Table 8 (Mulia Resort Nua Da Bali) 11/2018

Mulia  is a very fancy resort hotel in Bali distinguished by swathes of marble, huge foyers, 

and grand staircases.

modern decor, 

quality shops and high prices.

They have a few restaurants, on particularly noted for the prodigious variety of Chinese dishes available.

It's a simple place with a large u shaped counter stacked with every kind of meat, seafood and desserts you could want for.

Tables are almost bare

set with show plates, cutlery and chop sticks

Decor is simple

It's a smorgasbord arrangement with dozens of dishes.

and chefs cooking some of the fresh seafood.

Of coutse there are desserts too

 For all it's sophistication there is a blackboard at the entrance describing their dim sum.

 Ultimately the food is plentiful, fresh and potentially fantastic but it simply isn't fantastic. Good sure but it doesn't quite cut it for me as an excellent restaurant. The chef's got mixed up too.
Lastly it's expensive
Score: 14/20

El Puerto (Hervey Bay, Queensland) 05/2017

Part of the Hervey Bay Boat Club

this Brazillian style restaurant, 

offers an all you can eat meat fest. 

Simon, an enthusiastic, hyperkinetic Major Domo has a team of waiters who all try extremely hard to please.

Soon after you are seated at a simply set bare table featuring a South American steak knife, a fork and a pair of tongs on a serviette food

 starts to arrive. A small pot of pesto and a tomato and onion relish are brought early, 

First condiments and a litlle serve of cheese sticks, a warm bread bun and a pastel which is a thin pastry envelope wrapped around a filling and deep fried. Soon after the accompaniments arrive. Plates of rice, steamed vegetables, a garden salad, a plate of chips and a wonderful sort of bean salad made with a pork stock.

Waiters come around constantly with skewers of sausages and meat from which they carve off slices if you want - that's what the tongs are for. Chicken wings and chorizo sausage was first, The sausages were not quite mild and did not interfere with the taste of the following dishes

 Pork sausage and chicken breast. came next.

Every thing was barbecued with a variety of seasoning. 

Beef with a garjic seasoning, 

came next. I requested rare and that's how I got it. Tough but tasty> There was a contiuous flow of different barbecued food. 

Prawns

Red Snapper, filleted and battered

Bacon

You don't actually have to tell the waiters to stop bringing food. Each table has a tri-coloured cube on it to be turned red side up if you want a rest and green side up when you're ready for more. 

There were several other meats including pork ribs in a mild sweet marinade, lamb, which was excellent and pork. 

The last thing was a barbecued pineapple, 

peeled and rolled in sugar it was a delicious end to a hugely varied range of BBQ'd proteins of one sort and another. The marinades made the food interesting. The nature of the food preparation and served on long shashlik sticks makes it difficult to serve it as rare and tends to lead to the meay being dry.

Chef Gavin, and his sous chef worked hard in a hot open kitchen.

 

Simon told me he has a motto. "No breakfast" I might reasonably add No lunch either.

Score:13.75/20

Okami (Caulfield North) 03/2017

Okami is one of half a dozen 'all you can eat' Japanese restaurants around Melbourne. The Caulfield venue has been open for about 18 months. It is in a small shopping strip next door to Limors. Whilst Limors has survived decades their neighbours have not fared so well mostly only surviving two or three years. 
Decor is plain with a display of Japanese dolls in the entrance window.

 Table settings are basic,
 

 in a large room with a bar at one side.

 Although Okami believe that fresh and healthy are the keys to success in Japanese restaurants I think presentation is extremely important. In this area I think they could have done much better if they had a more attractive range of crockery, although the food on the dishes was well presented.
This is what we ate:
 Chawan Mushi

This is a savoury egg custard, served warm, it was excellent.
Seafood Tempura

The batter could have been finer.
Katsu Chicken

A nice dish.
Fried Rice

Tasty but very hard to eat from our small dishes, especially with Japanese style chopsticks. 
Chicken Karaage

Small pieces of crispy fried chicken.
Prawn Gyosa

A little doughy but still crisp, moist and tasty.
Deep Fried Calamari

As described but quite soft with no crunch at all.
Vegetable Harumaki

These prawn spring rolls could have been filled with anything, or nothing. I did enjoy the crisp batter and the touch of sweet chili sauce.
Egg Plant Salad

This half a centimetre thick slice had not much egg plant and even less salad. What there was of it was quite nice.
Sushi and Sashimi Platter

Rather ordinary. The rice was a little too sticky.
Green Tea, Sesame and Vanilla Ice Cream

Comment: This place offers very good value for good eaters at $32.8 for adults, $29.8 for seniors and $18 for kids 12 and under. They also offer BYO wine and have some beers, wines and sake at reasonable prices.
The word Okami means wolf in Japanese. Unfortunately the Japanese wolf became extinct in 1905. We hope this modern incarnation does not follow in their footsteps.
Score:13.5 /20