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Want a dinner with a side of drama? You got it!
This was the most dramatic pizza I've ever had!
It was surely a feast for my eyes, quenched my thirst for drama, but did it do wonders on my tongue?
We started off with something spicy. Grilled bacon wrapped green chillis stuffed with cream cheese. It wasn't really spicy, but it was tasty. Hmmm, anything wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese's bound to be tasty, right? A great combo!
The Pomodoro e Basilico soup, served with pesto toast...very tomatoey and you can really smell the fragrance of basil. It was one of the best tomato soup I've ever had.
The lobster bisque served with mozzarella toast on the other hand, was rather bland, it was so underseasoned, we almost had it with a side of table salt.
Now...are you ready for the drama?
...and let it begin...this looks nothing like the large meat lovers I normally order from Pizza Hut...
VAVA VOOM!
Call 999, my pizza is on fire!!!
The top comes off after it was perfectly scorched, and we had this goodness underneath. The Kintamani Volcano Pizza boasts Beef Ham, Sausage, and Beef Salami, with mozzarella cheese and tomato based sauce. The highlight of the pizza was of course, the thin and perfectly chewy crust...you can totally eat the mushroom-like top as well!
We were totally starved after a day (of lying around and shopping) at Kuta beach...so we ordered a good ol' classic lasagna. How was it? Hmmm, it's decent, but I've had better.
We should've ordered based on the drama of the dishes...we were rather upset we didn't get to order this dish...we were gawking at it, all green with envy...
She said "Grandma! That's yours!". From the back of her head, I could tell that grandma was a little flabbergasted. She was probably thinking..."I miss those days when food was just food, and the only drama queen was me"
Nothing ends such a meal better than chocolate. Hell, nothing ends or starts anything better than chocolate.
So, we ordered the Warm Chocolate Cake, which was voted the best in Bali in 2005. Clearly, 2005 is a lot different from 2009, as the warm cake presented to us was indeed...unwarm. It was good, but if it was the best in Bali...then Bali should probably learn to do better.
Now, if you are easily disgusted, or just had your dinner...please refrain from viewing below picture. Consider yourself warned....
I just had had had to do this. It's practically a ritual!
For better entertainment...request your cheesiest love songs. The band will serenade 'em beautifully for you, and they'd thank you in at least fivelanguages: Indonesian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean.
Papa's Cafe
Jalan Pantai Legian
Tel: +62 361 755055
www.papascafe.com
You guys must have noticed that I haven't been cooking.
Why?
Here are some excuses reasons:
- Painting Mess
- A girl will never have enough bathroom storage
- Finding an indoor laundry hanger
...and...I have all these gorgeous and delicious food from Bali, which would be such a waste not to show off share.
Warung Pregina - Balinese and Seafood
The decor is very charming, with touches of Balinese everywhere, warung style bar, open air, relaxed, soothing and pretty cool for a super hot day.
We were lucky to have found this place on our way from a consuming day dodging seaweeds at Sindhu beach. Which treats would be suitable to feed four hungry monsters? First thing's first. Something to cool us down.
Hibiscus tea. Icy cold and very refreshing , ask for a separate cup of sugar syrup to control the level of sweetness. The spicy potato chips only left us wanting more!
Another great non-alcoholic highlight....the lemon squash, we ordered multiple tall glasses of this.
The cumi bakar (spicy grilled squid) was fantastic! The squid was grilled perfectly, none of those gummy extra chewy pieces. They are just perfect!
We could smell the fragrance of this grilled shrimp dish meters away....absolutely fantastic. Smoky, spicy, springy goodness. The picture at the beginning of this post is the garlic and chilli prawns with fries. I know I know... why would I order fries in Bali? But I couldn't help it. I crave fries sometimes...and they were delicious with the spicy garlicky prawns.
The place named their dishes with adorable names, such as siap panggang metok tok (spicy grilled chicken). However they called it...it was delicious. The meat was tender and all the intimidating red chilli on top of it was not that hot, just bursting with flavors.
Save the best for last is always my motto, even when working on blog posts. My sis was the lucky biyatch who ordered the bet dish for the day, the bebek goreng (fried duck). Crispy skin, tender, tasty meat...oh my....I am so gonna order that next time.
Some sweetness to fight over share, black glutinous rice topped with vanilla ice cream and bananas. Wonderfully sticky and sweet...but I'd save some space for...
My favorite, hard-to-find-in-Hong-Kong dessert, tape goreng (fermented cassava rolled in wonton skin, fried, and topped with vanilla ice cream). This made me swoon and provoked me to do the following...
Both of us, who can't even ride a bike, let alone a motorcycle, pretending to be street racers. Bah! I should've cropped this picture higher.
Warung Pregina
Jl. Danau Tamblingan 106
Sanur, Bali
Tel. +62-361-283353
This was the meal which conquered us. We surrendered and bowed to the king of spicyness....while wiping our sweat and showering our mouth with glasses upon glasses of sweet iced tea.
We totally didn't see it coming. We've been told that Balinese dishes are ssssspicy. However, the tailor-made-for-tourists-watered-down versions we've tried were everything but spicy. So, we were kinda cocky and deemed Balinese food not spicy at all.
We couldn't be more wrong.
Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk (Balinese Spicy Braised Chicken)
We wanted to order the duck, but it wasn't available, so we settled with the chicken. This famous chicken was downright delicious. It was mild at first, the meat was ridiculously tender from the long braising, and the sauce...perfect poured over rice. It involves so many ingredients (shallot, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, pepper, shrimp paste, small green chilli, kaffir lime leaves, salam leaves) which married together so well.
I started to feel the heat half way through my rice. I didn't know that the heat was coming from the chicken, as it looked innocently yellow. I suspected the red chilli paste served on the vegetable, and stopped eating it. I eventually discovered that the culprit was the chicken, but could we stop eating it? Nonono, we continue to get down until the last piece of meat was gone. Yay to us! Even our local Balinese driver, Mr. Made, who recommended this place to us, gave up half way and dashed out for a smoke. That's how hot it was.
The Ares Kuwir (Spicy soup) was great too, but it was kind of shadowed by the greatness of the chicken.
The lawar kuwir (shredded chicken) and gorengan (fried chicken gizzards), gave the meal more texture. I kinda love a bit of oiliness from this dish. Again, perfect with rice.
The intimidating plecing kangkung with sambal terasi (water spinach salad with shrimp paste chilli paste) and sambal matah (I saw shallot, chilli, and garlic in there) turned out just perfect, not too spicy for my tamed tongue...and even if you hate veggie, add all these tasty concoctions, and you'll be converted.
What stopped us from ordering everything from the menu? Ehm, most of them, including the sate lilit which I was dying to try were SOLD OUT!
Watch out for this sign at Jl.Merdeka, Renon, Denpasar and stop by some great cheap (fixed priced, yeehaw! no haggling necessary) souvenir shops after your meal.
The remnants of our hot hot HOT adventure....when we couldn't handle it any longer...
Seated underneath millions of sparkling stars...
On top of soft white sands...
By the symphony of the sea...
the cool breeze of the wind...
Surrounded by twinkling candle lights...
Gorgeous, caring and loving people...
Latin tunes beautifully serenaded by your table...
Oh...if that wasn't romance, I don't know what is!
My seaside seafood dinner at Cafe Menega, Jimbaran, Bali
Romantical atmosphere,
Ridiculously delicious food,
and...as always...
Crappy photographs.
ARRRGGHHHH. Guys, do excuse my inability to capture that night's perfection.
As enter the restaurant, you'll see how your food is being prepared, smoky and fiery. Select your seafood and place your orders with the friendly and helpful guidance of the servers, and make your way to unbelievable gorgeousness.
Hungry after a day at the beach, despite not doing any water sports? Can't bear the idea of having to wait for your seafood to be grilled to perfection? No worries!
Share some spicy, buttery grilled corn on the cob...then gaze lovingly into each other eyes and listen to next table's conversation for a full blown romance (and human nature of curiosity hehe)
Here's a desperate no-flash shot of the food.
My acrobatic photographical moves around the table kinda ruined it for everybody. Oppps. Sorry. Thank you for being so understanding, guys.
You probably can't figure out what did I order that night from that photograph. So here's the breakdown...
Grilled Prawns
No flash doesn't always mean better. Here, take a better look..
They were absolutely delicious, grilled to perfection. I sucked and licked all the shells clean.
After a few desperate shots with no flash, I stopped torturing my companions any longer and just turned my camera dial to AUTO. Haha!
Grilled Squid
Succulent, smoky, yummy.
Grilled Fish in Sweet Soy Sauce
Tasted unbelievable, but probably not the best thing to order. It wasn't easy to spot and remove all the bones in such a romantic lighting (i.e. DARK). Unless your idea of romance is performing a Heimlich manouver on your better half to rescue him/her from choking on fish bone...or you have a giant torch, or you have a neon light on your beach hat, I'd recommend you to stick with stick with non bony seafood.
Which was my favorite dish of the night?
Spicy Grilled Clams
Finger smackingly delicious! We fought for each piece, down 'til the last piece (although not so obviously). I slurped everything, licked the plate, the shell, my fingers, others' fingers...squeaky clean!
Too bad I couldn't get a shot of the string orchestra who serenaded us with romantic Latin songs (a quick little tip: prepare some money on the table for the singers, you don't wanna dig into your pocket for money while struggling with the seafood with your bare hands). My super offensive flash would definitely ruin everybody's night further. So, I left that for your imagination. Daydream your way to Bali, people!
Menega Cafe
Jl Four Seasons Resort Pantai Muaya
Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: 62-361–705888
I have been to Bali many MANY times. At least three times study tours (primary, junior high and high school) where we did everything every students had to do, visiting all the obligatory Hindu temples, watching traditional dances, feeling nervous being around camera-hat-sunglasses-grabbing monkeys, buying barong t-shirt every single time, stopping by the beach for 15 minutes (!), eating crappy food, sleeping in a group of 5 on the same bed, nurturing our blossoming puppy love...all under the watchful eyes of our teachers. Oh what fun.
The other few times were sadly all for BUSINESS. Arrrghhh!!! Imagine wearing sets of full three piece business suit, walking in heels, carrying bags of laptop and documents, worrying about presentations and customers, in a resort hotel, while being surrounded by breaktakingly beautiful sceneries, and people in bikinis, shorts and flip flops. Talk about frustrating, I think I can never bitch enough about this. HAHA.
This is why, despite my repeated visits to Bali, I haven't truly enjoyed Bali the way I did in this trip...thanks to the wonderful arrangements made by my sis, with helps from her Bali veteran friends, I had a blast!
We visited must-visit-places I've missed from my previous visits, including this iconic...
Warung Made
A very charming place with laid back decor, it's a famous hangout for visitors, mostly internationals, with just a few locals. I bet the locals think food prices at this place are rather steep. But hey, sometimes it is not just about food, right? It's about the lively atmosphere, glancing around all the beautiful people, and taking in years of traditions and fun which are shown from all the old pictures hung on the walls.
To start, we ordered Sate Babi (Pork Satay). It's different from the ones we've tried before. They are red, spicy, tasty and the meat was tender. They were so good, we ordered a second batch.
Gado gado (Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce) or Nasi Campur (mixed rice)? Can't decide, order a half and half! The gado gado really was a highlight for me. Saucy!
I couldn't get enough of fried rice in this trip. I hoped the gado gado could fulfill my veggie needs for the day, so I ordered this Half Nasi Goreng and Half Gado-Gado. The fried wasn't as good as other the street fried rice I had in Jakarta. The gado gado stole the show again.
For dessert, we ordered this lemon cheesecake. Soft, tangy and creamy, with a surprise of chocolate ganache.
My sister has been eyeing the black glutinuous rice and coconut ice cream for a while, and finally she got to try it. Sweet and exotic. Would you wanna eat it off a frog's open mouth though?
I know I would :p
Made's Warung
Kuta, Bali
Tel: +62 361 753039
Get the location map and more info here
How does it feel to be back to work from a fantastical vacation in heaven on earth, i.e. Bali?
It sucks.
Yet exciting. I miss my earthling friends, and I can't wait to show off share my vacation experiences.
Well, that's how I am, always yin and yang, plusses and minuses. Let's get to it.
Things I won't miss from Bali...
- The scorching April heat. It drove my shopping libido from fully charged to -100. I wish there's a mini air conditioning system I can carry around with me while shopping. Tasting the saltiness of my own sweat trickling furiously down my face while engaging in a serious bargaining business is everything but delicious.
- Having to negotiate prices all the time. My haggling skills had been reduced to nothing since I moved to Hong Kong. I suck! Here's an idea: How much for this hat? Rp. 50.000? I pay you Rp.60.o00 if you could give it to me before my scalp burns. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but close enough.
- The swarm of hungry mosquitoes which find my blood as delicious as liquid chocolate. They simply couldn't get enough of it! No repellent worked, I guess I was too tasty, or were they just too hungry?
- It's not Bali, it's me. I just found that I don't like dipping myself into sand laden, sticky, salty-bitter tasting sea water. No matter how serene, how clear, how blue, how crystal-like, how beautiful, how the soft waves heat the soft white sands, how every big wave drove the crowd into a frenzy, I'd prefer staying off the water. Oppps. To those who enjoy it, I applaud you.
What am I already missing from Bali then?
- Chilling out under a huge umbrella, with a tall glass of icy cold drink on one hand and an el-cheapo celeb gossip magazine on another, legs being massaged with frangipani scented oil, watching the sun descending into the sea, turning the sky red before everything goes dark. Wow.
- Bali's breath taking, jaw dropping beauty. It never ceases to amaze me. A temple sitting proudly on top of a stone cliff standing by a crystal clear blue sea, with white fierce waves hitting the rocks at its bottom? How is that even possible?? I just couldn't believe my eyes, every single time.
- Bali's ever so rich and vibrant traditional culture alongside modern convenience. The culture is so well reserved, despite all the free WiFi connection being available practically everywhere. Everywhere I looked, I saw the locals gorgeously decked their best white Balinese outfits, riding their modern motorcycles to the temple for worship, colorful offerings being presented, prayers being said, music being played, all with total respect and submissiveness we don't get to see every day in big modern cities.
- This may sound as a cliche, but in less commercial areas, everyone's so friendly, so laid back, the exact opposite of the always-in-a-hurry metropolitan bitches (me included)
- Many more, including all the great food, including...the famous...
Ibu Oka's Babi Guling (Balinese Roast Suckling Pig)
I am never the type of person who likes going against the main stream. When something is famous, it must be famous for a reason. Most of the time, I will love it, for as long as I don't have to queue for three hours under summer 32C heat, spend 90% of my monthly salary on it, or eat it while doing jumping jacks/sit ups/push ups (Hey! Quite a good exercise idea for me, although I doubt that it's gonna be effective).
Before really listening to Tony Bourdain's sarcastic commentaries, I didn't really like the guy, but after knowing that he shares the same love for Ibu Oka's roasted suckling pig, he shouldn't be that bad, right? Don't we all love him now? Maybe a little too much?
Have a look at this. My photograph doesn't do the dish any justice.
The meat was super tender, juicy, totally flavorful from all the herbs and spices. All the other parts were every bit as tasty and the meat, if not more, it just gets better with every bite. The skin parts were pieces of crackling goodness, when you are lucky, you might get really thin skin. Sometimes you might get slightly thicker skin, and it could be quite an exercise for your jaw. But still, I used the skin pieces to scoop steam rice plus the tasty side salad and...oh gawd...that moment, I forgot everything. The heat, the itchiness from numerous mosquito bites the night before....gone. There's nothing but this plate of deliciousness before me.
Look at me, giddy with anticipation, but still did my obligatory shots of the dish. Hehe.
Did the dish cost me an arm and a leg? Nope. A package of rice with a drink costs Rp.30.000 (less than USD3! WHATTT??? But, believe me, the locals do not find this that cheap ^_^). The new location is beautifully decorated with Balinese flavors all over...and be prepared to kick off your shoes and sit on your butt, okie? Girls with mini skirts? OK, select some tables with chairs, but let's face it...not as cool.
So when you see this sign, you're in for a tasty ride.
Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Jl. Tegal Sari No.2, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 976345