PRICES & OPENING HOURS
Prices, style, food presentation, decoration
and service you will experience in Bali vary
from restaurant to restaurant and range from
very basic to luxurious and from extremely cheap
to expensive (by Bali standards but still cheap
if compared with New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo or
London). You can still have a tasty meal at one
of the many food stalls (warungs) for 8,000
Rupiah, and you can spend US$120 and more per
person (without wine) in Bali's top restaurants.
Although not cheap, the Balinese dance
performances presented during a buffet dinner in
some hotels for about US$80 or more per person
are memorable events you should attend at least
once (the open stage at THE OBEROI offers
perhaps the most attractive setting). The
adjacent KURA KURA restaurant of THE OBEROI
would be our first choice for "Fine Dining" in
this part of Bali.
Regular culinary events, although aimed
predominently at the local expat community, are
special dinners at THE CONRAD and THE BVLGARI
resort introducing the products of visiting wine
makers and/or guest Chefs and the annual "Wine &
Cigar Dinners" at THE RITZ CARLTON priced at
900,000 Rupiah to 2,600,000 Rupiah per person,
usually including wines.
The monthly lunch meetings of the "Bali Wine
Club" (gentlemen only), the "Bali Champagne
Club" (ladies only), the "Chaine des Rotisseurs"
Black-Tie Dinners and the spectacular Gala
Dinners of the BCP (Bali Culinary Professionals)
are for members and their guests only. If you've
booked a villa through balidiscovery.org.uk and
are seriously interested in good food and wine,
please ask your butler to arrange your
attendance.
If you wish to arrange a special celebration or
just want to enjoy a truly outstanding culinary
experience with your family or a group of 8 or
more friends, your top choice in Bali would be
to book the Private Chef's Table @ MOZAIC
in Ubud. Please visit our "Ubud Restaurant
Guide".
In all restaurants outside the large hotels you
can expect to pay from 20,000 to about 180,000
Rupiah for a main course. A beer adds 8,000 to
40,000 Rupiah to your bill, and if you really
want to live it up and order a bottle of
imported wine or champagne this will set you
back at least another 260,000 Rupiah and more.
(WARNING: in some hotel restaurants this
extravagance carries a very steep penalty.)
Usually 10% service charge is included in your
bill. If not, a tip of 5% or a maximum of 10% is
appreciated but not necessarily expected. Hotels
always add 21% (11% tax & 10% service) to
your bill.
Most restaurants in Bali are open until 10:00 or
11:00 p.m., and a few eateries in tourist areas
keep their kitchens open until 12:00, 1:00 a.m.
or even around the clock. For a late sushi or
sashimi dinner you can go to any of the RYOSHI
restaurants (until midnight). LA PORCHETTA and
MAMA'S in Kuta stay open 24 hours. Another late
night place is SANTA FE in Jalan Dhyana Pura,
and there are quite a number of simple PADANG
RESTAURANTS in Kuta, Sanur, and Denpasar which
serve also food around the clock.
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YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF
CUISINES
Whether you long for an original Austrian
Wiener Schnitzel, Chinese delicacies such as
Hong Kong style Dim Sum, Smoked Duck from
Szechuan or Scallops in Black Bean Sauce, German
Wurst or Rindsrouladen, Greek Souvlaki, Indian
Tandoori Chicken or Rogan Josh, Italian Lasagna
or Pizza, Japanese Sushi, Yakitori or
Shabu-Shabu, Korean Bulgogi Beef and Kimchi,
Mexican Enchiladas or Tacos, Russian Borscht,
Spanish Tapas or Paella, Swiss Cheese or Beef
Fondue or a spicy Thai Tom Yam – you can get it
in Bali.
Although based on original recipes, the
preparation of the dishes is often adapted to
the local taste and the availability of certain
ingredients and the results are not always
predictable. However, if you don't insist on
comparing the Balinese version of international
delicacies with those prepared in the country
they originate from you can usually expect a
rather enjoyable meal.
In addition to restaurants specializing in one
type of cuisine you find many (usually not very
trustworthy) places which offer a wide range of
Chinese, Indonesian and Western dishes. For
emergencies, there are also branches of KENTUCKY
FRIED CHICKEN, MACDONALD'S and PIZZA HUT as well
as a HARD ROCK CAFE. These Western fast food
outlets have recently become very popular with
young Indonesians.
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INDONESIAN FOOD AND COOKING
Indonesian home cooking can be excellent, but
finding a restaurant serving good local
Indonesian food in pleasant and comfortable
surroundings is difficult. Some tiny food stalls
and "Warungs" offer one or two excellently
prepared local specialties but the primitive
surroundings easily spoil the experience for
many visitors. On the other hand, Indonesian
food served in well-decorated and comfortable
Western-style restaurants is often specially
prepared for foreigners and has not much
similarity with the authentic version.
The centerpiece of any Indonesian meal is
steamed or boiled rice. Accompanying dishes
include various preparations of chicken, duck,
beef, (in Bali also pork), goat, all kinds of
seafood and vegetables, either steamed, boiled,
braised, stir or deep fried, roasted or grilled
over coconut husks. Other ingredients used to
give Indonesian food its unique flavours are
chillies, coconut, peanuts, garlic, ginger,
saffron, basil, cardamon, lemon grass, lime,
nutmeg, pepper, shallots, soy sauce, tamarind,
turmeric and several kinds of shrimp paste.
(They weren't called the Spice Islands for
nothing, you know.) The result is usually very
tasty but not unbearably hot – as long as you
avoid the small green chillies and different
kinds of 'Sambal' which are often served
together with your meal.
Indonesian delicacies served in many restaurants
and hotels include 'Sate' (charcoal-grilled
skewers with small pieces of chicken, beef,
pork, prawns or minced seafood) served with a
peanut sauce, 'Gado-Gado' (a half-boiled
combination of various vegetables with peanut
sauce) and 'Nasi Goreng', tasty fried rice with
either meat or shrimps.
For Indonesian "High Cuisine" – not to be
confused with local home cooking – visit the
restaurant KETUPAT in Kuta. For a down-to-earth
experience of Indonesian food you should visit
the night markets and/or the food halls in or
adjacent to some shopping centers (e.g. Tiara
Dewata) in Denpasar. For a dollar or so you can
try "Bakso", different "Sate" (including the
Balinese "Sate Lilit" made from minced seafood),
and many other local delicacies.
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NASI PADANG FROM SUMATRA
In every Balinese town you will see a number
of very simple restaurants which display 10 or
15 different plates and bowls with cooked food
in a glass box next to the entrance. Chicken,
beef, fish, liver, eggs and different vegetables
are prepared in the style of Padang, a major
city in Sumatra. When you sit down at a table,
the waiter brings a plate of rice and one plate
of every single dish to your table. You eat
whatever you like, and you will be charged when
you leave only for the food you've eaten.
Usually a meal with many different dishes is two
or three US dollars. Many Nasi Padang
Restaurants in South Bali i.e. Sanur, Jimbaran,
or the Kuta area are open 24 hours a day.
TRADITIONAL BALINESE FOOD
There are two traditional Balinese dishes you
should not miss: It's a must to try the Babi
Guling, the crispy skin and pieces of
grilled suckling pig which is a specialty of the
town of Gianyar, and the Bebek Betutu, a
delicious duck specialty, slowly baked in banana
leaves together with many different herbs and
spices. To try "Babi Guling" watch out for
signboards at small restaurants which specialize
in this dish. The "Bebek" you should try in
MURNI'S WARUNG next to the bridge in Campuhan,
Ubud.
The best place to experience a whole range of
authentic Balinese dishes including Sate
Lilit made from minced prawns and fish, a
delicious grilled marinated fish, and
Nasi Kuning, yellow rice often served at
celebrations, is the BUMBU BALI Restaurant in
Tanjung Benoa adjacent to Nusa Dua (Jalan
Pratama, Gang Nusa No. 5B). This unique and
comfortable restaurant was opened in December
1997 by Heinz von Holzen, the author (and
photographer) of "The Food of Bali" – a book
which is a must for everybody interested in
exotic cuisines. Heinz is the former food guru
of the Grand Hyatt Bali and the Ritz Carlton
hotel, and his restaurant is a temple devoted to
traditional Balinese cuisine.
Inside the nearby RUMAH BALI Heinz opened in
March 2006 the BALINESE VILLAGE CENTER – a
carefully designed compound to stage cultural
shows for up to 340 guests, art exhibitions,
theme parties or private dinners. In various
traditional pavillions the preparation of rice,
vegetable and meat dishes is demonstrated, and
you can also watch the destillation of and taste
the home-made Arak and Rice Wine. Moreover,
during most mornings the VILLAGE CENTER is the
venue of Heinz' popular Balinese Cooking
School for visitors. (If you book certain
villas through Balivillas.com, you enjoy FREE
participation in the cooking classes conducted
by Heinz. Don't miss it!
To learn more about Balinse specialties and how
to prepare them, please visit our Balinese
Recipes pages providing over 70 recipes for
traditional Balinese food preparations.
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BEER, WINE, AND LOCAL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
In restaurants you'll pay for a large bottle
of local beer between 12,000 and 80,000 Rupiah
(plus 21% tax and service charge in hotels). A
small glass of mediocre Australian table wine
costs 30,000 to 60,000 Rupiah ++. Prices for a
bottle of any better wine start between 190,000
Rupiah and 500,000 Rupiah, depending on where
you are. Prices for wine and champagne in many
hotels are outrageous compared with Western
countries.
The good news is that the choice of available
wines from Australia, California, Chile, France,
Italy, New Zealand, Portugal and South Africa
has recently increased. If you think the prices
of these imports are too high, you should at
least try the HATTEN wines, one rosé wine and
two types of white wine made from grapes grown
in North Bali and sold in restaurants for
120,000 to 180,000 Rupiah and in hotels for
sometimes 450,000 Rupiah ++ per bottle. The same
company is producing also a rosé sparkling wine
named "JEPUN" with a refreshing fruity taste. "JEPUN"
is about 50% to 100% more expensive than HATTEN
Rosé. HATTEN's newer white sparkling wine named
"TANJUNG" is also getting quite popular.
"Wine of the Gods" is a company which produces
wines in Bali from grape juice imported from the
Margaret River region in Western Australia.
Their "Premium Chardonnay" and "Shiraz" are
quite drinkable. The winery is open six days a
week from 9 am to 5 pm for tours and tastings
and is located at No. 885, Jalan By-Pass, Sanur,
near the Benoa harbour turn-off.
Most foreigners like the local BINTANG beer.
Many restaurants and pubs also serve BINTANG
"draft". Other locally produced beers are ANKER,
CARLSBERG, SAN MIGUEL and the less popular BALI
HAI beer. In hotels and supermarkets you can
also find well-known brands imported from
Australia, Germany, Japan, and even China (Tsing
Tao).
Beer is available in all supermarkets and many
smaller shops. Wine is very expensive in
supermarkets but nowadays there is a number of
specialized wine shops where you can find
a good choice of imported wines at more
reasonable prices. Have a look at the WINE HOUSE
at Jalan Kerobokan opposite KAFE WARISAN, the
BALI WINE SHOP, Jalan By-Pass 546 in Sanur, BALI
DELI in Jalan Kunti and the BALI LIQUOR STORE,
Jalan Kunti No. 18 in Seminyak, and at BEST
WINES & SPIRITS, Jalan Tangkuban Peradu No. 15D,
Kerobokan. The LAMAK Restaurant in Ubud offers
an excellent choice of imported wines at
reasonable prices. The best source to buy
Cuban cigars is CIGARS & CIGARS at Kuta
Poleng Mall B-5, Jalan Setiabudhi near the DFS
circle at Jalan By-Pass in Kuta.
Some religious (Moslem) groups are trying to
make the consumption of alcoholic beverages
illegal in Indonesia, and there is a possibility
that in future alcoholic drinks will either not
be available at all or can only be served in
international hotels and only to foreigners.
This is really bad news for all Balinese who
have enjoyed Arak, Tuak, and Brem as long as
anybody can remember. It is a tradition that in
all villages the men meet in the evening in
"drinking clubs" where they discuss the news of
the day and get slowly stoned on their rather
potent home brews.
Tuak (about 5% alcohol) is a sweet palm
wine made from the juice of the coconut palm
flower which is stored for about one month for
fermentation. Brem is made from black
glutinous rice and coconut milk; the alcohol
content is about 7% to 9% after three days
fermentation. Most popular with foreigners is
Arak: a colorless, sugarless spirit
distilled from either Brem or Tuak with 20% to
50% alcohol content. A whole bottle costs about
Rupiah 40,000, and it is usually served 'on the
rocks' as "Arak Attack" or "Arak Madu" (Arak,
lemon or orange juice, and honey). You should
try it at least once. There is no hang-over as
long as you don't mix your drinks, and many
visitors don't order anything else after they
have discovered Arak.
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