“Exotic”, a mention of the word hints images of the far-off and unusual albeit wild and mysterious. Yet this enticing word is exactly what made a German guy of Italian descent come to the Phil­ippines to put up a Balinese restaurant.

Balinese decors fill the interiors of Gutzy’s Sarong Bali

Harald Gutzy was in the last leg of his 16-year stint in different hotels around Kuwait when he saw a television clip on a documentary about Bali. He had always dreamed of running his own “exotic” res­taurant in the Philippines, the place where he sees himself retiring with his Filipino wife. So, intrigued by the Balinese cul­ture, he did quick research and in no time was flying to West Indonesia to purchase traditional décors and hire local staff for his Gutzy’s Sarong Bali Restaurant.

“I am fascinated with Asia. I like the Asian way. There is warmth, in both the people and the food,” shares this 43-year old chef who’s been around the world ever since he left his hometown 25 years ago. Leaving his parents, who are both hobby cooks and to whom Gutzy attributes his inclination to the culinary arts, he has been to Thailand, the United States of America, Egypt and the Middle Eastern countries, to name a few. All experiences have taught him to appreciate various cultures, em­brace racial differences and put attention to details that matter.

A Slice of Bali
Much of this detail-consciousness has been placed on refashioning the ground floor area of the Promenade building in the busy Wilson Street (corner P. Guevara Street, Greenhills, San Juan) into a slice of Bali. Yards of embroidered orange fabric are festooned on the ceiling to recreate a dim-lit mood ambiance. Panel paintings done by local artists are displayed on the walls, punctuated with traditional wooden carvings of costumed dancers. Bamboo-framed cushioned bench chairs are posited on one side of the restaurant, while the rest of the seats are in cushioned rattan frames. Balinese umbrellas in whites and metallic colors highlight the whole “Asian Orien­tal theme” to which Gutzy is the designer himself.

Owner-chef Harald Gutzy with Sate Campur

Apart from the casual dining restau­rant, Sarong Bali also has an adjacent bakeshop and a café which metamorpho­sis into a bar come 9p.m. for the younger crowd. There’s also a barbeque stand out­doors, selling satays or roasted skewered meats served with peanut sauce. In his masterplan, Gutzy wanted all five differ­ent concepts in one establishment.

More than Balinese
Belying the elaborate Balinese theme, Sarong Bali serves more than just Balinese cuisine. Inside the leaf-covered menu, which is also from Indonesia, are Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Filipino and even Italian and Western dishes. “I like to please the customers in every way,” he relates, explaining how some diners might not order a spread of all-Balinese food or that perhaps some members of a group of diners might not necessarily like to eat this exotic cuisine when their companions would otherwise. But of course, the specialty remains Balinese foods.

Sambal on the Side
For starters, Sarong Bali has the Sate Campur or assorted Balinese satay of minced pork skewered into lemon grass stalks and beef and chicken. Served sepa­rately were two kinds of sambals or the traditional sauces of Sambal Kacang (peanut sauce) and Sambal Jahe (ginger sauce) and a mix of sautéed onions and chili. Sarong Bali serves the relishes and dips on the sides so the guests could adjust the spiciness level in accordance to their own taste.

The main courses were the tender, moist and mildly-spicy Be Siap Mesisit (shredded chicken flavored with lime and chili), the Babi Sambel Goreng (mild spiced fried pork) and the Be Sampi Sam­bal Bawang (a Central Balinese dish of sautéed beef with onion sauce). Balancing the flavors and spiciness of the dishes is the yellow-colored saffron rice.

On the sides were small plates of the sambals, this time with Sambal Tabia (chili sauce) and Sambal Kuning (yellow sauce). Indonesian chef Dewa explains that he makes these sauces from scratch, “not powder, just fresh ingredients”. Grams upon grams of coriander, black pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, tur­meric, onion, chili, shallots, molasses and tomato are pounded and mixed to render a smooth flavorful blend. To cap off the filling meal, Sarong Bali offers Jaje Lapis (sweet rice cakes), Go­doh Biyu (banana fritters) and Agar-Agar Gula Merah (sweet jelly with coconut cream). The rice cakes and the jelly were light, and not sticky, with just the right hint of sweetness to it.

The Best of Bali
In his endeavor to bring the most of his fascination of Bali to Manila, he had hired Indonesian artists to perform regular dance renditions. Every night, elaborate­ly-made up entertainers, in their gold bro­cade dresses, dramatize the Legong Kera­ton, a stylized Balinese dance. Soon, there would be more additional performances such as the Oleg Damulilingan. Sarong Bali opens at 11a.m. and the bar closes around 4a.m. For reservations, call (02)727-9522.

Back to Top

Larry’s Rises like Lazarus

For almost 10 years in the mid-eighties and nineties, Larry’s Bar was the favorite watering hole of the modish Makati set. Standing at the site of the current Ayala Museum, it closed its doors with the advent of the commercial food chains to the disap­pointment of its habitués who reluctant­ly dispersed to other bars and cafés. The regular barflies later regrouped at the now legendary Café Havana in Green­belt 3, which offered an entirely differ­ent experience.

Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga and Larry Cruz

And now, Larry Jß. Cruz (LJC) has resurrected the familiar brand with a new twist. Larry’s Cafe & Bar at Seren­dra takes the coffee lounge concept be­yond coffee, and the bar setup beyond the hard stuff. Although at first glance, it bears little resemblance to the origi­nal, the new concept retains the same excellent food and ambiance, hallmarks of a Larry Cruz establishment.

Open all day, diners can placidly dine on such Western and Mediterra­nean specialties such as its scrumptious soufflés, quiches, tortillas, salads, soups, steaks, knuckles, pastas and sandwiches, and treat themselves to delectable des­serts, cakes and pastries, and of course, LJC’s beloved cheese and chocolate fondue await the fondue-holics..

Larry’s café component goes be­yond familiar coffee blends. Concoc­tions with liqueurs and chocolate were created at Larry’s for coffee lovers jaded by cappuccino, frappes and lattes. The inimitable Spiked Brews include Tiramisuccino, Chocolatè EH!, Martini, Espresso Mud Slide, Espresso Martini and others.

The liquor bar features boutique aperitifs, after-dinner liqueurs, single malts, imported beers as well as your favorite local beers. A controlled wine chiller enables the bar to serve more than the usual selections of wines by the glass. Vintage wines are moderately priced.

One noteworthy house specialty, the Blackbird Pie, which may remind din­ers of the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence, is actually a Middle Eastern delicacy of tender pigeon meat baked in filo pastry with almonds and cinnamon. Arabian sheiks would nod their heads in between bites of pigeon pie and puffs on their shishas or water pipes. One can indulge in the same pastime at Larry’s, where you can smoke fruit-flavored tobacco on the shisha at the outdoor tables.

Larry’s new home is at Serendra in Bonifacio Global City, home to Larry J. Cruz’s other new restaurant concept, Abé, the Filipino fine dining restaurant dedicated to LJC’s late father, writer-painter E. Aguilar “Abè” Cruz. Abè the restaurant and Larry’s Café & Bar stand across each other around the lagoon area of Serendra, which Manila society flooded during the Larry’s launch last January 11. Basking in the nostalgic theme of “A Taste of Larry’s 20 Years After”, the classy crowd was entertained by hip top entertainers Mon David and his jazz quartet, Latin duo Miguel and Evelyn Juteau of Aquarela, Joey Valen­ciano on sitar, and a harem of jiggling belly dancers.

Back to Top