Metis is New Kid on Bali Restaurant Block

For more than a decade, Bali’s legendary Kafe Warisan thrilled the palates of well-heeled residents, expatriates and tourists with its selection of French cuisine. So when news spread that it was closing in early October last year, many were disappointed.

They need not have worried. The duo behind Warisan’s stellar reputation — Said Alem and Nicolas Tourneville, better known as Doudou — wasted no time in opening another restaurant a few blocks from the old establishment.

I quickly succumbed to the urge to take a look at the new venture, Metis, located on Jalan Petitenget, Bali’s hottest “eat street.”

A few friends and I left our cozy burrows in Ubud and headed out for Metis. Curious, but not terribly hungry, all we wanted was a salad or dessert.

Metis, which prides itself in providing patrons with “an entirely sensory dining experience,” is beyond a simple restaurant. Stepping inside the low-lit, minimalist building, guests can see the separate rooms leading into the main dining area through the glass panes.

An upscale gallery and a boutique selling jewelry and women’s accessories are located adjacent to each other on one side of the restaurant. On the other is a tempting, brightly lit cake parlor.

Metis’s menu is divided into several categories: starters, meat and poultry, soup and pasta, seafood and dessert. There is a separate menu for foie gras selections and a more-than-decent wine list.

Some of the flowery names given to the dishes sounded mouth-watering: Moroccan lamb rack mechoui with pumpkin couscous and vegetable ragout, for instance, or the duck consomme with black truffle and chicken pistachio quenelles .

Not up for anything heavy, I opted for the latter. My friends chose the salad with the longest name — baked oven roasted tomato and pumpkin with goat cheese, wild rucola, pine nuts, balsamic reduction — and a dessert of morello cherries and pistachio creme brulee.

Drinks are moderately priced, including the alcoholic ones, and cover a wide variety, including fresh juices, shakes and flavored martinis.

While waiting for our orders, we sneaked into the colorful cake parlor. Some of the goods on display, like the many-flavored macaroons, can be found at Bali Catering Company, a cake shop on Jalan Petitenget also established by the restaurant owners. We ordered the Choc Mousse Blackberry Jelly, which was deliciously sweet, and a Yuzu Green Tea Cake, which was refreshing on the outside but sour inside, thanks to citrus flakes.

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