require to provide such service remembering that the foreign guests might be unaware of Indonesian dishes and therefore needed the close guidance from the restaurant crews.

When my friends and I reached the place, we were craving for something refreshing as it's pretty dry despite the light rain. Going mainstream, I opted for Coconut Water (IDR 50k), which for sure never went wrong, especially with that hint of lime. Then the turn of the 'more adventurous' group, who went for the mocktails. The duo chosen were Rocket Juice (IDR 65k) and Indo Calypso (IDR 65k), which were basically strawberry-pomegranate and mango-pineapple blend, respectively. I tried neither of them, yet my friend did comment on both. The first one was okay, yet not that special as the strong flavor was coming from the strawberry. Nonetheless, the second one captured my friend's interest as it's quite unique especially the grated nutmeg toppings which enriched the flavor.

Coconut Water (IDR 50k)

Indo Calypso (IDR 65k)

Mango, citrus, pineapple, sugar cane juice with grated nutmeg toppings

Rocket Juice (IDR 65k)

Strawberry, pomegranate juice, citrus, rosella syrup

Urutan Babi Sambal Bawang (IDR 75k)

In Bali, even appetizer could contain pork. Yes, this supposed to be the light bites to start the big feast. Too fancy? Exactly what I thought, it's indeed heaven on earth to be able to have sautéed Balinese pork sausage as starter. Served with spicy shallot & red chili, it was slightly spicy, giving a little surprise on the tongue before we started with the heavy meals.

Terong Balado (IDR 65k)

Fancying some veggie? Don't shake your head prior to trying this sautéed eggplant by KAUM. Again coming with garlic, shallot, and red chili sauce, this veggie was a healthy indulgence and even turned to be one of my most favorites from KAUM. I could say that KAUM has successfully brought this simple Indonesian veggie, which was usually served at simple depot, to the next level both in terms of taste and quality.

Ayam Betutu Klungkung (IDR 225k)

First time looking at the dish, I had no idea why but it reminded me of The Ugly Swan. LOL. Yeah, honestly admitted, it wasn't the most beautiful dish ever, and it's even quite pale to be snapped. Nonetheless, appearance didn't matter for this one as unexpectedly, it turned to be the most favorite of almost all my friends. Different from the common Betutu, which usually came in soup, this one was providing slowly roasted whole baby chicken wrapped in banana leaf. The aroma impeccably hypnotized all of us as you could strongly smelled rich combination of spices in it. No wonder why, the stuffing was indeed a surprise, as it mixed Balinese various herbs. Perfect representative of Indonesian dishes' rich blend of flavors. Once it came to taste, the aroma was proven to be honest. The chicken was juicy and tender, and indeed so flavorful including the stuffing.

Udang Bakar dengan Pacri Nanas (IDR 280k)

Look at those jumbo prawns! You definitely lay if you said you weren't drooling. Even from the picture you could tell how fresh they were and how indulging the taste was. Simply said, that blissful chewy texture of the prawn in each bite, faultlessly combined with the sour, sweet, and spicy taste from the pickled spicy pineapple sauce. Voila!

Nasi Goreng Cabe Asap (IDR 130k)

Wondering where's the carbo? No worries guys, it's right there on the table as well and this time, it's seafood. YEAY! Yeah, as I was originally from Makassar, the city which's very famous for its seafood, thereby my excitement was always boosted once I heard of it. One more thing, my hometown's people were indeed created with special palate having very high tolerance on spiciness. Thus, this blend of chili paste, fresh prawns, fermented krill, lemon basil, and stinky beans, couldn't go more flawless in spoiling my taste bud. When fried rice was served warm, I could rarely find it go wrong and that's exactly what I found in this dish.

Sambal Mbe (IDR 30k)

What's so special with Indonesian genuine dish, which could hardly be found in any other countries? If you just said sauce or dipping, you couldn't go more right. The signature characteristic of most Indonesian palates was indeed spiciness-tolerant. And when we were talking about sauce or dipping or what so called 'sambal', it's never something simple since the ingredients blended were always heterogeneous. KAUM again raised this uniqueness in their menu, by serving various types of sauces, coming from different areas in Indonesia. The one I tried was their Sambal Mbe, the burning combination of fried crispy shallot, garlic, red chili, kaffir lime leaves, and coconut oil. Born in Makassar, where people ate almost anything with chili, this hot Sambal Mbe has doubtlessly satisfied my palate, which highly fancied anything spicy.

Klappertaart (IDR 75k)

Having spoiled the tongue with mostly savory dishes, now it's the turn to 'neutralize' it with sweets. Yeps, just another excuse from my mind, which did require desserts after any meals. From the various selections provided under the dessert tab in the menu, my friends and I chose to go with the two most favorite. First one was the Klappertaart, which for me didn't look any Klappertaart at all. Nonetheless, please don't get me wrong. Regardless the fact that it was quite different from the common one, this set of coconut bread pudding, chocolate meringue, and rhum-soaked raisins was a delightful one with its moist texture, right sweetness, and strong rhum touch. The coconut taste in the pudding was actually not that bold, yet luckily the coconut sorbet came as the perfect complement, ensuring this Klappertaart didn't miss its coconut flavor.

Kacang Mete Karamel (IDR 75k)

When you heard of the name initially, what came into your mind? If you had the same thought as mine, you might think it's kind of nougat. Just nodded your head? Then you're partly correct, but great news, this dessert gave you more than that. This 'nougat' was actually served on top of delicious tart base, accompanied by special Bedugul vanilla ice cream. The 'nougat' itself was a marriage of ingredients from various places in Indonesia; blending Flores cashew nuts and Amed sea salt together with caramel and coconut shortbread. The flavor totally blew my mind away, so so so good that my friends and I finished it in just a blink.

Kopi Martini (IDR 130k)

Finally arriving at the last dessert, which perfectly closed our Indonesian big feast on that day. Hmm, I didn't know if I was right calling it dessert, as it's actually cocktail. At first my friends and I were in the dilemma if we should go for this Kopi Martini. Yet our curiosity was bigger than our doubt, making us end up having this blend of kettle vodka and coffee bean infused arak, Mexican coffee liqueur, double shot of espresso, and a dash of spiced sugar syrup. Though I preferred it to be slightly less sweet, I loved the combination of liqueur served in this cocktail glass. Beautiful end of the day!

Overall, I was completely mesmerized by my dining experience in KAUM. For me, it has efficaciously made Indonesia proud by bringing all the traditional cuisines of our country to the level that worth to be respected. Suprise surprise, being well-accepted in both Hongkong and Bali, Kaum will soon come to its next destination, our beloved capital city Jakarta, next May 2017. Resided in the heart of the city, Menteng, I'm really excited waiting for the grand opening, when I can get reunited with Kaum's palatable Indonesian dishes.