L’Osteria offers home made pasta. As do many hundreds of restaurants all over Indonesia, they just do not say in whose home it was made.
Not so L’Osteria who clearly state that their Ravioli, Pappardelle, Tagliatelle and Gnocchi are all made in-house, and the rest are not. I tried the Pappardelle Bolognese, it was perfect. Soft and delicate, a perfect size portion for a pasta dish and well balanced with the beef ragu. My only complaint was that they had expected me to eat it with a knife and fork, a situation quickly resolved.
Meat ragus should only ever be served with a wide flat pasta, and pappardelle is the best option. The Ravioli is stuffed with pumpkin and served with parmesan, gorgonzola and crumbled walnuts. The Tagliatelle is with a duck ragu and oyster mushrooms whilst the Gnocchi is with shrimps.
Other pastas are also available; spaghetti, linguine, penne, orecchietti, fusilli, all prepared in your favourite style [pesto, formaggi, etc]. In Italy an Osteria is a place to enjoy good wine and a few simple food dishes. The food is usually a selection of local pasta dishes and some grilled meats. L’Osteria in Ubud follows these rules and is already very popular.
This restaurant opened late last year on a very prominent site that had previously failed a few times but L’Osteria opened busy and has stayed that way, a great barometer to quality and value.
The range of Antipasti is fairly standard but limited; Bruschetta [tomato, basil with Burrata cheese cream], Caprese [sliced fresh Fiordelatte Mozzarella, tomato and basil leaves], Beef Carpaccio, Calamari or just a plate of Fried Vegetables. A little different is their Zuppa del Capitano, a fisherman’s stew served with roasted garlic crostini bread and their Burrata Italiana, a whole Burrata mozzarella with confit cherry tomatoes and rocket salad.
The salad offerings are enough to tempt the non-vegetarians. The Pantesca combines potato, tomato, red onion, capers, black olives with oregano and basil leaves, tossed in olive oil. The Contadina, rocket, gorgonzola sauce, pears, walnut and honey mustard lemon. There is even a vegan salad with greens, radish, roasted tempe, nuts and seeds tossed in a vegan paprika mayonnaise.
Apart from the usual beverages there are also a nice range of fresh fruit mocktails. The Papaya and Tamarind is particularly refreshing. Though whilst the fruit has been refrigerated, the drinks are not blended with ice. So if, like me, you want your drinks icy cold some extra ice on the side fixes that problem.
Pizzas form a large part of the offerings here, they are traditional Italian style pizzas with big bubbly crust rings, laden with a variety of toppings. All the standards are here [Margherita, Formaggi, Salsiccia, etc] plus a few more unusual ones [Polpette with meat balls, Chicken Cacciatora with stewed chicken and olives].
There is also a small Mickey Mouse pizza, for the kids. To all you can add as many extra toppings as you like. The mains are just four; pork [tenderloin with caramelized onions and red wine sauce], beef [tenderloin, grilled then sliced], chicken and fish. plus specials of the day Who needs more?
What a pleasant surprise to find a new restaurant in Bali that does not try to be everything to everybody; so no Indonesian dishes, foie gras, pork belly, ribs, burgers, not even a ‘Gordon Blue’, It obviously has experienced management who stay true to their specialty, and it works!
Without a doubt Italian is Bali’s favourite non-Asian cuisine, and this brings yet another quality option to Ubud dining.
QUICK REVIEW
Restaurant : L’Osteria.
Address : Jln. Monkey Forest 8, Ubud.
Telephone/WA : 0812.3976.9527.
Open : 12.00 to 10.30 p.m., daily.
Smoking Area : Foot path tables.
Non-smoking Area : Inside.
Parking : Small off road area [bikes plus 1 car].
Price : Rp. 600,000 for two [+ drinks].
Credit Cards : Visa, M/C, BCA, JCB.
Food : Italian.
Wine : Medium list.
Service : Smart and friendly.
Atmosphere : All seem happy.
Overall : Excellent simple fare.
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.
Copyright © 2020 Gerry Williams