Grazing Malay and a Massage in Paradise

Saffron Restaurant at Banyan Tree Bintan Spa Resort, Indonesia. PARADISE: A place of ideal beauty or loveliness. EPICUREAN: Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to the enjoyment of good food and comfort. Sensual pleasure being the theme, I write of both food and massage at Banyan Tree on Bintan Island, Indonesia. This Spa resort has garnered accolades from the likes of American Airline's Platinum List, Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and Zagat Survey. The food must be reviewed together with the massage because of the captive nature of clientele at this all-suite resort. There are just over 70 villas at this resort with accommodation for 2 adults per villa [one King-size bed GRAZING Saffron Restaurant serves Thai and Indonesian (Malay) cuisine. The décor is Indonesian but with some eclectic features. Check out the fantastic lamps. The local brew is a pilsener, Bintang Beer. Bintang means ‘star’ which is also obvious from the logo. Indonesia being an ex-Dutch colony, the beer is similar to Amstel in style. Chef sent out these minced & whole prawn in seaweed wraps as ‘mouth amusements’ while we were waiting for the meal to be prepared. A light portent of what was to come; the colourful sweet and sour sauce brought out the tangy taste of seafood. Ayam Bumbu Matah starter: shredded chicken salad with chili, shallots and lemon grass on a giant filo pastry crisp. This was a 6x6 inch square pastry and was quite enough for a light meal. Otak Otak starter: Spicy grilled puréed fish packed in palm leaves. The leaves are removed to reveal the spicy, smooth turmeric and fish mixture within. Usually mackeral is used as the base fish but more exotic oily fish can also be substituted. Steamed rice formed the basis of the meal accompanied by the following dishes: Pepes Tauhu: Fried ‘Cotton’ tofu in palm leaf boats accompanied by kangkong (morning glory greens) and topped with fried onions. The ‘cotton’ refers to the rough texture of tofu as if strained through cotton cloth. Finer grades of tofu like silken tofu are also available. This could be a vegetarian main dish. The tauhu was golden brown on the outside but still soft and creamy on the inside. Rendang Sapi: Sumatran braised beef in coconut milk and spices. Sapi is another word for cow or bull in Indonesian Malay. This version contained pineapple and more lemongrass, thus it was sweeter than the rendang reviewed in a previous “Grazing Malay in Singapore” article. As expected for a proper rendang, the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Ayam Goreng Lengkuas: Fried Chicken with grated Galangal [ayam=chicken, goreng=fried, lengkuas=galangal]. This is why KFC is so good in this part of the world. In order to survive, KFC has to compete with Grandma’s fried chicken. The bed of kangkong stir-fried with bean & chili paste as a complement to the chicken was good enough to stand-alone as a dish of its own. Pisang & Nangka Goreng: [pisang=banana, nangka=jackfruit]. Dessert was banana and jackfruit fritters drizzled with honey. What a lovely meal to end the day and there were still more things you could do with Indonesian honey... [see later ] MASSAGE Banyan Tree's invigorating massage therapies embrace the most effective European, Hawaiian and Asian massage techniques, including Swedish, Lomi Lomi, Balinese and Thai strokes. They claim that their healing hands and aromatic oils loosen tight muscles, improve circulation, soothe the mind, nurture the spirit and promote a sense of well being. I could not wait to “Feel muscles being kneaded and the tension seep away, to the point of feeling completely relaxed and carefree.” Each of the massages lasts 60 minutes and another 30 minutes are set aside for you to unwind and enjoy a cooling mint footbath, an exhilarating shower and a soothing honey herbal drink with refreshments (fruit and vegetable crudités). My first treatment was the Balinese Massage. An intense, medium to strong deep tissue massage in which therapists use thumb and palm pressure and focused strokes to apply a unique blend of essential oils with warming qualities. The treatment is supposed to stimulate blood circulation, improve energy flow and disperse tension. Alas, I was so tensed that my therapist felt compelled to administer the highest strength strokes; my back ended up like this even after a day to recover: Imagine what I looked like before partial recovery! Undaunted by the bruises, and in the interest of reviewing epicurean, sensual pleasure (?) your intrepid reporter opted for the ultimate 3-hour package on the next day – ‘Harmony Banyan’ massage. The highlight of this pampering is a massage conducted by two therapists, working together to bring about a harmonious sense of well-being. The two girls, chosen to complement one another perfectly in physique and temperament, perform a synchronized massage. Maintaining balanced pressure, the strokes of their hands work each side of the body in unison. To ensure total relaxation, from top to bottom, the head and the feet are then massaged at the same time, inducing a state of deep relaxation. The running order of treatments was: Mint footbath This was pretty good except that I had to sit on a bench and all I had on was a skimpy robe. The therapist was kneeling in front of me, each foot was lifted up for its massage…you can imagine the rest. Scotsmen and Spa attendees wear nothing under their kilt or robe….. hmm. Rice and sandalwood rub This was BLISSFUL. Nearly every square inch of my body was exfoliated by FOUR expert hands rubbing the fragrant mixture until dry. This took 60 minutes as I was turned like a rotisserie chicken to get to nearly all parts of me. They only left out the delicate areas which should not be exfoliated . My bottom was as soft as ... well... a baby’s bottom; trust me – I’m a doctor. Apparently, Thai ladies are treated like this before weddings. I had to take their word for this, being neither a Thai lady nor married to one. A quick shower to remove exfoliated skin, sandalwood and rice mixture and we were ready for the massage proper…. “you mean there’s more?” Harmony massage & Head and foot massage The main event was ECSTASY. If you thought a dual massage was just a massage multiplied by 2, think again. With a single therapist massage, you can “prepare” for the onslaught and be distracted by focusing on one part of your body. During a Harmony massage and without sight of the therapists (either you are face down or they cover your eyes with a mask when you are face up), your largest organ (skin) is stroked in undulating and unrelenting waves. Before one stroke has finished, a new stroke has started where the first stroke had been…all rather confusing really. The partial sensory deprivation of sight and sensory overload of touch, spa music and aromatherapy was one crazy 90-minute ‘trip’, just this side of legal. Floral bath A hot tub outdoors, with flower petals strewn on the water-surface, helped to calm down those overexcited touch receptors and remove some of the massage oil. Refreshments and relaxation More honey herbal tea and those cleansing crudités again, before a brisk shower to remove the rest of the massage oil brought this sensual session to a close. Conclusion: If being an Epicure means having to do this frequently, I’m an Epicure already, okay? Forget the Balinese macho massage and save up your pennies for the top-of-the-range Harmony massage. “The sum of the squaws on the hippopotamus is more than the sum of the squaws of the other two hides.” Banyan Tree Spa photos credited and distributed intact with permission. Other photos and text copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo, 2003. 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