Comprehensive Restaurant Guide
Sanur
Cafe Batu Jimbar, Jalan Danau Tamblingan, is a casual sidewalk cafe and popular with regular visitors to Sanur and the expatriates who meet here for breakfast, lunch or dinner under large trees. You can choose from a number of fresh fruit juices, healthy salads and light dishes; the vegetables and herbs are grown at the owner's farm
near Bedugul. In the back of the outdoor restaurant is a good book shop which also has international newspapers.
The air-conditioned Kafe Wayang, Komplek Sanur Raya on the By Pass opposite the Sanur Plaza Hotel, has become quite popular for lunches. Local business people enjoy the relaxing (indoor) tropical garden setting, the creative Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, and the excellent desserts. From 4 pm until late you can also choose from a
variety of tasty "Tapas". Friday night is Jam Session from 9:00 pm.
Telaga Naga (operated by the Bali Hyatt Hotel in Sanur and located on the main road right opposite the hotel) has a beautiful garden setting with ponds and ducks, bridges, pavilions, and well prepared Chinese food. Try the "Smoked Duck". The birds served here are imported from the United States and have – unlike their Asian relatives
– a lot of tender meat. Also recommended is the Chicken in Sesame Sauce, the Hot & Sour Soup, and the Scallops in Black Bean Sauce. Expect to pay hotel prices.
Also relatively new for Sanur (although established in Seminyak and Kuta for some time) is the open-air Gateway to India, Jalan Danau Tamblingan a bit south of the Bali Hyatt hotel and on the same side of the road. The Indian food here is delicious and irresistible and annot be compared with any other
restaurant in Bali claiming to serve food from the sub-continent. The setting here is more pleasant than their other two branches and prices are reasonable.
A great place for reasonably priced Thai Food is the Mezzainine at Puri Santrian in Sanur. The Thai Chef definitely knows what he is doing and you will enjoy his Beef Salad, Thom Yam Goong and other dishes. But it is best to talk to him personally about your order and specify how spicy you like it.
The Sanur Beach Market restaurant at the end of Jalan Segara serves from noon to about 9:00 - 10.00 pm and offers a choice of Indonesian, Chinese and Balinese dishes with an emphasis on seafood. Great location, good food in an unpretentious setting and reasonable prices. For real local flavor, visit Babi Guling Gianyar on the By Pass between 5:00
& 7:00 pm. This very simple restaurant serves the most delicious "Babi Guling" (roasted suckling pig and specialty of Gianyar). By around 7:00 pm they are usually sold out!
Bali's most popular host is back! After having to leave Koki because of a dispute with the local owner, personable Austrian Olaf Aistleitner and some of his excellent staff can now be found at the air-conditioned Arena Sports Cafe at Jalan By Pass in Sanur, close to and on the same side of the road as McDonalds. Many expats come here for
a game of billiards, to watch sports events on the huge TV screen, or to chat with Olaf. The original place has been redecorated adding a separate, quieter restaurant section and Olaf serves large portions of his excellent Austrian-German home cooking "just like mother used to make". Choose fried snapper with parsley potatoes or the fried butterfish fillet, Wiener schnitzel or beef goulash, boneless ribs, Curry chicken, pork chops, liver "Berlin Style", great steaks and various sausages etc, all served with vegetables
or salad and potatoes, noodles or rice. Talk to Olaf,
he welcomes all special requests. Beer (Bintang, Foster, Corona and a number of German and Belgian beers), all kinds of spirits, cocktails and a growing choice of wines from Australia, Europe and Chile are also very reasonably priced. See you there!
Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Kerobokan
The largest number and variety of restaurants is located in this area stretching over about 4 to 6 miles from the airport to Basangkasa further North, and the following list covers just a few of my personal favorites:-
Ketupat, Jalan Legian Raya in Kuta, serves a great variety of specialties in very pleasant surroundings. The menu includes traditional Balinese food and dishes from all parts of the archipelago. You will find different soups, chicken, beef, duck, lamb, seafood and vegetarian delicacies from Bali, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Maluku, and
other parts of Indonesia. In addition to the usual pork, beef, and chicken 'Sate' are barbecued skewers with goat meat, prawns, tuna, squid, and even 'Sate Lilit' with minced crab or duck meat. Seafood lovers can choose from different preparations of lobster, crabs, prawns, calamari and all kinds of fresh fish. Vegetarians will enjoy
salads and tasty main courses with beans, potatoes, spinach, bean sprouts, young fern leaves, etc. The menu features photographs and explanations of each dish. This is real Indonesian 'haute cuisine' (which you normally
only can find in some private homes but never in restaurants), well presented, and served in surroundings which will please most visitors.
Another place to experience local traditional Balinese food and East Javanese cuisine is the tiny Puri Seafood Bintang Lima in Jalan Lasmana (the beginning of the Oberoi Road). There are just 5 tables (four of them very low without chairs and you have to sit on the floor) and most guests are local residents.
The menu lists many exotic delicacies such as curries from banana flowers, palm hearts, tofu and bean sprouts as well as glass noodles with vegetables and many other vegetarian dishes such as fried buttered mushrooms. There are fish, squid, prawn, and chicken dishes, but no pork, lamb or beef. The drinks are great with many
different Arak Cocktails – try the "My Bali" with mango juice, brem, arak vanilla, and grenadine, or the Ginseng Arak, Lemon Grass Arak, or Vanilla Arak. A favorite with the after dinner coffee is the "Arabian Night" – Arak with star anise, cinnamon, and other spices. There is also a great choice of teas.
Made's Warung on Jalan Pantai in central Kuta near Bemo Corner has been an institution in Kuta since the early 70's. This has been THE place to see and be seen for nearly 30 years. In the early days, Made's was the only 'after-hours' place in Kuta. They kept selling toilet paper, mosquito coils, snack food and drinks until 8:00pm in the evening when everybody else closed around 7:00pm.
In August 1996 the owners, Peter and Made, opened a new, similar but larger and more comfortable Made's Warung in Basangkasa on the way to Seminyak.
Hidden away a few meters down the narrow lane next to the original Made's Warung is Un's paradise Restaurant. In a pleasant garden setting you can enjoy well-prepared Swiss and Italian specialties such as Carpaccio, Gnocchi, Ravioli, tender imported steaks, fish, prawns, and a few vegetarian dishes. Favourites are the pepper steak
and the entrecote – both served with delicious sauces – and the seared tuna in dill sauce! There is a small choice of wines, many liqueurs and cocktails, special coffees and teas, and even Balinese Arak and Brem. A live band entertains diners, and many guests at the horse shoe
bar come just for a chat with the Swiss owner Peter Erni.
Really close by and near Bemo Corner on Jalan Pantai Kuta is a branch of Gateway of India which serves delicious Indian food in very simple surroundings at acceptable prices.
Poppies Restaurant on Poppies Gang (lane) nearby has also been a well-established favorite for over 25 years. In a beautiful garden setting you can choose from a number of Asian and Western dishes including, soups, curries, lobster and steaks. It's very pleasant for a leisurely lunch in the shade of large trees, but in the evenings the place
tends to become crowded with tourist groups. The food was never outstanding, and recently the prices have been increased considerably.
TJ'S Mexican Restaurant, also on Poppies Gang, has become an institution over the years and is well-known for tasty food, good music, excellent Margaritas and Strawberry Daiquiris and a place to meet regulars around the far corner of the long bar. Pleasant garden setting, good service, great salads.
Kori Restaurant & Bar, hidden away in nearby Poppies Gang II, offers comfortable open-air seating in pleasant surroundings (tropical garden with several ponds, nice decoration and atmosphere). Service is attentive, and the menu lists specialties from many countries such as Indonesian Satays, Thai beef salad, Thom Yam, and Green
Chicken Curry, Singapore Chilli Crab, Australian beef steaks, tuna steaks, beef burgers, pork chops, Caesar salad, and Italian pasta. There is a good choice of desserts (from Balinese Black Rice Pudding to Bavarian Vanilla Cheese Cake), and they have several kinds of delicious home-baked breads with a crunchy crust. Good food, nice
presentation, large portions and a good, reasonably priced wine list. Kori offers to park your car a few hundred meters away as you cannot leave it in the narrow, often
congested, lane.
A very pleasant Western restaurant is Veranda in Seminyak, located in a tiny lane off the main road not far from Jalan Gado Gado. A large bar, well spaced tables in pretty surroundings, and attentive service. The menu lists delicious appetizers such as marinated smoked salmon, smoked marlin, and orange flavored beef, the
imported steaks are outstanding, and there is also rack of lamb, several seafood dishes, and even Swedish meatballs. Surprising is the truly professional presentation, the high quality of the food, as well as the reasonable prices.
Poco Loco, Jalan Padma Utara in Legian, has two sometimes busy bars on different levels and offers a choice of Mexican dishes, good salmon steaks and other grill items, a delicious but very heavy "Muddy Mud Pie". Tequila shooters are served by the walking "Mini-Bar", and there is good music and a lively atmosphere. The restaurant is
open daily for dinner from 6pm until about midnight. The "in-crowd" arrives after 9pm
The small air-conditioned sushi bar Ryoshi, Jalan Raya Seminyak (with branches in Jalan Melasti in Kuta as well as in Sanur and Ubud) serves Sashimi, Sushi, Tempura, Miso soup, and other Japanese dishes at low prices. It's interior is simple but comfortable, and the restaurant is often crowded during meal times. The larger Take, Jalan Patih Jelantik (the small road between Kuta and Jalan Imam Bonjol) with a second branch in Jalan Padma, offers a wider choice of well-prepared specialties from various areas of Japan. For good Sashimi or Teppanyaki, Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki prepared at your table visit either the Kurumaya at the Bali Padma Hotel in Legian, or the smaller but more elegant Teppanyaki restaurant at the Japanese managed
Sofitel Hotel in Seminyak.
Kuni's Japanese Restaurant is located at Jalan Laksmana. When you enter this modern open-air restaurant through the lounge you pass the bar and a small sushi counter. Dining tables are well-spaced with most of them on the open terrace and some tables in the narrow garden with Frangipani trees and Hibiscus. Choose from small
but beautifully presented servings of Sashimi, delicious Spicy Tuna Rolls (a new experience even for Japanese), Beef Shabu Shabu Salad, Tempura, fried Kushiyaki skewers with chicken, chicken liver, sliced ox tongue etc, grilled sardines or swordfish, or Sukiyaki from Australian beef. There is also a choice of noodle and rice dishes
including Unadon (with grilled eel). All dishes are well-prepared and presented, and the service from the Japanese manager and the local staff is attentive, very friendly and professional. Green tea, Japanese beer and sake
are offered as expected, but there is also a small choice of wines from Australia and Chile. Closed on Monday.
The Japanese Bluefin Restaurant in Jalan Kartika Plaza opposite the Kuta paradiso Hotel serves excellent fusion cuisine in modern surroundings. The large menu lists many creative and delicious sushi rolls, foie gras and all traditional Japanese dishes. Specialties include Chilli Ayo, a combination of baked scallops, shrimps and squid
topped with a chilli mayonaise and fish roe, Dobin Mushi, a clear mushroom-seafood soup, and there are Sushi Rolls filled with cab salad, eel, shrimps, squid, salmon, tuna, lobster, avocado, cucumber and even liver pate and cream cheese! Main courses include steak, seafood combination plates, lobster etc. In addition to Western
deserts there are Red Bean and Green Tea Ice Creams. The wine list is small but acceptable, seating is equally comfortable at the few tables or at the Sushi bar, and the service is attentive. (Other Japanese restaurants to check are Inagiku located in its own Japanese style
building in the garden of the Grand Hyatt Resort in Nusa Dua.)
The modern Punto & Basta in Jalan Laksmana (Oberoi) right opposite Kini's offers "contemporary flavors" at very reasonable prices. Start with Tasmanian salmon & lime cakes with a wasabi, soya and lime dip, seared tuna sashimi topped with vegetable tartar and a soya, chili ginger sauce, or grilled beef carpaccio on rucola & parmesan
flakes with balsamic vinegar. Then continue with a carrot & ginger soup, various salads and pasta dishes, exotic tuna medallions with fruit salsa, Tasmanian salmon topped with crispy fried chili, ginger, mint leaves and coriander, sliced sirloin on rucola with rosemary potatoes, or a classic Ossobuco with grilled polenta. Desserts
are equally interesting: Chai Pods de Creme is a custard flavoured with Indian Chai tea, cinamon, cloves, cardamon pods and ginger, and Swiss Mizz is mocha ice cream with Kahlua on a roasted cashew nuts crust. Great value, service is excellent, and you can choose to sit either outdoors in front of the restaurant or in the air-conditioned indoor section.
The "new" (opened in 1996) Made's Warung in Jalan Legian, Basangkasa on the way to Seminyak offers a wide choice of dishes (on the menu and on notes on the walls) from many parts of the world: local "Nasi Campur" (a mini rijsttafel) and Gado Gado, Japanese Sashimi, their own version of a Thai "Tom Yam" soup, good prawn and squid dishes,
pasta, acceptable steaks, etc), plus a variety of cakes, delicious home-made coconut ice-cream, fresh fruit juices and good Capuchino (served either hot or iced). Try the "Arak Madu" or "Arak Lemon di Blender" (the local rice liquor with either just honey, or with honey and lemon, prepared in a blender). They offer also a choice of
imported wines at reasonable prices. From morning to late night you'll see many regulars who've been coming to Bali since Peter (the Dutch owner) and his Balinese wife Made started their first "Warung" in the center of Kuta in the early 70's. Have a look at the various shops adjacent to the restaurant, too.
Thai food is served in the air-conditioned Kin Khao Thai Restaurant, Jalan Raya Seminyak. However, their "Thom Yam Gung", Fried Fish Cakes, Green Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls, a Green Chicken Curry, and "Hormok" (steamed mixed seafood) are recently lacking the spiciness and character of real Thai food – although you can
specify when ordering how you'd like your food. The same owners operate the larger, more luxurious branch in Jalan Kartika Plaza. The food there is equally "touristy", and the prices are higher than in Seminyak
Much better: Husk, the Thai restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel in Seminyak, Jalan Gado Gado (the former Imperial Hotel). The young English Chef Will Meyrick (from the famous Longrain Restaurant in Sydney's Surrey Hills) serves truly sensational "modern" Thai cuisine from the restaurant's open kitchen! Try his Oysters with Red Chilli
Nahm Jim, Thai Beef Salad, various Green Curries and his Dry Red Fish Curry. Each dish offers contrasting flavours of hot, sweet, sour and salty resulting in a delicate balance of textures, flavours and aromas.
The Golden Lotus inside the Bali Dynasty Resort (operated by Shangri-La Hotels) in Tuban is well-known for a wide range of good Chinese dishes and 'Dim Sum' (during lunch on Sundays) which are served in comfortable hotel surroundings.
Other recommendable and more comfortable Chinese restaurants in the Kuta/Tuban area are Plaza Bali located between the By-Pass and Jalan Raya Kuta and Ema Restaurant, upper floor at the DFS (Duty Free Shoppers) complex at the circle on Jalan By-Pass. Both serve tasty food including Dim Sum. Ema has even an English language Dim Sum
menu with photos and it is a favorite of many expat residents for Sunday lunch
The very popular La Lucciola (with a truly outstanding beach front setting next to the Petitenget temple and great views of Kuta's famous sunsets) serves a range of modern Italian specialties. Food and service have improved recently, and for dinner you will need a reservation. Recommended for at least a "sundowner".
The long-time famous Gado Gado (at the end of Jalan Dhyana Pura) features a similar beach front location and has changed from a Disco to a restaurant again (that's how this legendary place started over 25 years ago). The setting is pleasant and the service attentive. The new menu is quite similar to the old menu at Ku De Ta featuring
freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters, saffran seared scallops, a sushi sashimi platter, soft shell crab on soba noodles, grilled river prawns, Atlantic salmon fillet, lobster tempura, duck breast, rack of lamb, beef tenderloin, etc. as well as some vegetarian dishes which are all well prepared and presented. There are a number of
desserts such as Mango Mousse, Creme Brullee or Mocca Panna Cotta. The wine list is impressive for Bali standards. Gado Gado has become serious competition for other up-market restaurants in the Seminyak area. In the center of Seminyak, nearly opposite Double-Six-Road at Jalan Legian, on the third floor you will
find Teras or La Terrazza, an Italian-run roof-top restaurant with a long bar, good drinks, sometimes too loud music, and a large, airy terrace.
Located about 100 meters further north is Panterei, a beautiful modern restaurant serving Greek specialties in comfortable surroundings. Panos Bournias, the Greek founder, has recently opened the new Nero Bali Restaurant & Bar at Jalan Legian right opposite Aromas in Kuta. Nero's design is very stylish and simplistic with modern
furniture, huge mirrors, hanging plants and water features, candles and well-placed spot lights. You find on the menu appetizers such as tuna carpaccio, Thai beef salad, and a Mezze platter, and for main courses Lemon Chicken, lamb chops, cooked (not char-grilled) steaks, Middle Eastern Kebabs, and a number of seafood preparations. They serve food until 1:30 in the morning, and the street-side bar attracts walk-in guests during the whole evening.
La Porchetta Italian Grill & Seafood Restaurant is a pleasant open-air eatery on Jalan Legian near Jalan Melasti and very close to "Peanuts Disco". Australians who know these restaurants from Melbourne will love it. Nice informal style, friendly service, tasty, reasonably priced food (pasta, pizza, steaks, fish, and lobster), but
the wines are on the expensive side. After 1:00am they serve only pizza, but the restaurant stays open 24 hours.
Kafe Warisan, Jalan Raya Kerobokan, about one or two kilometers further north from Seminyak / Basangkasa, is run by young enthusiastic French chefs Said Alem and Nicolas Tourneville ("Doudou") who used to work as chef for French Ambassadors in Indonesia and Algeria. This pleasant and trendy open-air restaurant shows attention to
all details and an interesting and frequently changing menu (including a good number of vegetarian dishes). Entrees include Salmon & Tuna Tartar, Escargots served in Roasted Mushrooms, and there is even a home-made Foie Gras. You can continue with a Oriental Lamb Soup, followed by one of the pasta dishes or Duck Confit with Puy
Lentils, Roasted Rack of Lamb with Baby Beans and Artichokes, Half-Grilled Baby Chicken, or Pan-fried Veal Medallions. For seafood lovers there are Grilled Tasmanian Salmon with Mushroom Fricassee, Prawn and Butterfish Meli Melo, or a Scallops and Mushroom Fricassee with Creamy Spinach and Saffron Veloute. To finish your meal you can
choose either Créme Bruleé, Chocolate Mousse with Poached Pear, or Frozen Almond Souffleé. On the drink list you find a number of drinkable Service is attentive, and prices are very reasonable
The Living Room is located at Jalan Petitenget between the Petitenget temple and the Intan Beach Village hotel. This very pleasant open-air restaurant with many tables in the candle-lit garden has a distinctive colonial atmosphere with terracotta floors, high ceilings, flowing curtains and painted bamboo blinds, paintings, antique
marble tables and carved chairs: you feel like being in a private home in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur 50 years ago. The menu lists quite interesting and well prepared and presented "modern Asian" creations influenced by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.
Ku De Tais a stylish restaurant in a top beach front location next to the Oberoi Hotel. The modern architecture and interior design of the bar and dining areas go well with the "fusion cuisine" of the Australian chef. On the menu you find a selection of freshly shucked oysters imported two times per week from Australia and France
and served with a champagne vinaigrette. There are many salads, grilled Australian yabbies (small freshwater crayfish), seared scallops, a seafood stew, lamb rib eye, venison rib and beef tenderloin. The interesting wine list features many wines from Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa. The service staff is well-trained and attentive, and prices are generally reasonable. There are
comfortable deck chairs right on the beach to watch Bali's famous sunsets, and in the cigar lounge you can choose from nearly 30 Cuban cigars such as Bolivar Coronas Junior, Cohiba Coronas Especiales.
The Legian is a 5-star (nearly) all-suite hotel set right on the beach between the Oberoi Hotel / Ku De Ta and La Lucciola. It offers one of the best food & beverage service in this part of Bali. In the beach front restaurant you'll enjoy great views of Bali's sunsets and excellent food. The Legian has earned an excellent reputation catering for weddings and other parties, and its special dinner events introducing the products of visiting wine makers and/or guest Chefs are very popular with Bali residents.
Equally pleasant is the small Alang-Alang Restaurant of the Samaya Villas nearly next door. The beach front setting, great sunset views and the sound of the waves make this one of Bali's most romantic places to dine. Chef Thorsten Schubert used to work at the "Petersberg" when Bonn was still Germany's capital and cooked for many
foreign heads of state, and he is always happy to receive special requests. The menu includes smoked duck breast with dried stone fruit salad, Tequila-cured salmon with whole grain mustard cream and black pepper brioche, New England clam chowder, red pepper crusted tuna with spicy mango glaze & salsa, lamb chops with cola-soda-chili
sauce, mahi-mahi fillet with pineapple-red onion relish, and porcini mushroom ravioli with sauted prawns. There is also a good choice of Indonesian dishes and a very reasonably priced wine list.
Another great eatery – although totally different – in the same area is Mykonos Taverna, a simple Greek tavern in Jalan Laksmana (Jalan Oberoi) with another outlet in the same road and more branches in Sanur and even in Jakarta. Simple but very tasty Greek specialties such as a Patzaria Salad (beetroot in garlic, vinegar and
olive oil), tender Calamari Skaras (grilled and soaked in lemon, olive oil, dill and oregano, served with warm potato salad), delicious Silotakia Tiganita (chicken liver with onions, garlic, mushrooms, chilli, oregano and olive oil), Keftes (meatballs with various sauces), Mousaka (oven-baked layers of potato, ground beef and
aubergines), lamb chops and various Kebabs are served with vegetables and potatoes. Portions are huge, and there is a (limited) choice of wines. Great value for money, great tavern atmosphere with Greek music, friendly, very informal service (similar to places like this in Greece), and crowded every night.
Trattoria Cucina Italiano is another simple open-air restaurant located in Jalan Oberoi and serving excellent home-cooking at very reasonable prices. Choose from the daily changing antipasti, salads, home-made pasta, tasty main courses and sweets. A limited wine list with very
reasonable prices, friendly service and the relaxed atmosphere have made the Trattoria very popular with the international and Italian crowd who often bring the whole family. Around 10pm. all tables are usually occupied (not open for lunch, and currently no credit cards accepted).
Good news for lovers of Indian food: finally there are some restaurants in Bali where you can enjoy the real thing. Gateway of India in Seminyak, Jalan Dyana Pura (Gado Gado), is located nearly opposite of Santa Fe. They offer an excellent choice of Indian specialties which will not disappoint you. Regrettably there is no
air-conditioning, and sometimes you have to listen to very loud music from nearby bars and pubs, but the food here is good! Favourites are Masala Papadum, Seekh Kebab, Gosht Shahi Korma, Mutton Pasanda, Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) and Butter Chicken Tikka, yellow and black Dhal, Aloo Gobi, Navratan Korma, Raita, Garlic Naan,
Cheese Naan and the delicious Peshawari Naan. (Bring your own wine, as the wines offered are not exciting at all and never properly chilled.) Newer branches are near Bemo corner in Kuta and on Jalan Danau Tamblingan in Sanur.
The Queen's Tandoor, Jalan Seminyak nearly opposite Made's Warung, serves the same delicious Indian specialties in Bali for which it has been famous in Jakarta since 1986. Enjoy the mouth-watering delicacies from the tandoor oven or the slowly cooked chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetable Curries, Masallas and Kormas with rich sauces
full of fresh herbs, spices, fruits and nuts. There are freshly baked breads such as various Nans, Papadums and Chappati to accompany your meal, and Kulfi, the Indian ice cream, is the best way to finish it.
Another alternative to enjoy delicious Indian cuisine, but in much more elegant surroundings (and at substantially higher prices) is served at the (Indian managed) OBEROI HOTEL. Rather boring but cheap Indian food can be found at Warung Kopi, Jalan Legian, which also serves a choice of vegetarian plates either street-side or in
the garden patio. A choice of more interesting vegetarian dishes from India, Thailand, the Middle East, Mexico and Europe is offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Aromas on the main road in the center of Legian.
For German specialties and sausages you can try the open-air Mama's Restaurant in Kuta which is open around the clock and serves substantial German home cooking at low prices. The wide choice includes hot dogs and many other sausages, Frikadellen (German meat balls) and burgers, spit-roasted chicken, pork roast, Rouladen (German beef
rolls), and huge pork knuckles. In addition to local draft beer, imported beers and German schnapps there is also a limited but well-priced wine list. There are tables and a bar downstairs as well as on the upper floor where you also find a large billiards table and life music in the evening. The restaurant is managed by the German
Chef Detlef Kleiss, and owner is the German Honorary Consul Reinhold Jantzen. You should also visit the Swiss Consular Representative Jon Zurcher who entertains guests in his SWISS RESTAURANT, Jalan Kuta Palace in Legian.
Quite good Swiss-German meals at low prices are also served in plain surroundings in the Pepito Kafe, Jalan Kediri, next to the Pepito Supermarket in Tuban. Roger Jahn, a retired Swiss Guard of the Pope, offers a "Bavarian Breakfast" with Weisswurst, Brezn and a beer at any time of the day, a choice of smoked and dried hams
with melon, asparagus and toast, sliced pork leg "Castellan Style", various steaks, and a number of Swiss and German sausages with onion sauce or gravy, French fries and salad. His nice Vol-au-vent (which he calls "Bouchees Royale"), two pastry shells filled with tender beef cubes in a creamy white sauce and a bottle of imported Warsteiner
beer.
If you like elegant surroundings in a top beach front setting and attentive service, there is no better choice than the new air-conditioned Sailfin Seafood Restaurant, part of the The Wave entertainment complex at Jalan Pantai in Kuta (opposite the Hard Rock Resort). After a drink in the spacious and comfortable lounge area with bar
you can choose either a table inside or on the open terrace. The Coquilles Saint Jaques (delicious scallops), king prawns, baramundi fillet and Lobster Mornay, all well-prepared by
the Australian chef. A little disappointing is the "Sailfin Paradise Seafood Platter for Two" which consisted of a few prawns, squid, one small bug (or rock lobster), one not so fresh crab, and lots of local fruit.
There are also several restaurants (Indah Sari, Mini, SC etc) along Jalan Legian in Kuta which display on the roadside fresh fish, lobster, crabs and prawns on ice. You select your favorites from the display and tell the staff how to prepare your dish (grilled, steamed, boiled etc). The Bali Seafood Market and Kuta Seafood on Jalan
Kartika Plaza between Kuta and the airport offer a wide choice of fresh seafood and live entertainment including Balinese dances.
Jimbaran Beach
The best place for fresh seafood is still Jimbaran Beach with its rows of open restaurants right on the sandy beach near the Bali Inter-Continental Resort and between the Keraton Hotel and the airport. The number of eateries is fast increasing, but the original six restaurants on the airport side of the Keraton Hotel (Lia is a
favorite) are still the most reasonably priced, and they serve the same delicious food. All kinds of fresh fish, squid, crabs, prawns, and lobsters are prepared on the open grill (burning coconut husks instead of charcoal) with exotic herbs and spices. Not extremely cheap any
more but still good value for money, and a great place to watch Bali's famous sunset!
However, be warned: the 25 or so restaurants between Inter-Continental and the Four Seasons resort charge much higher prices and their prices for wine are ridiculous! Visitors to the restaurants closer to the fishing harbor (near the airport) and, the restaurants between
the Inter-Continental and the Four Seasons, are often complained about on the "Bali travel Forum" for overcharging and/or cheating on the weight of the fish or lobster ordered.
For fine (but rather pricey) dining the Bali Inter-Continental Resort is hard to beat – the KO Japanese Restaurant with its elegant teppanyaki room, sushi & sashimi bar and music lounge is one of the best in Bali, and the Singaraja Garden Restaurant is well-known for good food and excellent service. The Ritz-Carlton's Padi Garden
Restaurant (just a few steps down from the lobby) advertises that it serves the island's best and most authentic Thai cuisine. But even if you let your waiter or the Chef know you like your food as spicy as in Bangkok, you will be served, in most cases, a rather "touristy" version of Thai food.
For a very pleasant lunch you should try the delicious pizzas, salads and outstanding desserts at the Four Seasons Resort's PJ's (Pantai Jimbaran) set right on the beach. You can also reserve a table here for a very private and romantic dinner lit by dozens of candles and just a few feet away from the water. Food, service and
prices are what you'd expect at a Four Seasons.
The Bukit, Nusa Dua & Tanjung Benoa
The "Bukit", the hill south of Jimbaran Bay, is becoming more popular every day. An increasing number of residential buildings take advantage of the spectacular views of Kuta, Sanur and the mountains from the slope facing north, and there are also quite a number projects being developed on the steep cliffs facing the South. It's not
surprising that new restaurants are attracted by the new neighborhood, too.
On the way to Nusa Dua you'll see Sama Sama on your right hand side (Jalan By-Pass), a modern, high class Korean restaurant which is an important addition to Bali's restaurant scene. Beautiful exterior and interior, comfortable surroundings, sophisticated service, excellent food, and reasonable prices. What more can you ask
for? Only problem is that the restaurant is in the early evening often booked for tour groups, therefore, go after 8:30 p.m.
Excellent Thai cuisine is served at The Terrace at the Amanusa Resort. The menu is small listing only six appetizers, three soups and seven main courses. Always popular is the Gai Hor Bai Toey, tender chicken pieces deep fried in pandan leaves, a spicy Tom Yam Goong and the milder Tom KHar Gai, a chicken broth with coconut milk.
This is followed by a sensational Red Duck Curry and King Prawns with Chilli and Basil. All dishes are prepared as spicy as you would get them in Thailand, and the service, surroundings and the view over the Nusa Dua golf course and the sea are outstanding. This unique combination is easily worth the rather high prices:
The nearby Bumbu Bali Restaurant (& Cooking School) in Tanjung Benoa adjacent to Nusa Dua, is operated by Heinz von Holzen, the author of the book "The Food of Bali" and former food guru of the Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton hotels in Bali. A visit here is a must if you are interested in authentic local cuisine. In beautiful
surroundings you can enjoy appetizers such as "Ayam Pelalah" (chicken with chillies and lime), beef, chicken and prawn Satay, or "Jokut Kakul", a tasty snail soup with lemon grass and black pepper. Main dishes include "Ayam Betutu" (roasted chicken in banana leaf), delicious "Siap Mapanggang" (ox tongue in sweet nutmeg sauce), "Satay
Lilit" made from minced seafood, and "Ikan Pepes", and grilled fish in banana leaf. You can choose from a range of exotic desserts such as Black Rice Pudding, Coconut Pancakes, etc. Or indulge yourself by ordering the "Balinese Rijsttafel" which consists of 14 different dishes served together with white, yellow, and red rice (even a
vegetarian version of this feast is available). You can end your meal with various gourmet coffee preparations or special flavored Indonesian teas (apple, apricot, black currant, cinnamon, orange, peach, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, etc). Service is very attentive and a unique experience. On Fridays there are Balinese dance performances from about 8pm.
Ubud
Cafe Lotus has been an institution for many years. Located in the center of Ubud between the main street and a large, beautiful lotus pond in front of a temple (designed by the famous artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad) this pleasant open-air restaurant serves a variety of Italian pasta dishes, some Asian and local specialties such as the
Balinese duck 'Bebek Betutu', and a good choice of cakes and fruit juices. Although the prices here are quite steep for Ubud standards, Cafe Lotus is busy the whole day.
Nearly across the road is Casa Luna offering a number of Balinese and Mediterranean dishes which look very interesting on the menu but can be a bit disappointing, and a branch of the well-known Ryoshi serving good Sushi, Sashimi and Tempura until midnight at rather low prices.
Murni's Warung, located next to the Campuan bridge, is another of Ubud's institutions. Built on several levels between the road and the river, this is an excellent place to try the 'Bebek Betutu' (order one day in advance to be sure) and other local specialties. The more elegant Bridge Cafe cascades also down over several levels –
right opposite on the other side of the river – and offers creative 'Pacific Rim' cuisine i.e. tasty culinary creations with influences from Thailand, India, China and Japan as well as local specialties, salads and vegetarian dishes. Try the Szechuan Pancakes filled with deep fried duck, the Thai Chicken Pizza, or the Chilly Prawns.
Very pleasant atmosphere and good service.
Not to be missed is Dirty Duck or Bebek Bengil in Padang Tegal about one kilometer south of Ubud's main street. Forget their special "Crispy Duck" which is very dry and sometimes rather tough. Their range of other Indonesian and Western dishes, however, is quite tasty, the garden setting very pleasant, and the live background music
in the evenings creates a nearly magic atmosphere.
Another of Ubud's favorites is Ary's Warung, a stylish side-walk bistro in the center of town with creative oriental/international cuisine and a choice of interesting vegetarian dishes. The Tasting Menu for lunch includes four dishes and one glass of wine, the Dinner Tasting Menu has six dishes and two glasses of wine. Expect delicacies such as Lobster Wonton, Tuna Parfait with caviar and Wasabi cream, Seared Sea Scallops, Sauted Green Pepercorn Pate with green papaya salad, Carpaccio of Venison, Steamed Snapper with red chilli butter, Jumbo River Prawns sauted with chilli, garlic
and ginger, deboned Roasted Quail, Rack of Lamb with chilli mint sauce, and Roasted Veal Cutlets with Wasabi butter. The desserts are equally creative; try the Durian Créme Brulleé! The wine list offers a good choice of Australian and French wines, and the service is friendly and professional. Ary's has become another place for Fine
Dining in Ubud.
On the way to Sayan between the Campuan Hotel and the Pita Maha Resort is the rather new Indus Restaurant operated by the same owner as Casa Luna. Well-spaced tables on two levels offer a beautiful views over the Campuan river valley, the service is very friendly, and they serve a wide range of health food. You can choose Italian
pizza, ravioli and fettucini, Middle Eastern Mezze, Chinese spring rolls, Thai Thom Kha Kai soup, and Indonesian nasi campur, gado gado, and even a Balinese "Smoked Duck Feast" for two. There are many seafood and vegetarian dishes, various interesting fresh fruit juices such as apple with mint juice or carrot,
spinach, parsley & celery juice, lassi, herbal teas and special coffees. If all this sounds too healthy, there are also delicious sweets, a (disappointingly) small selection of wines, but an acceptable choice of cocktails.
Evenings, you'll meet many foreign residents in Naughty Nuri's Warung on the same road to Sayan. Boston-born Brian, Nuri's husband, buys fresh tuna every Thursday in Benoa, and they serve it on Thursday nights delicious tuna Sashimi, tuna steaks, and tuna satay at rock-bottom prices. Daily fare includes various Indonesian dishes, steaks,
lamb chops, and large slabs of ribs which are barbecued on a long charcoal grill in front of the place. But better go easy on their excellent Martinis – after a few of these you won't mind the price per drink or the somewhat uncomfortable and extremely "local" surroundings, and the next day you might even not
remember how you got home or where you've been the night before! Actually — why is Nuri's called "naughty"??? Many people asked, but Brian won't tell!
You'd probably never expect to get world-class Martinis in a "Warung" in Ubud, and when you pass Dari Mana in the southern part of Jalan Monkey Forest you may think their sign "Restaurant Francais" is just a bad joke (we did). But we gave it a try, and what a pleasant surprise! Although their regular menu is not impressive, the
"specials" listed on various black boards along the walls are very enjoyable: "Assiette Anglaise" consists of Parma ham and tasty goose rillettes, served with butter, French bread and salad. We also enjoyed the ox tongue in a delicious caper sauce, the Entrecote Merchant de Vin, and the home-made hazelnut and nougat ice cream. They
also offer a good choice of French wines at reasonable prices. The very basic surroundings don't help to make this a great dining experience, but service is acceptable, the quality surprising for his kind of place, and the prices are low enough even for rucksack travelers.
Mozaic opened in 2001 and is run by Franco-American Chef Chris Salans (ex French Laundry in Napa Valley) on Jalan Raya Sanggingan, the road from Campuhan to Sayan. It offers very pleasant out-door and in-door seating and attractive presentation of Chris' creative cuisine. The menu changes daily and depends on the availability of
fresh ingredients. You can also order the five-course Chef's Tasting Menu. You will enjoy the truly outstanding food (probably the best you can find in Bali) but missing is a capable restaurant
manager as the chef hardly leaves the kitchen. There is a good but smallish wine list and prices are acceptable.
Lamak Restaurant & Bar is a new Ubud top class eatery. It is located on Monkey Forest Road a bit South of the soccer field next to Sai Sai bar. The quite unique design is by Made Wijaya (Australian Michael White), and the restaurant is operated by the German Chef Roland Lickert. The tempting menus
(different for lunch and dinner) include Asian, international and vegetarian dishes such as Seaweed Salad with Balinese Satay Lilit, various fried noodles with Spiced Szechuan Chicken, with Asian Greens and Glazed Tofu, or with Black Bean Fish, Stir-fried Scallops on Green Tea Noodles, and Bruschetta with Salmon Tartar. There is an
great Shitake Mushroom Cappuccino soup and a unique Balinese Bouillabaisse, and for your main course Crispy Salmon, Balsamic Glazed Beef Steak, Pancetta-wrapped Pork Fillet, Lamb Cutlets, Duck Breast with Red Pepper Pesto, and Seafood Pasta. Delicious sweets include Orange & Ginger Brulee, Fried Forest Berry Ice Cream on Baileys
Cream, and a Chilled Pina Colada Soufflé. Gourmets may be impressed, wine lovers will certainly be delighted: you can choose from 8 wines by the glass and from nearly 50 bottled wines from France, Italy, Australia, and California. There is also a choice of Cuban cigars. The reasonable prices for food and wine help to relax in the open-air lounge and cocktail bar downstairs, on the
upstairs terrace or in the air-conditioned dining room on the upper floor. Lamak is open every day from 11am to 11pm. Give it a try, and ask Roland for anything you like – even if it's not on the menu.
Other restaurants recommended by foreign residents are Terazo, Jalan Suweta just North of the Royal Palace for trendy fusion cuisine, Batan Waru (Western and Indonesian Brasserie type food), Gajah Biru for authentic Indian cuisine, Gaya for simple Italian dishes, located above the gallery with the same name in Sayan, the Kokokan Club
in Pengosekan for tasty Thai dishes, Three Monkeys, Kampung Kafe & Tepi Sawah. |
