ferdie wroteIf you guys knew him, then you knew the unfortunate situation he had at the end of his life too?
He was not a saint but he could be treated better in the end of his time :grumpy:
Which was what exactly? Coping with his beard, drinking too much, both?
I knew Brian when he first started Naught Nuri's in the 1990s - a tiny shack back then.Nobody could have predicted what a success story it would become, both locally in Ubud and internationally as a draw card for people who wanted to "experience" the place, despite its "faults".
Personally, I never really liked the ribs, nor anything else on the menu, especially. There was a time when they had Thursday fish nights which were quite popular.
The "elite" clique of expats who frequented the place went there to drink, talk, have a good time and enjoy Brian's hospitality. When it became famous, the expat "insiders" became a tourist attraction, sort of, (as well as the ribs).
Regarding the "famous martini". One popular TV food personality, (forget his name), declared that the martini in Nuri's was the best he'd ever had, outside of New York.
(But he was a drunk anyway.)
I once asked Brian what was so special about this concoction. His reply? Something like "nothing" - they're either straight vodka or gin, with a couple of optional olives thrown in.
No vermouth or any of that nonsense. The "exotic" part for me was always the way the waitresses brought one to the table, shake it all up, then pour the whole lot into a martini glass right up to the rim without spilling any.
So full that you couldn't pick it up without spilling any so you had to bend your head down and sip some off first. Kind of like a dynamic art installation for a glass.
When busloads of tourists arrived, seating became limited. Oh horror - might have to sit next to strange western-looking people, some of whom could be lapping their martinis like a dog.
If they were really lucky, along would come Victor Mason, usually bare-footed with [I]his[/I] dog.
The fabled martinis rose in price - last time I was there, (maybe six months ago), around Rp 100,000 (starting to get a bit steep).
Most of the staff have been there for many years. The "performance", still the same, (in the Ubud one).
The original Naughty Nuri's used to have a wall-hanging of a couple of tigers enagaged in erotic behaviour. Brian never had piped music playing in the background, not even a TV.
Later on, there [I]was[/I] a flat screen TV but I don't remember if it was ever on.
Easy to forget details like that after a couple (few) martinis.
