The concept of a café by day, restaurant by night is
combined with a smart chic design that is all very functional.
You could be in Sydney, New York or any other modern western
city. Black, white and chrome predominate. In the major cities
this bistro style exists in busy office areas or in high rise
upmarket apartment districts. The often attached grocer-deli
the perfect source of those last minute quality ingredients
to take home.
Marie Hewson has been doing this for years in Australia and
has now brought the concept to Bali. Grocer & Grind is
on a back street, off Jln. Laksmana, the café has been
busy since opening day. Those in the know could tell at first
glance that this is what they had been waiting for.
Early morning breakfast can be healthy [apple berry bircher
muesli with curd yoghurt, milk and honey], simple [marinated
fresh fruit salad with star anise and kaffir lime syrup],
normal egg breakfast [Benedict, Florentine or just Eggs with
choice of bacon, lamb sausage, mushrooms or rosti] or wicked
[a hot & spicy Bloody Mary followed by Moroccan Eggs,
soft fried eggs on pita with lamb sausage and hummus].
Your brunch, lunch or snack-anytime food can be a perfect
Panini on Ciabattini, a Sandwich [baguette, grain or pita]
or select from a variety of fresh salads. Three slices of
crusty grain bread, scraped with tamarind chutney, are stacked
and interspersed with fresh rucola, perfect slices of very
rare beef tenderloin and ovals of camembert cheese. Style
and taste! Soup is a tangy modern creation; roasted tomato
and capsicum with basil and parmesan croutons.
For those who like to take their time and pick at tasty food
whilst sipping their drinks or reading, then the Antipasti
plate is the way to go. There are six options, order the one[s]
you like or just get the Chef’s Selection. Chargrilled
Chorizo, Italian Meatballs in a spicy tomato salsa, a so tender
Chilli Lime Squid and Arancini-herb & Mozzarella Risotto
Balls that look dry but when split and doused with the accompanying
chilli mayonnaise are wonderful. These are some of the Antipasti
selections, and they are also available as an appetizer for
the evening meals when at 6.00 p.m the lights go on and the
cool casual café becomes a cool, casual restaurant.
Fresh Salads are popular here. Nicoise, Caesar [with chicken],
Carpaccio and Caprese. Or you can have a Vegetable Stack with
feta on rucola. The Prawn Cheviche consists of a conical wrap
stuffed with king prawns and sliced mango tossed with coriander
and roasted coconut, fresh clean tastes. Pastas can be light
[Angel Hair Pasta with mixed seafood], heavy [Linguini with
spicy beef meatballs], healthy [Mushroom Risotto with parmesan
wafer and truffle oil] or exotic [Spicy Miso Broth with escalopes
of chicken, green chilli, spring onions, angel hair pasta
and deep fried tofu].
The Antipasti and salads are available day and night, as is
a small section titled Comfort Food. No matter how adventurous
anyone is, forever searching for new cuisines and tastes,
they will always revert on a regular basis to what they know
best, and comfort food is as good a title as anything. The
all-conquering Burger heads the list, although here it gets
a makeover [beef or chicken] with caramelized onions Swiss
emmental cheese and honey mustard, closely followed by that
Steak Sandwich, a piece of sirloin sitting on a slice of toast
with rucola, caramelized onions and hummus with New York fries
and chilli jam. No such menu would be complete with Fish &
Chips, at G & G five juicy fish finger fillets in a light
crunchy batter, a pile of thin chips on the side with a lemon
mayonnaise. Simple food, simple tastes, but quality ingredients
at reasonable cost.
The mains at Grocer & Grind also find themselves under
that Comfort Food description. An enormous Australian Lamb
Shank is baked in the oven and served with roasted garlic
pumpkin, beetroot and crispy ginger leek. The meat falls of
the bone at first touch, the price the most expensive on this
menu, a crazy low $9. The Lamb Sausages are also imported
form Australia, firmly packed with meat these have real taste
unlike some of the other insipid sausages that are sold locally.
The three sausages sit on a pea mash with caramelized onion
gravy. An Australian Rib Eye Beef Fillet is accompanied by
Portobello mushrooms and a Swiss potato rosti. A Grilled Chicken
Breast sits on a risotto fondant, Asian greens tossed in apple
vinaigrette. A friendly visit to the time warp sees Beef Tenderloin
wrapped in bacon. Seafood can be Char-grilled Safriani Snapper
with baked baby potatoes and a lemon butter sauce or Pan-seared
Mahi-Mahi on a rice pilaf.
Dessert can be a Chocolate Samosa on a bed of minted yoghurt
with pistachios and ice cream, Caramelized Apple Tartin with
vanilla ice cream or a Creamy Vanilla Risotto with sautéed
strawberries.
The wine list is struggling with the country’s supply
problem, the same as for every other restaurant in Bali. When
this ridiculous problem is finally addressed in Indonesia,
then Grocer & Grind will have the sort of wine list needed
for this type of place, and like all of its products will
also be reasonably priced.
An International café that reeks of professionalism,
everything from the space design, attentive service, interesting
menu and pleasing presentation and taste, finishing with a
cost very cheap for the quality enjoyed. Not difficult to
understand why this place has been busy ever since it opened.
Great value and somewhere you immediately feel comfortable
and relaxed, albeit for a lone dinner or snack or a casual
but elegant meal with friends.
QUICK REVIEW
Restaurant : Grocer & Grind
Address : Jln. Kayu Jati 3x,
Kerobokan
Telephone : 730.418
Open : 7.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., daily.
Parking : Off-road, in front and opposite.
Price : Rp. 320.000 for two [+ drinks]
Credit Cards : Mastercard, Visa
Food : Mod OZ
Wine : Limited at the moment
Service : Fast and functional.
Atmosphere : Black and White
Overall : Snappy food, snappy service.
Reviews that appear in Bali Advertiser are based on actual
visits to the establishments listed, without the knowledge
of the restaurants, and are not paid for by the individual
restaurants.
Opinions expressed here are those of Gerry Williams and not
necessarily those of Bali Advertiser. Gerry Williams attempts
to write from a ‘typical’ diner’s perspective
and whilst quality of food is the most important criteria
overall, value for money is the real measuring stick.
