A La la! Is a French bistro in Umalas II [Jln. Bumbak, Gang Carik]. Mediterranean style with a few Asian twists. Lunch and Dinner [breakfast to come soon], you can start with a Terrine of rabbit, pork and chicken livers with walnut, squash seeds, arak and thyme, on toast of course. Or A Vol au Vent, filled with fish and mushrooms in a béchamel sauce, For the mains a Chicken Fillet is with grain mustard, honey rosemary potato soufflé and a mushroom flan, or Beef many ways [Bourguignon, Tenderloin with gratin dauphinois, Sirloin or Tartare]. Fish can be Grilled with mango sauce, Tuna Teriyaki, Fish Steak with lemon or Brochettes with pesto. Extra delights for dinner include Foie Gras Terrine [duck with mango chutney], Escargots, a Lamb Shoulder Confit scented with anise, or a Duck breast cooked a l’Orange with a duck leg confit. For dessert the usual Crème Brulee plus Lemon Pie, Apple Crumble, Cheesecake and an unusual Ile Flottante [an island of meringue floating in a vanilla sauce with almonds].
Kopi Joe is a budget priced espresso bar in the Sanur Arcade on The ByPass, Small and friendly it offers a wide range of coffee drinks, all served with a smile and a amazingly low prices. It is located next door to the popular Cosmic Diner, that is the one with the train carriage as a part of its décor.
Lucky 8 is a first in Bali. Located upstairs above the Kopi Joe coffee house at the Sanur Arcade, it serves authentic Taiwanese bubble tea in a variety of flavours. Unique and very different, the teas are topped with bubbes made from tapioca. It has proved to be so popular that they sometimes even sell out before closing time.
La Baracca is Italian, well estanlished in Seminyak and Canggu it is also found in Ubud on Jln. Suweta. Their Antipasti list is quite extensive. Apart from the Bruschetta options there is Carpaccio di Zucchini, paper thin slices of zucchini with tomatoes, nuts and basil oil or Parmigiana di Melazane, fried eggplant with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Tataki di Tonno is pan seared tuna slices on a bed of mango and nuts. Star of the Antipasti is the Burrata cheese, it can be tossed in a fresh salad and served with toast or combined with Italian parma ham. For Pasta the Gnocchi, Ravioli, Papperdelle and Tortellii are all made on thee premises. Top of the list is their Gnocchi Sorrentina, potato gnocchi in a tomato and basil sauce topped with melted mozzarella and parmesan and the Ravioli Burrata Gamberi e Zucchini, prawn and zucchini ravioli in a parmesan sauce topped with fresh burrata cheese. Mains are everything from a simple Sicilian Polpette, beef meat balls in a tomato sauce to the more exotic Zuppa di Pesce, a seafood soup of shrimp, squid, clams and tuna, and toast for dunking. Many Pizzas including some they actually call Sexy [you would have to have a very strange sense of humour] although the Polpette Pizza, with meat balls and basil, is very interesting. Desserts are the standard Italian offerings. Many of the dishes can be ordered Vegan or Gluten Free.
Biku does High Tea! Not just at 4.00 p.m. but any time, all day. A Pot of Tea [you pay a little extra if you want that to be from their Limited Edition teas], freshly baked Scones with jam and cream, Finger Sandwiches of cucumber [from the very traditional English High Tea], salmon and cream cheese or ham and mustard. You can have a mini Spinach Quiche and Sweet Treats. If you would prefer their Sparkling High Tea then a glass of champagne can be added. The kids are not forgotten, as they have their own mini Children’s High Tea to keep them occupied as well.
Al Diwan is Bali’s rare Lebanese restaurant. There have been a few before, some of which were very good, but most have been and gone. This one is on Jln. Petitenget, Kerobokan, and has a very extensive menu. Start with a dip, a variety of Hummous; Tahini [chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon], Bilahme [with sautéed beef] or Smoked Eggplant. Sujuk are lamb sausages, and Makanek are spicy lamb sausages. Healthy and tasty are the Kibbee Meklieh, spiced lamb and pine nuts encased in a patty of minced lamb and cracked wheat. Their Mixed Grill combines the three different grills on the menu; lamb, chicken and spiced lamb. The seafood dishes are rather international except for the Samke Harra, baked and well spiced, covered with tahini. Quite a range of Lebanese desserts; Namoura [coconut cakes with syrup and pistachio], Qatayef [sweet dumplings stuffed with cream] and Mahlabiyeh, rose water flavoured corn flour custard.
Indigo on Jln. Pantai Berawa, Canggu, is quality Japanese. They offer classic dishes as well as their innovative ‘new style’ sashimi and the unusual Yakimono dishes cooked over the charcoal grill. Start with a refreshing Soba Noodle Salad or Alaskan King Crab and Tuna Tartare. The new style Sashimi can be Salmon, Otoro, Red Snapper or Scallop. Their Yakimono can be seafood, chicken or beef. For something very different try the Gyoza stuffed with foie gras. For lunch their de luxe BENTO boxes are the way to go.
By Gerry Williams
For more information see our website: www.balieats.com