Cafe Batu Jimbar, Sanur Bali

As we waited for our room to be ready, we went across the street and had lunch at Cafe Batu Jimbar. It has the Balinese architectural influence, semi open air, high ceiling and mostly wooden theme throughout. There are ample seating inside the restaurant or on the front porch and side alley. We chose to sit inside hoping to escape from the Sanur heat during lunch time and indeed it was cool inside, even without air conditioner.

cafe batu jimbar
Notice the amazing decoration!
Seatings at the side alley
Seating at the side alley

There is cabinet displaying cakes and little sweet treats in front near the cashier and bar, which all looks very appealing. We ended up ordering one of their chocolate sliced caked for dessert. But first of all, a friendly waiter came to our table and left us to read the menu. They offer not just Indonesian food, but also Thai, Vietnamese, and Western.

Cake display
Cake display

I opted for one the Batu Jimbar favourite, which is Ikan Woku Belanga – fish cooked in spicy sweet and sour broth. Hubby went for Arugula Salad with grilled sirloin beef as he had craving for green leaves 🙂 It was a difficult choice to make for the drinks, all the juices in their menu sounds delicious! We ended up getting the Green With Envy and Inner Cleanser. I personally prefer the Green With Envy, but both tasted good not just on the taste buds but body as well.

The healthy juices
The healthy juices
Arugula Salad
Arugula Salad
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Ikan Woku Belanga
Close up of the fish stew
Close up shot of the fish stew
Chocolate Mousse Cake - yes we are in chocolate heaven!
Chocolate Mousse Cake – yes we are in chocolate heaven!

Hubby said the Arugula Salad is very flavorsome and the beef cooked perfectly well. When we went to Bali, we rarely had western food, mainly because the point of Bali trip for us is to devour on Indonesian food that we already miss. But with this Arugula Salad, hubby said he would happily order it again and again. Same goes to the Ikan Woku Belanga, well-balanced dish that packs with flavour.

Oh and a side note, Cafe Batu Jimbar has Sunday Market event where various chefs sell their food on the stalls in front of the restaurant. We had already left Bali on Saturday night, so missed this chance; but we would definitely love to try it out.

Cafe Batu Jimbar

Jl. Danau Tamblingan No. 75A, Sanur, Bali

Phone: +62 361 287 374

Email: info@cafebatujimbar.com

www.cafebatujimbar.com

Babi Guling Candra, Denpasar Bali

At last, we made it to Babi Guling Candra on our last trip to Bali and it sure didn’t disappoint 🙂 It’s located on Jalan Teuku Umar which is one of the main artery of Denpasar and can have heavy traffic during peak hours. The food is super spicy, hot, place was packed during lunch hour, and of course worth the effort to come by. Without further ado, here are some pictures we took at Babi Guling Candra and the meal.

babi guling candra

As far as I know, they only have one menu to offer. And for eat in, the meat/condiments are separated from the rice plus another small bowl of soup as side. It costs about AUD 4/5 per portion for eat in. However, I read somewhere that take away costs cheaper, but I cannot confirm that as we only ate in the restaurant.

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The rice with sambal
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The meat, satay, urap, crackles, skin and other bit and bobs of pig
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The soup – hot and spicy!

Then we went to Gusto Gelato after lunch, seriously need cold desserts to wash out that burning heat 😀 Our favourite flavour is pistachio and we have been hoping to get that treat. Unfortunately, they are not available that day despite we were told before that pistachio flavour only makes appearance on Wednesday 🙁 Well, regardless  of missing pistachio flavour, we sure did have a delicious gelato to cool down our burning tongues. And even better that it is so cheap compared to in Sydney.

gusto gelato

 

Babi Guling Candra

Jl. Teuku Umar, Denpasar, Bali

Phone: +62 361 221278


Gusto Gelato & Cafe

Jalan Mertanadi No. 46B, Seminyak

Phone: +62 851 0052 2190

gusto-gelateria.com

[Review] Kingston & Co @ Eastgarden Westfield, Sydney

We went to Eastgarden Westfield last weekend to hunt for few bits and bobs for our new place. We left home quite early that day for church in the city first, so hadn’t had breakfast. And by the time we got to Eastgarden, we were totally starving! We walked around and decided to settle for brunch at this cute eatery.

Kingston & Co offers modern Australian cuisine, the decor is interesting, reminds me of older style of little cafes around Paddington. The service was friendly and very prompt. When we got there, there was only 1 table occupied, so we were told to sit anywhere we liked. Our order came within 30 minutes after ordering and are huge portions!

Hubby ordered a Kings Breakfast and I got myself a 2 Eggs & Toast. A King’s Breakfast includes 2 eggs, chorizo, mushroom, tomato, bacon, avocado, hash brown, spinach and toast. Meanwhile mine just like what the name suggests is basically 2 eggs with toasts and I also added mushroom as side. The eggs are cooked however way we requests, either poached, scrambled, or fried.

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Kings Breakfast
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2 Eggs & Toast with Mushroom

The highlight for us was the mushroom, super tasty with strong earthy flavour. I prefer their scrambled eggs over poached ones, as they are more fluffy. Hubby thinks the chorizo is nice as it is not as salty as the ones you usually get elsewhere.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to taste their coffee as those meals have left us filled up well. When we left, there was a bit of queue for the coffee so I assume they are not bad either. So next time we went to Eastgarden again, we might want to try their coffee as well 🙂

 

 

Kingston & Co

Level G, Westfield Eastgardens, 152 Bunnerong Road, Eastgardens, Sydney, NSW

Phone: (02) 9314 2578

————–or—————

Level 3, Westfield Chatswood, 1 Anderson Street, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW

Phone: (02) 9419 5341

https://www.facebook.com/KingstonandCo

 

 

Sari Organik (Bodag Maliah) & Seniman Coffee, Ubud

Every time we went to Bali, I had always wanted to try out this place. I read a lot of good praises for this restaurant, but we just never made it until our most recent trip. The main reason was always due to its location, a fair bit of walk from main street Ubud. And there are never shortage of choices to pick in Ubud as well. But, this time I insisted to come and we went there by the rented motor bike:) It was challenging to find our way here, got lost a few times. But in Bali (as per our own experiences so far), just nicely ask people around you and you’ll be fine!

At first we used Waze app to find our way to a Sari Organik Restaurant and it led us to the branch in Penestanan. In there we asked how to get to the one with rice paddy view aka Bodag Maliah. It gets quite rough once we got into the small  walkway in between rice paddy fields. I was so amazed at the surrounding: the rice fields, the sound of bamboo turbines that keep birds away from paddies, the farmers, few small yoga places, few more cafes. It felt like you are far away from Ubud Center, although sadly I think in few years time that area will probably be filled up with villas or other accommodation types.

sari organik1

The road to Sari Organik is not very shaded, so by the time we got there we ordered three glasses of juices right away. Only after that, we took our time to read through the menu and the surrounding to absorb the pretty view. The seating area is on top of their kitchen, an open air area looking out to paddy fields all around. There are lesehan style seating around the side and corners of the restaurant with heaps of cushions.

sari organik6

We ordered nasi campur bali and chicken kebab. Both mains are delicious, the seasoning is very light handed and definitely not spicy at all. But the vegetables are awesome, they are fresh and crisp and yummy. Hubby thinks that his chicken kebab are a little too dry and stringy, nonetheless he still enjoyed them well 🙂

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sari organik3

sari organik4

Various organic supplies for sale, such as coconut oil, soaps, incense, etc.
Various organic supplies for sale, such as coconut oil, soaps, incense, etc.

After all that yummy lunch, as we headed back to our hotel, we stopped at Seniman Coffee. Here are what we ordered, that chocolate cake is super delicious! Not overly sweet, hint of salt flakes, and just smooth almost mousse-like consistency of chocolate.

seniman coffee3

seniman coffee1

seniman coffee2

Sari Organik aka Bodag Maliah

Subak Sok Wayah (Middle of ricefield north of Raya Ubud)
T: (0361) 972087
sari-organik@hotmail.com

Seniman Coffee

Jalan Sriwedari No. 5, Banjar Taman Kelod, Ubud

T: (0361) 972085

senimancoffee.com

[Review] Cinta Grill, Ubud Bali

There are a lot of restaurants that we always put on our to-try list and yet never had the time and stomach space to try them. Cinta Grill has been a favourite to many but it is certainly a new one for us. We passed this place numerous times, never had tried it before although we have hears do many good reviews of it. Aside of the good reviews, this place seems always packed which means it must be doing something really well, right?

cinta grill1

We went to Cinta Grill around 7.30 pm after our delightful massage session by Juwuk Manis and the restaurant is packed! We enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant, it was so much alive. Service was prompt and friendly even though they were so busy.

cinta grill4
Cold beer and mocktail with lime and lemongrass -can’t remember the name now ?

 

We ordered one portion of Surf and Turf and a Full Slab of Baby Pork Ribs. Both mains arrived within 30 minutes of ordering, and both tasted wonderful. The baby pork rib especially was the star, just as many people have recommended it. The meat was so tender and fell off the bones; and has been marinated really well. The sambal is totally worth mentioning as it is actually very flavoursome! Hubby’s Surf and Turf was also delicious, well cooked beef and very tasty grilled prawns. He requested fried sweet potato and truly good choice, crispy and perfect compliment to the meat and sauce. All in all happy tummies and happy customers 🙂 Maybe make a reservation ahead if you’d like to come by during busy hours, just to be safe 😉

cinta grill2

cinta grill3

Total spent on the night was IDR 421,575 (approximately AUD 45) – cheap right? 😀

 

Cinta Grill

Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Phone: +62 361 975395

www.cintagrill.com