Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Sea Circus, Seminyak - Bali


Seminyak, as one of the most crowded area in Bali, offers many great places to eat. Started from local "warungs", until fine dining restaurants, you can find it all the way in Seminyak. As a foodies, it's a paradise for me and I don't wanna missed any visit to the popular places for eat there. Between many restaurants, there's one restaurant that I really wanna try, it's Motel Mexicola. Motel Mexicola is restaurant who serves Mexican food. I love Mexican food. I love tacos, nachos, and churros!! Those all my favorites and I was so craving for them. Yeah, it's kinda hard to get Mexican food in my town. So when I see there's a good Mexican Restaurant in Bali, I don't wanna missed this chance.

Cozy indoor seating at Sea Circus

Short story, we decided to came there for a lunch, because at night this place change into a bar, and I thing it's not suitable for children. When I was there, I found out they only have outdoor seating and at that time Bali was really really hot. My son, Winston always be cranky everytime being at the hot weather, so we moved to other restaurant who serves tacos as well, Sea Circus.


Sea Circus also quite famous in Seminyak. Located not far from Motel Mexicola, this place offers a great food and thankfully, they have an indoor seating so I don't need to feel "hot" while enjoying my food. Sea Circus well known for their tacos. However it only available at lunch time which started at 12PM. Well, while waiting for that time, we decided to order a smoothie bowl. Actually, we're not too hungry at that time because we just had breakfast at the hotel. We just want to have a tacos "snack time", to fulfill my craving with Mexican food.

Acai Bowl - IDR 95K
Acai Bowl 
While I was asking the waitress a recommendation for smoothie bowl, she told me Acai Bowl is the most favorite smoothie bowl at Sea Circus. It made with frozen acai berry blended with banana, blueberries, mango, and coconut water, and it's totally delicious. It's not the first time for me to eat smoothie bowl. I make it everyday as a breakfast at home (i'll post the recipe next time). But this smoothie bowl is different. I love the crispiness of granola (they use a lot of it!), and also the very cold smoothie which comes from the frozen acai berry.



Spicy Prawn Tacos - IDR 90K
Spicy Prawn Tacos 2Pcs (90K)
Tacos at Sea Circus is unlike the original taco. It's not a hard shell tacos. Instead, it's soft and unfolded. There are many options for the toppings, but this time I chose spicy prawn with mango salsa sauce, infused with sour cream. To be honest, I don't really like the sauce, because it's quite tasteless. But I love the prawn. It was grilled perfectly with tasty seasons.. Maybe that's the reasons why they make the sauce tasteless.. So I can taste more the flavor of the prawn. Anyway, you can choose is to be served as 2 or 3 pcs tacos.

Detail of the toppings
Choices of the toppings of tacos at Sea Circus

Mango Tango (55K)
After had a lovely taste of Mango Lassie at NOOK , everytime we go to cafe or restaurant Aurelia always request a mango flavoured drink. Luckily, they have mango flavoured smoothies called "Mango Tango". Mango Tango is a smoothies made with mango, yoghurt, and milk. It wasn't bad, but not as good as Mango Lassie at NOOK.

Mango Tango Smoothies - IDR 55K

My lunch at Sea Circus wasn't too bad. But some people said this place is more popular for breakfast than for lunch. Maybe next time I'll come back for breakfast and eat more smoothie bowl..






Sea Circus
Address : Jalan Kayu Aya No. 22, Seminyak, Bali 80361
Phone : +62 361 738667
Opening hours : Mon - Sun 7AM - 12AM
Website : https://seacircus-bali.com

Sunday, March 25, 2018

NOOK, Seminyak - Bali

Still about Bali, this time I gonna write a post about the popular restaurant in Bali, NOOK. Tucked away at Seminyak area, this place become a favorite restaurant to be visited, especially for tourists. However, even most tables full of tourists, doesn’t mean it’s a tourist trap restaurant. I had a lunch here when I was in Bali, and the food wasn’t bad at all! Even it becomes my favorite place to eat in Bali.




 As I was saying, NOOK located at Seminyak area. However, it's not located right in the middle of the crowd. It's located at North Seminyak, where you can find a different ambience. NOOK has a unique place. When mostly café and restaurant in Bali offers an ocean view or private beach, NOOK has something different to be offered. It’s one thing that makes me likes this place. This restaurant only has outdoor seating, and surrounded by paddy fields. Yes, a paddy fields! Can you imagine to have a breakfast or lunch with this green scenery?? It’s gonna be great especially if you feel bored with beach view.



Enough with the scenery around it, and let’s talk about the food. We came to this restaurant at the lunch time, so we’re looking for some “heavy” meals. Thankfully, unlike other café or restaurant in Bali which mostly only have Western Food on their menu, NOOK also offers Indonesian food and it’s perfect for lunch. We ordered Ayam Betutu and Soto Ayam, because we started to missed Indonesian dishes (Indonesian food is the best!!)



While waiting for our meals, we saw that most people ate the sandwiches, burger, and smoothie bowls. I asked the staff and they said it’s their recommended menu. I felt curious with their sandwich and decided to order it because it looks delicious.  Well, here’s the review of those meals.

Soto Ayam IDR 40K
Soto Ayam
For Indonesian people, Soto Ayam is not something special and you want to eat on your holiday. We can find it everywhere because it’s everyone’s favorite dish, including Aurelia. She loves Soto Ayam and that’s the reason why we ordered it. Soto Ayam is an Indonesian chicken soup. It comes with a clear broth mixed with tumeric for the soup, it’s really savory and tasty. Anyway, if you eat Soto Ayam, don’t forget to put a squeeze of lime juice. It’s gonna be taste much better.

Lunch with a stunning view at NOOK
Ayam Betutu
Since we’re in Bali, eat Balinese local food is a mandatory. I love every kind of Balinese food, including ayam betutu (Betutu chicken). Usually, I always eat this chicken dish at Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk, the original restaurant for Ayam Betutu. However, at that place they only serve Ayam Betutu, and my children can’t eat it because it’s extremely spicy. So this time we decided to eat this spicy chicken dish at NOOK.

Ayam Betutu IDR 60K
Ayam Betutu is a spicy chicken dish, authentic from Bali. It cooked with a lot of Bali spices, and cayenne peppers. Yup, the original ayam betutu is using a lot of cayenne peppers and it’s really spicy. But in NOOK, they make a modification for this dish by using less spices and less cayenne peppers. It makes this dishes has not too strong taste, and to be honest, this kind of Ayam Betutu is pretty good. So you can enjoy this dishes without make your tears come out because of  the spiciness. No wonder Ayam Betutu also become their specialty, come along with Nasi Campur.

Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich IDR 60K
Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Actually this is a breakfast menu. However it’s still available until 2PM, and I’m so lucky still have a chance to order it because this sandwich is the bomb!! It has a crispy bread, filled with avocado, mushroom, spinach, and of course mozzarella cheese. But one thing that make this sandwich special is the pesto sauce that they put to complete their filling.  Not just the sandwich, I love the salad as well. It was really fresh, and the dressing was delicious.

The fillings of the sandwich

Blushing Berry Beet IDR 40K
Mango Lassie and Blushing Berry Beet
Great smoothies are something that you can get in every restaurant or cafe in Bali. That's why I always order smoothies to complete my meal. Since the weather was really hot at that day, we decided to order 2 glasses of fresh smoothies. I love them both my favourite is Mango Lassie. It's the best Lassie's ever!

Mango Lassie IDR 35K
Well, those are my honest review about this happening restaurant in Bali. All of their dishes so delicious, both for Western and Indonesian food. If I back to Bali, definitely I'll come back again and try their Nasi Campur, which is also a recommended dish at NOOK.

- See you at another post about our culinary trip in Bali -






NOOK

Address : Jalan Umalas 1 Gang Nook No. 1, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Bali 80361
Phone : +62 361 8475625
Opening hours : Mon - Sun 8AM - 11PM

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Ultimo Italian Restaurant, Seminyak - Bali

As I was saying at the previous post, I just had a Bali trip with my family for celebrating Aurelia’s 8th birthday. I was so glad that she liked our “present” for her, especially when she knew we stayed at the luxury resort, Anantara Uluwatu. Nothing can make me feel happier than see the smile from my children.


Outfit for dinner - White Floral Dress : Topshop , Bag : Longchamp
 A birthday celebration, won’t be complete without a dinner. We’re looking for a good fine dining restaurant to celebrate this special moment. Since we gonna had dinner with children, we’re looking for a restaurant, which serves a child friendly menu. Finally, we decided to have a dinner at our favorite restaurant in Bali, Ultimo.


Ultimo is an Italian restaurant, located at Seminyak area. This is one of our favorite restaurant in Bali. Everytime we go to Bali, Ultimo is a must for us. Not just because of the delicacy of their dishes, but they also have an affordable price for that good quality food. They have a good interior for a fine dining restaurant. However, the ambience is quite not suitable for children. It has a low light, with a small space at indoor area. They do have an outdoor area which more spacious, and have live music too!! But as usual, outdoor area is a smoking area, and it’s not good for children.



Extremely delicious complimentary bread

Despite the ambience, we chose this restaurant because they serve Italian food which is our children’s favorite. They love pasta, a lot!! I’ve tried their pasta before, and I like it. And if I like it, so the children do. Beside the pasta, I also love to eat their seafood dishes. It was so fresh and also taste delicious.

Ravioli di Pollo
Ravioli di Pollo (IDR 65K)
First dish is the pasta. This time I decided to try their ravioli, which is stuffed with chicken. It was so tasty, and the pasta also cooked perfectly.  This ravioli is cooked with creamy sauce and mushroom, which make it taste better.

Grilled Snapper with Sautéed Vegetables& Caponata Sauce
Grilled Snapper with Sauteed Vegetables & Caponata Sauce (IDR 135K)
To be honest, this dish is quite disappointed. Even though the snapper was really fresh, but it was overcooked. The texture was too dry and not juicy at all. Beside that, the sauce also has a very strong taste, and too sour.

Grilled Seafood Platter

Grilled Seafood Platter
At the time we ordered, we didn’t see this menu. But the waitress was telling it’s one of their recommended dishes. Based on what he said, we decided to try it and it’s very very delicious. This platter contains squids, prawns, muscle, and it’s all grilled - my favorite cooking method all the time - and French fries for the side dish. I love grilled food especially for seafood dishes. This seafood was grilled perfectly, and also comes with less spices, so I could taste the flavor of the seafood itself. How tasty it is!!! Suddenly it reminds me with grilled seafood dishes from Cerveseria Catalana which is also very fresh, and delicious.


Not just the foods, we love their bestseller beverages too. I don’t know what does it called, because we didn’t see it on the menu. We just saw every table had this drink, so I asked the waitress to make the same. This beverage is exactly the same with the one that we got at Nervino Dieci Trattoria, Milan. It made with full of sorbet and it’s really fresh. The only difference is the flavor. While in Milan they only have watermelon flavor, UItimo has more options for that. This time I tried the mango flavor and it wasn’t disappointed at all. It was really good and fresh. You really need to try it when have a dinner at Ultimo.


Ultimo is the right place for you who are looking for a fine dining yet affordable restaurant. You can reach this place by short walking from Seminyak Village. Since this restaurant has many tables, reservation is not necessary. Except if you want to celebrate a special occasion, with many peoples on your group.






Ultimo Italian Restaurant
Address : Jalan Kayu Aya No. 104X, Seminyak, Bali 80361
Phone : +62 361 738720
Opening hours : Mon - Sun 4.30PM - 1AM


Monday, March 19, 2018

Luxurious Staycation at Anantara Resort, Uluwatu - Bali



Bali, as one of the most popular destination in the world offers many beauty inside it.  Bali has it’s own charm started from the culture, until their beautiful nature. But we all know, Bali always identic with its beach. That’s the main reason why I did a short Bali trip last month. I wanna took my children to this paradise.



Dewa Dewi Chapel at Anantara Uluwatu
Short story behind our Bali trip…
So, Aurelia celebrated her 8th birthday on February, and I felt confused about the presents. It seems like she doesn’t like toys anymore. I was thinking what did she really want, and just remember it’s a beach! Yeah, we had a holiday at the cold weather lately, and she missed a warm weather at the beach. Everytime she watches movies or looks a picture of the beach, she always asked me, “When will we go to the beach?? I want to play at the beach, Mom.” Based on that reason, we decided to make a short vacation to Bali, because it’s the nearest yet beautiful beach with our home town. Beside that, I just realized that the last time we went to Bali was 3 years ago, and I missed Bali so badly…


At this post, I gonna write about our stay experience, at the luxurious resort in Bali. This time we decided to stay at Anantara Uluwatu Resort. Anantara has a very good reputation as a luxury hotel in the world. In Bali, Anantara has 2 locations, Seminyak and Uluwatu. Honestly, I like Seminyak more because there are numerous great café and restaurant in Seminyak, and it’s gonna be great for a foodies like me to stay there. So we don’t need to drive when we want to have a lunch or dinner. However, Uluwatu offers another good point for me (and my family). The view of the ocean, looked from the cliff. Yes, Uluwatu area located at the cliff, and the view from this area is so amazing. Especially if you want to catch a sunset, Uluwatu is the best place for that!!

Sunset in Uluwatu


Room – Ocean Suite View
Basically, all rooms at Anantara Uluwatu are Suite Rooms with ocean view. The differences are only the location (one at the main building and the other at the cliff) and also with or without private pool. We chose to stay at Ocean Suite View which located at the main building. I love the view from this room, because we’re not just get the ocean view, but also another part of Anantara Resort, in 1 frame.

View from the room

Looking at the sunset when it's just started, from our room
The room is very spacious. In 80 square meters, this room also has a big couch and it’s really good for a family with children (especially a toddler). With this room size, children will have more space for play and won’t feel boring at the room. Feels like home??? Yes, indeed!







I also love the idea of the bathroom. There are 2 bathroom sinks and it's really huge. Looking at this bathroom design, I started to think to make a bathroom like this at our home.


Bathroom Goals

Beside the room size and the view, there’s one thing that makes me love to stay at Anantara. It’s the jacuzzi. Every rooms in Anantara, equipped with an outdoor jacuzzi. Located at the balcony, this jacuzzi is a perfect spot for relaxing while looking at the fabulous view in front of you.

Bubble bath everyday




Aurelia loves bubble bath too


Facilities
- Swimming Pool
Since Anantara is a luxury resort, of course they provide a good facilities for hotel guests. One of  them is the swimming pool. Located right by the cliff, it’s a perfect place to swim and feel the ambience of the ocean. FYI, Uluwatu is not a crowded area. From this place, you’ll find a peaceful atmosphere. Swimming or sit by the pool, it’s your choice.

Swimming Pool at Anantara Uluwatu

Enjoy sunset from the poolside
Anantara Uluwatu also has a view point which located above the pool. Comes with an ocean view, this place become a good place for have a romantic dinner, called "Dining by Design". Having dinner here with your couple gonna be a perfect place, especially for celebrating a special moment. You can contact the hotel for more information about this dinner or just click here to make a reservation.

Dewika Lounge at Anantara Uluwatu




- Free Shuttle
As I was saying, Uluwatu is an uncrowded area. You can’t go anywhere by walk, or find taxi easily. To go out from the resort, you need to drive with your own vehicle. However, if you want to go to attractions nearby, such as Pura Luhur Uluwatu (for watch Kecak Dance and sunset) and Padang – Padang Beach, you can use a free shuttle provided by Anantara Resort. There’s a schedule for each route, which you can asked with hotel staff.

Padang - Padang Beach

Breakfast & Dining at 360 Restaurant
By staying at Anantara, you’ll get a chance to have a breakfast at 360 Restaurant. 360 Restaurant is one of 3 restaurants provided by Anantara Uluwatu, which offers a great view of  Indian Ocean. For breakfast, they have a numerous options of food that you can choose, started from pastry, salad, pancake, until Indonesian dishes.

360 Restaurant at Anantara Uluwatu





Between all of these delicious dishes, I love the pastry, and the smoothies. 2 days in a row I ate every kinds of the pastry, smoothies, and also yoghurt. The yoghurt was so tasty. Not forgetting the muesli. Love it!!



Breakfast with a view at 360 Restaurant by Anantara Uluwatu
Not just for breakfast, 360 Restaurant also opened for lunch and dinner. We had a lunch here once, and we satisfied with the taste of their dishes. Even though we just ordered a plate of pasta (only for our children because we had lunch Balinese food before), but we knew they using a high skill to cook their food. Just look at the Spaghetti Carbonara below. It’s so creamy, and there are some thin slices of cheese on it. I could feel the strong taste from the sauce in every bite, and it’s taste exactly the same with pasta that I ate in Italy. Not disappointed at all!!


Spaghetti Carbonara
Complimentary Bread

If you feel lazy to get out from your room, you can order a food from Dining Service, which also provided by 360 Restaurant. It’s opened 24 hours, so it can be a great option if you’re hungry at night. I’ve tried it once, and the food also taste as great as we ate at the restaurant. We ordered another pasta dish (it’s my children’s favorite food), but this time we ordered Macaroni and Cheese.  At that time we’re expecting it’s gonna have the same taste with the carbonara. But it’s not!! It’s even more delicious and now it becomes the best Mac & Cheese I ever ate.

Macaroni and Cheese
2 nights stay at Anantara Uluwatu resort became a very memorable staycation for us. Our children very happy to stay there, so do we! At the last day, before we checked out, we just found out there’s a complimentary for hotel guest. It’s a family photoshoot with a personal photographer provided by Anantara. The photoshoot itself could be done at hotel area, anytime you wish as long as you still stay there. After the photoshoot done, you can choose 1 picture to be edited and printed for free. However, if you want to print out more than 1 picture, you can ask about another package they offer.


Family Photoshoot

Just an advice from me, photoshoot during sunset is very beautiful. If you have time, take a photoshoot at the sunset time. I’ve seen the result and it’s very fabulous. I regret to know about this photoshoot at the last day, and couldn’t do it with sunset as a background. But that’s fine. We love our photo results in the morning. It’s gonna be the unforgettable staycation for our family.

Lobby of Anantara Uluwatu Resort at Night





Anantara Uluwatu Resort
Address : Jl. Pemutih - Labuan Sait, Uluwatu, Pecatu, Kuta Selatan, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, 80361
Phone : +62 361 895 7555
Website : https://bali-uluwatu.anantara.com
Email : uluwatu@anantara.com