‘Beaut little hub': This rebadged suburban spot crackles with community spirit
If you were familiar with Berkelo Kitchen but haven't been to McCarrs, I can tell you that dinner is still five Mediterranean-ish entrees and six-or-so mains, plus a few weekly specials and four pizzas. You can still order that massive CopperTree Farms steak. On a cold Saturday evening the other week, a group of mates had the right idea: sitting around an outdoor fire and sharing slices topped with pepperoni, honey and chilli. They were also enjoying a zucchini pizza similar to the one I'd had back in the summer.
Framed by gum trees, a car park and native shrubs, the outdoor area doubles as a cafe by day, with a general store stocking cakes, sandwiches, pastries, flowers, pantry staples and bread. You might use it as a base camp for Ku-ring-gai National Park, ordering a coffee and a macadamia brownie before hiking the Wallaroo walking track. Tomorrow, there'll be a 'winter feast' with markets, live music, mulled wine and roast porchetta. Nice one.
Meanwhile, the restaurant's on track to become something special; the service just needs a little tightening. Floor staff are friendly, but finished plates are best left on the table while other people are still eating. 'We're saving room for cake' is code for 'Can you bring a dessert menu?', not 'Please disappear for 10 minutes and return only to ask if we'd like the bill'. When dessert does arrive, it's stewed Crimson Snow apples under a puffy golden cloud of buttermilk shortcake. Is that fire still going? Is there whisky? (Yes.) Before that, fish of the day (respectfully pan-fried snapper fillet) comes with a balanced beurre blanc spruced up with dill oil. A 300g steak thumping with veal jus is sparked by three types of pepper (green, black and Tasmanian mountain), while a fennel and cos salad shines with the right amount of mustard vinaigrette.
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Noema, a new Bali resort, marries art with a family focus
It's become truly hard to stand out in Bali's crowded tourist-focused south-western enclave of Canggu, but sometimes it's still possible to find a good surprise. Noema Pererenan Resort, part of Indonesia's own JHL Collection of hotels, is the first resort-style property in the popular namesake beach, set within a 10-minute walk (700m) from the black sand Pererenan Beach and a couple of minutes away from its strip filled with high-brow restaurants, art galleries, and cafes. The 157 rooms are all disabled accessible thanks to large corridors, elevators and ramps. The hotel has two large, attractive swimming pools, and about 11 rooms on the ground floor have secluded verandas with direct access to the second, more private pond. Upon arriving at the lobby, which has a welcoming, large open side strewn with couches, one steps out of the largely concrete-paved surroundings and into a youthful, airy environment. 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A few metres away and set in a vertical open space from the ground to the third floor is another art installation by Jogjakarta-based artist Iwan Yusuf. A giant man and a woman come together in mid-air, cleverly realised using a mix of upcycled materials, most of it sourced from the sea, such as fishing nets, ropes and pieces of driftwood. Just in front of it, on the other side of the corridor on each floor, there is access to Noema's feature dedicated to kids of all ages, the Hoola Playground, which is developed using rope tunnels and slides across three stories. The area is made with a mix of rattan, bamboo and playground-type games that help kids own an area they can explore while their parents enjoy other parts of the resort. The main piece is an octopus installation made of bamboo and rattan, whose tentacles dominate the structure and become the pillars upon and among which the kids can climb, jump and explore. Adults may find the spot attractive, too — the swings and structures are certainly nice for taking pictures. A dedicated studio space is used for workshops and for exhibiting artworks, where guests can take a stroll and get to know about some contemporary Indonesian and visiting artists. Noema takes the art involvement even further by offering international artists the chance to take up residencies of about a week. The guest artists' works are then exposed at the nearby Sun Contemporary Gallery tucked away along Pererenan's main street, a delightful space funded by a South African artist. When we visited, we saw the incredibly detailed miniature paintings of South African artist Lorraine Loots, who created a series inspired by her time on the island. Noema's annexed restaurant, Mamaloma, is set around the right corner from the lobby, with views of the swimming pool hemmed by greenery and rice fields. Breakfast is a la carte, with a menu of eggs and French toast-type mains, with an additional well-stocked buffet area where the highlights definitely were the Indonesian choices (I loved the tempe and fresh ground spicy sambal on offer), the salad area, fresh cheese, and pastries. The coffee served is barista type, brewed with beans from a Jakarta-based company called Roemah Koffie. My cappuccino was frothy the way I like it. The selection of four different coffees in the rooms, all from the same brand, surprised me with fruity flavour and the high quality of the brews. If one had to try lunch at Mamaloma, the menu leans towards Italian tastes. We tried a mushroom soup, which was good but a little salty, and as an Italian I am, I had to try the sourdough pizzas. Done in a Napoli style, they have a soft and light crust that didn't feel stuffy even after I wolfed down a whole pizza. My wife tried the duck confit ravioli — served in a thick layer of olive oil and butter, it's filled with tender shredded meat to enhance the taste and flavour. Well done. I was positively impressed by Noema. The rooms are perfect for families or couples who need a little bit of extra space or an excuse to snuggle inside a foamy bathtub. The swimming pool area is quiet and hemmed by greenery, which is a rarity in these southern Bali parts, and the breakfast is definitely curated and deserving of the area's reputation for excellent food. Families with kids will enjoy having the Hoola Playground as a space to let their little ones go wild, and if I could pick, I'd say that the rooms with private pool access are definitely the highlight. Pick Noema if you look for a cosy and artsy stay with plenty of good vibes and relaxed colours, secluded and yet set deep into the heart of one of Bali's tourist hot areas. + Marco Ferrarese was a guest of Noema. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.
