Bali Restaurant Tips by Wild_Orchid

Bayang Cafe @ Jimbaran Bay: A Good Deal for Fresh Seafood & unbeatable Sunset!

The sunset that can be viewed at Jimbaran Bay is simply spectacular.
There are three main spots for seafood on Jimbaran Bay, one spot near the 4 Seasons Resort, another spot at the middle, near Jl Pemelisan Agung and the last nearer to the Ngurah Rai Airport, at Kedongangan Beach. Each seafood spot has more than a dozen cafes and you will be spoilt for choice. Quality of cooking and pricing differs from one to another, but the one featured here, had excellent food, good service, great sunset and best of all, a reasonable pricing.

Ooops, sorry for the rather blurred pics, it was taken by our friendly waiter.

Favorite Dish: Grilled Live Lobster at 170,000 rupiahs per kilo (at other cafes in the area, I got a menu price of 250,000 to 300,000 rupiahs per kilo for Live Lobster)
Grilled Fresh Lobster at 150,000 rupiahs per kilo
Fresh Fish (many varieties), clams and medium sized prawns 40,000 rupiahs per kilo

We were assured by the waiter that if we ordered the set meal for 2, it would be sufficient for our group of 3 adults and 2 kids, and 1 baby.

Our 2 person set cost us 365,000 rupiahs and came with:
1kg lobster (very fresh)~BBQ with light chilli sauce
2 medium crabs (very fresh)~steamed lightly
1 large fish(very fresh)
8 medium prawns~grilled
8 clams~grilled
2 sets of fried kang-kung vegetable with sambal (a local favourite, also commonly found in Malaysia and Thailand)
Steamed rice for everyone
Peanuts
Starter of Vegetable & Fish Soup for all (small bowls)
Drinks for everyone (some soft drinks and fresh coconut water )
Yes, the 2 person set WAS sufficient for everyone !!

The waiter noticed we were Asians and offered us the local menu. Perhaps this is why our price was better than what other cafes had on offer. Apparently you may try to bargain on the pricing at some cafes.

Address: Bayang Cafe, Jimbaran Beach, Jalan Pemelisan Agung

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Off Jl Raya Uluwatu, near Hotel Intercontinental, also close to the Jimbaran local Market

Other Contact: 081 8354496 (owner's handphone)

Phone: 0361 701386

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Seafood

Ice-cream vendors at the Beach: I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice-cream!

Hot days call for cool ice cream!

The price of ice cream is a little higher than at the shops when you buy them from the vendors on foot who walk around on the beach. Well, it is kind of hot and humid, and saves you the walk, so maybe it is worthwhile. The choice is yours.

Favorite Dish: Vanila Ice Cream or a fresh, light Lemony sherbert.

Address: Beaches everywhere

Comparison: about average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Street Vendor

Milaosix Cafe, Jimbaran: a nice Warung for lunch, dinner or late supper

I consider this stall a real find for a low budget and tasty meal. I felt that the owner had done up his little shop well (see pics), using a limited budget. It seemed to attract a reasonable stream of customers from the nearby upmarket hotels. I noticed European and Japanese customers and a couple of local surfer types.

Quite tiny, it has only 5 tables.

The menus were typed out neatly in English and Bahasa Indonesia, and food items are described properly & accurately. The menu is limited, but almost everything was tasty and came in good size proportions.

Favorite Dish:

Opening Hours: from 10.30 am till midnight or so. Grilled food available only at night.

For Lunch : nasi goreng 5,000 rupiahs
mee goreng 5,000 rupiahs
fried green choy sum 4,000 rupiahs
mixed vegetables: 5,500 rupiahs
cumi-cumi (cuttlefish) with asam sauce 15,000 rupiahs
Egg Foo Yong 5,000 rupiahs
plain white rice 1,500 rupiahs
Takeaways available

For dinner or supper:
All of the above plus the following:
Grilled Fresh Fish 28,000-35,000 rupiahs for a good sized fish, served with a side dish of sambal kangkung. So fresh the meat stuck to the bones! Yummy!!
Grilled 1/4 Chicken 7,000 rupiahs (finger licking good)

They serve cocktails (from 5,000 rupiahs) made with arak,vodkha, and fruit juices, and soft drinks (2,000 rupiahs for a bottle of Coke) and beer (The local Bintang beer from 7,500 rupiahs) are not too expensive too.

This is Bali, where time has no meaning, so set your expectations that the service will be a bit slow. Why not have a drink while waiting? Average wait: 30 mins (yes, 3 nights in a row, it was the same!), but all your food will be served at the same time.

Address: Jl Uluwatu, Jimbaran

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: across the road from the entrance of hotel Intercontinental. Quite near a famous spa which started with "A", but I've forgotten the name.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Bakso Vendors all around Bali: Bakso !

Bakso is a sweetish beefball noodle soup. At around 3,500 rupiah per bowl, you can find it being sold by street vendors everywhere around Bali and I believe also in other parts of Indonesia.
I can't understand why the emphasis of this dish is on the rather large-sized greyish beefballs, and not on the noodles. Certainly a bowl was not at all sufficient to fill even one tiny corner of my tummy. I guess it is eaten more as a snack.
How does it taste? Well, I didn't really like it and no one in my family did... It was simply too sweet and didn't taste like anything in particular. Perhaps, you would need to be a local to appreciate this snack.

Favorite Dish: 3,500 rupiahs for a small bowl

by comparison, Sate costs 4,000 rupiahs for ten tiny sticks. (For my Malaysian pals, the sate that I bought off a street vendor was really tiny, and quite fatty, and the peanut sauce was below average when compared to the Malaysian sate)

Nasi Campur or Nasi Goreng at 4,000-5,000 rupiahs is a much better bet for your money!

Address: All around, being sold by street vendors on wheels

Comparison: least expensive

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 2

Theme: Local

Bebek Bengil (The Dirty Duck Diner) Restaurant: Dine in Style by the Paddy Fields and Fountains

Obviously aimed at tourists, but remarkably good ambiance, good service at reasonable prices.

You can choose to dine at normal tables, or relax Balinese style at a veranda on low tables upon cushions. The restaurant is open and airy and set in a natural setting with their own in-house green paddy fields, water fountains and landscaped gardens.

While waiting for your food, you'll be tempted to walk around and take some pretty pictures.

Favorite Dish:

Bebek Bengil/Crispy Duck 45,000 rupiahs
BBQ Pork Ribs approx 40,000 rupiahs
Spaghetti and Fettucine about 40,000-45,000 rupiahs for Large, also available in smaller sizes for an entree
Soups & Salads from approx 20,000 rupiahs
Soft Drinks & Iced Tea from 4,000
Price per person without desert and without alcohol was under US$10.

Credit Card Accepted with no additional surcharge, unlike a few outlets in Bali

Address: Padsng Tegal, Ubud 80571 Bali

Comparison: about average

Directions: Follow Padang Tegal Road from Denpasar, then onto Mokey Forest Road, and the restaurant is on a lane just off Monkey Forest Road. It is within the touristy part of Ubud.
Ask the locals, everyone seems to know of this restaurant.

Phone: 62-361 975 489 or 977 675

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

Website: http://e-mail: bebekbengil@indo.net.id