gastronomic tours

Bali - Day 3

2012-03-12T10:01:00.006-07:00

Free and Easy Bali - Day 3 Itinerary
1) Kuta Beach
2) Transfer to Nusa Dua Villa
3) Romantic Dinner at Villa
4) Complimentary Massage at Hotel

Rest and relax day. Spend the morning strolling at Legian and the long stretch of nice sandy Kuta beach. Swiming is not allowed here, area is only for surfing.

Kuta Beach

Besides surf boards, the shops also offer beach chairs and umbrellas for rental. Nice to see various offerings the shop owners placed on the beach.

We bought a deal from Juz Today at S$499 for 3D2N Nusa Dua Retreat Boutique Villa Resort with complimentary 2 hour spa treatment, 12 hours car charter with driver and romantic dinner for 2.

It was quite nice of them to agree to pick us up from Best Western, Kuta, in replacement of airport transfer. The villa was quite remote, we would have been lost if we are to take taxi there ourselves. However, the driver was late for at least 30-40min!

On the way, saw those school kids riding motorbikes in their uniform again. According to the previous guide, students under 16 years are allowed ride motorbike to/from school as long as they are wearing their uniform.

Street View
Under-aged students riding motorbike
Cart Stall
Truck transporting chickens

Cold towels and welcome drinks are offered when we arrived. We waited for quite a well before they have time to service us. Service could have been better if they could help with the arrangement of the dinner and transport during check-in instead of asking as to contact the restaurant directly and chartered service person-in-charge Rucky ourselves. Well, at least they help us to call Rucky to call us back to arrange our car chartered for the next day. Else we will incur unnecessary phone charges.

Reception Area

The European style villa was really spacious and nice. The decor and furnishing seems lavish - marble floors, European style furnishings and large paintings. There are 3 large flat screen TVs, one in the living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Living Room

Nice cozy setting in the bedroom with a contemporary crystal chandeliers. The bed was larger than King size, very comfortable.

Bedroom

Bathroom was really spacious, a tub to enjoy a soak bath while watching programme from the mounted TV, a big shower room with big rainy shower head and small bottles of aqua water at the basin for you to rinse your mouth. Appreciated the privacy of the toilet at a corner behind the a tiled half-height wall.

Bathroom

There is a open kitchen cum dining room but you cannot do any cooking as there is no utensil nor gas, but only 2 cups, 2 set of cutlery and a microwave. There is a water dispenser providing drinkable hot and cool water.

Dining Room

The private pool was surrounded by large transparent windows. The pool was connected to the dining room, separated only by sliding door. It was a bit too deep if you just want a dip. It does not have filtering system thus there were some dirt and dust in the water, not perfect but it was still quite ok for a swim.

Private Pool

The roof top open air deck was my favourite! You can relax in the comfort of the huge nice sheltered day bed and enjoy the slight breeze, beautiful dusk and starry night skies. The villas are actually very near to each other, we were lucky that we can still enjoy some privacy there as there isn't much occupants then.

Sun Deck

Relax on Day Bed

There is complimentary tea break daily from 3-5pm. The serving staff will bring some pastries and help to prepare tea at the villa. Nothing much but nice gesture from the villa.

Complimentary Tea Break

Dinner
Romantic dinner at the roof deck. Was a bit disappointed that the dinner was not cooked in the villa but cooked at the restaurant kitchen and deliver to the villa. They set all the 3 course on the table, including the dessert which contains ice cream. We have to take the dessert down to store in the fridge in order not to have melted ice cream.

Quiet private settings at the roof deck with nice beautiful sunset at the backdrop and occasional cooling breeze. Food was quite nice as well.

We each pick a different starter to try - Cold Kway Teow, King Prawns with Mango. Cold Kway Teow was so-so, a rather unsuccessful asian-western fusion. It has neither the charred fried fragrant of typical asian fried dishes nor the light refreshing or creamy flavour of western cold dish.

Cold Kway Teow
Raing: 3/5

Their King Prawns with Mango was quite nice. Green salad with fresh prawn and sweet mango which complement the sauce which has a tinge of sourness.

King Prawn with Mango
Rating: 3.75/4

Main course was pan-fried fish, which is quite nice as well. The mash and fish were quite nice, the diluted sauce was still quite ok.

Pan Fried Fish
Rating: 3.75/5

Dessert - panna cotta with raspberry ice cream with bread croutons. The slightly sour raspberry ice cream moderated the milky rich panna cotta.

Panna Cotta with Raspberry Ice Cream
Rating: 3.5/5

With the beautiful scenery and tranquil setting, somehow the food just seems to taste much better.

Everything was nice until the sky starts to turn dark. We had difficulty getting the lights on the roof deck. We wasted quite a while waiting for their technician to try to get it fixed, seeing a few technicians walking in and out of the villa, up and down the roof deck. After an hour of hassle, we lost our patience and demand for a change of villa.

They shifted us to the villa next door. Although the villa should be quite similar, however, just find that I still like the previous villa more.

Bali - Day 2 Dinner - La Lucciola

2012-03-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

Fine dining at La Lucciola @ Seminyak

It took our guide some time before he found his way to La Lucciola, which is at the edge of the beach. Initially, he was hopping that we can change to some good and more accessible restaurant like The Living room, Potato Head or Ku De Ta, but I prefer to stick to La Lucciola due as the reviews are good (Ranked #8 of 124 restaurants in Seminyak).

The carpark of the restaurant was quite dark. There is security check before entering the restaurant, bags will be checked. Entrance to the restaurant was dimly but romantically lighted.

La Lucciola Entrance

The waitress who are wearing Balinese uniform usher us to the bar for a cocktail while waiting for the dining table to be set up. Nice setting, lovely ambience to enjoy a cocktail while admiring the La Lucciola beach with night lightings. La Lucciola is at the West, believe this will be a great place to sit back and relax to enjoy a fantastic sunset.

The restaurant is in an enormous thatch roofed 2-storey building. The view from the 2nd storey was nicer.

Restaurant Settings

We ordered their non-alcoholic cocktail - Mango & Tangerine Granita and Lychee & Lime Granita. Granita a semi frozen cocktail which originate from Sicily. The Lychee & Lime was very refreshing with nice lychee fragrance. Each Granita cost Rp. 35K (S$4.8)

Granita Cocktail

Nice fresh flowers were used to decorate the restaurant, even the toilet.

Their pasta was highly recommended on the Internet. We ordered their "House Made Potato Gnocchi", which come with field mushrooms, spinach, creamed leeks with white truffle oil. Rp. 139K (S$19)
Gnocchi are some soft Italian dumplings made from flour, egg, cheese, potatoes. The leek cream sauce was thick creamy yet light. The truffle oil is fragrant and not overpowering. This is definitely the best pasta we had so far, it is a must-try!

House Made Potato Gnocchi
Rating: 4.75/5

Line Caught Snapper, served with Prawns and Peppers in Agrodolce and Zucchini Blossoms. Rp. 195K (S$27). Agrodolce - agro (sour) dolce (sweet), it refer to sweet and sour sauce used in French cuisine. The fish is slightly overcook, but its still quite nice with the sauce. Its the first time we tasted fried Zucchini Blossoms, it was very crispy and nice. Would have took more time to savour it if we had known that its quite an uncommon delicacy.

There is transport service available at the restaurant carpark. Even though the rate was clearly stated on the price list, the driver demand for an extra Rp. 10K citing the reason that our Kuta destination is one-way traffic and crowded. We gave in since its not worth to venture through the dark carpark and main road to get a taxi for just S$1.5.

La Lucciola
Jl. Kayu Aya, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Phone +62 361 730 838

Bali - Day 2 Part D

2012-03-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

1) Customised day tour to Bedugul and Tanah Lot
- Taman Ayun Temple
- Rice Terrace at Pacung (Lunch)
- Bedugul (Bratan Lake) - Ulundanu Temple
- Bali Botanical Garden
- Coffee Plantation (Bali Oka Agriculture)
- Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple
2) Fine Dining at Semiyak
3) Massage at Kuta

Before reaching the temple, you will passed by a big busy market selling lots stuff and food. Do try out their coconut and grilled corn which were cheap and nice.You will need to walk some distance before reaching the temple gate which opens to the sea.

Tanah Lot Market and Temple Gate

Tanah Lot Temple was built in 16th century by a Javanese priest named Danghyang Nirartha. The Tanah Lot temple is on a big rock a few metres away from the land. During high tide, it will be surrounded by seawaters. We were lucky to reach there during low tide such that we can walk across the muddy land to the base of the temple.

Tanah Lot Temple

The temple is opened only to Balinese Hindus who are registered in this area, it is prohibited to tourists or even Balinese Hindus who are not registered in this area. However, a Hindu ritual/blessing is offered to the public at the base of the temple.

A long queue was formed at the bottom of the temple, consisting of few locals and mostly tourists. "Worshippers" can cleanse their hands and face and have a sip of the water flowing out of a bamboo pipe as a symbolic of purification. The temple priest will then sprinkled holy water, pressed some grains rice on the forehead and put a flower behind the left ear. There was a basket for donations by those who had received the blessing.

Tanah Lot is situated in the west and is a great spot for sunset. At dusk, the beautiful shades in the sky and bright orange rays cast on the waters was fantastic. There is a stretch of cafes opposite the temple which offer a good view, be prepared to pay a little more for the view. You can also choose to grab a spot at the side of the stairs or the patch of green at the end of cafes to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Sea view at the back of the temple

Tanah Lot before sunset

Sunset at Tanah Lot

Bali - Day 2 Part C

2012-03-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Free and Easy Bali - Day 2 Itinerary
1) Customised day tour to Bedugul and Tanah Lot
- Taman Ayun Temple
- Rice Terrace at Pacung (Lunch)
- Bedugul (Bratan Lake) - Ulundanu Temple
- Bali Botanical Garden
- Coffee Plantation (Bali Oka Agriculture)
- Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple
2) Fine Dining at Semiyak
3) Massage at Kuta

Bali Botanic Garden
Bali Botanical Garden also known as Kebun Raya Eka Karya is around 150 hectars. The Botanical Garden is on the highland so it will be quite cooling even if it doesn't rain. As it was raining, we only visited the sheltered areas to see cactus and orchid collection.
Unless you really love gardens and appreciate plants/nature, there is really nothing much to see there.

Cactus collection.

Cactus

Cactus and Orchid

Coffee Plantation (Bali Oka Agriculture)

We stopped over at a Coffee Plantation for the famous Kopi Luwat. Yes, the "Cat Shit" coffee.

It was raining and a bit dark, most of the servicing staffs was taking a rest while our guide still do his best to explain to us the coffee Luwat and the making process.

Taking Shelter at Coffee Drinking Hut

Kopi Luwat or civet coffee or cat shit coffee is one of the world's most expensive coffee. The civet will pick the best coffee berries and eat them. They can only digest the fleshly pulp while the beans are not digested and being pass out. While its in the civet stomach, there were some enzymes and some reaction such that the coffee bean yield an aromatic and less bitter coffee.

The beans were separated from the defecation, thoroughly washed and sun dried at less two times. It was then hulled and roasted into coffee bean and pounded into coffee powder.

The guide let us taste the coffee berry, there isn't much pulp and its not too sweet. The "seed" of the berry is the coffee bean.

(clockwise from bottom)
1.coffee berries that civet eat 2.Civet Defecation
3.Coffee bean separated from the pooh 4.thoroughly washed and roasted coffee bean

Coffee Roasting

The coffee plantation offered free beverages - Coffee Ginseng, Ginger Tea, Bali Coffee, Lemon Grass Tea and Pure Bali Cocoa. The bali coffee and ginger tea was quite nice.
Kopi luwat is available for Rp. 50K (S$7+) a cup. Bali style of drinking does not use any filter, but just stirred and let the coffee powder to settle before you drink.

The coffee is good enough to drink without sugar. It was fragrant, quite rich and smooth and is not bitter without sugar. Not really a coffee lover, doesn't really know how to appreciate this coffee which cost around S$2 per sip.

Bali - Day 2 Part B

2012-03-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Free and Easy Bali - Day 2 Itinerary
1) Customised day tour to Bedugul and Tanah Lot
- Taman Ayun Temple
- Rice Terrace at Pacung (Lunch)
- Bedugul (Bratan Lake) - Ulundanu Temple
- Bali Botanical Garden
- Coffee Plantation (Bali Oka Agriculture)
- Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple
2) Fine Dining at Semiyak
3) Massage at Kuta

Pacung Rice Terrace
We passed by a number of rice fields at Pacung. The farmers are harvesting and cutting off the remaining rice stems to sell to cow farmers as feed.

Harvesting and clearing rice stems

Workers carrying packed rice stems to sell as cow-feed

Workers cutting rice stems

Rice Planting

We stopped over at a restaurant - Labhagga Pachung for lunch and to enjoy the nice Pacung rice terrace scenery. Environment was good but food was really so-so. The price of a buffet is Rp.84K (S$16), which is considered quite expensive in Bali.

But it was quite relaxing to just sit back to enjoy the rice terrace scenery and enjoy the cool weather up in the mountains.

Bedugul (Bratan Lake) - Ulundanu Temple

It started to rain when we reach Bedugul (Bratan Lake). A lot of tourists and locals are seeking shelter at the temple hall. Bratan lake, the second largest lake in Bali, is the main source of irrigation for the rice fields in the surrounding region. There are also some pedal/row/speed boat for rental to tour around the lake.

Praying Ritual/ Offering/ Shelter from the rain/ Boats for Rental

Ulundanu Temple, the beautiful temple on the 50K Rupiah bank note, is here at Bratan Lake. Ulun means head or power, Danu means lake. This temple is dedicated to the Gods of lakes and rivers (Danu Goddess).

Ulundanu Temple

The temple gate to inner courtyard is closed. We can only take a glimpse of the inner courtyard from the back.

The three seats at the throne is to worship the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Siva representing creation, maintenance and destruction.

Bali - Day 2

2012-03-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Free and Easy Bali - Day 2 Itinerary
1) Customised day tour to Bedugul and Tanah Lot
- Taman Ayun Temple
- Rice Terrace at Pacung (Lunch)
- Bedugul (Bratan Lake) - Ulundanu Temple
- Bali Botanical Garden
- Coffee Plantation (Bali Oka Agriculture)
- Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple
2) Fine Dining at Semiyak
3) Massage at Kuta

As usual, we did not cater much time for breakfast. But we were pleasantly surprised with the porridge and bee hoon goreng offered at Best Western Kuta Beach. More information at Bali Day 2 Breakfast.

Breakfast - Porridge

We engaged a driver cum guide for a full day tour to Bedugul and Tanah Lot at a booth along Kuta at Rp. 400k. We were very lucky to have Loys (luisbguard@yahoo.com) to be our guide as he is quite knowledgeable and is able to give us a glimpse of Balinese culture and customs.

Bali Tour Operator

Taman Ayun Temple
Old state temple in Mengwi, built by Mengwi Kingdom in 1634 and is currently opened to public.

Taman Ayun Temple

The Hindus believe that there is always good (dharma) and bad spirit (adharma), just like Chinese Yin & Yang, there is always a need to balance. That's the reason why the cloth that cover the temple guardians consist of contrasting black and white. There are also umbrellas to provide shelter to the temple guardians.

Temple Guardian

The temple pavement are lined with many tall decorative bamboo poles, similar to those we saw outside of houses on our way to the temple. They are called penjor, which are erected outside of Hindus house to celebrate Galungan, symbolising the dominance of good spirit over bad spirit. They are usually decorated with coconut, rice steams, palm leaves, yellow coconut leaves. There is a small "cage" at the bamboo pole where offerings can be placed. The offerings are placed in a leaf container which usually consists of flowers, food and incense.

Elaborated Penjor at Temple

According to our guide, temple usually consists of 3 courtyards - outer, middle and inner. The outer courtyard is a wide area opened to all, including the bad spirit. In order to keep the bad spirits from entering the middle and inner courtyard, there will be performance and cock-fighting to keep the bad spirit busy and entertained in the outer courtyard. The rooster's claw are fitted with sharp metal claw sometimes so that there will be bloodshed to attract the bad spirit.

Musical Instrument and Cock-fighting area (under renovation)

There is a open gate (no doors) to welcome both male and female to the middle courtyard, except female who are having their period as they believed that bad spirit are attracted to blood. There is a KulKul, big wooden Balinese bell on a high kulkul pavilion to indicate time for various ceremony and gathering.

Outer to Middle Courtyard and KulKul

There is also a kitchen area to prepare food offerings to the God and also meals for the religious workers. There were around 15 person in the kitchen area busy preparing the food offering - pressing white rice to a certain shape, folding meat containers using banana leaves, grinding coconut, frying fish sticks, grilling satay and arranging the food nicely before its offered in the temple.

Kitchen in Temple

The food were then being carried into the inner courtyard to be offered to the God. The lady was carrying a tray of cooked food on her head while the guy was carrying nicely decorated raw meat.

Carrying cooked food offerings to temple

Beautifully decorated sticks of raw meat offering

The inner and middle courtyard is separated by a close gate and moat. Doors at the gates are opened only for believers and they have some simple cleansing ritual before entering the inner temple.

Gates to inner Courtyard
Cleansing Ritual

For this temple, outsiders can only glimpse into the inner courtyard. You can see a lot of Meru, Balinese Hindu multi-tiered shrines, which resemble the Chinese pagoda. The nice looking thatched roof of Meru were made with palm tree fiber and the number of tiers is supposed to be odd numbers, usually starting with 1 tier and towering up to 3, 5, 7, 9 and finally 11th tier. As this temple was built by the royalties, to signify its prestige over the others, its Meru started off with a 2-tiered shrine.

Thanks to the guide, else this temple visit might not be as interesting.

Bali - Day 2 - Breakfast at Best Western

2012-03-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

The dining area was quite small and it was very crowded during breakfast hours.

Didn't expect much for the breakfast, but was pleasantly surprised by the simple yet tasty porridge and fried bee hoon.

The porridge/cooked rice was separated from the broth. You can decide the thickness of your porridge by adjusting the ratio of porridge and broth. The tasty broth is similar to the soup base of Mee Soto, loved it with some shredded chicken, shallots and lots of green onions and parsley.

Porridge

As part of an international breakfast buffet, they do have a small selection of bread and pastry. Sunny side up and omelette were available as well, order early as it will be quite a wait.

Western Selection

Salad, cereals were available as well. We preferred their local asian selection, in particular their beef sausages and fried bee hoon.

Asian Selection

The beef sausage and fried bee-hoon on the first day was really yummy. Simple but fragrant beef sausages and nice local Malay delicacy Bee-Hoon Goreng.

Beef Sausage & Fried Bee Hoon

However, the standard wasn't consistent, the Mee Goreng and sausage on the next day somehow just can't match what we had the first day. Luckily the porridge was still as nice.

Bali - Day 1 Dinner - Un's Restaurant

2012-03-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

It was quite lucky for us to chance upon Un's Restaurant along Jalan Pantai Kuta, one of the highly recommended restaurant on the Internet (Ranked #2 restaurant in Kuta in Tripadvisor).

Un's Restaurant

Un's open air dining area offered a nice ambience for a romantic candlelight dinner under frangipani trees. The Balinese settings remind us that we are in Bali while we were enjoying nice European food.

Romantic Dining Area

Upon arrival, we were offered cold towels and a complimentary shot of Un's frozen Margarita each, thoughtful acts to cool off the heat in the warm weather. Their margarita was exceptional and it successfully excite our taste palate that we decided to order another glass. Very unlike us who usually prefer to go for variety.

Complimentary Un's Frozen Margarita

Un's Frozen Margarita
Rating: 4.5/5

Amuse-bouche was being offered, chicken nugget with 3 different sauces - mustard, spinach, tomato, simple and nice.

Complimentary Chicken Nugget
Rating: 3.75/5

We ordered their recommended main courses - Lamb Shank and Tuna Dill Medallions.

Lamb Shank - Oven roasted lamb shank with cabbage and mashed potatoes. The lamb is nicely roasted, tender and not so sticky. The cabbage had absorb the flavourful gravy and the slightly baked creamy mashed potato contrast with the slight roasting stickiness of the lamb. A pity that there isn't much bone marrow from the shank.

Lamb Shank
Rating: 4/5

Tuna Dill Medallions - sashimi grade tuna medallions on a creamy dill sauce, served with jasmine rice and garden salad. The restaurant recommended medium for the Tuna, but it will be better if it was medium rare to have the outside slightly seared and leaving the middle pretty raw to preserve its tenderness. The creamy dill sauce was good, the wiry, thread-like dill week adds a distinctive taste to the creamy sauce.

Tuna Dill Medallions
Rating: 4/5

Total cost for the meal was around 290K IDR (SGD$40). Food is a bit pricer than other local restaurants along the street, but its a steal if you compare with what you get in Singapore. Good food, nice ambience with friendly service.

Afternote - realised that the listed price on the internet menu was almost half of what was offered to us at the restaurant. Understand that there are usually different menu for tourist and locals, but didn't realise that it apply for mid-class restaurant like Un's as well. For those who know Malay, try to converse in their local language and ask for local price or menu for the locals, maybe you can get much better deals. Nonetheless, the dinner is still worth it even with the tourist price.

UN'S Paradise Restaurant Kuta
Jalan Pantai Kuta
Reference Website: Un's Restaurant (Bali Kuta)

Bali - Day 1

2012-03-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Free and Easy Bali - Day 1 Itinerary
1) Arrive Bali around 7pm
2) Dinner
3) Massage
4) Night stroll at Kuta Beach

We bought Air Asia tickets to Bali during promotion, each return ticket cost around S$115.
As a budget airline, their landing area is a small distance from the arrival hall and there is no linkway connecting the plane to the arrival hall. Designated air asia coach will bring you to the arrival hall in less than 2 min.

A nice Balinese Hindu style gate is there to welcome us at the arrival terminal. Clearance was quite efficient and fast.

Bali Arrival Hall

You can simply get a taxi at the Taxi Service counter just outside the arrival hall, rates are fixed and you pay at the counter before the driver bring you to his taxi. It cost 50,000 Rupiahs (IDR) from Bali international airport to Kuta area, it is only 15 - 20 minutes drive.

Taxi Service Counter

Best Western Kuta Beach is along the same stretch of beach as Hard Rock Cafe Hotel. Didn't expected that the hotel to be in a small dark alley, but its only less than 1 minute walk from the main road.

Best Western Kuta Beach

Although a bit small, the hotel is very new and clean. A small cozy standard room cost around S$85 per night. Welcome drinks and snacks are provided at Triple S Bar.

Best Western Kuta Beach

Welcome Drink and Snack

There is a small pool at the roof top which look nice in pictures and cater to those who desperately want a dip in the nice sunny weather.

Rooftop Pool

The beach is conveniently located across the one-way main road, just 50 meters away from the hotel. The beach is for surfers and swimming is prohibited due to safety reasons. The stretch of beach is relatively less crowded, besides surfers, there are a number of people enjoying suntan and stroll along the beach. You can also enjoy a nice walk at night under the starry skies and soft sand at your feet.

Kuta Beach at Night

While we were looking for a day trip, we got tips from a local tour sales on where to have our dinner. Just before we reached the mentioned restaurant along Jalan Pantai Kuta, we chanced upon a sign showing Un's, which is highly recommended restaurant on the Internet.

It was a wise decision to dine in Un's Restaurant - good food, nice ambience with friendly service. More information in the next post - Bali Day 1 Dinner.

Un's Restaurant

Bali is famous for their happening nightlife as well - bars, pubs with live bands, DJs and dancers. You can see couples and groups all dressed up in the middle of the night, getting ready to party the night away!

Kuta Night Life

If that doesn't attracts you, you can also choose to have a quiet walk at the beach, chilled out at ice cream parlour or just sit back and enjoy a relaxing Balinese massage.

There are many shops offering massage service, we chose one which looks more established and clean. It's definitely worthwhile to pay a little bit more to have some assurance for a comfortable environment, clean massage oil and skillful massage service.

Massage Area

Massage is very cheap, a 60 minute foot massage cost Rp. 65K (S$9) while a 60 min Balinese body massage cost only Rp. 95K (S$13). Foot massage was good, but would not recommend female for body massage here as there is not much privacy in the skimpy curtain divided "cubicle".

Smart Massage