Best Bali spots

We spent a leisurely week on Bali, "the island of the gods". Bali equates sea, surf, spa, spot of shopping for me. Not on a culinary adventure and since we still had to eat, we checked out some new addresses recommended by our friend /seasoned club owner Fabrice.


Fabrice's new gig, Word Of Mouth had two big events last weekend and judging by the crowd, it looked as if they will be back for more. It was surely the hippiest, trendiest and happening people there. If you wanted some tips on club dressing, that was the best classroom! We had Capricom : a dizzy mix of lychee and alcohol.



Not suprisingly, KUDETA has its loyal fans and continues to attract newbies since they are listed as an icon when in Bali. Other than breakfast ( which is good ), the other meals are on the high side. Nonetheless, this does not deter people from enjoying sundowners and then go off else where for dinner. Good tactic to say you've been to KUDETA.

I took hubby to some tried and tested haunts:

La Lucciola, that Balinese style two-storey hut with a stunning view of breaking surf will also break your wallet. I mean the portion isn't quite as stunning but i was miffed with the way the F&B dollies up the menu. "Battered filet of Black Bass, Crisp potato bastoni, caper & dill mayonaisse" is really fish & chips. Call a spade a spade. It is less disappointing when the dish appears and expectations were not high. Read carefully.

Warong Made: Fast food Indonesian. Nasi Campur is simple white rice with vegetarian toppings and a chunk of tuna. Gado Gado is a wet mixed of tangled veggies dunked in peanut sauce... if you expect Gado Gado like in Indonesian restaurants elsewhere, this is not. It is the Balinese rendition. Nice local ambience set within a traditional courtyard.


Osteria Telese @ Jln Oberoi, Seminyak: Italian cuisine with a very nice wood-fired oven. I liked the thin crust pizza which was generously loaded with toppings unlike the measly ones of Pizza Huts! The squid in tomato stew starter was fresh and flavourful. Mid-price. It was our first meal and that set the tone for the prices we can expect to pay.

New haunts:
SIP: the new French bistro with non-bistro nor Bali prices. It was rather Singapore / European pricing ! Okay, the chef said that he used to work in some starred restaurant but didn't say doing what... and we all know about French exaggerations. Food is not that fab but pricing prohibitive! My salad read nicer in the menu than when it appeared. It was tossed too early so the leaves were mushy. The imported aussie steak was good but the fries came from frozen packs.

MannekenPis: This restaurant features traditional Belgian food as its name suggests.
The owner has been in the food business for the last 30 years and had a restuarant in Bruges, Belgium. I love the open to view kitchen like in Gordon Ramsey's Hell's kitchen. The fries were freshly handcut then cooked in lard making it crispier on the outside. The vol-au-vent didn't miss a beat! My choice of chicken fajitas, not a Belgian staple, was the juicest and best i've actually eaten anywhere. On the whole, the food is tasty, honest and well-priced. It has a Jazz band to boot..like the former Saxaphone in Singapore!

La Plancha: Is where the Spaniards in Bali congregate. Definitely the beach-bum types.. as you actually sit on beanbags on the beach. The kiosk is actually a beachhut and tapas are served. Small selection but perhaps one day someone will open a proper spanish restaurant?

Spa time: I skipped BodyWorks this time as I didn't quite like the factory conveyor belt feel. Apart form that, BodyWorks delivers... no frills. I tried Spa Bali at Jalan Dhyana Pura, Seminyak which is a new entrant. It has the same standard of BodyWorks minus the factory feeling. Check them out for special promotions which are quite unbeatable. I tried the Mandi Lulur as usual and my husband the hot stone massage. As a first timer, he felt dizzy after laying down with his head peering through the hole in the massage bed for one hour.

Someone should go tell the shops at the airport that they should price their items lower than the street prices. Vacationers having cruised the shops on Kuta, Seminyak aren't ignorant about prices. Unless they want to rid of unspent rupiah or buy last minute gifts, no-one enters these airport shops! The only two decent ones are Megum: for scented burning or massage oils, soaps and jars of vanilla or vanilla pods. Batik Keris: for a big range of batik assesories, clothings, souvenirs etc.. for a decent price.




This is my fourth visit to Bali and certainly not the last. Ubud has some fabulous shops, spas and restaurants which I haven't included here. Next trip, i'm heading for the waters off Nusa Penida for some diving and chilling out at another hillside spa.