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‘Atmosphere’ is located on the edge of the Discovery Shopping Mall, tucked away in a corner facing the beach and sufficiently detached from the glass fronted stores and bustling throng of shoppers to retain an identity – and an atmosphere – of its own. This is no ordinary fast-food shopping mall café; Atmosphere is a delightful restaurant in a fantastic location, serving superb cuisine. Large enough to accommodate up to 350 guests, Atmosphere offers a choice of dining locations, depending on the ‘atmosphere’ you require. The minimalist architecture borders on funky; the visually striking restaurant is the only wooden building in the Discovery Shopping Mall complex. It is complemented by a large timber deck, which forms an open-air terrace facing out to sea. This area is furnished with rustic wooden tables, chairs and umbrellas, punctuated by shady frangipani trees and bordered by a bubbling ornamental pond. The air-conditioned interior of the restaurant covers two floors and is characterised by comfortable chairs and plush sofas. The most sought-after dining spaces, however, are the ‘lesehan’ – three ingenious window boxes, similar to balés, suspended on balconies overhanging the terrace and blessed with magnificent views. Each of these private dining alcoves is furnished with an abundance of soft cushions and is a cosy romantic spot for couples, or equally suited for a group of up to eight guests. Atmosphere is also a great venue for parties and functions. Friendly efficient service, upbeat music and magnificent sunsets complete the picture.
The creative menu at Atmosphere offers International, Balinese, Chinese and Italian cuisine. Suastika, the Balinese Executive Chef has had years of experience at five-star hotels including The Sheraton where he worked for ten years, Grand Bali Beach, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Le Meridien. His concept is to infuse Western food with a taste of Bali, and we were soon to discover that he does this extremely well.
Our lazy late afternoon lunch began with a wonderful Chicken and Pomelo Salad (25), served in an edible crispy wonton bowl. It seemed a shame to wreck the beautiful artwork by eating it, but it tasted as good as it looked, bursting with sweet and savoury flavours, balanced by the tang of the juicy Balinese grapefruit and a range of bite-sized crispy and chewy textures. The Sautéed Prawn Angel Hair Salad (35) was equally sensuous; an intricately layered salad of shredded cucumber, diced tomatoes and mixed leaves, with marinated sautéed king prawns, served with an orange balsamic Thai dressing. Our lipsmackin’ main courses included Baked Snapper Chiang Mai (65) a pair of tender boneless snapper fish fillets rolled around spinach and mushrooms and baked to perfection, accompanied by neat parcels of veggies wrapped in cabbage leaf together with Thai Cilantro rice fried with herbs. Then there was the Balinese Dagang Nasi; a generous nasi-campur-style assortment of different Indonesian delicacies, including roast duck, lawar, skewered king prawn, grilled fish, minced pork saté, and the spicy salad known as ‘lalapan’ – a finely-chopped medley of raw beans and chillies mixed with grated coconut. It was accompanied by a cone of white rice capped with a banana leaf, krupuk (crackers), acar (pickled sour vegetables) and chilli sambal. Food for the soul, this feast was a riot of colour; each contrasting mouthful bursting with a diversity of texture and taste that proved to be sensational.
Finally, we found room for two spectacular deserts. The strawberry crème bruleé (20) is a must – smooth, slick vanilla custard laced with baked sun-ripe strawberries and featuring a crunchy toasted caramelised top. We also enjoyed our best-ever chocolate mousse (30), richly layered between Italian meringues, doused with a chocolate sauce and accessorised with spun sugar as fine and as intricate as a spider’s web.We were too full to move, so we stayed in our cushioned window boxes and watched the sun set into the Indian Ocean. Our experience at Atmosphere had way exceeded our expectations. This restaurant is exceptionally good. Rache
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