Trip Notes: Bali in the Wet Seasonby Mike TouristJanuary 2002 |
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Now we get to one of my favourite topics. Food! On previous trips we did the usual "Nasi Goreng with an egg on top" routine to save pennies, but this time we decided to lash out a bit and sample some good tucker. We still did the street cafe and warung thing, but we also had some scrummy feeds at places a little more up-market (for up-market read "cost us more"!) Here are some notes on our impressions. KetupatI went to this fabulous restaurant on my last trip (see the report on this site). The restaurant advertises itself as "genuine Indonesian cuisine" and this is certainly the case. You can choose from a wide variety of traditional meals, mostly in Javanese style. We had Nasi Campur and Ketupat Lebaran, both of them traditional dishes served beautifully in a multitude of banana leaf containers. The Nasi Campur must have been the nicest we have had, with a delicious selection of foods, spices and condiments around a bowl of rice (see photo). Ketupat Lebaran, we were told, is the traditional dish served at the end of the Ramadan fasting period. Like the Nasi Campur it consists of an assortment of dishes around a rice serving. In this case, however, the rice was specially prepared in coconut leaves over a period of 5 hours until it reached the consistency of smooth potato. Cut into wedges and served in banana leaf, it was unusual, but tasty. The ambience of Ketupat also adds a lot of charm to the meal. The complex is built around a small rectangular swimming pool. On one side there are a series of private pavilions with legless seats (see photo) where you and your party climb in and settle around tables. At the end of the pool there are a couple of larger pavilions where you can sit at regular western-style tables. We chose the third alternative, a raised balconied eating area where you can look over the pool and watch the goings on. The complex is lit by low level lighting and candles on stands. Very romantic. The prices were a little more than you would pay at most restaurants, but the experience is worth it. Negatives: The place is hard to find, tucked away off the street behind an antique shop (Jonathan Gallery). Also, the atmosphere is not helped by cars being driven between the pool and large pavilion to get to the rear parking area. The staff are attentive and informative. We would give it 7/10, more if they got better signage and shifted the car park. You can find Ketupat at Jl. Legian 109 (phone: 754209). You might need to find your own way there because some taxi drivers do not seem to know it. Bumbu BaliWhat can we say? Fabulous food and terrific setting. This is the famous restaurant and cooking school in Tanjung Benoa. A little more expensive again, but not to be missed if you want to sample real Balinese food. Mrs Tourist tried the spicy prawns and I chose duck. Both came on platters with various vegetable and sambal accompaniments. You are also served three varieties of rice to go with the meal. Like Ketupat, the food presentation was very attractive and the meal itself quite delicious. We finished off with a black rice pudding that was to die for. We had three negatives. The restaurant is a fair hike if you aren't located in the Nusa Dua area (yes, people did dress up, but several of us were also in Bali casual mode). It cost us nearly Rp.50,000 for a taxi from Sanur, and the journey took a good 40 minutes. The place was packed so booking is probably wise if you are going to travel that far. The mozzies were horrendous at first, but the staff soon fixed that with a bottle of insect repellent and a mozzie coil under the table. And finally be prepared to be yelled at when you arrive. For some reason the staff all shout "GOOD EVENING!" in unison whenever guests enter through the stepped portal. It can be a shock to the system if you don't expect it. This is obviously someone's bright idea to make the experience memorable, but it is really quite silly and more suited to a pizza bar than a serious restaurant. Are you reading this Bumbu owners? Stop it! It is childish! Take away the distance, mozzies and shouting and we would probably give it more than the 8/10 we decided it was worth. Bumbu Bali is at Jl. Pratama, Matahari Terbit Bali, Tanjung Benoa (phone: 774502). Spago'sSpago's Restaurant and Bar is in the main drag in Sanur, near the Bali Hyatt. It is a fairly new place, opening in 1999. Set back from the street the restaurant consists of a large covered section under a bale structure and an open air dining area in front of that. The tucker here is mostly European, so if you are all Balied-out and want a good European dish, this is the place to go. I had a scrumptious pasta. Josef, the Austrian owner, moves between the tables for a chat. He will give you all the low-down from an ex-pat perspective. Seems like a really nice bloke. He should also be pleased with his staff because they are very courteous and efficient. Nice food, well prepared and not overly expensive. No real negatives. We rate it 7/10. The place was fairly quiet when we were there, probably because it has not fully established itself yet. It deserves a visit. Spago's is situated at Jl. Danau Tamblingan 79, Sanur (phone 288335). Pacung Mountain ResortMuch of the charm of this place is in its location, perched on the side of a steep hill at Pacung, on the road to Bedugul. There are two restaurants here, an a la carte section and a buffet. We went for the a la carte lunch. The food was tasty, copious and well prepared. I had a salty fish and rice dish, Mrs Tourist went for fried rice and crab. Both were great eating. The buffet section seemed to be well patronised, mostly by tour parties, but there were only two tables occupied for a la carte lunch when we were there. You probably don't need to make a booking, and even if the place is full there are similar restaurants nearby, including one at Baturiti that I went to on the last trip (see my report on this site). We gave it 6/10. While we were there we looked at the brochure for their accommodation section. $200USD per night for a bungalow seemed a little expensive to us. Pacung Mountain Resort is on Jl. Raya Pacung Baturiti, Bedugul, Tabanan (phone 21038). They have a website as well. CafesDuring the week we also sampled several of the local Sanur cafes. Those we liked were:
We don't recommend Kalimantan ("Borneo Bob's"). The place looks like it has seen better days and the staff were more intent on huddling in private conversation behind the counter than in tending to the guests (of which we were the only ones!). Mrs Tourist ordered swordfish. Big mistake. Whatever it was, it sure wasn't swordfish. It was tough and strong of taste. She sent it back, and to their credit the staff did not charge us for it. If you go to Kalimantan you will also have to endure a cacophanous noise from a collection of parrots in dilapidated aviaries next door. It was all I could do to prevent myself from opening the cage doors and allowing the poor creatures to escape. Most cafes and restaurants play music while you dine. In the past this was invariably traditional Balinese music, but increasingly they are becoming Westernised and insist on playing Western music. Some of this music has been recorded by Indonesian groups and there is nothing sadder than a local group trying to mimic Western pop and rock. Benno's insists on playing an Indonesian group that fancies itself at reggae. It is awful stuff. Worse still are the pretend South American duos - looking for all the world like Cisco and Pancho but sounding a bit like their horses! However at Cafe Lazer and a few other spots you can hear good modern Indonesian groups. A favourite of mine is Sha'aban Yahya whose fusion album "Return to Jogja" makes interesting listening. [If you want to find out more on modern Indonesian music and fusion, go to this site: Indo Progressive.] Personally I much prefer to listen to good gamelan music in Bali. I get the feeling that many tourists don't like to listen to traditional music and that is why the eating houses and hotels are increasingly turning to Western modes. _______________ That's it for the time being. If you want more information, send me an email. Mike Tourist January 2002 |
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